Incunables

Mishnah, with Maimonides’s Commentary

Collection ID

INC.000163.1-.2

Type

Incunable

Date

1492

Geography

Naples, (Italy)

Language

Hebrew

Medium

Printed on Paper

Dimensions

v. 1: 14 × 9 in. (35.6 × 23 cm); v. 2: 14.25 × 9.5 in. (37 × 24 cm)

Exhibit Location

On View in The History of the Bible, Revolutionary Words

This two-volume set is a first-edition, printed Mishnah with commentary by Moses Maimonides. It was completed May 8, 1492, by the well-known Jewish Italian printer Joshua Solomon Soncino, who began printing in 1483 in Soncino, Italy, later moving to Naples where this Mishnah was printed. He completed his first work, a portion of the Talmud, in 1484 and continued printing Jewish texts, including the first complete Hebrew Bible with vowel points, until his death in 1493. His family carried his printing legacy into the mid-1500s, with his nephew Gershom Soncino becoming the most prolific and well-known Soncino printer.

Printed on May 8, 1492 by Joshua Solomon Soncino, Naples, Italy.[1] Purchased at auction in 2015 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;[2] Donated in 2017 to National Christian Foundation (later The Signatry) under the curatorial care of Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] There is currently no verified ownership history after its publication in 1492. Research is ongoing. [2] Important Judaica Auction, Sotheby’s New York, 22 December 2015, Lot 37.

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