Theodore Bibliander

Theodore (or Theodorus) Bibliander (; 1509 – 26 September 1564) was a Swiss orientalist, publisher, Protestant reformer and linguist.

Biography Born Theodor Buchmann (Bibliander is a Greek translation of this surname) in Bischofszell in 1509, he studied Latin under Oswald Myconius, and Greek and Hebrew under Jakob Ceporin, and attended lectures in Basel between 1525 and 1527 given by Johannes Oecolampadius and Konrad Pelikan. He also became familiar with the Arabic language and other languages from the East. He went on to became a professor of theology. He published a Hebrew grammar in 1535, and commentaries on the Bible.

Bibliander was an expert on Islam and published a book on the importance of preaching Christianity to Muslims. Johannes Oporinus printed Bibliander's edition of the Qur'an in Latin. (Basel, 1543), which was based on the medieval translation of Robert of Ketton. The edition included the entire Toledan Collection, including Doctrina Machumet, a translation of the Arabic theological tract known as the Book of One Thousand Questions.

Considered the father of biblical exegesis in Switzerland, Bibliander became involved in a doctrinal controversy with Pietro Martire Vermigli (Peter Martyr) over predestination. He was removed from his theological professorship at the Carolinum academy in 1560.

Bibliander died of the plague in Zürich on 26 September 1564, at the age of 54–55.

Works His works include; Institutionum grammaticarum de lingua Hebraea liber unus, Zürich, 1535 De optimo genere grammaticorum Hebraicorum, Hieronymus Curio, Zürich, 1542 Machumetis Saracenorum principis eiusque successorum vitae ac doctrina ipseque Alcoran, Johannes Oporin, Basel, 1543, 1550. (Qur'an: on-line text with critical apparatus in French, on-line text with critical apparatus in German) Relatio fidelis, Johannes Oporin, Basel, 1545 Zürich Bible (with Leo Juda) De ratione communi omnium linguarum et litterarum commentarius, Christoph Froschauer, Zürich, 1548 De ratione temporum, Johannes Oporin, Basel, 1551 De Fatis Monarchiae Romanae Somnium vaticinum Esdrae Prophetae, Basel, 1553 Temporum a condito mundo usque ad ultimam ipsius aetatem supputatio, Johannses Oporin, Basel, 1558