PIIILIPPSOHN, MOSES, was born May 9, 1775, in Sandersleben, a small town on the Wip per, and was destined for a Rabbinate by his parents, who began to initiate him into Hebrew when he was scarcely four years of age. In 1787 he was sent to a Rabbinic school at Halberstadt, where he was instructed in the Talmud and other branches of Rabbinic literature. He then went to Brunswick, where he devoted himself to the study of the sciences generally, and in particu lar Hebrew philology, acquiring a most classical and charming style in Hebrew composition. In 1799, when only four-and-twenty, he was appointed master of the school at Dessau, founded by a society of young Jews for the instruction of their poor co-religionists. Here Philippsohn prosecuted more zealously than ever the study of Hebrew and the Hebrew Scriptures, and determined to continue, with the aid of his three colleagues, the great Bible work commenced by Mendelssohn [MENDELS soRN], selecting the minor prophets for their con joint labour. Philippsohn undertook to translate and to expound Hosea and Joel, being the two most difficult books of the twelve minor prophets; his colleague Wolf the translation and exposition of Obadiah, Micah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah ; his colleague Solomon undertook Haggai and Zecha riah ; whilst Neuman undertook Amos, Nahum, and Malachi ; Jonah having already been published by Lowe [LowE] ; and the whole was published under the title rinirc rDn, a Pure Offering, at Dessau 1805. Three years later Philippsohn pub
lished a Hebrew grammar and Chrestomathy, en titled nrm Inln, Friend of Students, Dessau 1808, 2d improved ed., ibid. 1823 ; and a Hebrew Commentary on the Book of Daniel, with a trans lation by Wolf, Dessau 1808. He also wrote essays on various subjects connected with Hebrew litera ture in the Hebrew periodical called 9minri, The Gatherer, and died April 20, 1814, in his thirty ninth year (comp. Steinschneider, Catalogus Libr. Hebr. zn Bibliotheca Bodleiana, col. 2099, and the interesting biographical sketch by Dr. Ph. Philipp son, Leipzig 1864).—C. D. G.