Azariah de' Rossi (M / Italy, 1513-1578), scholar

Azariah de' Rossi (c1513-1578) was a Jewish Italian scholar. Proficient in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Italian, studied medicine, archaeology, history, Greek and Roman antiquities and Christian ecclesiastical history, Azariah de' Rossi was the first modern Jewish scholar to focus on Second Temple Judaism, its history, archaeology and literature (especially Aristeas, Philo and Josephus), and use non-Jewish sources (secular and Christian) to supplement or check the data in Talmudic literature. He also was the first Jewish scholar to manifest an specific interest for the Essenes, who he identified with the Therapeutae and the Boethusians.

Works

Books

• Me'or Enayim (The Light of the Eyes / 1573-75 Rossi), book (Hebrew)
  • The Light of the Eyes (2001 Rossi), book (English ed.)

Biography

• Wikipedia.en -- Wikipedia.it -- Wikipedia.de -- Wikipedia.fr -- Wikipedia.es
• JewEn.com

References

• Benedetto Levi, Della vita e degli scritti di Azaria de' Rossi (Padova: Crescini, 1868)
• Salo Wittmayer Baron, La méthode historique d'Azaria de'Rossi (Paris: Elias, 1929)