Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin, Constantinople: [Solomon and Joseph Jabez, 1588]

Estimate

5,000 - 7,000 USD

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Description

136 leaves (13 x 9 in.; 330 x 230 mm). Collation: 1-30^{4, 31^{8, 1-2^{4 = 136 leaves. Some staining and soiling; title page strengthened at gutter; ff. 18-19 misbound; marginal tape repairs to ff. 19, 53, 92; ownership notes on title page and f. 2r; ff. 89, 107 from an earlier (Venice: Daniel Bomberg, 1520) edition. Edges speckled in green. Brown three quarter; gold stamping on spine.}}}

Literature

Ya'ari, Constantinople 220; Vinograd, Constantinople 304; Steinschneider 7484.

Catalogue Note

Sanhedrin, in the context of this tractate, means "court of justice," and refers primarily to the great bet din, which comprised 71 ordained scholars, and the subordinate courts, composed of 23 judges. In general the tractate deals with the composition and power of the courts as well as with legal procedure and criminal law.

Cognizant of the dearth of Talmud tractates in circulation subsequent to the burning of the Talmud in Italy in 1553, the brothers Joseph and Solomon Jabez undertook the publication of a new edition. The model for this edition was the first edition of the Talmud printed by Daniel Bomberg between 1519-1523, as evidenced by the layout of the pages, which mirrors the Bomberg edition nearly exactly.

The distribution process undertaken by the Jabez brothers is described in the first tractate of the edition. In order to defray the costs of printing, the Talmud was published by sections which were disseminated weekly to subscribers who obligated themselves to acquire the complete volume. This distribution process serves to explain the scarcity of complete copies of Talmudic tractates from Constantinople.