Pius Zingerle

Pius Zingerle (17 March 1801 – 10 January 1881) was an Austrian Orientalist.

Life

Zingerle was born at Meran, Tyrol. After studying the humanities at Meran, philosophy and two years of theology at Innsbruck, he joined the Benedictines at Marienberg in 1820, took vows, 20 October 1822, and was ordained priest, 4 April 1824. With the exception of six years (1824-7 and 1837-9) during which he was assistant pastor at Platt and at St. Martin, two parishes in the Valley of Passeier, he was professor, since 1852 also director at the gymnasium of Meran. Upon the invitation of Pius IX, he became professor of Semitic languages at the Sapienza in Rome in March, 1862. While in Rome he was also consultor of the Propaganda for Oriental Affairs and scriptor of the Vatican Library.

Unable to accustom himself to the Roman climate, he returned to Marienberg in 1865, where he was made sub-prior and professor of theology. He had a fair knowledge of Hebrew, Arabic, and Persian, was an acknowledged master of Syriac, and gained considerable fame through his German versions of the writings of Saint Ephraem.

Zingerle died at the Abbey of Marienberg near Meran, 10 January 1881.

Works

The following are his chief works: , translated from the Syriac (2 vols., Innsbruck, 1836) , translated from the Greek and the Syriac (6 vols., Innsbruck, 1837; new ed., Augsburg, 1845-of which vols. IV and V are German martial versions of Ephraem's Syriac hymns) , in vol. XXVIII of (Kempten, 1859) (Innsbruck, 1840) (Dillingen, 1846) (Innsbruck, 1853; 2nd ed., Augsburg, 1955) (Innsbruck, 1855) (Innsbruck, 1869) (Rome, 1871) (Rome, 1873).

He contributed various essays on the Ephraemic metre and on the Syrian metre in general to , vols. II-XIX, and other Syrian studies to in the years 1853 and 1870-71. He is also the author of two volumes of German poems (vol. I, Innsbruck, 1843; vol. II, Mainz, 1860) and of a few ascetical and other works of minor importance.