DERENBOURG, JOSEPH (1811-1895), Franco-German orientalist, was born at Mainz on Aug. 21, 181 i, and settled in Paris in 1839. He was a considerable force in the revival of Jew ish education in France. He made great contributions to the knowledge of Seadiah (q.v.), and planned a complete edition of Seadiah's works in Arabic and French. Among his numerous works is an Essai sur l'histoire et la geographie de la Palestine (Paris, 1867). This was an original contribution to the history of the Jews and Judaism in the time of Christ, and has been much used by later writers on the subject (e.g., Schiirer). He became professor of Hebrew and rabbinical theology at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes, Paris, in 1877. Derenbourg died on July 29, at Ems.