The Censorship of Hebrew Books
The Censorship of Hebrew Books

Author: William Popper

Publisher: Theclassics.Us

Published: 2013-09

Total Pages: 34

ISBN-13: 9781230420059

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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 edition. Excerpt: ... In Rome, it was on a night in April, 1753, that, after the ghetto-gates had been closed, officials entered houses previously marked as suspicious. Outside, at stated intervals on the streets, wagons and carts were stationed under escort; as the books were taken from each house they were placed in a sack with which each searching-party had been provided, the sack was sealed in the presence of two Christian witnesses, and a tag attached with the owner's name. The books were then carried to one of the appointed places, where an official was ready to receive them; and in this way thirty-eight carts were filled from the ghetto of Rome alone. Giovanni Antonio Costanzi, the censor, had by this time compiled his third index of Hebrew books. It classified them under three heads: those permitted, those permitted with corrections, and those absolutely forbidden. Strangely enough, some placed in the first class in 1738, and in the third class in 1748, were now-again transferred to their first position.4" Twenty different titles were thus left on the list of prohibited works, including, of course, those mentioned in the general Index Librorum Prohibitorum, . g., 'En Ya '"kobh, Beth Ya' kobh, Yalkut; two editions of the prayer-book, and Joseph Albo's Ikkdrim, were added, the last because it disputed the Messiahship of Jesus. But Costanzi's-chief aim, in accordance with which he proscribed the Zohar, was-directed toward revealing the absurdities of the Cabbalah, to which he gave an equal place with the Talmud. He went further than any of the previous censors in his condemnation, and forbade works which contained merely the names of angels other than such as were mentioned in the Bible. And in the criticisms with which he supported his various...

The Censorship of Hebrew Books (Classic Reprint)
The Censorship of Hebrew Books (Classic Reprint)

Author: William Popper

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2017-07-18

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 9780282380199

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Excerpt from The Censorship of Hebrew Books The inducements that led to the choice of the subject of this dissertation were especially two: firstly, the intimation broadly made by several writers on Hebrew literature that a history of the Censorship of Hebrew Books would be a desirable undertak ing; and secondly, the favorable opportunity offered to this writer for the gathering of material upon this topic, since the excellent Hebrew Library of Columbia University contains many censored and expurgated {ammonia and early editions. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

The Hebrew Book in Early Modern Italy
The Hebrew Book in Early Modern Italy

Author: Joseph R. Hacker

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2011-08-19

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 081220509X

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The rise of printing had major effects on culture and society in the early modern period, and the presence of this new technology—and the relatively rapid embrace of it among early modern Jews—certainly had an effect on many aspects of Jewish culture. One major change that print seems to have brought to the Jewish communities of Christian Europe, particularly in Italy, was greater interaction between Jews and Christians in the production and dissemination of books. Starting in the early sixteenth century, the locus of production for Jewish books in many places in Italy was in Christian-owned print shops, with Jews and Christians collaborating on the editorial and technical processes of book production. As this Jewish-Christian collaboration often took place under conditions of control by Christians (for example, the involvement of Christian typesetters and printers, expurgation and censorship of Hebrew texts, and state control of Hebrew printing), its study opens up an important set of questions about the role that Christians played in shaping Jewish culture. Presenting new research by an international group of scholars, this book represents a step toward a fuller understanding of Jewish book history. Individual essays focus on a range of issues related to the production and dissemination of Hebrew books as well as their audiences. Topics include the activities of scribes and printers, the creation of new types of literature and the transformation of canonical works in the era of print, the external and internal censorship of Hebrew books, and the reading interests of Jews. An introduction summarizes the state of scholarship in the field and offers an overview of the transition from manuscript to print in this period.

The Censor, the Editor, and the Text
The Censor, the Editor, and the Text

Author: Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin

Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press

Published: 2007-08-06

Total Pages: 334

ISBN-13: 9780812240115

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In The Censor, the Editor, and the Text, Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin examines the impact of Catholic censorship on the publication and dissemination of Hebrew literature in the early modern period. Hebrew literature made the transition to print in Italian print houses, most of which were owned by Christians. These became lively meeting places for Christian scholars, rabbis, and the many converts from Judaism who were employed as editors and censors. Raz-Krakotzkin examines the principles and practices of ecclesiastical censorship that were established in the second half of the sixteenth century as a part of this process. The book examines the development of censorship as part of the institutionalization of new measures of control over literature in this period, suggesting that we view surveillance of Hebrew literature not only as a measure directed against the Jews but also as a part of the rise of Hebraist discourse and therefore as a means of integrating Jewish literature into the Christian canon. On another level, The Censor, the Editor, and the Text explores the implications of censorship in relation to other agents that participated in the preparation of texts for publishing—authors, publishers, editors, and readers. The censorship imposed upon the Jews had a definite impact on Hebrew literature, but it hardly denied its reading, in fact confirming the right of the Jews to possess and use most of their literature. By bringing together two apparently unrelated issues—the role of censorship in the creation of print culture and the place of Jewish culture in the context of Christian society—Raz-Krakotzkin advances a new outlook on both, allowing each to be examined through the conceptual framework usually reserved for the other.

Lost in Translation, Found in Transliteration
Lost in Translation, Found in Transliteration

Author: Alex Kerner

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2018-06-12

Total Pages: 295

ISBN-13: 9004367055

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In Lost in Translation, Found in Transliteration, Alex Kerner examines London’s Spanish & Portuguese Jews’ congregation in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as a community that delineated its identity not only along ethnic and religious lines, but also along the various languages spoken by its members. By zealously keeping Hebrew and Spanish for prayer and Portuguese for community administration, generations of wardens attempted to keep control over their community, alongside a tough censorial policy on book printing. Clinging to the Iberian languages worked as a bulwark against assimilation, adding language to religion as an additional identity component. As Spanish and Portuguese speaking generations were replaced with younger ones, English permeated daily and community life intensifying assimilationist trends. “His focus on books as an indicator of the importance of language in the London community is well presented, and Kerner’s clear description of the varying uses of Spanish, Portuguese, and Hebrew (and later, English) by the Sephardim in London gives a good survey of the changes in the community over the 150 years covered by the book.... Highly recommended.” - Michelle Chesner, Columbia University, in: Association of Jewish Libraries News and Reviews 1.1 (2019) "Alex Kerner’s admirable study is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the interrelationships between language and censorship and their maintenance of community identity." - Barry Taylor, The British Library, London, in: Bulletin of Spanish Studies 96 (2019) "This volume is a significant contribution to the well-researched history of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of London, providing a clear and nuanced in-depth analysis of the reasons for and history of its censorship policy." - Wendy Filer, King's College London, UK, in: Journal of Jewish Studies 70.2 (2019)