Rhemish Testament, a Romish version of the New Ti'-t.. priuli'd ai K'biiuis. France, in l.'iM2, accom- panied with copious Holes by It'uman Calholic authors. This version, like the Douay Old Test., with which it is generally iHHiiid up, was translated from the Latin Vul- gate. Sii' MoIAY Biui.h:.
Rhenferd, .Iakoij, n (ierman Orientalist, was born at lMl»lilli<iin, in the duchy of Berg, Aug. I,'), Ut'A. The son of a Protestant minister, hestii<lifd theology at Ham. (Ironingeii, and at .Viiistenlain. I''roui lfi7« to UWO he was roi'tor of the uyniiiasiuin at Fraiicker. ami then re- turned to Ainsterdaiu to perfect his knowledge of He-
brew. Arabic, and Persian. In 1683 he became professor of Oriental languages at Franeker, which position he held during the remainder of his life. He was a man of great penetration, souiiil judgment, and possessed a great memory. Hheiifenl died Oct. 7, 1712. Of his works we mention. I>e Aiitlrpiitate Literarum Judaica- rum (Franeker, ItliU): — (fhserrationi'x tid Loca Hebrna Nori Trsldmeuti (^il)id. 17(15-7): — /)e Antbnrchis Eth- luiri-his Ju'liporum (ibid. 1702): — Hudiinenta Grummati- cm Harmonic(e Linguarum /Jebrcece, Chaklaicce, Syriacee, et Arubica (ibid. 1706). — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Genirale, s. v. Besides editing a Syntagma of dissertations by different writers, J)e Stylo Xori Testamenti (1701, 4to), he luiblished several learned dissertations. These have been collected and issued in one vol. 4to, with a jireface by D. Mill, and an '-Oratio Fuiiebris" by professor An- dala, under the title Jac. Rhenferdi Opei-a Philologica, Digsertationibus Exquhiti.idnii A rgnnienti Constantia (Traj. Khen. 1722). Besides discussing such Biblical subjects as the style of the Apocalypse, the meaning of the phrase 6 aiCov 6 fieWwv in the New Test., the meaning of several passages in the same, the author treats largely on points of Jewish literature and archae- ology, and takes up the subject of the Palmyrene and Phceiiician dialects, and other points of interest to Ori- ental scholars. — Kit to.
Rhe'sa ('P/jo-d) is a name given in the genealogy of Christ (Luke iii, 27) as that of a son of Zwrobabel and father of Joanna, being evidently the same with Rkphaiaii (q. v.), given in the Old. Test. (1 Chron. iii, 19-21) as the son of Zerubbabel and father of Hananiah. Lord Hervey fancifully conjectures that Khesa is no person, but merely the title Bosh, i. e. " prince," orig- inally attached to the name of Zerubbabel, and gradu- ally introduced as an independent name into the ge- nealogy (Genealogies, etc., p. Ill, 114, 35G-360). See Genealogy of Jesus Christ.
Rhesa, L. .Jedemin, a German doctor and professor of theology, was born June 9, 1777, at Carwitha, near jMemel. In 1800 he was appointed garrison chaplain at Kiinigsberg; in 1807 he lectured as privat-docent at the university there, and in 1810 was appointed ex- traordinary professor of theology. From 1812 to 1815 he acted as army chaplain, and after 1818 he lectured as professor in ordinary and doctor of theology, being at the same time a member of the consistory in Kiinigs- berg. Rhesa died Aug. 30, 1840, leaving some very important pamphlets bearing on the Lithuanian version of the Scriptures, as, Geschichfe der litthauischen Bibel, ein Beitrag zur Religioiuigeschichte der iiordischen Volker (KiJnigsberg, 1816) : — Philosophisch-kritische Anmerk- ungen zur litthauischen Bibel (ibid. 1816-24, 2 parts). Besides these, he wrote : l)e Primis, qnos dicunt Sacror. lie/orniatorib. in Prussia (ibid. 1823) : — and I)e Primis Vestigiis Religionis Christ, inter Lithuanns Propagatve (ibid. 1819). See Winer. Ihrndb. der theolor;. Literat. \, 809. 837 ; ii, 731 ; Zuchold, Bibl. Theol. ii, 1061. (B. P.)
Rhetorians. An Alexandrian sect of this name is nieniioned by Pliilaster as foundeil by Khctorius, and maintaining the opinion that there was no harm in any heresy whatever (Philast. Ilirr. xci). Augustine re- marks that tliis seems so absurd that he considers it in- credible (Aug. liar. Ixxii). Pliilaster is the original authority for the existence of such a sect, but Pnedesti- natus speaks of them as if they were not unknown to him, adiling to Philaster's statement that they advo- cated Christian fellowship with all who believed in the Incarnation tPra-dest. Ihrr. Ixxii). Kveii before Phi- laster's lime .\thanasius mentioiKs a person named Khe- lorius. whom he accuses of hoKling the opinion that doctrines are of no consequence, and that all heretics are right in their own way {<:ontr. Apollin. S, 6) And at a later date St. John Hamascene enumerates the yii-mftax»i as the eighiy-eighth in his catalogue of ber.-su.s. wlio. it seems probable, were "knowledge (or theology) haters ' in the sense of being anti-do-uiatisLs
RHINOCEROS
RHODES
who had arisen from reaction against the subtleties of the Gnostics, the Antiuchean and the Alexandrian schools of theologians, and who are identical with the llhetorians of Philaster. — Blunt, Diet, of Sects, s. v.
Rhinoceros. See Unicorn.
Rhiiisbergers. See Collegiants.
Rlio, Giacomo, brother of Giovanni, was born at Milan, Italy, in 1593. At the age of twenty he joined the order of St. Ignatius, and, after being ordained priest, lie accompanied Nicolas Trigault to China. Being de- tained at Macao, he aided in defending the town against the Dutch, and in surrounding it with new fortifications (1G"2"2). He afterwards penetrated into the province of Shan-si, in 1G24, where he preached in the native lan- guage with fluency. In IGol he was ordered to Pekin, where he was employed, with P. Adam Schall, in draw- ing up the imperial calendar. Rho died in China, April 27, 1G38. He left only one work, in Italian — an account of his voyage — entitled Lettere della sua Navigazione e dt'lle Cose deW Indie (Milan, 1G2()), but he is said to have composed many works in Chinese on religion, astronomy, and mathematics. See Kircher, China Illus- trata. — Hoefer, Nouv. Bio<j. Ghierale, s. v.