Thomas Obicini

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Thomas Obicini (it. Tomasso Obicini da Novara) (Novara, Italy, 1585 - 7 November 1632). He was one of the first orientalists. He was a Franciscan Arabist. He was abbot in the convent of Aleppo. During his stay in the east he made himself master, in addition to Hebrew and Chaldee, of the Syriac, Arabic, and Coptic languages. In 1621, Obicini became the first lector in Arabic in the San Pietro in Montorio convent. He was a precursor of Athanasius Kircher. He wrote a Grammatica Arabica in 1631. His magnus opus the Thesaurus Arabico-Syro-latinus was published by Dominicus Germanicus in 1636.

[edit] Literature

Isagoge, id est, breve introductionum arabicum in scientiam logices; ac theses sanctae fidei, Thomas Obicini, 1625
Obicini, Thomas, Grammatica Arabica. Agrumia appellata. Cum versione Latina, ac dilucida expositione. Rome, Congregationis de Propag. Fide, 1631
Thesaurus Arabico-Syro-Latinus [ed. by Dominicus Germanus], Thomas Obicinus, 1636
Van Lantschoot, Arnold, Un précurseur d'Athanase Kircher : Thomas Obicini et la Scala Vat. copte 71, Louvain : Muséon, 1948 - XV, 87 p, (Bibliothèque du Muséon ; 22)