Isaac, bishop OF Langres, France, is supposed to have been jirescnt at the Council of Kiersy in 840, as deacon of Laon. After the death of Theutbalde, Wulf- ade seized the Ijishopric of Langres in spite of all oppos- ing canons; but Hincmar, archbishop of Rheims, de- clared against him, and Charles the Bald compelled him to llee. Hilduin, lay abbot of St. Denis, then pro- posed Isaac as bishoji, and by his influence caused him to be aii)K)inted. Isaac was ordained bishop of Langres about 856. \Vc afterwards find his name in the coun- cils of Toul and Langres (859), of Tousy (860), of Pistes (862), of Vcrberie, and of Soissons (866) — an evidence that he had gained great consideration and influence. His mildness caused him to be surnamed honua, and the martyrology of the Church of Dijon praises him highly. A lasting monument of his efforts to effect a reform amout; the monastic orders is his work on Canon.t, pub- lislicd by Sirmoud, Concilen, vol. iii; Labbe, Concil. etc.; lialuzp, Capitiildires, vol. ii. See Gallia Christ, vol. v, col. 533 ; J list. J Alt. de la France, v, 528 ; Hoefer, Nuuv. Biofj. Generule, xxvi, 4. (J. N. P.)
Isaac THK Sykian («), with the surname of Doc- tor (ir Mdf/nus, because of his ability as an ecclesias- tical writer, who flourished in the first half of the 5th century, was, in all probal)ility, a native of Syria. He was at first a mtnik in a convent not far from (labala, in Phoenicia, and afterwards became a priest at Antioch. He died about 456. He wrote several theological \mm- phlets in Syriac (and perhaps also in Greek), directed chiefly against the Ncstorians and Eutychians. A work
on the Contempt of the Woiid would be considered as his chief claim to reputation, but the authorship of this book is not at all well established. It is by some sup- posed to have been written by the other Isaac the Syr- ian (see next art.). There seem to be better grounds for considering him as the author of the treatise De Cogitationibus, the Greek text of which, together with a Latin translation, can be found in the A scetica of Pe- trus Possinus. The library of the Vatican contains some other MS. works of Isaac. He is honored as a saint both by the Maronites and Jacobites of Syria. See Gennadius, De Scrijit. Eccles. ; Cave, Hist. Littera- ria; Fabricius, Biblioth. Grasca, xi, 214; Hoefer, iVowa;. Biog. Generale, xxvi, 3 ; Jocher. Gelehrt. Lex. ii, 1991.
Isaac THE Syrian {h), generally with the surname of Ninivita, an ecclesiastical writer of the 6th century, became bishop of Nineveh, but aftenvards resigned his office to enter a convent, of which he was subsequently chosen abbot. He died towards the close of the 6th century. He is generally, and, as it seems, justly con- sidered as the author of the treatise De Contemptu Mun- di, de Operatione corporcdi et siii A hjectione Liber, which may be fomid in the Orthodoxor/rajyhi (second edition, Basle, 1569), BibUotheca Fairum (of Cologne, vol. vi), Bibliothiva Fatnim (of Paris, vol. v), BibUotheca novis- sima (<il' ]>yo]is, vdl. xi), and in Galland, BibUotheca Fa- truni (vol. xii). All these collections contain a Greek text with a Latin translation, yet the former appears itself to be a translation from the Syriac. There are twenty-seven ascetic sermons of his in Greek (MSS. in the Vienna Library) and some homilies (MSS. in the Bodleian Librar)^). See Cave, Hist. Liter. ; Fabricius, Bibl. Grceca, xi, 215; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Gen. xxvi, 4; Jocher, Gelehrt. Lex. ii, 1991.
Isaac Aboab, a Spanish Jew of some distinction as a commentator and preacher, was born, according to Grhtz (Gesch. d. Juden, viii, 225), in 1433, and sncceeded the celebrated Isaac of Campanton as gaon of Castile. He died in 1493. Aboab wrote, besides super commen- taries to the commentaries of Rashi and Nachmani, l^l^SSnln 55 riiliU, or Dissertations on a Part of the Talmudic Tract Jam-Toh (Beza), edited by Jedidja Ga- lante (Venice, 1608 ; Wilmersdorf, 1716) :— "(ibiQ "flD, or Homilies, with free Use of the Ilagadah, edited by Gershom Soncini (Constantinople, 1538, 4to; Zolkiew, 1806, 4to). There are a number of other works that have frequently been attributed to the pen of this Isaac, which Dr. Zunz assigns, as Griitz believes very properly, to another Isaac Aboab, who flourished about 1300-1320. Among these, the most important, which Flirst {BibUotheca Jvdaica, i, 4 sq.) assigns to the pres- ent Isaac, is 'I'lN^n t^'^isp, a hagadic or ethical trea- tise on the Talmud and Midrashim, in seven sections (published at Venice, 1544, fol., and several times later; also with a Heb. commentary by Frankfurter, Amsterd. 1701 , 8vo ; and by others with Sprnish, Hebrew, German, and IIigh-(ierman translations at different times and places). (J.II.W.)
Isaac Albalag, a Jewish philosopher of some note, flourished in Spain during the latter half of the 13th century. He was a contemporary of the celebra- ted Falaquera, and, like him, well versed in Arabian philosojihy. Albalag possessed greater natural endow- ments than Falaquera, but, wanting that independence of mind which made the latter so justly celebrated, he failed to take as prominent a position. " He died about 1294. About 1292 he edited and improved Alghazali's Makasid Alphilsapha, under the title of n'r"n 'i'liSln, A part of it has been published bv Schorr in Chaluz. iv (1859) and vi (1861). See Griitz, Gesch. d..rud&i, vii, 252 sq. (J.H.W.)