Bidspirit auction | Complete Bible in Spanish Translation

Complete Bible in Spanish Translation – Printed for the Descendants of the Conversos. Amsterdam, 1646. - Biblia en lengua española, traduzida palabra por palabra de la verdad Hebrayca – a complete Bible translated into Spanish, one of the important editions printed in Amsterdam for members of the Sephardic community and for descendants of the Conversos. Before us is a revised edition of the Spanish Bible translation, based on the celebrated edition printed in Amsterdam in 1630 by Menasseh ben Israel, one of the central figures in the history of Amsterdam Jewry and Hebrew printing. Printed for the Conversos Returning to Judaism In seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Amsterdam there flourished a distinguished Sephardic community, many of whose members were descendants of Conversos from Spain and Portugal, who openly returned to the faith of their ancestors after generations of coercion and concealment. For many of them, the Holy Tongue was no longer familiar, and the present volume was printed in order to enable them to study the sacred scriptures in their own language—Spanish—and to reconnect with Jewish heritage through the Book of Books. This is therefore not merely a Bible, but a moving historical witness to the revival of Spanish Jewry after the Expulsion. Impressive Illustrated Title Page The title page is adorned with a fine engraved design featuring: Moses and Aaron, The Ark of the Covenant, Adam and Eve, Additional biblical figures and symbols. (Signed: Cornelis Muller) Interesting Bibliographical Detail The title page bears the year 5606 [1846], yet the final page contains a colophon copied from the Amsterdam 1630 edition, with the earlier date. It therefore appears that the present copy contains a printer’s error on the title page, and the correct date is 5406 [1646]. Weekly Division The volume includes a division of the Bible into 54 sections, for weekly reading throughout the year—a convenient arrangement for regular and continuous study. [18], 417, 420–605 pages. 31 cm. Condition: Very good, aside from the binding. Minor age stains. Leather-covered wooden binding. Front board detached.