Paul Fagius (1504 – 13 November 1549) was a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

scholar of

Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew (, or , ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite branch of Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Israel, roughly west of t ...

and Protestant reformer.

Life

Fagius was born at

Rheinzabern Rheinzabern is a small town in the south-east of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany near the Rhine river. Currently, Rheinzabern, that belongs to the District of Germersheim has approx. 5000 inhabitants living on an area of 12,75 square kilometres. ...

in 1504. His father was a teacher and council clerk. In 1515 he went to study at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

and in 1518 was present at the

Heidelberg Disputation The Heidelberg Disputation was held at the lecture hall of the Augustinian order on April 26, 1518. It was here that Martin Luther, as a delegate for his order, began to have occasion to articulate his views. In the defense of his theses, which c ...

. In 1522 he moved to the University of

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label= Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label= Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the ...

, where he learned Hebrew and met Matthäus Zell,

Martin Bucer Martin Bucer ( early German: ''Martin Butzer''; 11 November 1491 – 28 February 1551) was a German Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican doctrines and practices. Bucer was originally a me ...

and Wolfgang Capito. In 1527, he became a school master in the free imperial city of Isny im Allgäu. Fagius took part in the Bern Colloquy, where he met the reformer

Huldrych Zwingli Huldrych or Ulrich Zwingli (1 January 1484 – 11 October 1531) was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland, born during a time of emerging Swiss patriotism and increasing criticism of the Swiss mercenary system. He attended the Univ ...

. In 1535, he returned to the University of Strasbourg to devote himself to his study of theology. Fagius returned to Isny as a priest in 1537. There he learnt Hebrew from the Jewish grammarian and publisher Elia Levita, and they founded a printing office together. One of the few known works to be published by this partnership was ''Shemot Devarim'', an Old Yiddish-Hebrew-Latin-German dictionary, in 1542. In 1543, he organized the ''Kirchenwesen'' in

Konstanz Konstanz (, , locally: ; also written as Constance in English) is a university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south of Germany. The city houses the University of Konstanz and was t ...

and in 1544 was appointed Professor of Old Testament studies at Strasbourg. In 1546, he moved back to Heidelberg, after Elector Frederick II charged him with reforming the University of Heidelberg. Fagius however encountered such strong opposition that his reform failed and he returned to Strasbourg. With the rise of the

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

Paul Fagius found himself under pressure. After the defeat of the

Schmalkaldic League The Schmalkaldic League (; ; or ) was a military alliance of Lutheran princes within the Holy Roman Empire during the mid-16th century. Although created for religious motives soon after the start of the Reformation, its members later came to ...

in 1547, Fagius, who had opposed the

Augsburg Interim The Augsburg Interim (full formal title: ''Declaration of His Roman Imperial Majesty on the Observance of Religion Within the Holy Empire Until the Decision of the General Council'') was an imperial decree ordered on 15 May 1548 at the 1548 Diet ...

, found himself dismissed from his position, along with Martin Bucer. Both sought refuge in England, where they were taken in by

Thomas Cranmer Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He helped build the case for the annulment of Hen ...

. In 1549, Fagius was appointed Hebrew lecturer at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. After being briefly active in Hebrew philology and interpreting the Old Testament Fagius died from plague in 1549, and was buried in St Michael's Church, Cambridge. Under Queen Mary's Catholic restoration, his remains were exhumed and burned (as were Martin Bucer's); in 1560, a memorial was again set up to him.

Works

Latin translations from Hebrew

Pirḳe Abot Pirkei Avot ( he, פִּרְקֵי אָבוֹת; also transliterated as ''Pirqei Avoth'' or ''Pirkei Avos'' or ''Pirke Aboth''), which translates to English as Chapters of the Fathers, is a compilation of the ethical teachings and maxims from ...

(1541) *Levita's "Tishbi" (1541) *Tobit (1542) *Alfabeta de Ben Sira (1542) *Sefer Amanah (1542) *

David Ḳimḥi ''Cervera Bible'', David Qimhi's Grammar Treatise David Kimhi ( he, ר׳ דָּוִד קִמְחִי, also Kimchi or Qimḥi) (1160–1235), also known by the Hebrew acronym as the RaDaK () (Rabbi David Kimhi), was a medieval rabbi, biblical commen ...

's commentary on Psalms, ch. i.-x. (1544)

Editions

* Targum Onḳelos (1546)

Original works

*Exegesis of the first four chapters of Genesis (1542) *Elementary Hebrew grammar (1543) *Liber Fidei seu Veritatis (1542) *Parvus Tractulus (1542)

References

* Gordon, Bruce, ‘Fagius, Paul (c.1504–1549)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004) * MacCulloch, D., Thomas Cranmer: ''A life'' (1996) * Raubenheimer, Richard: ''Paul Fagius aus Bergzabern: sein Leben und Wirken als Reformator und Gelehrter.'' Grünstadt, Verein für pfälzische Kirchengeschichte, 1957 * * *

External links

*''This article is partially based on a translation of the corresponding German-language Wikipedia article.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fagius, Paul 1504 births 1549 deaths German Christian theologians Christian Hebraists 16th-century deaths from plague (disease) Academics of the University of Cambridge 16th-century German theologians German male non-fiction writers 16th-century German writers 16th-century German male writers Regius Professors of Hebrew (Cambridge)