Scholars have celebrated Johannes Reuchlin as the first Renaissance humanist to master the three sacred languages, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew; as the initiator of humanist drama in Germany; and as the defender of Jewish writing. Although all of these claims have been qualified somewhat, Reuchlin's stature in the first rank of the history of philology and of German literature remains secure.

Reuchlin was born in Pforzheim, Baden, on 29 January 1455. (Older works often erroneously cite 22 February as his birthday.) His father, Georg, was an administrator for the Dominican monastery at Pforzheim. Nothing is known of his mother except her name, Elisabeth Eck. Proud of his hometown, he would often refer to himself as Phorcensis, the Latin designation for Pforzheim; he would also bequeath his precious library to the Michaelsstift there. No detailed portraits of Reuchlin survive from his lifetime, although, owing to his renown, several fanciful ones have been...