Abraham (Adolf) Berliner (May 2, 1833 – April 21, 1915) (
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 ...
: אברהם ברלינר) was a German theologian and historian, born in
Obersitzko, in the
Grand Duchy of Posen
The Grand Duchy of Posen (german: Großherzogtum Posen; pl, Wielkie Księstwo Poznańskie) was part of the Kingdom of Prussia, created from territories annexed by Prussia after the Partitions of Poland, and formally established following the ...
,
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
. He received his first education under his father, who was teacher in Obersitzko. He continued his education under various rabbis, preparing himself at the same time for the
University of Leipzig
Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...
, where he received the degree of doctor of philosophy.
After serving for some time as preacher and teacher in
Arnswalde
Choszczno (german: Arnswalde) is a town in West Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland. As of December 2021, the town has a population of 14,831. The town is in a marshy district between the river Stobnica and Klukom lake, southeast of Stargard and o ...
, Berliner was called (1865) to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
as superintendent of the religious school maintained by the society for
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 cente ...
studies (Ḥebrat Shas), and in 1873, when
Israel Hildesheimer
Azriel Hildesheimer (also Esriel and Israel, yi, עזריאל הילדעסהיימער; 11 May 1820 – 12 July 1899) was a German rabbi and leader of Orthodox Judaism. He is regarded as a pioneering moderniser of Orthodox Judaism in Germany an ...
opened the
rabbinical seminary in Berlin, Berliner was elected professor of Jewish history and literature. In this position, as well as in that of author, he displayed an untiring activity. His edition of
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzchaki ( he, רבי שלמה יצחקי; la, Salomon Isaacides; french: Salomon de Troyes, 22 February 1040 – 13 July 1105), today generally known by the acronym Rashi (see below), was a medieval French rabbi and author of a compre ...
's commentary to the
Pentateuch
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...
(1866) first made him known as a scholar; he added to his reputation by various historical works, the result of his studies in the archives and libraries of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, which country he frequently visited, subventioned by the
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 ...
government.
Berliner edited for two years (1874–75) the scientific periodical ''Magazin für Jüdische Geschichte und Literatur'', which from 1876 to 1893 he, together with his colleague,
David Hoffmann, continued under the title ''Magazin für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums''. It was due to his zeal that the society
Meḳiẓe Nirdamim, for the publication of works of the older Jewish literature, which had been discontinued for several years, was revived in 1885 with Berliner as its director. He further acted as the apologist of Judaism in a pamphlet against
Lagarde (''Prof. Paul de Lagarde, nach Seiner Natur Gezeichnet'', 1887), who denounced all Jewish scholars as dilettanti; and when the blood accusation was revived, he republished (1888) the opinion of Cardinal Ganganelli—afterward
Pope Clement XIV
Pope Clement XIV ( la, Clemens XIV; it, Clemente XIV; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in Sep ...
—to prove the falsity of this charge.
While Orthodox in his religious views, Berliner was never a fanatic. He not only associated in his scientific work with the liberals, but also paid a high tribute to the merits of
Moritz 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; ...
, on the occasion of the latter's seventieth birthday (1886), by compiling a bibliography of that eminent scholar's works.
Works
The following is a list of Berliner's works:
* ''Raschi, Commentar zum Pentateuch,'' 1866
* ''Aus dem Inneren Leben der Deutschen Juden im Mittelalter,'' 1871; 2d ed., 1900
* ''Pleṭat Soferim: Beiträge zur Jüdischen Schriftauslegung im Mittelalter,'' 1872
* ''Yesod 'Olam, das Aelteste Bekannte Dramatische Gedicht in Hebr. Sprache, von Mose Sacut,'' 1874
* ''Die Massorah zum Targum Onkelos,'' 1875, 1877
* ''Migdal Ḥananel, Ueber Leben und Schriften R. Chananel's in Kairuan,'' 1876
* ''Ein Gang Durch die Bibliotheken Italiens,'' 1877
* ''Rabbi Jesaja Berlin: Eine Biographische Skizze,'' 1879
* ''Beiträge zur Hebräischen Grammatik im Talmud und Midrasch,'' 1879
* ''Hebräische Grabschriften in Italien,'' 1881
* ''Persönliche Beziehungen Zwischen Juden und Christen im Mittelalter,'' 1882
* ''Beiträge zur Geographie und Ethnographie Babyloniens im Talmud und Midrasch,'' 1884
* ''Targum Onkelos'' (now the standard edition), 1884
* ''Aus den Letzten Tagen des Römischen Ghetto,'' 1886
* ''Censur und Confiscation Hebräischer Bücher im Kirchenstaate,'' 1891
* ''Geschichte der Juden in Rom, von der Aeltesten Zeit bis zur Gegenwart (2050 Jahre),'' 3 vols., 1893
* ''Ueber den Einfluss des Ersten Hebräischen Buchdrucks auf den Cultus und die Cultur der Juden,'' 1896
* ''Aus Meiner Bibliothek, Ein Beitrag zur Bibliographie und Typographie,'' 1898.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
*
Nahum Sokolow
Nahum ben Joseph Samuel Sokolow ( he, נחום ט' סוקולוב ''Nachum ben Yosef Shmuel Soqolov'', yi, סאָקאָלאָוו; ) was a Zionist leader, author, translator, and a pioneer of Hebrew journalism.
Biography
Nahum Sokolow was born ...
, ''Sefer Ziḳḳaron,'' p. 13
*Warsaw, 1889
*Reines, ''Dor we-Ḥakamaw.''
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berliner, Abraham
1833 births
1915 deaths
People from Szamotuły County
German Jewish theologians
People from the Province of Posen
19th-century German theologians
19th-century German historians
German male non-fiction writers
19th-century male writers