The Conciliator… A Reconcilement of the Apparent Contradictions in Holy Scripture.

MENASSEH BEN ISRAEL

Duncan & Malcolm

London

1842

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. Translated by Elias Haim Lindo. Occasional use of Hebrew. Complete in two volumes.

First appearing in Spanish in Amsterdam 1632, this work was primarily aimed to strengthen the faith of the Marranos in the veracity of the Tanach according to Jewish interpretation. The breadth of Menasseh’s encyclopedic knowledge here is remarkable. There are citations from no fewer than 221 Jewish and 54 Gentile authorities. “No reader could fail to be impressed by the amazing range of titles which the author proudly appended to the work” (Cecil Roth, A Life of Menasseh ben Israel (1945) p. 88). The Conciliator, Menasseh ben Israel’s magnum opus, assured the author a place of prominence in Amsterdam’s Jewish community.