ELIAS LEVITA (properly ELIA IIA-LEVI BEN ASCHER, ASCHKENASI, i.e., the German) was born about the year 1470, at Neustadt, on the Aisch, near Nuremburg. So much of his life was spent in Italy, that certain writers (e. , Bartolocci, Biblioth. Rabbis,. i. 135, and Basnage, Histoire des yzeij:,, vol. v., p. 2025) make him an Italian, with Padua for his birth-place. (For a correction of this error see Wolfii Bibliotheca Hebraea, i. 153, note). On the expulsion of the Jews from his native country he removed to Venice, where he entered on his career as an enlightened teacher of Hebrew, which he prosecuted with much success afterwards at Padua (from 1504 to 1509) ; after a short sojourn at Venice, whither he retired on the sacking of Padua, he removed to Rome (in 1514), where Cardinal Egidio and several illustrious pupils at tended his instructions. After some years of hap piness and prosperity, under the patronage of the Cardinal, he was driven from Rome at the sacking of the city in 1527, under Charles V., with the loss of everything. Venice again became his home, where he published some of his most valuable writings, until 1540, in which year he accepted an invitation from Paul Fagius to take up his residence at Isny, in Swabia, and assist him in the publica tion of Hebrew books. On the removal of his friend from Isny, Elias withdrew once more to Venice, where he ended his eventful life in 1549, two years after his last resort to the city which had so often been his refuge. His frequent intercourse and great courtesy at Rome and elsewhere with his Christian pupils, added to the unusual liberality of his opinions, excited much jealousy among his Jewish brethren, but in the preface to his great work he defends himself against his alleged apostasy from the religion of his forefathers. (For Alsted's strong assertion that he died a Christian, see Wolfii Bibl. Hebr. i. 161, and for Bartolocci's strong re gret that he continued in Judaism, see his Bibl. Rabbis,. i. 137.) The prevalent character of Elias
Levita's literary labours is well indicated by the name which distinguishes him among the Jews p:177pri, the Grammarian (see Buxtorf, Lex. Rab .
bin. 570, s. v.), and the appellation which he seems to have given himself in allusion to one of his characteristic works on Grammar, irmr:1, ' the student' (according to Buxtorf, Lex. s.v.); or `the master' according to Steinschneider, Gated. Hebr. Bad!. p. 934). His chief works are but indirectly related to Biblical science ; in this relation, how ever, they are very important, because of the author's profound knowledge of Hebrew, and his enlightened views of its grammar and philology. Simon (Histoire Crit. du Vieux Test., p. 177) speaks of him in the highest terms of praise, as, sans doute le plus savant Critique des Juifs, qu'il a tous surpasses dans l'art de la Grammaire.' Similarly Jos. Scaliger (Etist. 62) commends him as the greatest Hebrew scholar of the age, unicum hujus mvi Criticum et Aristarchum.' Nor did his own people begrudge him equal praise ; R. Asaria di Rossi, in his Meor Enajim, lix. p. 179, calls him 517a1 ripinn, 'the great grammarthn,' and this in spite of his strong objection to some of E. Levita's literary opinions. Munster, Fagius, and other theologians of that period owed their Hebrew learning in a great degree to Elias Levita. His works which are most immediately related to bibli cal science are— I. 2j4t.1 t;in's, or Exposition of the Book of Yob [in verse], a small oblong I2M0 volume, published at Venice, 1544. That E. Levita was its author, and not editor only (as Wolf, Bibl. iii. lox, would have it), is demonstrated by Steinschneider (Cain/. 939, 940)- t.•,'4 lon• A literal translation of the Psalms into German, Venice, 1545. See Wolfii B. H. iii. rm. Steinschneider, 942. Fiirst, Bib!. izdaica, ii. 241). 3. ?y The Psalms, with the Commentary of R. D. with the revision and correction of our author; Isny, 1542. (See Furst, Bibl. ii. 242). 4.