Avodath HaKodesh [Kabbalah].

Auction 94 | Thursday, June 17th, 2021 at 11:00am

Rare & Excellent Hebrew Printed Books: From the Library of Arthur A. Marx

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Lot 340

MEIR IBN GABBAI.

Avodath HaKodesh [Kabbalah].

Second edition. Title letters within decorative woodcut vignettes. Printer’s device on title. (cf. Yaari’s Printer’s Marks nos. 39 and note on p. 138). ff. 139. Dampwrinkled, marginal staining, Title repaired. Recent boards rubbed. Folio. Vinograd, Cracow 45.

Cracow: Yitzchak ben Aaron of Prostitz 1577

Est: $2,000 - $2,500

Meir ibn Gabbai (c. 1480-1540) was a Spanish-born Kabbalist. This work, his magnum opus, provides a comprehensive presentation of the Kabbalistic system and is divided into four sections. The first deals with the unity of God, the second addresses man’s obligation in worshipping God and the third section discusses the purpose behind man’s existence. The final part of the book is the most consequential, in which the author delves into the secrets of the Torah. “Avodath Hakodesh was perhaps the finest account of kabbalistic speculation before the resurgence of the kabbalah in Safed." G. Scholem, Kabbalah in EJ, Vol. X, col. 542.