MUIS, SIMÉON MAROTTE de. - Hebraist, b. at Orléans in 1587, d. at Paris in 1644. Archdeacon of Soissons, he held the chair of Hebrew at the «Collège de France» from 1614 until his death. Exceptionally well versed in biblical and rabbinic Hebrew, he knew medieval Jewish exegetical literature well.
He translated various rabbinic commentaries into Latin. His Comment. litteralis et historicus in omnes Psalmos et selecta Vet. Test. cantica, cum versione nova ex hebraeo (Paris 1630, reprint Louvain 1770) enjoyed extraordinary success and became so authoritative as to hinder scientific progress. From 1631 to 1639 M. intervened vigorously with various writings against the Oratorian Jean Morin (v.), in the controversy over the respective value of the Hebrew, Samaritan, and Greek texts of the Old Testament; steeped in rabbinic learning, he strongly defended the superiority of the Masoretic Hebrew text. Most of M.’s works were collected and reprinted by his successor Claude d'Auvergne: Simeonis de M. opera omnia in duos tomos distributa (Paris 1650).