salom, for whom it is recorded that he wept and mourn- ed passionately (2 Sam. xviii, 33). The renderings of the Sept. and Vulgate induced the early Christian com- mentators to refer the psalm to the Messiah. Augustine understands "the son" as "the only-begotten Son of God." The Syriac version is quoted in support of this interpretation, but the titles of the Psalms in that ver- sion are generally constructed without any reference to the Hebrew, and therefore it cannot be appealed to as an authority. 4. As in the case of other titles of -the Psalms, this has been taken to be a musical instrument, or more commonly and probably the name of an air to which the psalm was sung. This title might then be translated, "upon dying [which has happened] to the son," or " upon ' Die for the son.' " So Hupfeld, that it was the commencement of an old song, signifying " death to the son." Delitzsch adopts this sort of ex- planation, but translates differently, " upon ' Death makes white.' " Hitzig and others regard it as an ab- breviation containing a reference to Psa. xlviii, 14. Ac- cording to Jarchi, " this song is of the distant future when the childhood and youth of Israel shall be made white ("n^ni), and their righteousness be revealed and their salvation draw nigh, when Esau and his seed shall be blotted out." He takes iHil^lpjJ as one word, signify- ing " 3'outh," and "iSb = ')???) " to whiten." Menahem, a commentator quoted by Jarchi, interprets the title as addressed "to the musician upon the stringed instru- ments called Alamoth, to instruct," taking "ab as if it were 'p3>^V o'^ ")'?"'^r'- The difficulty of the question is sufficiently indicated by the explanation which Ge- senius himself (Thes. p. 741 a) was driven to adopt, that the title of the psalm signified that it was "to be chant- ed by boys with virgins' voices," i. e. in the soprano. — Fairbairn; Smith. See Psalsis.
Mutianus, Rufus Conradus, a distinguished German scholar, and head of the Erfurt humanists, was born at Homburg Oct. 15, 1471. His family name was Mudt, or Mutk, but according to the literary fash- ion of the age he changed it to Mutianus. His parents lived in easy circumstances, and gave him a careful education. He entered the celebrated school of Alex. Hegius at Deventer, where he had for schoolfellow a youth named Gerhardus Gerhardi, who afterwards be- came celebrated throughout Europe as Desiderius Eras- mus, Mutianus displayed so much talent at Deventer that it was predicted that some day he Avould be reck- oned among the most learned men in Germany. When fifteen j'ears old he entered the University of Erfurt, and in 1492 graduated as magister artium. Desirous of enjoying the best educational advantages, he then went to Itah', and took his degree as doc. jur. can. at Bologna. In 1502 he returned home, and was appointed to a very lucrative position at the ducal court of Hesse. But he soon resigned, preferring a small position at Go- tha, which gave him ample time for studj'. He re- ceived an annual salary of sixty florins (about twenty dollars), but was so well satisfied with this modest remu- neration that he could not be prevailed upon to accept another position. The inscription, '■'Beata tranquilli- tas," which he placed outside, and "Bonis cuncta pate- ant,'' which he placed inside of his house, is significant. He preferred not to publish anything except a few epi- grams; but his letters, directed to his friends, are of great historic value, and show the superior critical mind of the man. They are preserved in manuscript at the Frankfort City Librarj', and have been in part edited by W. E. Tetzel in Supplem. historiw Gothanm (Jeuae, 1704), vol. i. Mutianus was a humanist, but hu- manism was, in his opinion, only a means to the end. It served him as an introduction into the study of moral philosophy and theology, and, like his great contempo- rary, Erasmus, he placed himself in decided opposition to scholastic theology and Church abuses generally. He was one of the literary precursors of the Reformation,
MUTIAXUS
V78
MUZIAXO
and as such contributed largely to prepare the minds of literary men throughout CJermany for a rupture with Eome. The modest George Spalatin, jun., was an inti- mate friend and pupil of his; and when Spalatin was called to Wittenberg in 1508, he dismissed him thus:
" Ito bonis avibus dextro pede sidere fausto, Felix optatiim carpe viator iter. Aula piitet, Spalatine ! tibi tribuntnr houores, Ito piaitereant quse uocitura putas."
Mutianus came into intimate connections with the Er- furt humanists, and the Erfurt scholars visited him fre- quently (see 0. Krause, Kunc. Condiis. [Hanau, 18t)3]). estccniiug him as their head and leader. He outran his generation in thought, but lagged behind it in action. He at first hailed Luther with joy, but in 1521 he with- drew his support from the Reformers. He decided to remain in the Church of Home, and is said to have lived in such poverty that he was obliged to beg for bread. He died on Good-Friday, 152G. It has been well said that Mutianus was a Reformer until the Reformation became a fearful reality. He was a learned, ingenious, amiable, timid, irresolute man, whose soul did not partake of the energy of his intellectual faculties. See Strauss, Vlrich V. llutten, i, 42 sq. ; ii, 336 sq. ; Kampfschulte, Die Uni- versitat Erfurt in ihrem Verhdltniss zii d. Ilumanismus und d. Reformat. (Treves, 1858) i, 74 sq. ; ii, 227 sq.— Herzog, Real-Eiicyklopadie, xx, 196.