Paul Joüon (1871 – 1940 in
Nantes) was a
French Jesuit priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
,
hebraist
A Hebraist is a specialist in Jewish, Hebrew and Hebraic studies. Specifically, British and German scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries who were involved in the study of Hebrew language and literature were commonly known by this designation, a ...
,
Semitic language
The Semitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken by more than 330 million people across much of West Asia, the Horn of Africa, and latterly North Africa, Malta, West Africa, Chad, and in large immigrant a ...
specialist and member of the
Pontifical Biblical Institute
The Pontifical Biblical Institute (also known as Biblicum) is a research and postgraduate teaching institution specialised in biblical and ancient Near Eastern studies. It is an institution of the Holy See entrusted to the Society of Jesus.
His ...
. Author of a philological and exegetical commentary on the
Book of Ruth (1924), he also wrote ''A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew'' for which he received the
Volney Prize The Prix Volney ( en, Volney Medal) is awarded by the Institute of France after proposition by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres to a work of comparative philology.
The prize was founded by Constantin Volney in 1803 and was original ...
from the
Institute of France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute m ...
. First published in 1923, Joüon's grammar, enjoying numerous editions as well as an English translation, continues to serve as an important reference to this day.
Joüon was the student of French rabbi and orientalist
Mayer Lambert.
Publications
* ''Le Cantique des Cantiques'', Commentaire philologique et exégétique, Éditeur G.Beauchesne, 1909, Paris.
* ''Grammaire de l'hébreu biblique'', 624 pages, Éditrice Pontificio Istituto Biblico, (première édition 1923, deuxième édition corrigée 1965, réimpressions en 1987, 1996, et 2007), Rome
* ''Ruth. Commentaire philologique et exégétique'', Institut Biblique Pontifical, 1924, Rome.
* ''Libri Ruth textum hebraicum'' ad usum scholarum edidit Pontificium Institutum Biblicum, 1921, Rome.
* Articles sur la philologie sémitique (dans ''Mélanges de la Faculté Orientale de Beyrouth'', dans ''Orientalia'', et dans ''Biblica'').
* ''L'Évangile de Notre-Seigneur Jésus-Christ'', traduction et commentaire du texte grec tenant compte du substrat sémitique, Éditeur G. Beauchesne, 1930, Paris.
See also
*
Study of the Hebrew language
As the Old Testament (known as the Tanakh) was written in Hebrew, Hebrew has been central to Judaism and Christianity for more than 2000 years.
Jewish scholars of Hebrew
The study of Hebrew occurred already in some grammatical notes in the Talmud ...
References
External links
*
1871 births
1940 deaths
Clergy from Nantes
French biblical scholars
French Hebraists
19th-century French Jesuits
20th-century French Jesuits
Grammarians of Hebrew
Christian Hebraists
Bible commentators
Old Testament scholars
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