ALTING, Jacob, son of the preceding, was born at Hei-
delberg, in 1618. After the usual course of grammatical studies he became a student, and soon after professor of divinity in the university of Groningen. The oriental languages were his favourite studies, and in 1638 he put himself under the tuition of a Jewish rabbi at Embden. Determining to take up his residence in England, he arrived there in 1640, and was admitted to clerical orders by Dr Prideaux, bishop of Worcester. By an offer of the Hebrew professorship in the university of Groningen, he was soon induced to alter his plan of life, and consequently returned to Germany in 1643. His active assiduity in the study of the languages, and his knowledge in other sciences, procured him universal esteem and great reputation as a scholar. About this time he received many academic honours; he was admitted doctor of philosophy, academic preacher, and at last professor of divinity in conjunction with a colleague, Samuel des Marets, with whom, as being an admirer and follower of the subtleties of the scholastics, Alting had a long and painful controversy, which was only terminated by a formal reconciliation when Marets was on his deathbed.
By the permission of the curators of the university, Des Marets appeared as public accuser of Alting, and produced a long list of erroneous propositions to the divines of Leyden, for their opinion. The divines pronounced Alting innocent of heresy, but imprudently fond of innovation; and they declared Des Marets deficient in modesty and candour. Such was the protection given to Alting, that whenever any of the order of ecclesiastics proposed any further measures against him, they were immediately rejected by the civil power.
Alting died of a fever in 1679. The fondness which he showed for rabbinical learning, gave birth to the general report that he was inclined to become a Jew. His opinions, which seem to have excited more general attention than they deserve, may be seen at large in his writings, which were collected a few years after his death, and published in five volumes folio, by his pupil, the well-known Balthasar Bekker.