IN THE

WORK.

AARON, R. BEN HAIM, Chief of the Synagogues of Morocco and Fez; he wrote Commentaries on the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, and the thirteen exegetical rules of R. Ishmael.

ABARBANEL, DON ISAAC, born at Lisbon in 1437; he states in his comment on Zechariah, that his family settled in Spain shortly after the destruction of the first Temple. He was of the royal stock of David. Alphonso V. of Portugal was completely guided by his councils; at his death, to avoid the fate the friends of that monarch experienced from his successor, John II., he fled to Castile, where, jointly with Abraham Senior, he farmed the royal revenues. In 1484, he was summoned to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella, in whose service he was employed until the expulsion in 1492, which, after unsuccessfully endeavouring to avert, even by the offer of 600,000 crowns, he recommended his brethren quietly to submit to. On quitting Spain, he repaired to Naples, where he was kindly received by Ferdinand, to whom he rendered many services. After the death of this monarch, Charles VIII. of France invaded Italy; and Alphonso II., the son and successor of Ferdinand, fled to Sicily, whither Abarbanel accompanied him, and remained faithful to him under all his misfortunes. On his demise, he retired to Corfu, and ultimately to Venice, whose senate, knowing his abilities as a statesman, employed him to negociate the treaty for the spice trade with Portugal. He died there in 1508, beloved and esteemed by all who knew him. His writings are elegant and impressive: his commentaries carry such conviction, that Popes, who formerly sought our conversion, prohibited those on Isaiah being read. He was so ready a writer, that, in fifteen days, he completed his comments on Joshua, and in seventy-two, those on the books of Samuel and Kings. He also wrote eleven other valuable works.

ABARBANEL, DON JUDAH, son of the preceding, was an excellent scholar and elegant poet. He quitted Spain at the expulsion, and finally settled at Genoa, where he practised medicine with great credit: he is commonly called the Hebrew Lion. He wrote in Latin the Philography or Dialogues of Love, in three parts; the 1st. On Moral Philosophy; 2nd. On Natural Philosophy and Mathematics; 3rd. The Sublimest Theology: it is translated into various modern languages.

ABEN EZRA, R. ABRAHAM, was born at Toledo in 1119; his great learning procured for him the distinctive appellation of the Sage; he was an excellent philosopher, grammarian, poet, physician, astronomer, and cabalist, on all which subjects he wrote. His comments on the Scripture were so highly appreciated by Maimonides, that he recommended them as the best to his son; his thirst after knowledge led him to travel through Greece, and nearly the whole of Europe : the Library of the Escurial possesses his numerous works almost complete. He died at Rhodes in 1194.

ABOAB, R. ISAAC, born in Castile in 1432, died at Lisbon in 1493, much regretted by the king. He was greatly esteemed as a philosopher, jurist, theologist, and expositor. His work, "The Lamp of Light," is highly appreciated, as inculcating the purest morality.

ABRAHAM, R. BEN DAVID DAOR, commonly known by the name of TN Areabad, was born at Toledo in 1120, renowned as a profound Talmudist and excellent historian. His work, "The Order of the World," demonstrates the uninterrupted preservation in its purity of the Oral Law from Moses to his time; the history of the Jewish Kings during the second Temple; and the Roman History down to the commencement of Ismalism: he also wrote in Arabic a work demonstrating

b

that the elements of nature lead to those of religious faith.

ABUDARHAM, R. DAVID, a learned astronomer and moral philosopher, born at Seville in 1300, wrote many approved works on those subjects, and an explanation of the Annual Ritual.

ABULENSIS, vide Tostat.

ADA, R., a learned astronomer of Nahardea, where he was head of the college in 240. He formed the astronomical tables by which the Jewish Calendar is regulated: they are found to be so correct, that no alteration in them has been made during sixteen centuries.

ADERETH, R. SOLOMON BEN, better

of Knowledge." He also wrote others of minor interest.

ALBERTUS MAGNUS was born in 1205, of a noble Suabian family; his numerous extraordinary inventions led to his being accused of sorcery. He became a monk, and died in 1282. He was beatified by Gregory XV. in 1622.

ALBO, R. JOSEPH, born at Soria; assisted at the disputation held at Tortosa in the presence of Benedict XIII. with the apostate, Joshua Harloqui. He was much esteemed for his Talmudical and general knowledge. His "Book of Principles" is a fine example of the metaphysics and philosophy of the Jews. He also wrote on the existence of God, and on future rewards and punishments.

הרישבא known by the appellation of

Arishba, was born at Barcelona, where he flourished in 1300. From his abilities, in philosophy and civil law, he became chief of all the Jews in Spain. He wrote various esteemed works; manuscripts of some are in the Vatican library.

ÆLIANUS, MECCIUS, an Italian physician, highly praised by Galen; he was the first to administer theriaca as a cure and preventive against the plague.

EMILIUS, PAULUS, a celebrated historian, was born at Verona. The Cardinal of Bourbon, in the reign of Louis XII., invited him to write the history of France in Latin: it is much admired.

AGELLIUS, ANTHONY, Bishop of Acerno in Naples, flourished in the beginning of the 17th century. He wrote commentaries on Solomon's Song, Psalms, Lamentations, and Habakkuk.

AKIBA, R., said to be a descendant of Sisera, was born the same year as the Christian era commenced: while attending the flocks of a rich master, he became enamoured of his daughter; but she having declared she would not marry a man who was not learned in the Law, he applied himself to its study at the age of forty, and became so renowned, as to have had, it is said, 24,000 scholars. When she became his wife, it is said he could give a reason for every letter in the Law. Having taken part with Barchochab in the revolt against Adrian, he was taken prisoner with him at Bither. During his trial before Rufus, at the hour of prayer, he calmly performed his devotions, and was condemned to be flayed alive at the age of 120.

ALBELDA, R. MOSES, Chief of the College of Thessalonica, wrote, under the title of the "Gates of Tears," a highly moral work on the vanity and vicissitudes of human things, and a philosophical and allegorical one entitled, "The beginning

ALCABES, R. SOLOMON, flourished at Saphet in the 16th century. He wrote commentaries on the Five Rolls, and some cabalistical works.

ALCIATO, TERENCE, a Jesuit professor of philosophy and theology at Rome, born in 1570, died in 1671.

ALDABI, R. MEIR, wrote in 1360 a highly esteemed philosophical and theological work entitled, "The Seeds of Faith."

ALES, ALEXANDER, born at Edinburgh in 1500. At the confession of Augsburg, he entered the lists against Luther, but subsequently embraced Protestantism. He came to London in 1535, and was much esteemed by Cranmer and Latimer. On their fall, he returned to Germany, the Elector of Brandenburg appointing him Professor of Divinity at Francfort on the Oder. He wrote various commentaries, and died in London in 1565.

ALGAZEL, ALGAMATA, wrote an Arabic work on moral precepts, and a philosophical one under the title of "The Destruction of Philosophers;" both were translated into Hebrew by R. Abraham bar Hasdi. It was also printed in Latin, with Aristotle's works, in 1560, at Venice.

ALMOLI, R. SAMUEL, practised physic with great repute in Italy. He wrote a philosophical treatise, on the articles of faith, and an account of all religions.

ALMOSNINO, R. MOSES, a learned philosophical writer in 1538. He wrote, under the title of the "House of God," a work on the terrestrial globe, "Instructions for life," "Rules for upright conduct," a refutation of heathen philosophy entitled, "The Tower of Strength," some commentaries, and various other learned works.

ALPHONSO X. succeeded his father, Ferdinand III. of Spain, in 1252. His profound knowledge of history, philo