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Tri-lingual Hebrew, Latin and Greek dictionary by the renowned Christian-Hebraist scholar Sebastian Muenster (1489-1552). A popular and much reprinted work, the Dictionarium trilingue, in quo scilicet latinis vocabulis in . ordinem alphabeticum digestis respondent Graeca & Hebraica: Hebraicis adiecta sunt magistralia & Chaldaica, begins with prefatory material in Latin with occasional Hebrew followed by the dictionary. The text is in three columns comprised of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. This edition has an appendix, apparently not included in the previous editions. At the end of the book is Petri’s press mark, an anvil smashing a rock.
Muenster, a cosmographer, astronomer, and orientalist was, for twenty three years, professor at Basle. Born in Niederingelheim, Hesse, the son of a Spitalmeister (hospital master), Muenster had no university education nor did he ever receive a degree. His education consisted of some private instruction in Latin and later studies at Frieberg and attendance at lectures given by the Franciscans. In 1506, Muenster entered the Minorite order and was sent to study in Rufach under Conrad Pellican (Pellicanus, 1478B1556). The following year he took vows and, in 1512, was ordained a priest. Muenster assisted Pellican in teaching in Pforzheim and, from 1524-29, occupied the chair of Hebrew at the University of Heidelberg. In 1529, Muenster converted to Protestantism and moved to Basle, where he occupied the chair of Hebrew, at a salary of 60 gulden (= ,75); from 1547/8 he was rector. From about 1525, Muenster was a student of Elijah Levita, translating and editing his grammatical works. Muenster also translated a number of other Hebrew works into Latin and was a prolific author in his own right. By the time of his death more than 100,000 volumes of his works were in circulation. His Jewish oeuvre, more than three-score publications, covers all aspects of Judaica, excepting Kabbalistic studies, which did not interest him. In 1523, Muenster published Dictionarium Hebraicum . . . adiectis Chaldaicis vocabulis, his study of the Aramaic language. More an appendage than a full study, it was followed in 1527 by his Chaldaica Grammatica, a complete grammar. Also published that year was the Dictionarium Chaldai, the first Aramaic dictionary written by a Christian. It is primarily based on the Arukh of Nathan ben Jehiel of Rome (1035-c. 1110). Muenster is also known for his Hebraica Biblia with original Latin text (Basle, 1534B35); two versions (Latin) of Josippon (1541, 1553); and a list of the 613 precepts (Basle, 1533) gleaned from the Amudei Golah (Semak). His Torat ha-Mashiach, (Matthew, 1537), the first Hebrew translation of any book of the Christian Bible begins with a missionary treatise intended for Jews.
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