Peirush Nevi’im Rishonim [commentary to Former Prophets]. With text of Bible.

ABRABANEL, DON ISAAC.

Gershom Soncino

Pesaro

1511

FIRST EDITION . Printed without a title page (as per Mehlman, although JNUL records a handful of copies contain a half-title). Four-piece white-on-black woodcut border of Renaissance ornament on additional title (cf. Haberman, Sha’arei Sepharim Ivri’im, pl. 17). Letters of opening words within white-on-black decorative vignettes. Text of Bible in square Hebrew characters provided with nikud. Commentary of Abrabanel in Rabbinic cursive script.

Vinograd, Pesaro 29; Mehlman 64; not in Adams.

Abrabanel endeavors to explain the general content of the Bible, its principles, views and moral teachings more than the actual meaning of the words and passages. Primarily a philosophical, theological, ethical and to some extent historical commentary, his method as an exegete is entirely novel, prefacing each section of each Book with a number of questions and then interpreting that section in such a manner as to gradually resolve them. The preface includes Abrabanel’s account of his life in Spain and the subsequent Expulsion. See M. Waxman, vol. II, pp. 46-51 and, in general B. Netanyahu, Don Isaac Abravanel, Statesman & Philosopher (1968).