(INQUISITION)

AUCTION 16 | Tuesday, June 25th, 2002 at 1:00

Important Hebrew Printed Books and Manuscripts From the Library of the London Beth Din

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Lot 143

(INQUISITION)

Nos Los Inquisidores contra la Heretica.... [“We the Inquisitors against Heretical wickedness...” Instructions to informants on practices by which to recognize a Jew, Pseudo-Christian and Marrano Jew]. Text in Spanish. ff. 6. Signed by the inquisitors in brown ink on recto of final leaf. Opening leaf browned. Loose as issues. Folio. * Nos Los Inquisidores contra la Heretica.... [Announcement of the punishment to be meted out to those found to be harboring Jews]. Text in Spanish. pp.(4). Few light stains in places, signed by the Inquisitors in black ink on verso of last leaf. Loose as issues. Folio

n.p.: n.d.

Est: $2,000 - $3,000

PRICE REALIZED $2,500

Documents to informants detailing how to recognize a Jew by identifying Jewish customs and practices. “If you have seen or heard say that any person or persons have kept any Sabbaths in observance of the Law of Moses, putting on clean personal linen and their best or festival clothing, placing linen on their tables and throwing clean sheets on their beds in honor of the Sabbath not kindling a fire or doing any other work on those days, beginning on Friday afternoon... Or who have fasted on the Great Fast which is called the Fast of Pardon, going bare-foot on that day. Or who have prayed Jewish prayers and in the evening have asked forgiveness of each other... or who have fasted on the fast of Queen Esther...” So detailed were these Inquisition documents they ironically often served as guidelines to the Marranos themselves, due to their ignorance of Jewish common practice. See D. Gittitz, Secrecy and Deceit: The Religion of the Crypto-Jews