Name

Johann Christoph Wagenseil

Original name

Main activity

Hebraist

Secondary activity

Jurist

Title

Doctor

Name variations

"

Education place

Altdorf

Education institution

University of Altdorf

Activity place

Altdorf

Activity institution

University of Altdorf

Activity start date

1667

Activity end date

1705

Place of birth

Nuremberg

Date of birth

1633

Place of death

Altdorf

Date of death

1705

Bibliographical references

Descriptive card

Wagenseil, a polyhistor, was one of the most prominent hebraists of the later seventeenth century. An avid champion of missionary work among Jews and exposing the "blasphemous" anti-Christian aspects of rabbinical writings, at the same time he was on amicable terms with many Jews and publicly rejected accusations of ritual murder levelled against Jews. A towering scholar of Jewish literature, his massive scholarly output betrays broader oriental interests, including Arabic and occasionally the Qur'an.

Entry author

Asaph Ben Tov