Flavius Mithridates
Flavius Mithridates [1][2] was an Italian Jewish humanist scholar , who flourished at Rome in the second half of the fifteenth century. He is said to be from Sicily[3], and was a Christian convert, known for preaching impressively if tendentiously.[4] He also had a knowledge of Arabic.[5]
About 1486 he lived at Fratta, near Ferrara, in the house of Johannes Pico de Mirandola, whom he instructed in Aramaic.He is now best known as the translator for Pica della Mirandola[6] of the Biblioteca Cabbalistica, a large[7] compilation of cabbalistic literature.[8] Modern scholarly reconsideration of this work have found it somewhat erratic and containing interpolations.
He also translated into Latin Maimonides' epistle on resurrection, Levi ben Gershon's commentary on the Song of Solomon, and Judah's "Ma'amar ha-Hawayah ha-Heḳḳeshiyyah," or "Sermo de Generatione Syllogismorum Simplicium et Compositorum in Omni Figura." He seems not to have known that the last-named work was really written in Latin by Ægidius, and that Judah was only the translator of it. Flavius was the author of "De Tropis Hebraicis," an original work in Latin on Hebrew accents, which was praised by Sebastian Munster and Imbonatus.
Some scholars have thought, but without sufficient reason, that Flavius is identical with the cabalist Johanan Aleman ben Isaac, a contemporary and associate of Pico de Mirandola.
References
- The Great Parchment. Flavius Mithidates' Latin Translation, The Hebrew Text, and an English Version. Edited by Giulio Busi with Simonetta M. Bondoni and Saverio *Campanini, Turin, Nino Aragno Editore, 2004
- Flavius Mithridates. Sermo de Passione Domini. Edited with Introduction and Commentary by Chaim Wirszubski
- Bibliography: Dukas, Recherches, pp. 46, 69, 72;
- Joseph Perles, in R. E. J. xii. 249;
- idem, Beiträge, pp. 178-196;
- Brüll's Jahrb. iii. 196;
- Salfeld, Das Hohelied, p. 117;
- Steinschneider, in Monatsschrift, 1898, p. 262;
- idem, Hebr. Uebers. p. 492;
- Vogelstein and Rieger, Gesch. der Juden in Rom, ii. 75.G. I. Br.
Notes
- ^ Flavio Mitridate, Guglielmo Raimondo Moncada, Raimondo da Moncada, Raimondo Moncada, Raimundo Moncada, Raymond Moncada, etc.
- ^ According to the Jewish Encyclopedia his Jewish name is not known; but many modern works give it as Samuel ben Nissim Abulfaraj.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [ http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/vatican.exhibit/exhibit/h-orient_to_rome/Orient_to_rome.html]: he is there called a ‘clever charlatan’.
- ^ This PDF, p.83 places him at Rome 1477-1483, and as possibly the only scholar there with a working knowledge of Arabic. He worked on translating the Qu’ran for Federigo da Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, possibly between his times at Rome and Ferrara.
- ^ The Jewish Encyclopedia says for Pope Sixtus IV; thirty-eight fragments in Vatican MSS. Nos. 189-191.
- ^ 3500 pages of manuscript.[2]
- ^ E.g. this PDF], p.49.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)