Auction 106 Incunabula and First Editions | Illuminated Manuscripts | Jewish Ceremonial Art
Moreh Nevuchim by the Rambam – Incunabulum – Rome, Ca. 1473-1475 – First Edition of a Fundamental Work of Jewish Philosophy – One of the First Hebrew Books to be Printed
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Moreh Nevuchim by the Rambam, translated into Hebrew by R. Shmuel ibn Tibbon. [Rome, ca. 1473-1475 (see below for further details on the location and date)]. First edition. Incunabulum.
First edition incunabulum, especially rare, of Moreh Nevuchim, a fundamental work of medieval Jewish thought and the philosophy of Judaism, authored by the Rambam (Maimonides), a leading halachic authority and philosopher of all time.
Moreh Nevuchim, known in English as Guide for the Perplexed, was authored in Judeo-Arabic ca. 1185-1190. It was originally titled Dalālat al-Ḥā'irīn (literally, Guidance of the Perplexed). Its Hebrew name, Moreh Nevuchim, was coined by its first translator, R. Shmuel ibn Tibbon, and this name was used in all Hebrew editions of the book. Ibn Tibbon worked on his translation in Montpellier, Provence, during the Rambam's lifetime, and the Rambam wrote him at least one letter in support of his translation endeavor, providing explanation, general guidance, instructions for accuracy and translation assistance.
The book was written by the Rambam for his disciple, R. Yosef son of Yehudah ibn Shimon. Written as a guide for the titular "perplexed", confronted with the disparity between Torah study and contemporary philosophical thought, the book is composed of three parts: Its first part (76 chapters) discusses biblical expressions whose surface meaning implies the corporeality of G-d, explained by the author as abstractions, expounding a system of negative theology and demonstrating the incorporeality of G-d. In the second part (48 chapters), he discusses the proofs for G-d's existence and the question of the eternity of the world, and examines the concept of prophecy and its meaning. The third part (54 chapters) begins by discussing the prophetic vision of the Merkavah, providence and recompense, concluding with an extensive study of the rationales for the commandments.
The Rambam's writing was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy, especially Aristotelean thought, and by his Islamic commentators, Al-Farabi (cited often in Moreh Nevuchim) and Avicenna, whose works he had thoroughly studied.
The last five leaves contain a summary of the contents of each chapter, made by R. Yehudah al-Charizi.
Ashkenazic square type. No page headers, foliation, collation or catchwords.
Watermark of an encircled bow (very similar to Briquet 746, and to Piccard IX, Werkzeug und Waffen, 12: 2388/89; see illustration in Tishby, plate A8).
Printed on especially thick and high-quality paper, with fine wide margins.
Handwritten annotations on several pages by various writers, including several long glosses. In Part II, Chapter 48, a lengthy annotation opening with the words: "Understand this discourse and know its true intent…", signed: "Avraham Eliyahu Cohen".
On verso of last page, signatures of censors Luigi da Bologna and Renato da Modena, and signature of censor Camillo Jaghel dated 1613.
[154] leaves. Collation: [i]9 (lacking first blank leaf), [ii-xv]10, [xvi]5 (lacking last blank leaf). Verso of fifth leaf in last gathering blank. 27.5 cm. Good condition. Stains. The book has been professionally cleaned. First twenty leaves supplied from Schocken copy (margins repaired with paper filling from the period of printing). Large open tear to last leaf, not affecting text, repaired with paper filling. Early binding (contemporaneous with printing of book), with clasps. Bookplate to inside of front cover.
The Influence of Moreh Nevuchim
Moreh Nevuchim was highly consequential for both Jewish thought and Western philosophy, including non-Jewish thinkers. Islamic philosophy had previously dealt with topics such as negative theology as a way of defining G-d, and the Rambam was viewed as offering a Jewish interpretation, influencing Muslim thinkers who viewed it as a natural part of Arabic Aristotelean philosophy. The book was also influential in Europe, and was soon translated into Latin in the 13th century, and several distinguished thinkers were influenced by it, including Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas, who mentions Maimonides at times in his own writings. The book's influence at a later date is also discernible in the thought of Baruch Spinoza, the famous philosopher and Jewish apostate.
Almost from the outset, this book was greeted with an ambivalent reception in the Jewish world. Many banned the book, or even burned it, decrying the author's legitimization of philosophical study, or claiming non-Jewish influence upon the book. The book's chief opponents included R. Shlomo of Montpellier and his disciple R. Yonah Gerondi (who reputedly so regretted his support for the burning of the book that he traveled to the Rambam's grave in Eretz Israel to beg his forgiveness). The rabbinic opposition to the book led to its burning by the Inquisition in 1233. R. Shlomo ibn Adret (the Rashba) was another opponent; fearing excessive study of philosophy, especially among the youth, he banned in 1305 the study of philosophy, including Moreh Nevuchim, by students under the age of 25. On the other hand, the book had many enthusiastic supporters over the generations, such as Don Yitzchak Abarbanel and the Ralbag who authored commentaries to it, and the book enjoyed wide circulation, especially among the Jews of Provence, where it was first translated into Hebrew.
Over the last decades, Moreh Nevuchim has seen a new translation into Hebrew by R. Yosef Kapach (Qafih), and an academic translation by Prof. Michael Schwarz. The book has also been translated into English by Michael Friedländer, and more recently by Shlomo Pines.
Location and Date of Printing, and the Early Hebrew Press in Rome
The present book is one of eight printed in Italy with no indication of location or year of printing (Sefer HaShorashim by the Radak, Ralbag on Daniel, Ramban on the Torah, Aruch, Responsa of the Rashba, Rashi on the Torah, Sefer Mitzvot Gadol and Moreh Nevuchim). These books were first documented by bibliographer Bernardo De Rossi, recording their date of printing as "before 1480" (without discussing location of printing). De Rossi was followed by Steinschneider and the other bibliographers of the time.
In one of the eight books – the Ramban’s commentary on the Torah – the printers state in the concluding remarks at the end of Shemot that it was “copied by Ovadiah and Menashe and Binyamin of Rome”. From this, scholars inferred that the printers’ place of activity was the city of Rome (rather than understanding the phrase “of Rome” merely as indicating their place of origin). Since the typefaces of all eight books appeared typographically similar, the hypothesis was accepted that all of the books were printed in Rome. Over the years, supportive evidence was added, indicating that the Responsa of the Rashba was indeed printed in Rome.
The bibliographer Moses Marx compared these incunabula to ones then being printed in other languages in the region, demonstrating a prominent typographical similarity between the Hebrew books and those being printed in Christian presses between 1468-1473. Marx divided the eight incunabula into three groups, placing Moreh Nevuchim in the third and latest group, printed in Rome between 1472-1475. In 1984, Rabbi Riccardo (Shmuel) Di Segni published documents from the State Archives demonstrating that one or more Hebrew presses were already active in Rome prior to 1485.
Peretz Tishby, in a study dedicated to these incunabula, categorized the books somewhat differently (adding a ninth book, Mishneh Torah by the Rambam, also printed in Rome in his view). Tishby attributed most of the books to the press of Ovadiah, Menashe and Binyamin of Rome, but recorded Moreh Nevuchim as the work of an anonymous press, printed ca. 1473-1475.
Adriaan Offenberg, in a study on these incunabula, makes the claim, based on a thorough examination of watermarks and typographical details, that six of the books were indeed printed in Rome by Ovadiah, Menashe and Binyamin of Rome, between 1469-1473. As for Moreh Nevuchim (and Sefer Mitzvot Gadol), Offenberg states that it is not possible to assign Rome as the definite place of printing, and therefore attributes it to an unknown location, between 1473-1475.
With regard to the date of printing, mention should also be made of a copy of the Responsa of the Rashba preserved in the Casanatense Library in Rome, which contains a handwritten family inscription dated to the month of Shevat 5235 (January-February 1475), proving that the book was printed prior to that year.
Provenance:
The present copy comes from the collection of Dr. Felix Guggenheim. This copy contained only [134] leaves – the first [20] leaves with content (including the translator's introduction, a brief poem and introduction by the author, and the first 42 chapters) were lacking. These leaves were supplied from a copy in the Salman Schocken collection, purchased by Jack Lunzer (Sotheby's, London, December 6, 1993, Lot 1).
Reference:
• A. Freimann and M. Marx, Thesaurus Typographiae Hebraicae Saeculi XV, A18.
• S. Iakerson, Catalogue of Hebrew Incunabula from the Collection of the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, I, New York and Jerusalem, 2004, no. 8, pp. 34-38.
• P. Tishby, "Hebrew Incunabula, Italy-Rome", Kiryat Sefer, LVIII (1985), no. 8, pp. 839-842.
• A.K. Offenberg, Hebrew Incunabula in Public Collections, Nieuwkoop, 1990, no. 86.
• A.K. Offenberg (ed.), Catalogue of Books Printed in the XVth Century Now in the British Library BMC – Part XIII: Hebraica, Hes & De Graaf, 2004, pp. 9-10.
• M. Marx, "On the Date of Appearance of the First Printed Hebrew Books", Alexander Marx: Jubilee Volume on the Occasion of His Seventieth Birthday, English section, New York, 1950, pp. 481-501.
• M. Funke, The Rare Book Collection of Dr. Felix Guggenheim, Fifty Highlights from a Lifetime of Collection and Publishing, Presented in Two Parts: Judaica & Germanistic, [Mill Valley, California], 2025, pp. 31-32 (includes description of the original incomplete copy).
The book is currently in Zurich, Switzerland, and will be available for preview by appointment through Kedem’s office.