Reuchlin
JOHANN, a German scholar; born in Pforzheim, Baden, Feb. 22, 1455. He studied at Freiburg, the University of Paris, Basel, and where, where, and became familiar with Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He was patronized by several of the German princes, and was engaged on various political missions. From 1502 to 1513 he was president of the Suabian federal court. His opposition to the proposal to burn all Hebrew books except the Bible raised a host of fanatical enemies against him, but did him no harm. In 1519 he was appointed professor at Ingolstadt; in 1521 the plague drove him to Stuttgart.
During a great part of his life Reuchlin was the real center of all Greek and Hebrew teaching in Germany. Several of his works had considerable popularity in their time. He sympathized deeply with Luther and the Reformation, but maintained his connection with the Roman Catholic Church to the last. He died near Hirschau, Bavaria, June 30, 1522. an