Biblia Rabbinica 1524-5 Daniel Bomberg: The Most Important Hebrew Bible

THE EDITIO PRINCEPS OF THE MASORAH AND THE SOURCE TEXT FOR THE OLD TESTAMENT OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE. 

Biblia Rabbinica Hebraica (Mikraot Gedolot); Nevi'im Rishonim, Nevi'im Aharonim. Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1524-1546, folios, a.e.g.

 

THE MOST IMPORTANT HEBREW BIBLE EVER PRINTED, THE FOUNDATION FOR ALMOST ALL SUBSEQUENT TRANSLATIONS UP TO 1937, INCLUDING THE KING JAMES VERSION. A MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE IN VERY FINE BINDINGS BY THE GREATEST FRENCH BOOKBINDER OF THE 20TH CENTURY.

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This extremely rare and highly significant set contains the Prophets sections of the Hebrew Bible, including Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

This Bible was a monumental typographical achievement and set the standard for all subsequent Hebrew Bibles. It features the Masorah Magna and Parva, the Aramaic Targum Onkelos, as well as extensive commentaries by important medieval Jewish scholars including Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and David Kimhi. The text is arranged in four columns, with the inner two containing the Biblical text and its Targum, and the outer two containing the exegetical commentaries (Williams, 2016).

This edition of the Hebrew Bible was the standard until replaced by the Leningrad Codex in 1937 (Burnett, 2012). It was this edition that was utilised by the translators for the King James Version, as well as by John Calvin, and it was this edition that the Dead Sea Scrolls were compared against to demonstrate the accuracy of the preservation of the text across time. Bomberg's printing was of such a high standard of quality that subsequent books advertised themselves as being printed with "Bomberg type" (Habermann, 1971). "The books printed by Daniel Bomberg in 16th century Venice have long been admired as masterpieces of Hebrew typography... foremost among the books that earned him this reputation was the 1525 Rabbinic Bible. (Williams, 2016).

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EXCEPTIONAL BINDINGS BY DEVAUCHELLE - THE GREATEST FRENCH BOOKBINDER OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Here we have the 1524-5 edition of the Nevi'im Rishonim (being the textual base of the KJV), and the 1546 edition of the Nevi'im Aharonim (reprint, also by Bomberg), uniformly bound in magnificent fine bindings by the greatest French bookbinder of the 20th century, Devauchelle, who authored an important history of French bookbinding. Devauchelle bindings are of the utmost rarity and desirability. Indeed, his history of French bookbinding often sells in excess of £2,500 alone, with his bindings typically selling in excess of £5,000. Though it is a subjective matter, it is our view that the bindings here are of his finest work. These bindings are truly of the finest craftmanship, especially for being in folio format. Here we encounter together the finest example of 20th century French bookbinding and the most important edition of the Hebrew Bible.

 

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A set of the 1525 edition sold at Sotheby's 17th December 2008 lot 8, realising $134,500, or approximately $215,000 adjusted for inflation. It is exceptionally rare in any state of completion, with many extant copies being substantially defective. Indeed, a defective copy of volume one (only) sold for $13,750 at Sotheby's in 2018, and a very defective set (dampstained, mould, lots of tears, worming, inferior bindings) sold at Kedem Auctions in 2022 for $87,500. The set is exceptionally rare in such excellent condition as here, essentially being unique on the market, and certainly unique in such incredible fine bindings.

Printings of Daniel Bomberg are of the utmost desirability, but especially his 1525 Rabbinic Bible and much more so his Talmud. A set of the Babylonian Talmud from his press sold at Sotheby's in 2015 for $9.3 million. In September 2005, there was a news article which describes The University of California Berkeley's acquisition of a set of the 1525 Bomberg Biblia Rabbinica. In it, Paul Hamburg, the librarian, suggested that there are likely only approximately a dozen sets left worldwide; only 10 copies are recorded in WorldCat across three entries. Their copy, though in near contemporary bindings, is not quite as magnificently preserved as ours. The article greatly emphasises its significance and rarity, and how fortunate the library is to acquire such an important printing. This is the most important Hebrew Bible ever printed, and one of the most influential and important printings of the Bible given its huge influence on the early Reformers, including John Calvin, Peter Vermigli, Sebastian Munster, Martin Bucer, Konrad Pellikan, the translators of the King James Bible, etc.

 

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The Jewish scholar who worked on this Bible, Jacob ben Chaim ibn Abonijah, sometime prior to 1525, came to Venice to work with Daniel Bomberg. His words describing this event are of particular note:

"I was dwelling quietly in my house, and flourishing in my abode, prosecuting diligently my studies at Tunis, which is on the borders of ancient Carthage, when Fate removed me to the West and afterwards brought me to the famous city of Venice. And after about three months of sufferings... I said to myself, I will arise now, and go about the streets and in the broad ways. As I was wandering quietly, behold God sent a highly distinguished and pious Christian of the name of Daniel Bomberg to meet me... He brought me into his printing house and showed me through his establishment, saying to me, 'Turn in, abide with me... I want thee to revise the books which I print, correct the mistakes, purify the style, and examine the works till they are as refined silver and as purified gold'." (Ginsburg, pp.38). He later converted to Christianity after working on this edition.

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Size: 400 x 250 mm (approx., each)

 

 

Condition: 

Exceptional 20th century fine bindings by Devauchelle very finely stamped in blind to all boards and the spine with a hatched pattern in compartments between raised bands, paper labels to upper spines, both dated 1525, seemingly earlier than the binding or anachronistic, but probably circa the 18th century. Minor rubbing to bindings, but they show very finely indeed on the shelf. All boards are securely attached, the bindings are secure. Without shelf lean when placed together, though each volume has a very slight shelf lean when placed on their own. Both volumes are preserved in bespoke cloth slipcases which are in fine condition, both internally lined in soft protective felt. The page blocks are not sagged. All edges with fine gilt. Bindings uncocked. Externally essentially the most attractive bindings of this sort and of Devauchelle's finest production.
Attractive modern endpapers. Engraved title remounted with minor very fine restoration, a few small minor paper restorations in places, else generally the leaves are secure without loss to the generous marginal space. Some very sporadic marginalia in Hebrew from academic Sephardic communities, seemingly terminating circa the 18th century but ranging from the 16th century onwards; there are some contemporary manuscript corrections to the text demonstrating this copy was very closely used for study by scholars. Some dampstaining and toning in places but largely very clean throughout the full text blocks of both volumes. No text loss and full text is legible without loss of sense, despite some very small holes in places to the 1546 volume which have been finely repaired. The volume with the engraved title is the 1525 print, and the other volume is the 1546 print. Both have an extremely complicated collation and so the collation is provided in leaf numbering which is not as the books signatures are as the signatures are in Hebrew, however, the 1525 volume appears to collate as complete, and the 1546 volume (possibly) lacks an engraved title if called for, else this volume also appears to collate as complete. The collation is not provided above as it is in Hebrew and that isn't supported here, and it's extremely complex, also going from right to left, but the 1525 volume collates as complete and is in quires of eight. The 1546 volume lacks the engraved title, else collates as complete. Both with modern endpapers. Some leaf repairs crossing the text in the 1546 volume to a few leaves, circa the i-64-i-61 quires, not affecting legibility, with some offset toning surrounding these areas. Some marginalia slightly trimmed away, but retaining the generous marginal blank space. The 1546 volume has more toning/staining to the first half, where the second half is near fine to fine and generally beautifully clean.

A magnificent set of the most important edition of the Hebrew Bible very finely bound by Devauchelle.

 

[D&M 5085, 5093; OCLC 939782084, 122923006, 843017350].

 

Bibliography:

Burnett, S. G. (2012). The strange career of the Biblia Rabbinica among Christian Hebraists, 1517–1620. University of Nebraska, Classics and Religious Studies Department, Faculty Publications.

Ginsburg, C. D. (1966). Introduction to the Massoretico-Critical Edition of the Hebrew Bible (Prolegomenon by H. M. Orlinsky). Ktav Publishing House.

Habermann, A. M. (1971). Encyclopedia Judaica. Keter.

Hamburg, P. (2005, September). University of California, Berkeley acquires a set of the Bomberg Biblia Rabbinica.

Luther, M. (1531). Ursachen des Dolmetschens (WA 38:9, 9-14 = LW 35: 209). In D. Martin Luthers Werke. Kritische Gesamtausgabe. Hermann Böhlau, Weimar. Also in Luther’s Works, ed. J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald, & H. T. Lehman, 55 vols., Concordia Publishing House, Saint Louis (1955–1986).

Sotheby’s. (2008, December 17). Lot 8: A set of the Bomberg Biblia Rabbinica [Auction result]. Sotheby’s.

Sotheby’s. (2015). A set of the Babylonian Talmud from Bomberg’s press sold for $9.3 million [Auction result]. Sotheby’s.

Sotheby’s. (2018, December 19). Lot: Volume one of the Bomberg Biblia Rabbinica [Auction result]. Sotheby’s.

Williams, B. (2016). The 1525 Rabbinic Bible and how to read it: A study of the annotated copy in the John Rylands Library. Bulletin of the John Rylands Library.