Auction 105 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Esther Scrolls and Jewish Ceremonial Art
Itinerary of Rabbi Binyamin of Tudela – Leiden, 1633 – Hebrew and Latin
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Itinerarivm d. Beniaminis, with preface, notes and Latin translation by Constantijn L'Empereur. Leiden: Elzeveriana, 1633. Hebrew, Latin, and some Arabic. Pocket format.
Bilingual Hebrew-Latin edition of one of the most famous Jewish travelogues, including a rich and important description of Jewish life in various locations in the 12th century, the period of the Rishonim.
The translator and editor, Constantijn L'Empereur (1591-1648), Dutch Hebraist, theologian and Orientalist.
R. Binyamin of Tudela, a 12th century Jewish traveler and explorer. R. Binyamin departed ca. 1165 on a lengthy voyage to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. He began his voyage in Saragossa, and he later traveled to southern France, departed Marseilles for Genoa, reached Rome and southern Italy, sailed through Corfu to Greece, Turkey and Constantinople, traveled through Syria to Eretz Israel and also reached Mesopotamia and Yemen, finally returning to Spain in 1173.
In his travelogue, R. Binyamin describes the lands he visited, with particular attention to the Jewish communities, their number in each location, their ways of life and their customs. His descriptions often mention important Jewish sages he met in various lands.
R. Binyamin's itinerary has been printed in dozens of editions over the years and has also been printed in translation in various languages. The book was first translated into Latin by the Spanish scholar Benito Arias Montano (Antwerp, 1575), whose edition formed the basis for translations into other languages printed thereafter.
[47], 234, [22] pages. 15.5 cm. Good condition. Minor stains. Small marginal tears to several leaves. Original parchment binding. Minor defects to binding.
Provenance: Collection of Mozes Heiman Gans.
Bibliography and Historiography
Bibliography and Historiography