Kerk-zeeden en de gewoonten die huiden in gebruik zijn onder de Jooden, by R. Yehudah Aryeh (Leon) of Modena. Amsterdam: Timotheus ten Hoorn, 1683 (half-title engraving dated 1684). First Dutch edition.

The History of the Rites of the Jews was first published in Paris, 1637, in Italian, at the request of the English ambassador to Venice, for King James I of England, and was later translated into several languages.

The first Dutch edition was translated by Abraham Godart and bound together with a work by Le sieur de Simonville (pseudonym of French priest Richard Simon), comparing Jewish and Christian customs. The present edition is accompanied by engravings (by artist Jan Luyken) depicting wedding, divorce, chalitzah and circumcision.

The author,
R. Yehudah Aryeh of Modena (1571-1648), a rabbi of Venice, teacher, cantor, grammarian and poet. He was an orator and a gifted preacher as well as an original and fascinating apologist, and a prolific author.

[31] leaves, 96, 99-200 pages, [4] leaves; 201, [6] pages + [1] engraving (half-title) and [4] folding plates with engravings. Good-fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Small marginal tears to several leaves. Tears to some engravings, slightly affecting illustrations, repaired with paper to verso. Worming in a few places. Original parchment binding, with defects (front side detached).

Daat Sifrei Shorashim, Sive Historia lexicorum hebraicorum, by Johann Christoph Wolf. Wittenberg: Christ. Theoph. Ludovicum, 1705. Latin and some Hebrew.

Historical-bibliographical work dedicated to lexica and dictionaries edited by Jews and Christians, both printed editions and manuscripts. The present work was an early stage of the work which culminated in Wolf's comprehensive Bibliotheca Hebraea.

240, [14 pages]. Approx. 17 cm. Overall good condition. Light stains and browning of paper. Gilt edges. Old parchment binding, somewhat worn.

Benachrichtigungen wegen einiger die Judenschafft angehenden wichtigen Sachen [Notices regarding some important matters relating to Judaism], by Johann Christoph Wagenseil. Leipzig: Johann Heinichens Wittwe, 1705. German (short passages in Hebrew and Greek). Two parts in one volume, with divisional title page for Part II.

Comprises five works on theological, juristic and social issues of Jewish-Christian relations in Europe. At the end appears a German translation of Tehillim, based on the rhyming Yiddish translation by R. Moshe Shtendel (Cracow, 1586).

At beginning of book, engraved plate depicting the afflicted body of "Simon Martyr" – a Christian boy whose death led to a famous blood libel and pogroms against the Jews of Trento in 1475 (one of the works in this book is a debunking of this blood libel).

Johann Christoph Wagenseil (1633-1705) was a German jurist, theologian and Hebraist who extensively studied rabbinic literature and its relation to Christianity. He opposed forced conversion of Jews, but supported conversion by means of persuasion and preaching.

[1] leaf, 220 pages; [1] leaf, 64 pages; [237] pages + [1] engraving at beginning of volume. Approx. 17 cm. Overall good condition. Stains and browning of paper. Sticker and bookplate. Engraved plate and front endpaper detached. Old cardboard binding, with leather spine and corners, somewhat worn.

Specimen Bibliorum Hanoviensium Hebraicorum, Decem Capitibus Auctum, & Nova Forma Editum, Cum Excerpto Gemarae Pesachim [Specimen of Hebrew scriptures from Henau, with an additional ten chapters and edited in a new form, with excerpts from Gemara Pesachim], edited by Albert Haller of Berne, Switzerland. Henau: Johann Jakob Beausang, 1715. Hebrew and Latin.

This work was meant to make the Rabbinic method of study and Biblical exegesis accessible to Christian students and scholars, comprising verses from chapters 1-4 of Bereshit with commentaries and the first leaves of Tractate Pesachim with Rashi's commentary.

128, [4] pages. 16 cm. Good condition. Stains and minor defects. Gilt edges. Bookplate. Original parchment binding, with defects and light wear.

Not recorded in the NLI catalog.

Jüdisches Ceremoniel, oder, Beschreibung dererjenigen Gebräuche [Jewish Ceremonies, or, description of these customs...], by Paul Christian Kirchner. Nuremberg: Peter Conrad Monath, 1724. German (with some Hebrew). First edition, with engravings.

Detailed description of Jewish ceremonies and customs in early 18th century Germany, accompanied by 30 engraved plates (one frontispiece and all the rest folding copper engravings), depicting Jewish rites and customs such as binding tefillin, chalitzah, prayers and more.

The author,
Paul Christian Kirchner, born to a Jewish family in Hamburg, apostatized to Christianity a few years before authoring the work, declaring his intentions to persuade more Jews to follow him in the introduction. The present edition was reedited by the Hebraist Sebastian Jacob Jungendres (1685-1765) who added corrections, softened some of Kirchner's sharp expressions, and added the engravings for the first time.

[5] leaves, 226, [18] pages + [30] engraved plates. Does not include [2] folding plates of texts (Erklärung der Kupfer – explanations of engravings). 20 cm. Fair condition. Stains, including dampstains. Creases and wear. Marginal tears to some leaves and plates, including open tears, some repaired with paper and tape, slightly affecting text. Loose and detached leaves and plates. Stamp. Bookplate. New binding and endpapers.