RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Bibles, Polyglot Bibliander
was a convert to Christianity, his work did not prove acceptable to the Jews. Its faults induced Bomberg to undertake another edition, for which he employed as editor the celebrated Masoretic scholar Jacob ben Hayyim, who in after-life also embraced Christianity. This edition, the Hebrew title of which means " The Holy Gate of the Lord," was published at Venice (4 vols., 1524-25) and, like the first edition, contains the Hebrew text, the Aramaic commentaries, and the Masoretic notes. The editor's introduction, containing a treatise on the Masorah, has been translated into English by Christian David Ginsburg (Jacob ben Chajim's Introduction to the Rabbinic Bible, London, 1865), who based The Massoretic Critical Text of the Hebrew Bible (1894) on this edition of Hayyim.
A revised and improved edition of the second Bomberg Bible was published (Venice, 1546-48) under the supervision of Cornelius Adelkind. The changes made in this edition were the omission of some commentaries and the substitution of others. Bomberg's fourth Rabbinic Bible, by J. de Gara, was carried through the press and corrected by Isaac ben Joseph Salam and Isaac ben Gershon Treves (4 vols., Venice, 1568). The correctors remark at the end of the work that they have reinserted in this edition the portion of the Masorah omitted in the edition of 1546-48. Appended to this is the so-called Jerusalem Targum on the Pentateuch.
A Rabbinic Bible (4 vols., Venice, 1617-18) was published by Pietro and Lorenzo Bragadini and edited by the celebrated Leon of Modena. It contains the Aramaic paraphrases, the Masorah, and the Rabbinic commentaries of De Gara's edition. This edition, however, is of less value to the critical student, being censored by the Inquisition.
Buxtorf's Rabbinic Bible or Biblia sacra Hebraica et Chaldaica cum Masora, quce critica Hebrceorum sacra est, magna et parva ac selectissimis Hebrceorum interpretum commentariis (4 parts, 2 vols., Basel, 1618-19) has a Latin preface by Buxtorf, a table of the number of chapters in the Bible, and a poem of Aben Ezra in the Hebrew language. Besides the Hebrew and the Aramaic paraphrases, it contains the commentaries of Rashi, Aben Ezra, and others, and Buxtorf's Tiberias sive commentarius masorethicus triplex. The whole is formed after Jacob ben Hayyim's second edition (1546-48), with some corrections and alterations by Buxtorf. Buxtorf's Bible is imperfect, but in spite of its deficiencies, the student must still thank the editor for his work, which, however, was criticized by R. Simon in his Histoire critique du Vieux Testament (p. 513).
The next Rabbinic Bible was the Sepher KehillatMoshe, or "Book of the Congregation of Moses," edited by Moses Frankfurter (4 vols., Amsterdam, 1724-27). This is the most valuable of all the Kabbinic Bibles. It is founded upon the Bomberg editions, and gives not only their contents, but also those of Buxtorf's, with much additional matter.
rhe latest Rabbinic Bible is the Mikra'ot Gedow« published at Warsaw (12 vols., 1860-68) by bebenson. This gigantic work contains thirty-
two commentaries, old and new, among others the critical commentary of Norzi. The Hebrew text is on the whole very correct, the size is more convenient than that of its predecessors, and the edition is recommended by the best Jewish authorities in Poland and Austria. B. Pick.
Bibliography: The one book for consultation is C. D. Ginsburg, Introduction to the Massoretico-critical Edition of the Hebrew Bible, London, 1897; cf. B. Pick, in Hebraica ix (1892-93), 47-116.
BIBLIA PAUPERUM ("Bible of the Poor"). See Bibles, Illustrated, § 4.
BIBLIANDER (BUCHMANN), THEODOR: Swiss theologian and teacher; b. at Bischofszell (11 miles s.s.e. of Constance), Switzerland, 1504 (1509?); d. at Zurich Nov. 26, 1564. He studied Hebrew under Jacob Ceporinus in Zurich, in 1526 under Pellican and CEcolampadius at Basel, and later on under Capito. When Duke Frederick II of Liegnitz in 1527 asked for teachers for his high school, the Council of Zurich sent him Bibliander, who served there two years with distinction. He then returned home and was appointed Zwingli's successor in the theological professorship at Zurich in 1531.
Bibliander's specialty was linguistics, and he used to call himself homo grammaticus ; he was versed in the Semitic dialects and was master of several modern languages. From the beginning his rendering of the Prophets was successful, was indorsed by Bullinger and Pellican, and caused J. H. Hottinger to call him the father of exegetical theology in Switzerland. He wrote also on Hebrew Grammar and on Comparative Linguistics. Perhaps the greatest sensation he caused was that produced by his publication of the Koran (1543, rev. ed., 1550); the magistrates at Basel tried to prohibit the book, but Luther interfered in defense of it and of the translator. Bibliander issued studies on the Gospel of Mark and the Protevangelium Jacobi, translating them into Latin. His works betray a rich historical knowledge. Especially worthy of mention in this regard are his De Ratione Temporum (1551) and Temporum Supputatio (1558). Most of his writings were never published, but are preserved in manuscript at Zurich.
Next to Bullinger, Bibliander appears as the most respected representative of the Church at Zurich. He participated in all theological and ecclesiastical discussions, preserving the heritage of Zwingli. He assisted in the publication of Zwingli's and (Ecolampadius's letters (1536). In some treatises he openly attacked the Catholic Church and the Tridentinum (De Legitima Vindicatione Christianismi, 1553), and antagonized the Roman propaganda, appealing to England as the land of Christian liberty. He advocated missions to the Jews and Mohammedans, and went so far as to start on mission work, being restrained only by Bullinger's representations. He was made emeritus and given a pension in 1560. (Emil Egli.)
Bibliography: A list of the writings of Bibliander is given in H. J. Leu, Allgemeines Lexicon, iv, 11-14, 20 vols., Zurich, 1747-65. For his life consult J. J. Christinger, T. Bibliander, ein biographisches Denkmal, Frauenfeld, 1867; E. Egli, Analecta reformatoria, vol. ii, Zurich, 1901.
-Biblical Archeology Biblical Criticism