Sepher Ha’Ikarim [“Book of Fundamental Principles”].

AUCTION 50 | Thursday, February 24th, 2011 at 1:00
Fine Judaica: Hebrew Printed Books, Manuscripts, Graphic & Ceremonial Art Including: The Alfonso Cassuto Collection of Iberian Art

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Lot 7
ALBO, JOSEPH.

Sepher Ha’Ikarim [“Book of Fundamental Principles”].

<<FIRST EDITION.>> An Attractive Copy with Wide Margins. Complete with ff. 56-58 expunged from most other copies by Church censor. Letters of initial words on f. 2r and f. 7r within vignettes. The Oscar Philipp Copy, “Presented to (him) on his Retirement from Derby & Co. Ltd by his Erstwhile Colleagues” (the listed names of mostly German Jews, all giants in the post-war commodity business). Complete in ff. (108) although f. 1 supplied in facsimile. ff. 9-10 supplied from a shorter copy, ff. 94-107 marginally wormed with text on f. 94v and f. 97r very slightly affected, few leaves remargined, occasional stains. Few lines struck by Church censor, ecclesiastical ink long since faded. Handsome modern blind-tooled morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, spine in compartments. Slip case. Sm. folio. Vinograd, Soncino 15; Offenberg 3; Goff Heb-64; Freimann-Marx, Thesaurus A-39; Goldstein 30; G. Cohen, Yesh. Univ. Cat. 19; Steinschneider 5882-1; Haberman, Bnei Soncino, pp. 40-42, no. 1; Wineman Cat. 20.

Soncino: (Joshua Solomon Soncino) 1485

Est: $25,000 - $35,000
PRICE REALIZED $25,000
A classic text of Jewish philosophy by this fifteenth-century Spanish disciple of R. Hasdai Crescas. Albo’s philosophical exposition proceeds from the view that every religion is founded upon three basic principles: The existence of God, Revelation and Reward and Punishment. True Faith, according to Albo, is that which recognizes not only the roots of these three fundamental principles, but also their logical consequences. According to Albo, the goal of Man lies in perfecting himself, and the way to such human perfection lies in striving to become similar to the supreme symbol of perfection, i. e. God. This can be achieved by the loving fulfillment of God's Will through the observance of His precepts. Within the Sepher Ha’Ikarim, Albo also deals with the terrors of the imminent catastrophe about to befall Spanish Jewry. He interprets suffering as “chastisements of love,” imposed as a trial which only serves to strengthen the bond of love between God and Israel. As long as Israel cleaves to God’s ways, posits Albo, they need not lose hope that the day of Redemption will come. Albo's work represents a rebuttal of earlier reckonings, both Maimonides's Thirteen Principles of Faith (in Maimonides's Commentary to the Mishnah, Tractate Sanhedrin, Introduction to "Chelek") and Crescas's Six Principles of Faith (in Crescas's Or Hashem). The anonymous typesetter of this book("HaTalmid HaMeshareth") was so enthusiastic by this work, he ended the colophon with the celebrated paraphrase: "Ki MiTziyon Teitze Torah U’Devar Hashem MiSoncino" ("For from Zion will Go Out Torah, and the Word of God from Soncino.") See EJ, Vol. cols. 535-7; Zinberg, Vol. III, pp. 233-9.