Catalog of the Hebrew Expositors
CATALOG OF THE HEBREW EXPOSITORS, or of the Rabbis, who expounded the divine letters in the Jewish tongue and according to the Hebrew traditions.
Pius V, Supreme Pontiff — when, before his Pontificate, he presided over the most ample and sacred Senate [tribunal] of the whole Christian Inquisition, which had been divinely conferred on him (namely, in the year of human salvation 1559) — sent me to Cremona to destroy the Talmudic books of the Hebrews, [full] of impious and monstrous doctrine, which the Jews had gathered from almost all Italy into that city, as into a common asylum of the Jewish nation. When, therefore, for that reason I had begun diligently to turn over all their libraries and printing-houses — the most copious of all that were then in Italy — I found an infinite number of Hebrew volumes; and among others, the commentaries of the Hebrew expositors, written below, on the divine Scriptures. Since I had earlier found some mention of these among our own expositors — chiefly the scholastics — it pleased me to gather their names summarily, and to append them, thus collected, at the end of this book, in the place of an appendix. And they are these:
Abraham, son of Ezra, whom the Hebrews call by the surname Aben Ezra [Ibn Ezra], that is, the Wise, a Spaniard by nation, a Grammarian, Philosopher, astrologer, and a great Theologian, wrote on the whole Old Testament 24 books. We have seen only the commentaries on Moses and the prophets, printed at Venice by Bomberg [Bambergum]. He died on the island of Rhodes, where he had lived in fame, in the year 1217.
Abraham the Spaniard wrote an exposition on the Pentateuch, which he called the BUNDLE OF MYRRH [Fasciculus Myrrhae].
Abraham Parizol [Farissol] put out explanations on Job.
Abraham Sava [Saba] composed a commentary on the Pentateuch, which is called ZEROR AMOR [Tzror ha-Mor].
Achai Gaon [Ahai], a very ancient interpreter, made a commentary on the whole [Pentateuch of] Moses, which is called SHE’ELTOTH [Seelthoth], that is, Things Inquired.
Ammai wrote an explanation on the nineteenth Psalm, to which he gave the title ON HIDDEN THINGS, Psalm 19.
Bachaiai [Bahya ben Asher] composed a great commentary on the Pentateuch, which Justinianus [the printer] recently printed at Venice. He wrote also on the five volumes which the Hebrews call Chamesh Megilloth [the Five Scrolls], that is, on Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, the Song, and Threni [Lamentations].
Bereshith Rabba, or Rabbot, is a commentary on the Pentateuch, containing a medley of Hebrew explanations.
Baruchias [Berechiah], whom (as Jerome testifies in his commentaries on Ecclesiastes) the Jews greatly admire, wrote most praised explanations on Ecclesiastes.
Hischia [Hizkiah] put out an explanation on the five books of Moses, which is called CHIZCONI [Hizkuni], that is, Hischionica.
Chavbenaki is a coined word, meaning A Measure [Modius] of pure flour. Thus a certain unnamed Rabbi entitled his commentaries on the Proverbs of Solomon.
David Kimchi [Radak], son of Rabbi Joseph Kimchi, wrote on the Psalms and on all the prophets succinct commentaries according to the letter: from which, recently, Thomas the Rhetor [Thomas Rhetus], an Englishman, translated into Latin the expositions on Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi; but Pellican [Konrad Pellikan] and Paul Fagius, heretics, [translated his] explanations on the Psalms. He also collected the Sciarascim [Shorashim], that is, a Lexicon, or Dictionary of the roots, or words, of the holy tongue, patched together from various Rabbis. He flourished about the year of our salvation 1380.
Hillel [Huillus] the Patriarch wrote commentaries on the Psalms and on Isaiah: which Origen, his contemporary, mentions in his exposition of Psalm 80, and on Isaiah, Tome 30, praising his explanations in the same passages of the same [prophet].
Jacob Minor put out a great prologue on the books of Moses.
Jehuda [Judah] wrote a commentary on the whole [Pentateuch of] Moses, called MINCHATH JEHUDA [the Offering of Judah].
Joseph the Blind [Caecus], who flourished nearly three hundred years after the second destruction of the temple (as Augustine, Bishop of Nebbio [Nebiensis; Agostino Giustiniani], testifies in his Octaplum), put out a Chaldaic translation on the Psalms.
Joseph Kimchi, father of David Kimchi, wrote commentaries on the Pentateuch, on the Psalms, and [on] all the Prophets: which we have found written on parchments, among the other books brought to us. He flourished about the year of the Lord 1350.
Isaac Harmaa [Arama] wrote commentaries on the Pentateuch, which are entitled HEKEDATH ISCHAC [Akedat Yitzhak], that is, The Sacrifice [Binding] of Isaac. He wrote also commentaries on the Chamesh Megilloth, that is, on the five volumes — Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, the Song, and Lamentations.
Isaac Ben-Schola [ben Sahula] collected an explanation on the psalms, from which Augustine of Nebbio translated much in his Octaplum of the psalms.
Isaac Kara [Qara / Caro], a Syrian, collected a little commentary on the Pentateuch, which is called by the Jews THOLDOTH ISCHAC [Toledot Yitzhak], that is, The Generation of Isaac, in the year of the Lord 1550.
Isaac Nathan wrote Biblical Concordances, in the likeness of the Latin concordances which Hugh of Cher [Hugo Carensis; Hugh of Saint-Cher] published on the Bible. These are called by the Hebrews IAIR NATHIB [Yair Nativ], that is, Illuminating the way.
Ishmael [Ismael] wrote a commentary on the latter part of Exodus, which is called MECHILTHA [Mekhilta].
Levi ben Gershon [Gersonides], the last of the Rabbis, wrote commentaries on the Pentateuch, on Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Prophets, and all the historical books: which Daniel Bomberg printed at Venice.
Menahem of Recanati [Manahem à Rechanate] put out commentaries on the Pentateuch, entitled ZIONI [Tziyyoni]: of which, when nearly a thousand copies — filled with innumerable impieties of the Talmudists — had been brought to us, by command of the sacred Roman Inquisi-
…[by command of the sacred Roman] Senate of the Inquisition, [these] together with ten thousand other volumes of Talmudic writings, were burned.
Masoret [Massoreth], that is, Traditions and corrections of the Bible, is a work containing the emendations of various Rabbis upon the Bible.
Midrash Tehillim [Midra Theillim] is the name of a commentary, which comprises rhapsodies of explanations of various Rabbis on the Psalms. From this, Augustine, Bishop of Nebbio [Giustiniani], collected scholia in his Octaplum of the psalms.
Moses the Egyptian, son of Maimon [Maimonides], wrote a most learned work, which he entitled MORE HANEVCHIM [Moreh Nevukhim], that is, The Guide of the Erring [the Perplexed], in which he diligently expounded very many passages of divine Scripture. From this work both St. Thomas and the other scholastic Theologians bring forward various testimonies for the exposition of the six days. He flourished about the year of the Lord one thousand [so printed; Maimonides in fact belongs to the later 12th century]. Concerning him there is reported among the Hebrews a most celebrated encomium: that FROM MOSES UNTO MOSES THERE AROSE NO OTHER MOSES LIKE THIS ONE — that is, that from Moses the lawgiver up to Moses the Egyptian, there was none to be compared to this Moses in erudition. The Jews call him RAMBAM, that is, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, comprising his name, his dignity, and his father’s [name] in a single word, composed of the four capital letters of those same appellations — which they are wont to do also in most other titles of the Rabbis.
Moses of Gerona, ben Nachman [Nachmanides / Ramban], wrote learned commentaries on the Pentateuch and on Job. To him the Jews give the first place among the kabbalists of recent times.
Moses ha-Darshan [Hadarsan] put out commentaries on Genesis and on the Psalms: whose centos [extracts] the Bishop of Nebbio adduces in his Octaplum of the psalms.
Pesikta [Pesiktha], that is, Determination, is the name of a very ancient commentary, having an unknown author, which expounds the three latter books of Moses.
Saadia ben Gion [Saadia Gaon] wrote commentaries on Daniel, printed by Bomberg at Venice.
Solomon Jarchi [Rashi], a Gaul [Frenchman], whom the Jews call — by a name composed from the initial letters — Rasci [Rashi], the son of Isaac, first among the more recent [Jews] wrote commentaries on the whole Bible; and he is among his own [people] a man of great authority. He is cited here sometimes by our scholastic expositors, but especially in Lyra [Nicholas of Lyra]. He flourished about the year of the Lord one thousand.
Shir ha-Shirim [Sir Hasirim] Perush [Pirus] — that is, an explanation of the Song of Songs, collected by an uncertain author.
Sifra [Sipra], that is, The Book, is the name of an ancient commentary on Leviticus, whose author is unknown, which the common people of the Jews call THORATH COHENIM [Torat Kohanim], that is, The Priestly Law.
Sifre [Sifri] is the name of an ancient commentary on the latter part of the book of Numbers and the whole of Deuteronomy, whose author is called, by way of excellence, RAB, that is, Master.
Simeon, son of Joachai [Shimon bar Yochai], the most ancient among the Jewish expositors, wrote — before the birth of Christ — a huge volume on the Pentateuch, called ZOAR [the Zohar], of which we found two thousand copies printed in a printing-house at Cremona, and, [when they were] already destined for burning by the Spanish soldiers, we preserved [them].
Simeon ben Joachim wrote a most ample volume on Leviticus, in which — discussing the natures of almost all things — he showed how Moses, according to the correspondence of the threefold world and the nature of things, ordained the ark, the tabernacle, the vessels, the vestments, the rites, the sacrifices, and the rest of the mysteries, both to appease God and the heavenly powers, and to expiate man [after] the image of these. The same [author] composed, on all the twenty-four books of the Old Instrument, the Yalkut [Ialcut], that is, Collectanea [Gleanings], which are entitled SIMONICA [after Simeon].
Thargum [Targum], that is, Translation and Paraphrase — especially from the Hebrew tongue into the Chaldaic — is of great authority among the Hebrews. For the Jews, returning from the Babylonian captivity (in which they had forgotten the holy tongue), brought back into Palestine a foreign language, namely the Chaldaic, or Syriac, which they had learned in Chaldea; and they used it in their own land, even in the time of Christ, and into it they translated the Mosaic law and the Prophets, both former and latter. The authors of this interpretation were Onkelos, who translated the Pentateuch; Jonathan, who translated both the Law and the Prophets; [and] Rabbi Joseph, who translated the Psalter, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, the Song, Ruth, Esther, etc. Francisco Ximénez [Jiménez de Cisneros], Cardinal of the holy Roman Church, affirms that this [Targum] is sincere and faithful in the Pentateuch, but in the other volumes of divine scripture full of trifles.