Most widely known today for his studies of Near Eastern languages Guillaume Postel was a pioneer in the study of Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and Aramaic in Western Europe. He was better known in his own time as a prophet, millennialist, and Utopiast. His writings deal largely with his effort to promote world peace, but he was condemned as a heretic for his belief that he was divinely inspired; he claimed, in fact, that he was the reincarnation of the Virgin of Venice. As a scholar he was instrumental in promoting the teaching of Arabic and Syriac, and participated in editing and publishing a number of early Christian works. His theories of language origin (he thought all languages were derived from Hebrew) are no longer considered valid, but his work in comparative linguistics earned him the reputation as the founder of that discipline.
Alternative Title:
Lingvarvm duodecim characteribvs differentivm alphabetvm introdvctio and Lord’s prayer. Polyglot
Description:
Imperfect: leaf H2 (signed ’G’) misbound after H3. and Originally intended to form part of a projected treatise De affinitate linguarum et Hebraicae excellentia.
Publisher:
Apud Dionysium Lescuier ...
Subject (Name):
Lord’s prayer. Polyglot
Subject (Topic):
Alphabets --Early works to 1800, Aramaic language --Early works to 1800, Armenian language --Early works to 1800, Grammar, Comparative and general --Early works to 1800, Language and languages --Grammars --Early works to 1800, Samaritan Aramaic language --Early works to 1800, and Syriac language --Early works to 1800