Matthäus Aurogallus, (1490 – 10 November 1543) was a Bohemian linguist. Born in Chomutov (then Komotau), Bohemia, as Matthäus Goldhahn, (he latinized his name Aurogallus in the fashion of renaissance humanists) Aurogallus served as professor of Hebrew at the University of Wittenberg and was a colleague of Philip Melanchthon and Martin Luther. He assisted Luther in the revision of the reformer's translation of the Old Testament and made valuable contributions to the academic study of Hebrew. Early life and education Matthäus Aurogallus began his education at a humanist school in Komotau founded by Czech nobleman and writer Bohuslav Hasištejnský z Lobkovic in his family home, Hasištejn Castle. There, Aurogallus studied Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He then studied Hebrew in Leipzig from 1512-1515, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts, before returning to Komotau to teach Latin at his former school. Wittenberg and Luther In 1519 Aurogallus left his position and moved to Wittenberg, where he began a friendly relationship with Philip Melanchthon. Melanchthon had recently accepted a position as professor of Greek at the University of Wittenberg on the recommendation of his great-uncle, Martin Luther. During this time, Melanchthon had the opportunity to observe Aurogallus’ impressive command of Hebrew. Two years later, at the recommendation of Melanchthon and Luther, Aurogallus also joined Wittenberg’s faculty as professor of Hebrew, replacing Matthäus Adrian, who – although he had been recommended for the position by Luther several years earlier – was removed from the post after his vocal opposition to Luther’s religious reforms. At the time, Wittenburg – under Luther's leadership – was the epicentre of the Protestant Reformation, and Aurogallus was drawn into the movement at least peripherally as a scholar of Hebrew. Aurogallus acted as an adviser to Martin Luther on Hebrew translation while the latter was composing his translation of the Old Testament. He was also able to borrow rare manuscripts from Lobkovic’s extensive library, which he lent to Luther and Melanchthon, further aiding in the translation process. In 1540, Luther published a revision of his translations of the book of Psalms after Aurogallus had reviewed and improved the previous edition. On 1 May 1542 Aurogallus attained the prestigious position of rector of the University of Wittenberg. Contributions to Hebrew Studies Aurogallus served as professor of Hebrew in Wittenberg from 1521 until his death on 10 November 1543. During this time, he collaborated with Luther on the latter's translation of