Abendana (i. e. Son of Dana), Jacob, a Jewish rabbi, born in Spain about 1630, died in London in 1696. He was rabbi first in Amsterdam, and from 1685 till his death in London. He translated into Spanish the book of Cusari as well as the Mishna, with the commentaries of Maimonides and Bartenora. His Spicxleyium rerum prateritarum el intermissarum con- tains valuable philogical and critical notes to the cele- brated Michlal Jophi (Amsterdam, 1685). A selection from his works appeared after his death, under the title Discourses of the Ecclesiastical and Civil Polity of the Jews (Lond. 1706).
Aben-Ezra (otherwise Aben-Esdra, or Ibn- Esra, properly, Abraham ben-Meir), a celebrated Spanish rabbi, called by the Jews the Sage, the Great, etc., was born at Toledo in 1092. Little is known of the facts of his life ; but he was a great traveller and student, and was at once philosopher, mathema- tician, and theologian. His fame for varied and accu- rate learning was very great in his own day, and has survived, worthily, to the present age. He died at Rome, Jan. 23, 1167. De Rossi, in his Hist. Diet, of Hebrew Writers (Parma, 1802), gives a catalogue of the writings attributed to him. Many of them still exist only in MS. A list of those that have been published, with the various editions and transla- tions, is given by Fiirst in his Bibliotheca Judaica (Lpz. 1849, i, 251 sq.). A work on astronomy, enti- tled fl-OSn rPdxna (the Beginning of Wisdom), part- ly translated from the Arabic and partly compiled by himself, greatly contributed to establishing his reputation (a Latin translation of it is given in Wolf, Bibliotheca J/ebraica, t. iii). He also wrote a " Com- mentary on the Talmud," and another work on the im- portance of the Talmud, entitled NTia TitJi (the Basis of Instruction), several times printed (in German, F. ad M. 1840). His most important work consists of " Com- mentaries on the Old Testament" ('b'J d^S, in several parts), a work full of erudition. Bom berg, Buxtorf, and Moses Frankfurter included it in their editions of Hebrew texts and annotations of the Bi- ble (Venice, 1526; Basil, 1618-19; Amst. 1724-7). His "Commentary on the Pentateuch" (rTiipn Ufo'lB) is very rare in its original form (fol. Naples, 1488; Constantinople, 1514), but it has often been reprinted combined with other matter, overlayed by later an- notations, or in fragmentary form. None of the other
portions of his great commentary have been published separately from the Rabbinical Bibles, except in de- tached parts, and then usually with other matter and translated. Aben-Ezra usually wrote in the vulgar Hebrew or Jewish dialect ; but that he was perfectly familiar with the original Hebrew is shown by some poems and other little pieces which are found in the preface to his commentaries. The works of Aben- Ezra are thoroughly philosophical, and show a great acquaintance with physical and natural science. He also wrote several works on Hebrew Grammar (es- pecially D^tNt ^SO, Augsb. 1521, 8vo; nn? nso, Ven. 1546, 8vo ; fi^ia HEO, Constpl. 1530, 8vo), most of which have been re-edited (by Lippmann, Heidenhein, etc.) with Heb. annotations. Some of his arithmetical and astronomical works have been translated into Latin. — Hoefer, Biographic Generate.
Abercrombie, James, D.D., an Episcopal divine and accomplished scholar, was born in Philadelphia in 1758, and graduated at the University of Pennsylva- nia, 1776. He then studied theology, but, on account of an injury to his eyes, he entered into mercantile pursuits in 1783. In 1793 he was ordained, and be- came associate pastor of Christ Church in 1794. From 1810 to 1819 he was principal of the "Philadelphia Acadenry." In 1833 he retired on a pension, and died at Philadelphia, June 26, 1841, the oldest preacher of that Church in the city. He was distinguished as well for eloquence and liberality as for learning. He wrote Lectures on the Catechism (1807), and published a number of occasional sermons. — Sprague, Annals, v, 394.
Abercrombie, John, M.D., author of Enquiiies concerning the Intellectual Powers, published 1830, and | the Philosophy of the Moral Feelings, published 1833, i was born at Aberdeen, Nov. 11, 1781, and attained the highest rank as a practical and consulting physician at Edinburgh. He became Lord Rector of Marischal i College, Aberdeen, 1835. Besides the works above | named, he wrote Essays and Tracts on Christian Sub- jects (Edinb. 18mo) ; Harmony of Christian Faith and I Character (reprint from preceding, N. Y. 1845, 18mo). ! He died Nov. 14, 1844.— Quart. Rev. xlv, 341.
Aberdeen (Aberdonia Dcvana), the seat of a Scotch bishopric, formerly suffragan to the Archbish- opric of St. Andrew. The bishopric was transferred to Aberdeen about the year 1130, by King David, from Murthilack, now Mortlick, which had been erected into | an episcopal see by Malcolm II in the year 1010, Bean- \ cus, or Beyn, being the first bishop.
Aberdeen, Breviary of. While Romanism pre- vailed in Scotland, the Church of Aberdeen had, like 1 many others, its own rites. The missal, according to Palmer, has never been published ; but an edition of the breviary was printed in 1509. — Palmer, Orig. Li- turg. i, 188, who cites Zaccaria, Biblioth. Pituulis, torn. i; A. Butler, Lives >f Saints, i, 113.
Abernethy, John, an eminent Presbyterian di- vine, educated at the University of Glasgow, and aft- erward at Edinburgh. Born at Coleraine, in Ireland, 1680 ; became minister at Antrim in 1708, and labored zealoush' for twenty years, especially in behalf of the Roman Catholics. The subscription controversy, which was raised in England by Hoadley, the 1 mous Bishop of Bangor, and the agitation of which kindled the flames of party strife in Ireland also, having led to the rupture of the Presbytery of Antrim from the General Synod in 1726, Abernethy, who was a warm supporter of the liberal principals of Hoadley. lost a large number of his people; and these having formed a new congregation, he felt his usefulness so greatly contracted that, on his services being solicited by a church in Wood Street, Dublin, he determined to ac- | cept their invitation. Applying himself with re- doubled energy to his ministerial work, he soon col-