Printed Hebrew Bibles in Russian Academy of Science Library

Authors

  • Dmitrii Dmitriyevich Galtsin Russian Academy of Science Library

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu02.2020.213

Abstract

The Rare Book collection of the Russian Academy of Science Library (Biblioteka Akademii Nauk, BAN) includes a number of editions in Hebrew langage, printed between 1500s and 1800s. I focus on the editions of Biblical text, produced during in Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Holland and England during the era of European history, when religious divisions caused by Reformation encouraged Christians to seek legitimation of their confessional choice by studying and reproducing Hebrew Scripture. The Hebrew text which the Christians had been publishing, has become a polemical weapon different groups employed against its opponents and the Jews as their common Other. But, nevertheless, an interest in the Hebrew Bible text not only fostered the development of textual criticism and Biblical scholarship, but also stimulated the new scholarly cooperaton between Christians and Jews and across the lines of differing Christian denominations. BAN collection holds copies of Daniel Bomberg’s Mikraot gdolot (1547) and Biur ha-Torah (1544), Robert Estienne’s Bible (1539 – 1542), several polyglot Biblies (Polyglotta Complutensis, Antwerp polyglot, London polyglot) and other multilingual editions with translations into Latin and other European languages. Some of these books were part of prominent private collections, such as king Sigismundus II Augustus’ library of Vilno, or the home library of bishop of Tver’ Theophylactus Lopatinsky. I look at the history and influence of certain editions and study the BAN copies in respect of their provenance, their use by the readers and their significance in the history of reading and education.

Keywords:

Hebrew Bible, Russian Academy of Science Library (BAN), book history, polyglot Bible

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Author Biography

Dmitrii Dmitriyevich Galtsin, Russian Academy of Science Library

PhD in History, Researcher

References

Литература

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Brekka P. M. The Antwerp Polyglot Bible (1572): Visual Corpus, New World “Hebrew-Indian” Map, and the Religious Crosscurrents of Imperial Spain. PhD diss. University of Florida, 2012, 264 p.

Pick B. History of the Printed Editions of the Old Testament, Together with a Description of the Rabbinic and Polyglot Bibles. Hebraica. 1892, vol. 9, pp. 47–116.

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Pitulko G. N. Concerning the Study and Description of Books from the Library of Feofilakt Lopatinsky. Kniga v Rossii, 2006, Sb. 11, pp. 234–240. (In Russian)

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Published

2024-01-26

How to Cite

Galtsin, D. D. (2024). Printed Hebrew Bibles in Russian Academy of Science Library. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History, 65(2), 546–565. https://doi.org/10.21638/11701/spbu02.2020.213

Issue

Vol. 65 No. 2 (2020)

Section

Historiography, Source Studies and Methods of Historical Research

License

Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. History" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.