Felix Pratensis

Felix Pratensis (Felice da Prato) (died at Rome in 1539) was an Italian Jewish scholar and Christian convert. He is known for his collaboration with the Flemish printer Daniel Bomberg on the first printed Hebrew "Biblia Rabbinica" [Mikra'ot Gedolot [http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudMap/MG.html] .] [From 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1028&letter=B] : "It contains the Pentateuch with Onḳelos and Rashi, the Former and Later Prophets with Targum Jonathan and Ḳimḥi's comments (the anti-Christian passages omitted); Psalms with Targum and Ḳimḥi; Proverbs with the commentary known as "Ḳaw we-Naḳi"; Job with the commentaries of Naḥmanides and Abraham Farrisol; the Five Scrolls with the commentary of Levi b. Gerson; Ezra and Chronicles with the commentaries of Rashi and Simon ha-Darshan. To these were added the Jerusalem Targum to the Pentateuch; Targum Sheni to Esther; the variant readings of Ben Asher and Ben Naphtali; the thirteen "articles of faith" of Maimonides; the 613 precepts according to Aaron Jacob Ḥasan; and a table of the parashiyot and Hafṭarot according to the Spanish and German rites. This edition is the first in which Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are divided into two books, and Nehemiah is separated from Ezra. It is the first also to indicate in the margin the numbers of the chapters in Hebrew letters (Ginsburg, "Introduction," p. 26). The ḳeri consonants are also given in the margin."] ("Veneta") of 1517/8.

He received a good education and acquired three languages. In 1518 he embraced Christianity, becoming a member of the Augustinian Order, and thereafter devoted himself to the conversion of the Jews. He displayed in his sermons great intolerance, earning for himself the sobriquet "the Jews' scourge."

While still a Jew, Felix published a Latin translation of the "Psalms", entitled "Psalterium ex Hebræo ad Verbum Translatum", Venice, 1515.

References

*Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. i. 918, iii. 935;
*Moritz Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 2111
*Hermann Vogelstein and Paul Rieger, "Geschichte der Juden in Rom", ii. 37

Notes