577
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
70) is to be
mentioned in
this connection. In 1652 son of Shabbethai Basilea, had charge of an edition of "Tikkun 'Olam" (System of the Universe), a commentary on Isaiah, edited by Ortona and published at the press of Fr. Rossi at Verona. Quite a long line of rabbis and writers is connected
Moses Simon,
Samson Basola of the sixteenth century, whose son Solomon, rabbi at Mantua in 1570, was drawn into the controversy which raged in 1572 concerning the levirate marriage. His opinion, which is based essentially upon the Zohar, is incorporated in the " Pahad Yizhak " (letter n, p. 24). One of his with
descendants, Menahem Samson ben Solomon Basila of Mantua, was rabbi at Alessandria in Italy, and chief rabbi at Mantua in 1670, where he died in 1693. The center of a constellation of noted men, he was an intimate friend of R. Moses Zacuto, and was eulogized by his favorite pupil, Benjamin Cohen de Reggio, in his book, "Gebul Binyamin." He turned his attention to the calendar; and one for the years 5431-32 (1671-72), which he published at Venice, has been preserved, as has also a manuscript letter in Italian of great interest, in which astronomy is still called astrology, and which reveals very clearly the ingenious artifices to which recourse was had in 1675 for the purpose of harmonizing the differences of opinion concerning the true time of the moon's phases. His decisions are scattered through the best collections of the period (Nepi, 225) one of them, addressed to a grandson of R. Joshua Boaz of the Baruch family, author of the "Shilte ha-Gibborim," forbids the use of brandy distilled in retorts as being forbidden (Nesek) it is printed at the end of the large work written by his son, Solomon Abi'ad Sar Shalom, whom he instructed in religion and Cabala. This son, who in his name bears testimony to the Messianic hopes of his kinsman, was reared under the eyes of Moses Zacuto, of T ital Norzi, of the Segres his chief teacher was Judah Breal and his fellow-student was Isaac Lampronti, the author of " Pahad Yizhak. " At the age of ten he commenced the study of the various sciences, and plunged with avidity into the theosophy of Moses Cordovero. He attempted poetry, and edited, with a commentary, the mystic poem of Moses Zacuto, " 'Aruk Tofteh" (alluding to Is. xxx.33), (Venice, 1715, 1744; Metz, 1777). That he acquired a profound knowledge of the Talmud and of the casuists is shown by his correspondence with Judah Breal, Gabriel Pontremoli, and Abraham Segre ("Bibliotheca Friedlandiana, " No. 727) and his decisions are incorporated in No. 59 of the Halberstamm collection, in the " Pahad Yizhak " by his fellow-student Lampronti, in the responsa of Jabez (R. Jacob Emden), and elsewhere. Solomon enjoyed a deserved reputation for geometrical knowledge he edited Euclid's "Elements"
Abraham Segre (Gtinzburg Collection, and was also versed in astronomy. He ex-
for the use of
No. 215) changed
letters in Italian with Samson Bachi the younger, of Casale, an uncle of R. Isaac Raphael Pinzi (Nepi, 321), upon the principles of the calendar, between 1694 and 1701, and wrote a preface for
his treatise entitled " Nayer ha- Yamim " (A Paper on the Years) (Gtinzburg Collection, Nos. 312, 579) II.— 37
Basilea
he commenced to publish " Luah " or Pocket Daily Calendar: it appeared at Mantua in 32mo, and included the dates of the Christian festivals. At the age of forty-four, in company with Samuel in 1727
Norzi, Solomon initiated himself into the intricacies of the cabalistic system of Isaac Luria, which to-day takes precedence of all others. He carefully pre-
pared a very remarkable work, in which he reproached all philosophers and exegetes who had not taken part in the mystical movement, and adduced specious arguments for the authenticity of the Zohar. His work, even before it appeared in print, aroused a most heated opposition. Gad dell'Aquila implored the author most earnestly not to insult the memory pf Abraham ibn Ezra by the publication of his book (Gilnzburg Collection, No. 179). He took some time to revise it, rather to amplify, however, than to moderate its expressions; and it appeared in 1730 under the title of " Emunat Hakamim " (The Faith of the Wise). The work is a veritable mine of knowledge the whole of Hebrew literature is passed in review and there are quotations from Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander of Aphrodisias, Averroes, Avicenna, Copernicus, Fr. Piccolomini, I. Cotogno("De Triplici Statu Animi"). and others. Jacob Emden attempted to refute the book in his " Mitpahat Sefarim." Abi'ad naturally took the part of M. H. Luzzatto when the latter was persecuted: it was probably owing to this that a search-warrant was issued against him on the ground that he possessed forbidden books in his library. Being convicted of owning non-expurgated works, he was thrown into prison in June, 1733 May 28, 1734, he was reported sick at his house, and on June 23, 1738, was sentenced to three years' domiciliary arrest, which penalty was commuted June 18, 1739, by the curia of Rome into confinement within the ghetto-walls (Mortara, in "Hebraische Bibliographie," 1862, p. In 1742 he affixed his approbation to Solomon 100). Norzi's work "Minhat Shay," having examined an incomplete manuscript of the same (Letter 36 of the epistolary collection in the Friedland library); but he died on the last day of Tabernacles, 1743, without having witnessed its completion. His brother Abraham Jedidiah is especially known for having superintended, under the auspices of David Finzi and Judal Breal, an edition of the Shulhan 'Aruk (Mantua, 1723), which contained a short commentary by Gur Aryeh ha-Levi, one of his father's friends. He was assisted in the work by Gur Aryeh Finzi. The edition was published at the expense of the physician Raphael Vital of Italy. Finally, a son of Abi'ad, by name Raphael Vital, deserves mention for having superintended and revised, while still very young, an edition of the " Minhat Shay," that monumental production of the Italian Masorah, printed at the press of the same Raphael Jellinek accuses Vital, and at the latter's expense. him (Introduction to Norzi's writings, Vienna, 1876) of having taken liberties with his author; but before passing judgment it would be necessary to know if the Mantua manuscript which was communicated to Jellinek was in reality that which belonged to Abi'ad, and whether, moreover, the unexpected death of the latter did not necessitate an
