CASTILLO, MARTIN DEL. Arte Hebraispano. Dikduk Lashon Hakodesh Belshon Sepharadith

The First Hebrew Grammar by an American. No doubt a Marrano, Martin del Castillo was born in Burgos and studied Hebrew under the converso Rabbi Moyses (D. Francisco del Hoyo) while guardian of the Franciscan convent in Mexico. The text was originally approved in 1656, but was not printed until twenty years later as there were no printing facilities in Mexico that could accommodate a book with Hebrew type; thus Castillo had the work produced in Europe. The author remarks; “The distance between Mexico, in the New World, and Lyons, in the Old World, should excuse any writer from the blame that several misprints have occurred.” . According to Marx; “The book is so rare that the author’s name… is given in Kayserling’s bibliography as Martyr del Castillo with a remark that it is the pseudonym of a Spanish Jew. Neither he nor Steinschneider gave the title of the book correctly.” See: Alexander Marx, (Ed. M. Schmelzer), Bibliographical Studies and Notes on Rare Books and Manuscripts in the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. (1977) p.171.