De accentibus et orthographia linguae hebraicae [Pronunciation and Spelling of the Hebrew Language] by Johannes Reuchlin. Hagenau (Alsace; today Haguenau, France): Thomas Anshelm, 1518. Latin and some Hebrew.

Copy lacking title page.

Third and last book by German scholar Johannes Reuchlin, on the subject of Hebrew grammar and philology. The book is concerned with the diacritic cantillation marks or accents (known in Hebrew as “ta’amei hamikra”) which indicate how the text of the Torah is to be musically chanted. It also discusses the orthography of Biblical Hebrew. The book concludes with nine pages of musical score, to be read from right to left, giving the names of the Hebrew cantillation symbols, in Hebrew, and above the text, the musical notation corresponding to each symbol (in four musical parts). This represents one of the earliest known printings of a Hebrew musical score.

The title page is lacking and is replaced by the colophon, bound at the beginning of the volume, containing publication details and the printer’s device of Thomas Anshelm of Baden-Baden: two semi-nude angels holding banners inscribed with the Pentagrammaton "יהשוה" (a combination of the name "Jesus" and the Tetragrammaton), and the name "Jesus" in Greek, flanking a monogram bearing the initials TAB (Thomae Anshelmi Badenis).

Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522), among the most prominent of German scholars in the Humanist approach of the Renaissance period, and regarded as the father of the study of Hebrew during this period. Outspoken proponent of an attitude of tolerance toward the Jews. Invested much of his energies in enriching his Christian co-religionists with the wisdom of Jewish sacred writings and Greek philosophy, and in teaching them the Hebrew and Greek languages. Studied Hebrew under Jakob ben Jehiel Loans, personal physician to Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, and under Rabbi Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno of Cesena. Continued with advanced studies in Kabbalah in Italy and was influenced by the writings of the Italian philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494). Reuchlin was considered to be among the fathers of the Reformation, even though he personally placed himself in opposition to that movement, and remained steadfast in his loyalty to Catholicism and the Vatican throughout his life. In the famously heated argument that erupted between him and the German Catholic theologian and convert from Judaism, Johannes (Josef) Pfefferkorn, Reuchlin emphatically denounced the burning of the Talmud. Consequently, and because of his insistence on the need to study and teach the Jewish religious texts, he found himself targeted by the Church’s institutions. Reuchlin’s books on Hebrew grammar were thought to have played an important role in his overall theological-kabbalistic agenda, which, in principle, sought to rediscover the historical roots of the Christian faith through reference to its Judaic basis.

For further reading, see: W. Schwarz, Principles and Problems of Biblical Translation, Chapter IV, Cambridge UP, London, 1955. Ch. VI.

LXXXIII, [4] leaves (misfoliation; colophon bound at the beginning of the volume). Approx. 25 cm. Fair condition. Stains. Stamp, inscriptions, and some ink stains on several pages (slightly affecting text). Creases. Wormholes, slightly affecting the woodcut at the beginning of the volume. Minor marginal tears to some leaves. New binding, leather spine. Wear and blemishes to spine.

Biblia sacrae scripturae veteris omnia, ex antiquiss... [Strasbourg: Johann Knoblauch, 1522]. Latin.

The Five Books of the Torah in Latin. Illustrated initial words are featured within the text. Title page is enclosed within an elegant woodcut border, consisting patterns of flowers, leaves, and branches, along with four allegorical female figures: Judaism with eyes covered, Christianity with eyes open, Truth emerging from the earth, and Justice observing from above (based on the verse "Truth will sprout from the earth, and righteousness will look down from heaven", Tehillim 85:12).​

The printer's name is subtly indicated at the bottom of the title page border: a heraldic shield bearing three crossed garlic bulbs (Knoblauch is German for 'garlic'). Johann Knoblauch often incorporated this printer's device into the borders and decorations of his title pages, sometimes alongside the allegorical figure of Truth, similar to the figure appearing in the title page of the present copy.

Fine, old, decorated leather binding.​

[8], 196 leaves. 17.5 cm. Gilt edges. Good condition. Stains, including numerous dampstains. Inscriptions. Minor worming. Slight tears to edges of several leaves. Some gatherings partially detached from the binding. Front endpaper affixed to the binding with acid-free tape. Wear, tears, and worming to binding; minor tears to spine.​

See: Howard W. Winger, The Cover Design, in: The Library Quarterly, Vol. 37, No. 3, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, July 1967, p. 270.

Aldi Pii Manutii Institutionu' grammaticaru' libri quatuor, by Aldus Manutius. Venice: Victor a Rabanis, & Socii, 1540 (printing details in the colophon). Latin, Hebrew, and Greek.​

A Latin grammar book with introduction to Hebrew and Greek, by Aldus Manutius (Manuzio; 1449-1515), a scholar and humanist, one of the greatest Italian printers, and the formulator of modern rules for the use of the comma and period. Hebrew letters, vocalized; the title page and the first pages are printed in red and black. Decorative border on the title page and illustrated initial words.

Rare edition. Apparently, this edition was printed with an additional six unnumbered pages at the end, containing a work by Erasmus of Rotterdam, which was included in the Catholic Church's list of prohibited books shortly after its printing. In the present copy, Erasmus's work was removed from the end of the book, and his name was "censored" from the title page (a piece cut out in the center of the title page, with paper restoration and an old ink stamp, where the reference to Erasmus's work originally appeared – Addito in fine De octo partium orationis constructione libello Erasmo Roterodamo auctore).​

This edition does not appear in the National Library of Israel catalogue nor in OCLC, and to the best of our knowledge, only a few copies have survived. A scanned copy from the Biblioteca Universitaria Alessandrina collection in Rome appears on Google Books. This copy is also censored: Erasmus's work was removed, and his name has been excised from the title page, but part of the subtitle remains. A complete record of the edition, with the full title and original page count, appears in the online database Edit16 (No. 38025).​

[10], 226, [40] (originally 46) leaves. 15 cm. Good-fair condition. Stains and minor blemishes. Several inscriptions (old). Worming and open tears in the margins of some leaves, with paper restorations. Piece cut out in the center of the title page, restored with paper (old, bearing a stamp). Bookplate. Fine parchment binding, with inscription on the spine.​

Yesod HaDikduk / Even HaEzer / Higayon, Hebrew textbook by David Kyber. Basel: Henrichum Petri, 1552. Latin, Hebrew, and Greek. First edition.

A Hebrew textbook, printed in Latin with vocalized Hebrew letters, decorated initial words, and the printer's device. Fine copy in decorative binding – blind-stamped parchment over wooden boards, with clasps.

The book is divided into three parts, intended for beginner students ("Foundations of Grammar"), advanced students ("Even HaEzer"), and students proficient in Hebrew ("Higayon"), with a separate title page for each part. At the end of the book appears a multilingual version of the Book of Lamentations – in Hebrew, Greek, and two Latin translations – enabling the practice of Hebraist research alongside the original Hebrew text (in the introduction to this section, the author notes that he chose the Book of Lamentations due to the similarity between the destruction of Jerusalem and Germany's current state – which, at the time of printing, was immersed in the European wars of religious).

[15], 219, [3] pages; [9], 381, [72] pages. 15 cm. Good condition. Stains. Minor blemishes. Two bookplates. Inscription on the book's edge and margins of title page. Blemishes to spine.

Source: Christie's, Amsterdam, December 15, 1988 (Important Judaica), Lot 39.

See: Debra Kaplan, Beyond Expulsion, Jews, Christians, and Reformation Strasbourg, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2011, p. 138.