Sepher Masoreth Ha’masoreth. * Sepher Tuv Ta’am [on cantillation points and grammatical accents] * Sepher Ha-Taamim Ve-Sepher Masoreth Ha’masoreth, Accentuum Hebraicorum…Elia Judaeo…Latine sunt reddita per Sebast. Munsterum.

LEVITA, ELIJAH BACHUR

Henricus Petri

Basle

1539

Three works bound in one volume. Printer’s devices.

Vinograd, Basle 56; Mehlman 1864; Prijs 58

Two Hebrew works along with a further Latin text. It is unclear to bibliographers whether the three works were originally assembled together. Yudlov notes that the Latin version did appear on its own. It is likely therefore three variants exist: Hebrew alone, Latin alone and a compendium with both the Latin and Hebrew works bound together, as in this copy. The Author, Elijah Levita put forth the theory that the cantillation points (or trop) of the Torah were not Sinaitic but rather post-Talmudic in origin. This novel idea, which flew in the face of the simple sense of the Talmud (see TB Nedarim 37b and commentaries) became the subject of much controversy. Even an individual as innovative as Moses Mendelssohn defended the antiquity of the te'amim - others such as Samuel David Luzzatto (SHaDaL), chimed in with Levita. See EJ, Vol. XI, col. 134.