Lajos Blau (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

: Ludwig Blau; 29 April 1861 – 8 March 1936) was a Jewish–Hungarian scholar of philosophy and Oriental studies, professor of Jewish studies, and publicist born at

Putnok Putnok is a town in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county, Northern Hungary. It lies away from Miskolc, between the Bükk Mountains and the river Sajó. History The area has been inhabited since Neolithic times. Until 1283 it was royal property, part (l ...

, in the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

Biography

Blau was educated at three different

yeshivot A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish education, Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish p ...

in the

, among them that of

Presburg Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

. In 1880–1888, he was a student at the Rabbinical Seminary of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

(''Landesrabbinerschule'', now the

Budapest University of Jewish Studies The Budapest University of Jewish Studies ( hu, Országos Rabbiképző – Zsidó Egyetem, or Országos Rabbiképző Intézet / ''Jewish Theological Seminary – University of Jewish Studies'' / german: Landesrabbinerschule in Budapest) is a uni ...

). At the same time, he studied philosophy and Oriental studies at the

University of Budapest A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, where he earned a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

degree '' cum laude'' in 1887, and the diploma at the Rabbinical Seminary in 1888. In 1887, Blau became a teacher of Talmudic literature at the Rabbinical Seminary of Budapest; in 1888 he served there as a substitute professor, and in 1889 as professor of the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

, and the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

. Beginning in 1899, he became a librarian and tutor in

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, and their nation, religion, and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions, and cultures. Although Judaism as a religion first appears in Greek records during the Hellenisti ...

. In 1902, Blau became president of the

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

section of the Jewish–Hungarian Literary Society, editor of the ''Magyar Zsido Szemle'', and a contributor to the '' Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906). He died in 1936.

Works

Blau's academic publications have dealt chiefly with the following topics: *

Jewish literature Jewish literature includes works written by Jews on Jewish themes, literary works written in Jewish languages on various themes, and literary works in any language written by Jewish writers. Ancient Jewish literature includes Biblical literature ...

and

history of the Jews Jewish history is the history of the Jews, and their nation, religion, and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions, and cultures. Although Judaism as a religion first appears in Greek records during the Hellenisti ...

in the

Talmudic The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

and early post-Talmudic periods, for example: ** ''Beiträge zur Erklärung der Mechilta und des Sifre,'' in the

Steinschneider Moritz Steinschneider (30 March 1816, Prostějov, Moravia, Austrian Empire – 24 January 1907, Berlin) was a Moravian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider ( 1782; ...

''Festschrift,'' 1896 ** ''Quelques Notes sur Jésus ben Sirach,'' in ''Revue Etudes Juives,'' xxxv. 19-47 ** ''Das Altjüdische Zauberwesen,'' Strasbourg, 1898 * The Jewish traditions regarding the

Masorah Masorah or Mesorah ( he, מסורה) refers either to the transmission of Jewish religious tradition, or to the tradition itself, and may refer to: * The Hebrew vowel points also known as niqqud. * Masoretic Text, the authoritative text of the Tan ...

, for example: ** ''Massoretische Untersuchungen,'' Strasburg, 1891 ** ''Masoretic Studies,'' in ''

Jewish Quarterly Review ''The Jewish Quarterly Review'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering Jewish studies. It is published by the University of Pennsylvania Press on behalf of the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies (University of Pe ...

,'' viii., ix.) * The

development of the Hebrew Bible canon Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped * Photograph ...

, for example: ** ''Zur Einleitung in die Heilige Schrift,'' Strasburg, 1894. Blau also published ''Der Concursus Vitiorum nach Talmudischem Recht,'' Budapest, 1887; and ''Die Erwählung Israel's'' (in Hungarian), ib. 1890; and contributed to the ''Monatsschrift,'' ''Zeitschrift für Hebräische Bibliographie,'' ''Jahrbuch des Ungarischen Litteraturvereines,'' ''Jahrbuch der Deutschen Litteraturvereines,'' etc.

References

* * Ózsidó bűvészet reprint in Hungarian - Printed 2005 - Gabbiano Print Kft. Budapest * A Talmudról - reprint in Hungarian - Printed 2007 - Gabbiano Print Kft. Budapest

External links

*
Jewish Encyclopedia article for Ludwig Blau
by

Isidore Singer Isidore Singer (10 November 1859 – 20 February 1939) was an American encyclopedist and editor of ''The Jewish Encyclopedia'' and founder of the American League for the Rights of Man. Biography Singer was born in 1859 in Weisskirchen, M ...

and

Richard Gottheil Richard James Horatio Gottheil (13 October 1862 – 22 May 1936) was an English American Semitic scholar, Zionist, and founding father of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Biography He was born in Manchester, England, but moved to the United States a ...

Digitized works by Lajos Blau
at the

Leo Baeck Institute, New York The Leo Baeck Institute New York (LBI) is a research institute in New York City dedicated to the study of German-Jewish history and culture, founded in 1955. It is one of three independent research centers founded by a group of German-speaking J ...