SANCTUS, an Italian Dominican, eminent for his skill in oriental languages and biblical learning, was born at Lucca in 1466, and became afterwards an ecclesiastic of the order of St Dominic. He was Pagninus, deeply and accurately skilled in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, and Arabic; but he was particularly excellent in the Hebrew. He applied himself to examine the vulgar translation of the Scriptures; and believing it to be either not of Jerome, or greatly corrupted, he undertook to make a new one from the prefect Hebrew text; in which he meant to imitate St Jerome, who set about making a new translation at a time when the church would admit no other but the Septuagint. This design of Pagninus, so early after the restoration of letters, seemed a bold one; yet such was the reputation of the man, that it was approved by Pope Leo X. who promised to furnish him with all necessary expenses for carrying on the work; and, besides, we find at the beginning of this translation, which was printed at Lyons in 1527, two letters of the succeeding popes, Hadrian VI. and Clement VII. which licensed the printing of it. Pagninus, in his Letters to Pope Clement, for the printing of this translation, openly declares, that the Vulgar edition, as it is at present, is not St Jerome's; yet adds, that he has retained in his translation as much of it as he could. It appears by a letter of Pius Miradula to Pagninus, that he had spent 25 years upon this translation. It is the first modern translation of the Bible from the Hebrew text; and the Jews who read it affirmed, that it agreed exactly with the Hebrew, and was in some respects superior to the ancient translations. The great fault of Pagninus was, that he adhered with too great servility to the original text; and this scrupulous attachment made his translation, says Father Simon, "obscure, barbarous, and full of solecisms." He imagined, that to make a faithful translation of the Scripture, it was necessary to follow exactly the letter according to the strictest of grammar. This, however, is quite contrary to his pretended exactness, because two languages seldom agree in their ways of speaking; and therefore, instead of expressing the original in its proper purity, he defaces and robs it of all its ornaments." Father Simon nevertheless allows the great abilities and learning of Pagninus; and all the later commentators and translators of the Scriptures have agreed in giving him his just praise. Huetius, though he thinks Father Simon's criticism of him just and well grounded, yet proposes his manner as a model for all translators of the sacred books: Scriptura interpretandae rationis utile nobis exemplar propopulsi Sanctus Pagninus. He also translated the New Testament from the Greek, as he had done the Old from the Hebrew, laying the Vulgar all the while before him; and dedicated it to Pope Clement VII. He was author of a Hebrew Lexicon, and a Hebrew Grammar; which Buxtorf, who calls him vir linguarum Orientium peritissimus, made great use of in compiling his. He died in 1536, aged 70. Luther spoke of him and his translations in terms of the highest applause.