Lexicon Chaldaicum, Talmudicum et Rabbinicum

 

Lexicon Chaldaicum, Talmudicum et Rabbinicum by Johannes Buxtorf

        Johannes Buxtorf was born in Westphalia, Germany in 1564 and grew up to become a well-known and respected Christian Hebraist. He became a professor of Hebrew at the University of Basel in Switzerland where he published many works on Hebrew grammar and lexicography. His crowning achievement was the Lexicon Chaldaicum, Talmudicum et Rabbinicum. It had taken Johannes Buxtorf 20 years to complete and begin revising the volume when he died in 1629. His son Johannes Buxtorf the younger, also a professor at the University of Basel in Bible and Hebrew studies, took another 10 years to complete the revisions before the volume was printed in 1639. The Lexicon Chaldaicum became a very important resource for Hebraist scholars in the 17th century. Even after that time, it was still a significant work and continued to be republished as late as 1866. The original printing of the lexicon was done by Ludwig König, a colleague of Johannes Buxtorf the elder.

            At the time when Johannes Buxtorf the elder was working in Basel, Jews were not allowed to enter the city.  Buxtorf and König had to get special permission from the government to allow two Jews and their families to live within the city to assist the scholar and printer in their work.  One of these Jews was a scholar named Abraham ben Eliezer Braunschweig.  In 1619, Buxtorf was fined by authorities for witnessing the circumcision of Braunschweig’s infant son.  Although he closely collaborated with Jewish scholars, Buxtorf’s works radiate a noticable negative attitude towards Jews and Judaism. 

 The Lexicon Chaldaicum, Talmudicum et Rabbinicum can be read online at: https://archive.org/details/joannisbuxtorfi01fiscgoog

A page out of the Lexicon Chaldaicum, Talmudicum et Rabbinicum

A page out of the Lexicon Chaldaicum, Talmudicum et Rabbinicum

REFERENCES:

- Brisman, Shimeon.  A History and Guide to Judaic Dictionaries and Concordances.  Hoboken, NJ: Ktav Publishing House, Inc., 2000.  Google Books.

- Burnett, Stephen G.  From Christian Hebraism to Jewish Studies:  Johannes Buxtorf (1564-1629) and Hebrew Learning in the Seventeenth Century.   Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1996.  Google        Books.

- Gottheil, Richard and Meyer Kayserling.  “BRAUNSCHWEIG (BRUNSCHWIG), ABRAHAM B.            ELIEZER:”.  Jewish Encyclopedia.com.  2011.

- Toy, Crawford Howell and Meyer Kayserling. “BUXTORF (BUXTORFF), JOHANNES (usually called "Father," or "the Elder")”.  Jewish Encyclopedia.com.  2011.