Edzardi, Esra

Edzardi, Esra a great Hebrew scholar, was born at Hamburg June 28, 1629. He pursued his studies at Leipzig, Wittenberg, and Tubingen, and, in order to become still more proficient, visited many of the larger cities, as Zwickau, where he studied under Daum; Basle, where he enjoyed the instruction of Buxtorf (q.v.); Strasburg, Giessen, Greifswald, and also Rostock, where he was made a licentiate. On his return to Hamburg he gave instruction in Hebrew, and became famous not only for his learning in the Oriental tongues, his thorough acquaintance with Talmudic literature and Hebrew antiquities, but also for his zeal in the conversion of Jews and Romanists. He died January 1, 1708. Most of the works of Edzardi remain in MS. form. The only book mentioned by Graisse is Consensus Antiquit. Judaicae c. explicat. christianorum super Jerem. 23:5, 6, Hebr. Rabb. (Hamb. 1670, fol.). — Hoefer, Nouv. Biograph. Generale, 15:693; Grasse, Allgem. Literargeschichte, 6:886. (J.H.W.)