MONTE, ANDREAS DE orinn is the Christian name of the distinguished chief rabbi in the synagogue of Rome, who, before his conversion to Christianity, was called R. youysh Tzarphathi Ha-Alaphasi (+pthto tot '"). He was born in the early part of the 16th tury at Fez, in Africa (hence his second surname spthtir), of Jewish parents, who were natives of France which is indicated by his first surname (ntli, Gallus). He emigrated to Rome, where, after exercising the office of chief rabbi for many years, and distinguishing himself as an expounder of the Mosaic law, he embraced Christianity about the year 1552, during the pontificate of Julius III. He at once consecrated his vast knowledge of Hebrew and rabbinical literature to the elucidation of the prophecies, with a view of bringing his brethren according to the flesh into the fold of the Romish Church, and wrote—(I.) A voluminous work, entitled Vim" m)nn, The Perplexity of the yews, demonstrating both from the Scriptures and the ancient rabbinical writings all the doctrines of the Christian religion. Bartolocci, who found the MS. in loose sheets in the Neophyte College at Rome, carefully collated it and had it bound. He did not know that it ever was printed, whilst Fiirst (Bibliotheca iii. 544, S. v. Zarfati) states that it was published in Rome 16... 4to.
However, Fabiano Fiocchi, in his work called Dialogo della Fede, has almost entirely transcribed it, so that the Biblical student may derive all the advantages from it for christological purposes. (2.) An epistle to the various synagogues, written both in Hebrew and Italian, and entitled rum b.6v, Lettera di Pace, dated January 12, 1581. It treats on the coming of the true Messiah, and shows from the prophecies of the O. T., as well as from the works of the ancient Rabbins, that he must have come long ago in the person of Jesus Christ, Rome t 6 ... 4to. This learned work and the former one are very important contributions to the exposition of the Messianic prophecies, and to the understanding of the ancient Jewish views about the Messiah. Gregory XIII. appointed De Monte in 1576 preacher to the Hebrews of Rome in the oratory of the Holy Trinity ; he was afterwards made Oriental interpreter to the pope, in which capacity he translated several ecclesias tical works from the Syriac and Arabic, and died in the beginning of the 17th century (comp. Bar. tolocci, Bibliotheca Magna Rabbinica, iii. 818, ff. ; Wolf, Bibliotheca Ilebra'a 1556, ff.)—C. D. G.