MÜNSTER, Sebastian

by Sebastian Münster

£1,950 · Offered by Sokol Books

Second edition of Münster’s impressive dictionary with triple column Latin, Greek and Hebrew. Biblical undertones run throughout, especially on pages 239-84 which contain a list of geographical locations mentioned in the Bible, translated from Hebrew into Latin by Matthäus Aurogallus (1490-1543). Sebastian Münster (1488-1552) was a cartographer, cosmographer and Christian Hebraist scholar who was born in Ingelheim, near Mainz in Germany. He wrote the earliest German description of the world, the Cosmographia, in 1544, demonstrating an interest in geography also seen here. Münster studied at the University of Tübingen under the renowned German mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and professor Johannes Stöffler. His religious background in both the Franciscan order and Lutheran church led to his intense interest in the biblical language of Hebrew. His work was guided by his close relationship with the Hebrew grammarian Elias Levita, and he became the first German scholar to produce an edition of the Hebrew Bible. The first edition of this Dictionarium Trilingue was published in 1530, the first of his three Hebrew grammar manuals. The success of his works is underlined in the continual reprints and wide readership. He died in Basel in 1552 from Bubonic plague. Mautthäus Aurogallus collaborated with Münster on this volume, both men having a shared interest in Hebrew studies. Born in Bohemia, modern Czech Republic, he was a professor of Hebrew and worked with Martin Luther on a

• Binding: Hardcover

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