THE Jews have likewise had their Commentators, who are not to be neglected, since they knew their Law very well, and understood the Holy Scriptures in their original Language. We shall mention here the principal of them only, or those who have some Reputation among Christians; and this we shall do in a Chronological Order.
We shall begin with the Aarons. He of Pesaro, who flourished in 1581, put out a General Index of all the Passages in Scripture which are to be found in the Babylonish Talmud, printed at Basil, 1587, in fol. the third Edition.
Aaron the Son of Samuel, towards the End of the 17th Century, printed another Index of the Bible, disposed according to the Order of the several Books and Chapters, at Frankfort upon the Oder, 1690, fol.
Abraham the Son of Techiel, Priest, of Porto, published Allegorical Notes, or Cabalistical Expositions of the difficult Words in Scripture, at Venice, 1628, in 4to. the second Edition.
Abraham the Son of Levi Konki, born at Herborn, and Collector in Flanders of Alms for the Synagogues in Palestine, towards the End of the 17th Century, made a Comment upon all the ancient Books, entituled, The Dust of the Scribes, at Amsterdam, 1704, fol.
Rabbi Bezaleél, a Portuguese, the Son of Solomon, and Preacher to the Jews in 1674, put out Allegorical Discourses on several Places, in seven Parts, which he calls the seven Pillars, at Dyrenfort, 1693, in 4to.
Eizivir the Son of Rabbi Manahem- Manes, published the Key and Index to some Passages of Scripture, which are to be met with in the Book Zoar, at Sulsbac, 1684, in fol.
Rabbi Gedaliah, the Son of Rabbi Joseph Jebhia, made a Catena of Traditions, from Adam to the Year of Jesus Christ 761, in two Parts; and a third, wherein he treats of the Creation of the World. He died in 1448. His Work was printed at Venice in 1587, in 4to.
Bartolocci, in the second Tome of his Bibliotheca Rabbinica, speaks of one Rabbi Hhaim Hhabria, who lived in 1750, and wrote upon the whole Scripture.
Jacob Abendana, a Spanish Jew, and Prefect of the Synagogue at London, who died in 1685, published a Spicilegium of Explanations upon several select Places of the Scripture, at Amsterdam, 1685, in fol.
Solomon Jarchi, Rabbin, wrote a Comment upon the whole Old Testament, which John Frederick Breithaupt translated into Latin, and printed at Gotha in 1710, and 1714, 3 Vols. in 4to. This Comment may be of great Use for a Translation from the original Text, but can scarce be of any in acquiring the true Meaning of it; for this Comment often stands in need of another, No one but a Person so well versed in Rabbinical Learning, as M. Britkaupt could be qualified to attempt a Latin Translation of it. The learned Notes which he has inserted at the bottom of the Pages are necessary Illustrations of it.
Rabbi Jarchi was born in France, at Troyes in Champagne, according to M. Simon; or at Lunel in Languedoc, according to Bartolocci. He lived in the 12th Century.
Jacob the Son of Isaac, a German, who lived in 1612, put out three Comments in the German Tongue upon the Hebrew Text in three Vols. fol. at Amsterdam, 1706, and in other Years at other Places.
We have Literal and Mystical Explanations, by Joseph Karo, the Son of Ephraim, a Spaniard, and Rector of the University in the Town of Japheth, divided into two Parts, and printed in Hebrew at Amsterdam, 1706, 1708, two Vols. in 4to. He died in 1575.
Isaac Abarbanel, or Abravanel, a Portuguese Jew of Lisbon, who died in 1508, made several Treatises, the Catalogue whereof may be seen in F. le Long, p. 803. col. 1. or in Buxtorf’s Rabbinical Library. It would be too tedious to repeat them here.
Rabbi Issachar the Son of Nephthali, a Jewish Priest of the Synagogue of Russia, has given us a Key and Index to explain the difficult Places of Scripture, under this Title, The Priest’s Vision, at Amsterdam, 1673, in 4to. the second Edition; and the Sacerdotal Gifts, at Frankfort upon the Oder, 1692, in fol. the 4th Edition.
Rabbi Moses Maimonides, a Spaniard of Cordoua, who understood all the Oriental Languages, and died in 1205, wrote a great deal, and every thing of his composing is very much valued. See F. le Long, in the same Place, p. 869. We shall observe something of him in the fifth Part.
Moses Naphtali Son of Asher, a German Jew, published a Comment in the German Tongue, taken out of other Comments, and printed in Hebrew Characters at Cracow, in fol.
Rabbi Solomon the Son of Isaac, put out the New Zohar, or an Appendix of what was wanting to this Comment; printed at Amsterdam, 1701, in fol. with Additions, by Rabbi Mordecai, the third Edition. And Solomon the Son of Melec, a Spanish Jew, in the 16th Century, wrote a Comment upon the whole Old Testament, in Hebrew, printed at Amsterdam, together with a Spicilegium, by Jacob Abendana, 1685, in fol. Several have translated it into Latin, as may be seen in F. le Long, p. 941.
Rabbi Simeon, called The Preacher, a German of Frankfort, who lived in 1310, made a Collection of different Explanations, printed ibid. 1709, two Vols. in fol. with another Collection, by Rabbi Samuel the Son of Gedaliah.
Among these Commentators we may place Philo the Jew, who has written several Treatises upon Scripture, which he all along explains in an allegorical manner.
Josephus the Historian, who in his History of the Jews, and in his Books against Appion, has explained many obscure Places of the Scripture.
The Targums, or Authors of the Chaldee Paraphrases, Onkelos, Jonathan, Joseph the Blind, &c. of whom we have before spoken.
Lastly, the Rabbins collected in the Rabbinical Bibles of Venice and Basil. See the Article Hebrew Bibles.
The Fragments of Origen’s Hexapla, collected in two Vols. fol. by F. Montfaucon, with a Hebrew and Greek Lexicon, and learned Prefaces, are of great Use for the whole Old Testament, and make John Drusius’s Work of little Service, which Work is entituled, Veterum Interpp. Græcorum in vet. Test. Fragmenta, &c. at Arnhiem, 1622, in 4to.