Vitellius, Erasmus, a Polish bishop, was born about 1470, at Cracow, of obscure parentage. He stud- ied in the university of that place at the expense of the family of Ciolek de Vitellio, whose name he as- sumed. In 1491 he became doctor at the university, and in lo04 was nominated by prince Alexander as bishop of riock. He visited Rome twice to present the salutations of his sovereign to the pope. In 1518 he was sent by Sigismimd to the Diet of Augsburg to so- licit aid against the Turks, as well as on other diplo- matic services. He died in 1522. See Biogruphie i'nivei-selle, s. v.
Vitellius, Lucius, the censor, father of the em- peror, was made governor of Syria, at the expiration of Ids considate, A.D. 35; and the same year, or the year following, he came to Jerusalem at the feast of the Pass- over, and was very magnificently entertained. He re- leased the city from a tax on fruits, and committed to the care of the .lews the high-priest's habit, with the pon- tifical ornaments, which Herod and the Romans had kept tiil then in the Tower of Antonia. He deposed .Joseph Caiaphas from the high-priesthood, and put in his place •Jonathan, son of Anainis, but deprived him of his digni- ty two years afterwards, and conferred it on Theophiliis. his brother (Josephus, .4?;/. viii, 6). He was noted for his svcopliancy and public intrigues (Dio Cass, lix, 27; Tacit. .1 nnul. vi, 32 ; xi, 1-3 ; xii, 5). See Smith, Did. of Class. Bio(j. s. V.
Vitisator, in Roman mythology, was a surname of Bacchus, who first taught the planting of vines.
Vitoduianus, Johannes. See Winterthur.
Vitringa, Campegius, the elder, the most famous of the older expositors of the prophet Isaiah, was born May 16, 1609, at Leeuwarden. in Friesland. His fa- ther was a jurist of high raidv in the superior court of
the land. He early began the study of the classi- cal and Hebrew languages, and in liis sixteenth year entered the LTniversity of l-'raneker, subsequently grad- uating at Leyden. In 1681 he was made jirofessor of Oriental languages at Franeker, two" years later jirofess- or of theology, and after ten years more professor of Church history. In 1698 he refused a call to Utrecht. He was married, and became the father of four sons and one daughter. His last years were filled with physical sidfering, from which he was released by an apoi)leetic stroke, March 31, 1722. Albert Schulteus delivered his funeral oration.
Vitringa was engaged in but two literarj' contro- versies; one of which, with Cocceius, his former tutor, had respect to the form of Ezekiel's temple, and the other, with Rhenford, was concerned about the idlers (D'^JSUS) of the synagogue (comp. Carpzov, Apparat. p. 311). His Commentani on Isaiah (Leovardire, 1714- 20: Basle, 1732, 2 vols, fob; Herborn, 1715; Tubingen, 1732; in German, abridged, by Biiching, and with pref- ace by Mosheim [Halle, 1749-51]) is still worthy of note. Gesenius asserts that it weighs down all pre- vious expositions of that prophet, and many of more modern times. He finds its author given to Cocceian methods of interpretation, and prone to ajiply the proph- ecy to some particular historical event whenever possi- ble; but also careful to expound the meaning of every difficult passage, and thoroughly learned in the lan- giuiges of the Bible and in the antiquities of the na- tions. Collocations of passages directed against alien peoples are made by him which constitute an important feature of his work. Next in value may be considered his work on the synagogue, entitled Archisynagofjus Observatf. Novis III., etc. (1st ed. Franeker, 1685, 4to; 2d ed. 1696, entitled De Synayog. Vetere Libri Tres), Other and less important works are, Sacrarum Ohservatt. Lib. VI (ibid. 1683-1708 and often), which exposed Vi- tringa to the charge of heterodoxy from some critics : — Anacrisis Apocalyps. Jounnis A post. (ibid. 1705, etc.), directed against the Church of Rome: — flypotyposis Hist, et Chronol. iSacr. a Mundo Condito, etc. (1708 sq.) : — Typus Theologim Practicm (1716 sq. ). A posthu- mous work. Comment, in Libr. Prophet. Zacharia:, etc., was published by Venema (Leovardise, 1734, 4to).
Three of Vitringa's sons died in early life, the last of whom, Horace, had acquired the reputation of a scholar before his decease at the early age of sixteen years. II is observations on Vorst, De Uebraismis, were published by Lambert Bos in Observatt. M iscell. {Yraneker, 1717, 8vo). A fourth son, Campegius, became professor of theology at Franeker (sec the following article). See Herzog, Real-EncyMop. s. v.
Vitringa, Campegius, the younger, was born at Franeker, jNIarch 24. 1693, and matriculated as a student in 1708. His education was directed chiefly by hia father, and his kinsman Lambert Bos. He became doc- tor of theology May 23, 1714, and in the following year ordinary professor of theolog3' at Franeker. He died of inflammation of the lungs, Jan. 11, 1723. His funer- al oration was delivered by Hemsterhuis. He left an Epitome Theologice Naturalis (Franeker, 1731, 4to ), and a number of dissertations which were collected and published by Venema under the title Dissertatt.Sacrw, together with the oration of Hemsterhuis (1731, 4to). See Herzog, Real-Encyliop. s. v.
Vitruvian Scroll, a
pecidiar iiattern of scroll- work,consisting of convolved undulations, used in classical architecture. The name is given after the great architectural writer Vitruvius. — Parker, Gloss, of A ?-chitect. s. v.