OP ASSISI, AND THE FRANCISCAN ORDER, I., § 4,
III., §§ 1-3.
ELIAS LEVITA (Elijah ben Asher ha-Levi): Rabbi; b. at Neustadt-on-the-Aisch (20 m. n.w. of Nuremberg) 1469; d. at Venice Jan. 28, 1549. His German birth is explicitly declared in the first preface to his Massoret, a statement corroborated by Kimchi and by Sebastian Minister. But Italy became his second home, hence he could state at the end of the Methurgeman, that he " wished to return to Italy, the land whence he came, and die in his city of Venice." He taught Hebrew at Padua 1504-09, lost his property there at the sack of that city by the French, removed to Venice, thence to Rome (in 1512), where he was under the protection of Egidio of Viterbo. When Rome was taken by Charles V (1527) a second time he lost his property. He removed to Venice, which became his permanent home, with the exception of a few intervals spent at Isny and in a visit to Germany, 1540-43.
Elias Levita would occupy an honorable place among Hebrew grammarians, even if an extraordinary significance had not been attached to his labor by the historical conditions under which it was accomplished. His work became a factor of that historical advancement by which Christendom returned to the documentary sources of its doctrines. To this new beginning of linguistic and historical studies Elias Levita rendered important services. After Reuchlin under the direction of the physician Jacob Jehiel Loans (L. Geiger, ut inf., pp. 24, 26) had mastered Hebrew, and after Matthias Adrianus, a
Elias Levita Elijah
THE NEW SCHAPF-HERZOG
converted Jew from Spain, had been the teacher of Pellican (Geiger, p. 43), Levita, through the mediation of Sebastian Miinster and Paul Fagius, exercised a much stronger and more lasting influence upon the transference of Hebrew knowledge to the Christians. Still greater than in the department of grammatical and lexical inquiries was the impulse which Elias Levita by his Massoreth hammassoreth gave to the text-critical treatment of the Old Testament. He brought his children up in the Jewish faith in spite of his intimate intercourse with Christian scholars; but to the greatest sorrow of one of his daughters her two sons, Eliano and Sol. Romano embraced the Christian faith (Graetz, ix. 335). Elias Levita was a pleasing example of a scholar who knew how to keep free from partizan entanglements the interest in the subject of his inquiry.
His writings are: (a) Text-critical: Massoreth hammassoreth (Venice, 1538; German translation by C. G. Meyer with annotations by Semler, Halle, 1772; in Hebrew and English by D. Ginsburg, London, 1867); (b) Grammatical: Perush al Pethach Debaray (ascribed to Moses Kimchi [q.v.], Pesaro, 1507); Biur al Mahalakh shebhile ha-daath (" Elucidations on Kimchi's grammar Mahalak," Pesaro, 1508; the Mahalakh with a Latin version by S. Miinster, Basel, 1527); Sepher habbahur (treating of Hebrew grammar, Rome, 1518, revised edition, Isny, 1542; Hebrew and Latin by Miinster under the title of Dikduk, Basel, 1518; with scholia, 1537, 1542); Sepher ha-harkdbhah (elucidation of words composed of different forms, Rome, 1519); Sepher tub-ta'am (on Hebrew accents, Venice, 1538, also Latinized by Miinster); Nimmukhim (remarks on D. Kimchi's Mikhlol and printed with it, Venice, 1545). (c) Lexical: lishbi (an explanation of 712 words from Jewish literature, Basel, 1527); Methurgeman (a lexicon of Targumic and Talmudic words, Isny, 1541); Shemoth debharim (a glossary of Hebrew words, Isny, 1542); Nimmukim (annotations to D. Kimchi's "Book of Roots," printed together, Venice, 1546); (d) Exegetical: " The Psalms with Kimchi's commentary and corrections by the editor " (Isny, 1542); " The Psalms faithfully translated into Judeo-German ; " " the Targum to the Proverbs with Glosses " (Isny, 1541); " The Book of Job in Rimes " (Venice, 1544); (e) Literary: Sepher habbabhah (narrative of the wonderful events of prince Buovo d'Antona, a novel), Shirim, " Hymns " (Venice, 1545). E. Konig.
Bibliography: J. C. Wolf, Bibliotheca Hebrcea, i. 153-161, iii. 97-102, iv. 182, Hamburg, 1715-33; J. F. Hirt, Orientalische und exegetische Bibliolhek, vii. 50 sqq., Jena, 1776; J. Fiirst, Bibliotheca judaica, ii. 239-242, Leipsic, 1849-63; L. Geiger, Das Studium der hebraischen Sprache in Deutschland, ib. 1870; J. Levi, Elia Levita und seine Leistungen als Grammatiker, Breslau, 1888; Bacher, in ZDMG, 1889, 206-272; H. Graetz, Geschichte der Juden, vol. ix. passim, Leipsic, 1891; C. A. Briggs, Study of Holy Scripture, passim, New York, 1899; JE, viii. 46-49.
ELIAS MINIATIS: Greek bishop; b. at Lixuri (5 m. n. of Argostoli, on the island of Cephalonia) 1669; d. in the Morea 1714. He was educated at Venice, where he was ordained deacon and appointed notary of the metropolis of Philadelphia, whose bishops then resided at Venice. After acting as a teacher in Cephalonia, Zante, Corfu, and Constantinople, and after serving in various diplomatic missions, he was consecrated bishop of Kernike and Kalabryta in the Morea, but held office only three years.
Of his works only two are known, both edited posthumously by his father. The first of these, " Teachings for the High and Holy Quadragesima and Other Sundays and Chief Feasts of the Year," was first published, according to Sathas, in 1727,
although it seems actually to have appeared much earlier. The book went through many editions, and in its completest form (the edition of A. Mazarakis, 1849), contains twenty-one sermons for fasts and twenty for Sundays and festivals. In his doctrines Elias was orthodox. He emphasized the freedom of the will and the twofold nature of Christ, while in his concept of the atonement he recognized a sort of satisfaction, which should reconcile the justice and love of God. He also postulated the intercession of the mother of God with Christ the judge. The second work was the " Rock of Offense " (1718), which was a polemic against the Roman Catholic Church, treating in its first book the history of the schism, and in the second the supremacy of the pope, the procession of the Holy Ghost, unleavened bread, and similar topics.
(Philipp Meyer.)
Bibliography: The Mazarakis edition of the " Teachings " contains a sketch of the life. Consult also: J. A. Fabricius, Bibliotheca Grmca, ed. G. C. Harles, xi. 787, Hamburg, 1808; A. Pichler, Geschichte der kirchlichen Trennung zwischen dem Orient und Occident, i. 481 sqq., Munieh, 1864.
ELIGIUS (ELOYSIUS, ELOI), SAINT: Bishop of Noyon (67 m. n.n.e. of Paris), and the patron saint of goldsmiths; b. at Cadillac near Limoges in the early partofthereignofClotairell. (584-629); d.atNoyon Nov. 30, 659. He learned the goldsmith's trade under Abbo, the master of the royal mint at Limoges, and held a similar office himself under Dagobert I. (629-639) and Clovis II. (639-657), as is shown by the coins bearing his name. During Dagobert's reign he was probably one of the most influential persons at the court. He was influenced by the religious movement promoted by the Celtic missionary Columban, whom he visited at Luxeuil, and whose rule he introduced into the abbey of Solignac. Soon after Dagobert's death he left the court with his influential friend Audoen, also a disciple of Columban's. Both became bishops — Audoen of Rouen and Eligius of Noyon; they are said to have been consecrated together on May 13, 641. The diocese of Eligius included, besides Noyon, Vermandois, Doornik, Kortrijk, Ghent, and Flanders. The inhabitants, mainly Franks with some Frisians, were still for the most part heathen. According to the Vita, Eligius had great success in his missionary work among them; but the only certain fact in his career as bishop is his participation in the Synods of Chalons-sur-Seine (639 and 654). The authenticity of the homilies which have been handed down under his name has been long contested; E. Vacaudard has proved the spuriousness (Revue des questions historiques, 1898, pp. 471 sqq.)
(A. Hauck.) Bibliography: The Vita by Dado or Audoenus is in MPL, lxxxvii., Fr. transl. by C. Barthelemy, Paris, 1847, and by Parenty, ib. 1870 (cf. O. Reich, Ueber Audoens Lebensbeschreibung des . Eligius, Halle, 1882). The literature is given by Potthast, Wegweiser, pp. 1283-84, and in Wattenbach, DGQ, i (1893), 114. The life in French has been written by Bonnet, Carpentras, 1855; J. F. Godescard, Rouen, 1863; P. Jouhanneaud, Limoges, 1865; H. Delassus, Paris, 1896; and F. Arbellot, ib. 1897. Consult also C. F. de T. Montalembert, Les Moines d'occident, ii. 637, ib. 1860-67; G. F. Maolear, Apostles of Mediaeval Europe, London, 1888.