to one (v, 4) : ' Seek ye me, and ye shall live.' But lest it might be supposed from this that (iod could be found in the fulfilment of his whole law only, Habakkuk said (ii, 4) : ' The just shall live by his faith.' " Kabbi Sim- lai also acquired fame for his virulent opposition to Christianity. It has been suggested, and with appar- ent i>robability, that he had been chieHy engaged in controversy with the celebrated Origen, who spent con- siderable time in Palestine, and, as is well known, in- troduced into the Church a kind of Ilagadic exegesis. It will readily be conceived that Christian truth was placed at disadvantage when made to depend on iso- lated portions or texts, and defended by exegetical nice- ties and subtleties, instead of resting on the general scope and bearing of the Old-Test, teaching, and on whole passages, taken in their breadth and fulness, as the indi viilual exponents of general and well-ascertained principles. However, Hagadic studies sometimes led to a spirit of zealous in(piiry, and to frequent contro- versies between Christians and Jews. An instance of these has, among others, been recorded by .Jerome (Quiest. in Genesin) in a discussion between Jason, a converted Jew, and his friend Papiscus. In the Tal- mud. Jerus. Berachoth, ix, 11 d, 12 a, and Genesis Rab- ba, c. viii, we still find some of those controversial points disputed by Simlai. See Gratz, Gesch. d. Juden, iv, 26.5 sq. ; Edersheim, /list, of the Jewish Nation, p. 517; Bitck, Die Gesch. des jiid. Volkes (Lissa, 1878), p. 207; Cassel, Lehrbuch der jiidischen Geschichte u. Lite- ratur (Leipsic, 1879), p. 182. (B. P.)
Simler, Jolianii Jakob, a descendant of the fol- lowing, was born in 1710 and died in 1788. He was in- spector of the seminary at Zurich, and left at his death a comprehensivecollectionof historical documents relating largely to events connected with the Reformation. It includes many letters by the various Reformers, though often they are only copies, and it ranks as an ornament of the town-library of Zurich. A work entitled Summ- lungen alter ii. neiier Urkunden zur Beleuchtitng der Kirchenf/eschichte, vornehnd. d. Schtceizerlandes (Zurich, 1757 S(i.) is from his pen. — Ilerzog, Real-EncyUop. s. v.
Simler, Josias, a prominent Swiss theologian, was born Nov. 0, 1530, at Cappel. near Zurich, being the son of a prior who had quitted the convent there and married. Young Simler had applied himself with success to belles-lettres, the sciences, and theology, de- voting several years to visiting the principal schools of Germany; and on his return to Zurich in 1540, he first assisted Conrad Gessner in the chair of mathematics, and afterwards was appointed to the exposition of the New Test. (1552) in the capacity of deacon in the Church of St. Peter. In 1503 he succeeded Bibliander {i\. v.) and Vermigli in the theological chair at Zurich, and distinguished himself by an immense literary activity, in addition to a faithful performance of the duties of his office. He was twice married, and left by his second wife four children. Though greatly afllicted with gout, he possessed an exceetlingly amiable disposition, and was fond of society, given to hospitality, and benevo- lent. He died of gout, July 2, 1570. His life was written by his colleague Stucki, of Zurich (1577), and his writings are catalogued in Gessneri Bihliotheca, am- plified by Krisiimi (Zurich, 1583). Letters addressed to him from Hungary may be found in Misrcll. Tifjur. ii, 213 sq., and in the Zurich Letters of the Parker Soci- ety. Ci>nqi. also Trechsel, Anfilrinitarier, ii, 377 sq. Simler's works deal with astronomy, geography, histo- ry, liiography, and statistics, no less than with tlieology. He repnl)lished (Jessner's Bibliotheca Universalis in an aliridgcd but much improved form (1555 and 1574). His R<j)ubl. llelretiorum was translateil into three lan- guages, and passed through twenty-nine editions. In theology he was chiefly engaged in defence of the doc- trine of Christ's twofold nature. We mention, Respon- sio ad Malediciim Francisci Stancari . . . de Trinitate el Mediatore Xostro Jesu Chrislo (1553): — De ^Eterno
SIMMONS
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SIMON
Dei Filio Domino et Servatoi-e Nostro Jesii Chrislo et de Spiritu Sancio, etc. (1558): — Asseiiio Ortliod. Doctr. de Duubus Naturis Christi, etc. (1575) : — Scrijita Veterum, de Una Persona et Duahus Nuturis Christi, etc. (1571). The Commenturii in Exoduni was published after liis death, in 1584. The ConJ'essio Helvetica of 1550, by Hulliiiger, has a preface by .Siiiiler. See Herzog, Real- Encyklop. s. v. ; lloefer, Xuiic. Hio<j. Generule, s. v.
Simmons, George Frederick, a Unitarian minister, was born in Boston, Mass., in 1814. He was prepared for college at the Latin school in that city, entered Harvard University in 1828, and graduated in 1882. On leaving college he became private tutor in the family of David Sears, Longwood, Me. The next year he accompanied his family to Europe, and return- ing in July, 1835, entered the divinity school at Cam- bridge, where he completed his course in 1838. He was ordained evangelist, Oct, 9, 1838, and went imme- diately to Mobile and commenced his ministry. He only remained there until 1840, being obliged to fly be- cause of his protest against slavery. In April, 1841, he began to preach regidarly at Walt ham, ]Mass., and was installed as minister in that town in November follow- ing. In the spring of 1843, having resigned his charge, he repaired to the University of Berlin to still further study theology. He returned in October, 1845, and preached in several pulpits, till February, 1848, when he became pastor of the Unitarian Church, Springfield, lately vacated by Dr. Peabody. He was dismissed from this church because of his sympathy with George Thompson, the English abolition lecturer, and retired to Concord, Mass. In November, 1853, he began to supply a church in Albany, N. Y., and was installed as its pastor, January, 1854. He died of hasty consump- tion, Sept. 5, 1865. The following is a list of his pub- lications: Who was Jesus Christ"? (1839) : — The Trinity; its Scripture, Formalism, etc. : — a Lecture (Springfield, 1849) :— -Sermo^w (1840, 1851, 1854):—/! Letter to the So-called Boston Churches (1846), A volume of his ser- mons was printed in 1855. See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, viii, 554.