Julius Fürst

Julius Fürst (also known as Julius Fuerst; Hebrew: יוליוס פורסט; born May 12, 1805, Zerkowo, Posen – died February 9, 1873, Leipzig) was a German Jewish orientalist and lexicographer.

Fürst studied philology and theology at Berlin and Breslau. He became a private docent at the University of Leipzig in 1833 and was appointed professor there in 1864. He was a leading figure in the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement and significantly contributed to the scientific study of Jewish literature and history.

His most important works include:

• Hebräisches und Chaldäisches Handwörterbuch über das Alte Testament (Hebrew and Chaldean Handbook Dictionary of the Old Testament), a dictionary that became a standard reference work.
• Bibliotheca Judaica, a bibliography of Jewish writings.
• Geschichte der biblischen Litteratur und des Jüdisch-Hellenistischen Schriftthums (History of Biblical Literature and Jewish-Hellenistic Literature).
• Kultur- und Literaturgeschichte der Juden in Asien (Cultural and Literary History of the Jews in Asia).

Fürst was also the editor of the journal Der Orient, which played a key role in fostering Jewish scholarship. He was a strong advocate for Jewish emancipation and actively promoted the study of Jewish culture and heritage. His scholarship helped to shape modern understanding of the Hebrew language, the Old Testament, and Jewish history.