Giovanni Bernardo De Rossi (1742–1831) first studied Hebrew in Turin as a requirement for his theology degree. Having swiftly mastered several Semitic languages and been ordained a priest, he was appointed professor of oriental languages at the University of Parma in 1769. Despite offers from Pavia, Madrid and Rome, he remained there until his death. An important collector of manuscripts and incunabula - in 1785 Pius VI tried to acquire his library for the Vatican - De Rossi published extensively on Hebrew typography and textual variants in the Old Testament. This 1800 catalogue of 182 Jewish polemics against Christianity - printed by Giambattista Bodoni, a noted typographer at the court of Parma - gives the texts' predominantly Hebrew titles and Latin content summaries. Also included is an 1812 Italian catalogue of books from De Rossi's library. Together they illuminate contemporary theological concerns and De Rossi's own bibliographic interests.
