POSTEL, Guillaume.

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De nativitate mediatoris ultima, Rare first edition of this treatise on the role of Jesus as cosmic principle of unity, by one of the most eccentric polymaths of the French Renaissance. Postel was a Christian Kabbalist, philosopher, linguist, astronomer, reformer, diplomat, and self-proclaimed prophet, who advocated for the universal harmony of religions and cultures. Born in France, Guillaume Postel (1510-1581) was proficient in several Semitic languages, particularly Hebrew and Arabic. He held the first chair of Arabic in Europe (at the Collège Royale) and produced one of the earliest Arabic grammars to appear in print (Linguarum Duodecim Characteribus Differentium Alphabetum Introductio, 1538). He was among the first scholars to proclaim the need for a universal religion and state: "His attempt to harmonize Christian, Jewish, and Mohammedan thought give him an important place in the history of religious tolerance, whereas his prophecies about a universal religion and a universal monarchy seem to anticipate more recent ideas of a world state and of general peace" (Kuntz, p. IX). He proposed a theory of "universalism" based on the possibility of unifying all nations under the same language (Hebrew), religion (Christian), and government (France). After 1545, he began to see himself as a prophet entrusted by God with the task of bringing peace to the world (with the help of his "New Eve", a woman named Johanna that he had met in Venice). Due to his unconventional attitude and

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