Goldenthal, Jacob

Austrian Orientalist; born at Brody, Galicia, April 16, 1815; died at Vienna Dec. 28, 1868; educated at the University of Leipsic. In June, 1843, he became principal of the Jewish school at Kishinef, Bessarabia, and held the office for some years. He was appointed professor of rabbinica and Oriental languages at the University of Vienna in Sept., 1849, and held the chair until his death. Upon the nomination of Hammer-Purgstall he was elected corresponding member of the Vienna Academy of Sciences. His chief literary activity consisted in editing the following manuscripts: (1) "Mozene Ẓedeḳ," a treatise on philosóphical ethics by Al-Ghazali, translated into Hebrew by Abraham ibn Ḥasdai, with an introduction on the lives and works of Al-Ghazali and Ibn Ḥasdai, 1838. (2) "Bi'ur ibn Roshd," Todrosi's Hebrew translation of Averroes' commentary on Aristotle's "Rhetorica," with a historical and philosophical introduction, 1842. (3) "Mesharet Mosheh," commentary by Kalonymus on Maimonides' system of Divine Providence, with his explanation of Ps. xix. and xxxvii., 1845. (4) "Mafteaḥ," methodology of the Talmud by Nissim ben Jacob of Kairwan, with introduction, notes, and references, 1847. (5) "Miḳdash Me'aṭ," Moses Rieti's didactic poem on ancient philosophy and the history of Jewish literature, with an Italian and Hebrew preface, 1851 (see "Allg. Zeit. des Jud." 1859, p. 124).

Goldenthal further published a catalogue of Hebrew manuscripts in the Imperial Library of Vienna, 1854, and an Arabic grammar in Hebrew for the use of the Oriental Jews, with a French preface, 1857. Volume i. of the "Denkschriften" of the Vienna Academy of Sciences contains his "Beiträge zu einem Sprachvergleichenden Rabbinisch-Philosophischen Wörterbuche." He issued "Das Neue Zion," a monthly periodical, Leipsic, Nisan, 1845, of which only one number appeared. Another periodical which he edited, "Das Morgenland," was also short-lived.

Bibliography:

  * Brüll, in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, ix. 332, Leipsic, 1879;
  * Fürst, Bibl. Jud.;
  * Zedner, Cat. Hebr. Books Brit. Mus.;
  * Zeitlin, Bibl. Post-Mendels.;
  * Almanach der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1869, pp. 245 et seq.;
  * Neue Freie Presse, 1868, No. 1556.



S. S. Man.