Sepher Machberoth Immanuel [poetry]

IMMANUEL BEN SOLOMON OF ROME

Eliezer ben Gershom Soncino

Constantinople

1535

Second edition. Title within woodcut architectural arch-form border.

Vinograd, Const. 153; Yaari, Const. 119; Adams I-53

Immanuel of Rome (c.1261-1368), a contemporary of Dante’s, known in Italian as Manoello Giudeo, modeled his literary work on the classic Sephardic poets - Solomon ibn Gabirol, Judah Halevi and Judah Al-Harizi. However, he also displayed a significant Italian influence. His famous vision of Heaven and Hell, influenced by Dante’s work is contained in the final section. Because of certain lewd sections, R. Joseph Karo forbade its reading and consequently, the subsequent edition was only published 200 years later. See Carmilly-Weinberger, pp.214-7. According to Cecil Roth, Immanuel of Rome was “the most remarkable and the most important figure of the Renaissance period in the Jewish world.” See C. Roth, The Jews in the Renaissance (1959) pp. 89-103.