Bible scholar at the University of Padua, who tackled the well-worn theories of Bible critics who deny the Divinity of the Torah, both Gentile and Jewish. His commentary preceded, by 40 years, that of Dr. David Hoffman, head of the Berlin Rabbinical seminary, which first appeared in 1904 and also addressed Bible critics. Luzzatto's credentials as an expert in all the languages that could have had an influence on the text of the Torah are beyond question, including, for the first time, Syriac. Doing all this work in a country that was thoroughly Catholic, and taking issue with ancient as well as recent critics, was an act of fearlessness and integrity, and displayed peerless scholarship.

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