Ephraim Luzzatto (1729—1792)

By Mrs. R. N. Salaman.

Italy has produced many distinguished Jewish scholars. Not baffled by periods of severe persecution, lasting until the fall of the Papal States in 1859 and persisting, to some extent, in Rome until the end of the Pope’s dominion in 1870, Jewish philosophers, Rabbis, poets, and physicians, meet us through every period of Italian history.

Thus Jewish literary activity in Italy much resembles that of Spain; but whereas, in Spain, Arabic models were employed by the poets, in Italy we perceive some indications of the influence of the Renaissance. With Azariah dei Rossi (1513-1578) begins the new science, with Moses Haim Luzzatto (1707) the new Hebrew drama. They were not actually the first in these fields, but they were the earliest of importance. The two tendencies we shall find united in Ephraim Luzzatto, who was at once a man of science and a poet ?following not

Written by

R. N. Salaman

Published in

Volume 9

1918

Other articles within the volume

• THE JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND
• Tallies and Receipt Rolls
• Some Medieval Notes
• Racial Origins of Jewish Types. Presidential Address (1920)
• Perkin Warbeck and His Jewish Master
• Reflections on the History of the Anglo-Jewish Community. Presidential Address (1920)
• Hebrew Loyalty under the First Four Georges
• Ephraim Luzzatto (1729—1792)
• The Legal Position of the Jews in pre-expulsion England, as shown by the Plea Rolls of the Jewish Exchequer
• Special Taxation of the Jews
• Proposals for Special Taxation of the Jews after the Revolution. Presidential Address (1918)
• The Peace Banquet
• PREFACE.