PLANTAVITIUS, JOHN, a'e la Pause, or Plantavitius Pausanus, was born 1576 of a noble Protestant family in the diocese of Nismes, studied theology and Oriental literature, and became pastor at Beziers, where he embraced Roman Catholicism, 1604. He was made bishop of Lodeve 1625, retired from his ecclesiastical functions 1648, in consequence of advanced age and great infirmities, and died 1651, in the Palace Margon. Few literati, not Hebrews by birth, have devoted them selves more earnestly to, and laboured more suc cessfully in, the department of Hebrew literature than Plantavitius, and his works will continue to be a monument to his learning and industry as long as the sacred language of the O. T. continues to be studied. His works are as follows :—(t.) The saurus synonytnus Hebraico- Chaldaico-Rabbinicus, Lodovm 1644-45. In this Thesaurus, which the author also entitled Inn 31t3:, planta vitis, after himself, the whole apparatus of the Hebrew lan guage is divided into synonyms, and arranged alpha betically, according to the most frequently occur ring expressions. Thus, for instance, all the verbs signifying to see must be looked for under Each group of synonyms is discussed in six columns, the first and second of which give the Hebrew and Chaldee words, with a Latin explanation ; the third and fourth, references to the O. T. for each
point in question, with a Latin translation ; whilst the fifth and sixth give the Rabbinic synonyms, with a Latin explanation. A most elaborate and most useful Index vocabula Hebr., Chald., Rabb., Grasca, Lat., complectens amplissimus, adeo ut instar dictionarii integri inservire possit, entitled )earl racematio vitis, is appended to it. The author spent thirty years over this stupendous work ; and when it is borne in mind that this is one of the extremely few works on Hebrew syno nyms, the great importance of this lexicon to the student of the Hebrew Scriptures cannot be over rated. (2.) Horllegium Biblicum Hebraico.Latinum, Lodovre 1645 ; and (3.) Florilegium Rabbinicum, conzplectens pracipuas vet. Rabbhzorum sententias, vers. Lat. et scholiis illust rotas cure Bibliotheca Rabbi n lea, Lodovm 1645. Comp. Wolf, Biblio theca liebrcea, i. 5, etc. ; Steinschneider, Catalos-us Libr. Hebr. in Bibliotheca Bodleian, col. 2107 ; Geiger, in Zeitschrift der deutsche', morgenliindischen Gesellschaft, xvii. 33o, Leipzig 1863.—C. D. G.