Thomas Obicini

Thomas Obicini (Italian: Tomasso Obicini da Novara; 1585 – 7 November 1632). He was one of the first orientalists. He was a Franciscan Arabist.
Obicini was born in Novara, Italy. He was abbot in the convent of Aleppo. During his stay in the east he made himself master, in addition to Hebrew and Chaldee, of the Syriac, Arabic, and Coptic languages. In 1621, Obicini became the first lector in Arabic in the San Pietro in Montorio convent. He was a precursor of Athanasius Kircher. He wrote a Grammatica Arabica in 1631. His largest work was the 1636 Thesaurus Arabico-Syro-Latinus, a translation and expansion of Elijah of Nisibis's 11th-century glossary intended to assist Latin-speaking prelates in converting Syrians and other speakers of Arabic.

• Thesaurus Arabico-Syro-Latinus by Thomas Obicinus; [edited by Dominicus Germanus], 1636. Downloadable at Archive.org.
• Mufadhdhal ibn 'Umar Al Abharí Īsāghūkhī, Isagoge. Id est, breve Introductorium Arabicum in Scientiam Logices [by Mufadhdhal ibn 'Umar Al Abharí]: cum versione latina: ac theses Sanctae Fidei. R. P. F. Thomae Novariensis [i.e. Thomas Obicini] ... opera studioque editae ... Quae quidem publice disputabuntur ... Objectis satisfaciente P. F. P. Marietta, etc., Thomas Obicini, 1625
• Obicini, Thomas, Grammatica Arabica. Agrumia appellata. Cum versione Latina, ac dilucida expositione. Rome, Congregatio de Propag. Fide, 1631
• Van Lantschoot, Arnold, Un précurseur d'Athanase Kircher : Thomas Obicini et la Scala Vat. copte 71, Louvain : Muséon, 1948 - XV, 87 p, (Bibliothèque du Muséon ; 22)