Baneth, Eduard (Ezekiel)

German rabbi and scholar; born at Liptó-Szent-Miklós, Hungary, Aug. 9, 1855; son of Bernhard Baneth. After receiving his preparatory education in his native city, at the Israelitische Normalschule, and studying the Talmud privately under his father and under R. Sofer and others at Presburg, he entered the rabbinical seminary of Berlin in 1873, passing thence to the gymnasium in Gnesen. In 1878 he entered the University of Berlin, studying philosophy and Oriental languages, especially Arabic. In July, 1881, he received from the University of Leipsic his doctor's degree, "summa cum laude," and shortly afterward he received from Dr. Israel Hildesheimer a diploma as rabbi. In January, 1882, he entered upon the rabbinate of Krotoschin. This office he resigned in April, 1895, when the administration of the community introduced, against the wishes of the majority, certain innovations which he could not countenance. In December of the same year he accepted a call as instructor in Talmudic studies at the Lehranstalt für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums at Berlin, which position he still (1901) holds.

In addition to essays published in various periodicals, Baneth has written: (1) "Samuel ha-Nagid als Staatsmann und Dichter" ("Monatsschrift," 1881, Nos. ii.-viii.; appended is a collection of his poems in metrical translation); (2) "Ursprung der Sadoḳäer und Boëthosäer," Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1882; (3) "Maimunis' Commentar zum Tractat Abot," theArabic original with a new translation in Hebrew, together with many notes (the first chapter only has been published in the "Hildesheimer Jubelschrift," but without the German translation or the notes), and (4) "Mischna, Seder Mo'ed," critical edition with German translation and commentary (Berlin); (5) "Maimunis' Neumondsberechnung," scientific supplement to the sixteenth, seventeenth, and twentieth annual reports of the Lehranstalt für die Wissenschaft des Judenthums of Berlin.

S.