From Moshe to Moshe...From Paul to Paul? And inside look at R. Eliyah Bahur's (Elijah Levita) preface to the Hebrew lexicon Tishby

Here is a very interesting excerpt from the introduction of R. Eliyahu Bahur's¹ (Elijah Levita 1469-1549) Hebrew lexicon Tishbi.

This work was published in Isny, Germany by the Christian printer Paul Fagius. It features Hebrew words that require clarification, such as words stemming from foreign languages, and words that were not defined in earlier lexicons like the Aruch of R. Nathan ben Yechiel of Rome.



As you can see, he effusively praises Fagius, with whom he developed a close relationship.

It's really quite extraordinary that he writes, of Paul Fagius:

באמת ראוי שבני עמו יקראו עליו כמו שאנו קוראין על רבינו משה בן מיימון ממשה עד משה לא קם כמשה כך יאמרו עליו מפאולוש עד פאולוש לא קם כפאולוש

"The truth is it would be fitting for his people (e.g., Christians) to say of him what we say about Maimonides--'From Moses to Moses, there has been none like Moses--they should say about him 'From Paul to Paul, there has been none like Paul.'"

Since it is important to be as inclusive of as many readers as possible, here is a translation of the entire excerpted passage:

Upon coming here I examined his barrel and found it full of old wine. I hadn't been told of even half his wisdom and knowledge. Many draw from the wells of his instruction, he teaches good to his people. He expounds and interprets nicely. The truth is it would be fitting for his people (e.g., Christians) to say of him what we say about Maimonides--'From Moses to Moses, there has been none like Moses--they should say about him 'From Paul to Paul, there has been none like Paul. When he saw this book that I'd written, and recognized its great worth and utility, he hastened to translate it into Latin, which our ancestors called Leshon Romi (e.g., 'Roman'), and he put the two languages together, facing pages, and he didn't add or omit. We agreed to print them together, and we will put our concentration and great efforts into it, he from one side, and me from another. And each of us calls to our God that we might succeed in our work.

(Image is from page ד in the Grodno תקס"ה edition [1815]. Indeed, the original edition featured Hebrew with Latin translation on facing pages.)

A sample of Levita's writing:




¹ I posted about Elias Levita (רבי אליה' הבחור אשכנזי) here.