Joseph Derenbourg, or Joseph Naftali Derenburg (21 August 1811 – 29 July 1895) was a Franco-German orientalist. He was born in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

(then French-controlled), as a youngest son of the lawyer Jacob Derenburg. According to the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', "He was a considerable force in the educational revival of

Jewish education Jewish education ( he, חינוך, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish cul ...

in France." He made great contributions to the knowledge of

Saadia Saʻadiah ben Yosef Gaon ( ar, سعيد بن يوسف الفيومي ''Saʻīd bin Yūsuf al-Fayyūmi''; he, סַעֲדְיָה בֶּן יוֹסֵף אַלְפַיּוּמִי גָּאוֹן ''Saʿăḏyāh ben Yōsēf al-Fayyūmī Gāʾōn''; ...

, and planned a complete edition of Saadia's works in Arabic and French. A large part of this work appeared during his lifetime. He also wrote an ''Essai sur l'histoire et la géographie de la

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

'' (Paris, 1867). This was an original contribution to the history of the Jews and Judaism in the time of Christ, and has been much used by later writers on the subject (e.g., by

Emil Schürer Emil Schürer (2 May 184420 April 1910) was a German Protestant theology, theologian known mainly for his study of the history of the Jews around the time of Jesus' ministry. Biography Schürer was born in Augsburg. After studying at the universi ...

). He also published in collaboration with his son

Hartwig Derenbourg Hartwig Derenbourg (17 June 1844 – 12 April 1908) was a French Orientalist. Biography Hartwig Derenbourg was born in Paris, where he studied Hebrew, Arabic, and other Semitic languages as a pupil of Joseph Toussaint Reinaud, Salomon Ulmann a ...

, ''Opuscules et traités d'Abou-l-Walid'' (with translation, 1880); ''Deux Versions hebraïques du livre de Kalilah et Dimnah'' (1881), and a Latin translation of the same story under the title ''Joannis de Capua directorium vitae humanae'' (1889); ''Commentaire de Maïmonide sur la Mischnah Seder Tohorot'' (Berlin, 1886-1891); and edited the second edition of

Silvestre de Sacy Antoine Isaac, Baron Silvestre de Sacy (; 21 September 175821 February 1838), was a French nobleman, linguist and orientalist. His son, Ustazade Silvestre de Sacy, became a journalist. Life and works Early life Silvestre de Sacy was born in Pa ...

's ''Séances de Hariri'' (Paris, Hachette, 1853). In 1871, Derenbourg annotated and published in Paris an important medieval work on Hebrew grammar, taken from a manuscript retrieved in

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

, and which he titled ''Manuel du Lecteur'' (Readers Manual). The manuscript is one of the sole remaining copies of a Hebrew variant of the work known as ''Maḥberet ha-Tiğān'' (Manual of the Codices), outlining the rules of Hebrew grammar.Yosef Yuval Tobi, ''Yahadut Teman (Yemenite Jewry)'', vol. 1, The Association for Society and Culture, Documentation and Research of Yemenite Jews: Netanya 2017, p. 11 He died in 1895 at

Bad Ems Bad Ems () is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Rhein-Lahn rural district and is well known as a spa on the river Lahn. Bad Ems is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' (administrative community) Bad E ...

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Derenbourg, Joseph 1811 births 1895 deaths French orientalists French Arabists Writers from Mainz Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres École pratique des hautes études faculty Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Historians of Jews and Judaism

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