Immanuel Tremmelius

Guido's Brother · #1 (**permalink**) 06-27-2008, 08:52 PM

John Immanuel Tremellius (1510-1580) was a Jewish convert to Christianity. From 1561 to 1577, he was professor of Old Testament at Heidelberg. He probably was involved with the production of the Heidelberg Catechism -- he is certainly responsible for the first translation of the Catechism into Hebrew.

I saw a notice for this book today in the most recent Sixteenth Century Journal:

From Judaism to Calvinism: The Life and Writings of Immanuel Tremellius (c.1510-1580), Kenneth Austin, Aldershot: Ashgate, 2007.

It's not cheap, but it looks fascinating!

VirginiaHuguenot · #2 (**permalink**) 06-27-2008, 09:01 PM

Thanks for this heads up. He is quoted in Matthew Poole's Synopsis often. Here is the footnote that we have used for him:

Quote:

John Immanuel Tremellius (1510-1580) converted from Judaism to Christianity and quickly embraced the principles of the Reformation. He taught Hebrew at Strasburg (1541) and at Cambridge (succeeding Paul Fagius in 1549), and served as Professor of Old Testmant at Heidelberg (1561).

VirginiaHuguenot · #3 (**permalink**) 06-27-2008, 09:29 PM

From Matthew Poole's Preface to the Synopsis, Vol. 1 (Gen. 1-9) concerning Bible versions:

Quote:

7. The version of Francis Junius and Immanuel Tremellius: which was first produced around 1575, afterwards reviewed by Junius in 1587, which was received with the great applause of the Reformed Churches, as both the unanimous judgments of the clergymen concerning the excellence of it and the often renewed editions of it do sufficiently demonstrate. And although some versions might differ less from the Hebrew in certain passages, indeed some do render the sense more distinctly and elegantly; nevertheless, with all things considered and laid out that are required for an accurate version (namely: similarity with the authentic text reaching even to the very accents, which others for the most part neglect; the sense drawn out with great acumen and rendered with maximum fidelity; the word choices, if not always the most polished, for the most part proper and suitable; the difficult passages most diligently weighed, most learnedly and solidly settled), this version will perhaps claim and win for itself the first rank among equitable judges.

VirginiaHuguenot · #4 (**permalink**) 06-27-2008, 09:39 PM

From Wikipedia:

Quote:

His chief literary work was a Latin translation of the Bible from the Hebrew and Syriac. The New Testament translation appeared in 1569, at Geneva. The five parts relating to the Old Testament were published at Frankfort-on-the-Main between 1575 and 1579, in London in 1580, and in numerous later editions. The work was joint with Franciscus Junius (the elder), his son-in-law. This translation was favoured by John Milton[2]. It was used also by John Donne for his version of Lamentations[3].

Tremellius also translated into Hebrew John Calvin's Catechism (Paris, 1551), and wrote a "Chaldaic" and Syriac grammar (Paris, 1569).

Immanuel Tremellius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Guido's Brother · #5 (**permalink**) 06-27-2008, 11:05 PM

Klooster (CTJ 7.2, 207) says that he translated the Heidelberg Catechism as well, but he does not give a source.

See also, "Calvin's Hebrew Catechism," C. van der Spek, in Lux Mundi 26.3 (September 2007), 68-69.