Jewish Manuscripts

Bomberg Babylonian Talmud Tractates Rosh Hashanah, Yoma, Sukkah and Ḥagigah

Collection ID

PBK.006710.4

Type

Printed Book

Date

1543–1549

Geography

Venice, Italy

Language

Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, Hebrew, Latin

Medium

Printed on Paper

Dimensions

14.5 × 10.6 × 2.2 in. (37 × 27 × 5.5 cm)

Exhibit Location

Not on View

The Bomberg Babylonian Talmud is the first complete printed edition of the Babylonian Talmud. The Babylonian Talmud is the crowning literary achievement of the largest and most significant Jewish diaspora community of late antiquity and the early medieval period. It is an encyclopedic work that contains the collected thought and wisdom of this community over a period of around 700 years. It has since become the most significant source of Jewish law and practice. Daniel Bomberg, in collaboration with a team of Jewish editors, set the standard for printing the Talmud with his massive project, which created the standard pagination still in use today. This volume consists of Tractates Rosh Hashana (printed sometime between 1543 and 1549), Yoma (1548), Sukkah (1543–49), and Ḥagigah (1548). Rosh Hashanah and Sukkah are both from the very rare fourth Bomberg printing, with the false date 1531 and 1526, respectively, due to a ban on printing the Talmud. Their exact printing dates are unknown.

Created between 1543 and 1549 by Daniel Bomberg in Venice, Italy. Acquired before 1630 by Jacob Uzziel, Venice, Italy;[1] By descent to Aaron Uzziel[2]; By descent to Aaron Hai Uzziel[3]; Acquired before 1964 by Maurice and Bella Spertus; Donated in 1964 to Brandeis University Libraries, Waltham, MA;[4] Purchased in 2001 by David Sofer, London, UK; Purchased in 2020 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, OK; Donated in 2023 to Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC.

Notes: [1] The volume contains Jacob Uzziel’s signature. [2] The book contains Aaron Uzziel’s signature. [3] The book contains Aaron Hai Uzziel’s signature. [4] The book contains Brandeis University Libraries’ bookplate with the donation credited to Maurice and Bella Spertus.

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