(Paul of Burgos). Incipit Dialogus qui vocator Scrutinium Scripturarum.

SOLOMON BEN ISAAC HALEVI.

Johannes Schallus

Mantua

1475

FIRST EDITION. Two parts in one. Gothic type. Paginated in an early hand. Aside from some marginal worming in places a strong, clean copy.

Proctor, 6898; BMC, VII, 933.

The first published book on anti-Semitism. Written by Shlomo ben Yitzchak Halevi (1350-1435), the former Rabbi in Burgos (Castile, Spain), who converted to Catholicism in 1391, baptized with the name of Pablo García de Santa María (Paul of Santa María). To increase his knowledge of Christian theology, Paul traveled to Paris where he was ordained a priest in 1394. By this stage he had all his seven children converted - although his wife refused. Paul then settled in Avignon, where he became a favorite of Pope Benedict XIII and a staunch supporter. His ascent in the Catholic hierarchy was rapid: In 1396 Paul was appointed Archdeacon of Trevinno, bishop of Cartagena in 1403, and from 1415 until his death, he was bishop of Burgos. He also held the position of “canciller-mayor” to the king of Castile from 1407. This work, Scrutinium Scripturarum, completed in 1432 was one of the very first books printed in Mantua. It is a dialogue between a Jew, named Saul and a Christian, named Paul. The Jew argues against the tenets of Christianity and the Christian refutes his objections. In the second part, an apostate asks his teacher to elucidate points of Christian dogma. Portions of the work are deeply critical of Spanish Jewry of the time. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_of_Burgos.