Biblia Sacra. Genesis-Ruth (All published).

AUCTION 68 | Thursday, April 07th, 2016 at 1:00

Fine Judaica: Books, Manuscripts, Autograph Letters, Ceremonial Objects and Graphic Art

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Lot 245

(BIBLE, POLYGLOT).

Biblia Sacra. Genesis-Ruth (All published).

Prepared by Elias Hutter. Title within woodcut historiated border featuring vignettes of Biblical scenes including the Tree of Knowledge, Noah’s Ark, and the Binding of Isaac. Divisional title. Text arranged in six columns across two pages in the following languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Latin, German, Italian. pp. (16), 287, 851, 319. Tear on lower corner of pp. 257-58 repaired but affecting text on a third of the page, marginal repairs to opening an closing few leaves not affecting text, lightly stained in places. Recased in modern full vellum over heavy boards retaining earlier blind-tooled covers. Thick folio. Darlowe and Moule 1426; David S. Berkowitz, In Remembrance of Creation, no. 179.

Nuremburg: for Elias Hutter 1599

Est: $5,000 - $7,000

<<Hutter’s hexaglot Bible, an extraordinarily ambitious feat of scholarship.>> The Hebrew text employs Hutter’s unique method of combining solid and hollow types to help the reader identify the roots of each individual word. Root letters that are not evident (chaserim) are displayed as superscript above the word. Hutter produced four issues of his polyglot, with the sixth language differing - Sloven, Italian, Low-German, and French - depending on the intended audience. In the words of David S. Berkowitz, “The parade of linguistic learning is short of stupefying” (Remembrance of Creation, p. 104).