David Levi (scholar)

David Levi (1742, London – 1801) was an English-Jewish writer, Hebraist, Jewish apologist, translator, and poet.

Levi was born to poor immigrant parents who could not afford to educate him. He worked as a shoemaker, then as a hatter, then as a printer. He read voraciously in Jewish literature from ancient times to the present, as well as in Christian writings about Judaism and about the Bible. Self-educated, he realised how little both Jews and Christians in England knew about Judaism and resolved to explain and defend his faith.

His first published work, A Succinct Account of the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jews (1782), tried to explain Judaism to Jews and to correct Christian misconceptions about Judaism. Next, he translating the prayer books of both the Ashkenazi and Spanish and Portuguese Jews. He supervised a translation of the Old Testament into English and published a Hebrew grammar and dictionary, and a guide to the Hebrew language.

In 1786, Joseph Priestly published his Letter to the Jews (1786), urging them to convert. Levi published a lengthy answer, which led to many arguments with Christian divines. This led to his three-volume Dissertation on the Prophecies of the Old Testament (1793–1800), which he printed and published himself. It was republished in London in 1817 in two volumes. Levi's work was well known in Christian circles; his Dissertation on the Prophecies was accepted as authoritative by many scholars, both Jewish and Christian, well into the nineteenth century.

His six-volume English translation of the liturgy served as the foundation for later editions published both in England and in the United States.

His Protestant friend Henry Lemoine published an obituary in the Gentleman's Magazine (October 1801), "He's Gone! the Pride of Israel's Busy Tribe". It praised him as a great explainer and defender of Judaism against both Christians and sceptics.

Levi was also poet in ordinary to the synagogue, and furnished odes when required on several public celebrations, as, for instance, on the king's escape from assassination in 1795.

References

• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Obituary: H. Lemoine, Gentlemen's Magazine, 1st ser., 71 (1801), 934–5
• J. Picciotto, Sketches of Anglo-Jewish history, rev. edn, rev. Israel Finestein (1956)
• R. H. Popkin, ‘David Levi, Anglo-Jewish theologian’, Jewish Quarterly Review, 87 (1996), 79–101
• Simeon Singer, ‘Early translations and translators of the Jewish liturgy in England’, Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England, 3 (1896–8), 36–71
• Goldman, Yosef. Hebrew Printing in America, 1735-1926, A History and Annotated Bibliography (YGBooks 2006). ISBN 1-59975-685-4.
• This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain.

Persondata
Name	Levi, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1742
Place of birth
Date of death	1801
Place of death

This biography of a United Kingdom religious figure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: People from London English Jews Jewish writers Hat makers Shoemakers 1742 births 1801 deaths Jewish biography stubs British religious biography stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? A priori probability Henry Bridge Look at other dictionaries: David Levi — may refer to: David Levi (Italy) (1816–1898), Italian Jewish poet and politician David Levi (scholar) (1742–1801), Anglo Jewish scholar David F. Levi (born 1951), Dean of Duke University Law School (United States) and former U.S. federal judge… …   Wikipedia LEVI, DAVID — (1742–1801), English Hebraist and polemicist. Born in London and intended by his parents to be a rabbi, Levi instead was apprenticed to a cobbler, and later worked as a hatter. However, he continued to pursue Jewish studies and interests. He… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism Levi ben Japheth — (Heb. Levi ben Yafet ha Levi ; Arab. Abu Sa id Levi ibn Yafat was a Karaite Jewish scholar who flourished, probably at Jerusalem, in the first half of the eleventh century CE. Although, like his father Japheth ben Ali, he was considered one of… …   Wikipedia DAVID BEN LEVI OF NARBONNE — (latter half of the 13th century), scholar in Provence. Little is known about his life and personality other than that his principal teacher was Samuel b. Solomon Sekili, also a noted Provençal scholar. His few published responsa (in A. Sofer (ed …   Encyclopedia of Judaism LEVI ISAAC BEN MEIR OF BERDICHEV — (c. 1740–1810), ḥasidic ḥaddik and rabbi; one of the most famous personalities in the third generation of the ḥasidic movement. Levi   Isaac was born into a distinguished rabbinic family and his father was rabbi in Hoshakov (Galicia). After… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism David HaLevi Segal — David ha Levi Segal (c. 1586 – 20 February 1667), also known as the Turei Zahav (abbreviated Taz) after the title of his significant halakhic commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, was one of the greatest Polish rabbinical authorities. Contents 1… …   Wikipedia LEVI (Bet ha-Levi), JACOB BEN ISRAEL — (second half of 16th century–1636), halakhist and scholar. A member of the famous bet ha levi family, Jacob grew up in Salonika, where he studied in the local yeshivot. He studied halakhah with R. Aaron ibn Ḥasson and philosophy with R. David ibn …   Encyclopedia of Judaism Levi Brackman — (born 1978) is a journalist, Judaic scholar, rabbi, teacher, writer, and religious leader who has been active in both England and the United States, and whose writings are featured regularly in Jewish publications internationally, including… …   Wikipedia LEVI BEN JAPHETH — (Abū Saʿīd; 10th–11th century), Karaite scholar, son of japheth b. ali . Levi b. Japheth lived in Jerusalem and wrote, in Arabic, a Book of Precepts, a work which was used by almost all the later Karaite writers. Only fragments of the Arabic… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism David ben Yom Tov ibn Bilia — was a Portuguese Jewish philosopher who lived in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Ibn Bilia was the author of many works, the greater part of which, no longer in existence, are known only by quotations. Among them were: Me or Enayim, a… …   Wikipedia 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”