The Talmud Editions of Daniel Bomberg

A comprehensive collection of all tractates of the

Venice 1520-1549
Bomberg, Venice
four editions by Bomberg,
on microfiche

Editor: A. Rosenthal, Jerusalem

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A
A comprehensive
comprehensive collection of all tractates of the four editions
1520-1549
by Bomberg, Venice 1520-1549

The Talmud is is one of

of the two
two most division) of Bomberg's edition has been
Bomberg's edition Bomberg edition
Because the Bomberg edition has been
important sources
sources of Jewish
Jewish heritage retained, with minor variations,
variations, until
until the imitated
imitated byby successive
successive generations of
and culture, aa vast
vast volume of of As a standard
present day. As standard edition
edition for printers, the various editions of the
aspects of
information on all aspects of Jewish
Jewish reference
reference and quotation and a model for Talmud are superficially
superficially very
very similar.
similar.
life.
thought and life. imitation,the
printers' imitation, the Bomberg
Bomberg edition bibliographer,
Only an experienced bibliographer,
became the textus receptus,
receptus, aa common
common versed in the differences between
versed between the
complete
Unlike the Bible, only one complete
basis
basis for all subsequent editions
editions of the printers, could
fonts used by different printers, could
manuscript of the Talmud remains in
critical edition.
Talmud, vital for its critical edition. ascertain to which edition a titleless
manuscripts
existence and a few partial manuscripts
Distinguishingbetween
tractate belongs. Distinguishing between
repeated persecutions. The
survived repeated The The appearance of of aa textus
textus receptus
receptus
four editions printed at Bomberg's
the four
early printed editions of the Talmud are marked a turning point in the history of of
printing shop is even
own printing even more
therefore
therefore of great importance. Those Talmudic text. Until then, every new new
difficult. Yet, only when itit was
was
printed by Daniel Bomberg
Bomberg are of copy,
copy, whether printed or handwritten,
discovered that many tractates of
discovered
significance.
special significance. had its own source or copytext. As As
Bomberg's last edition had the date of
Bomberg's of
usually
usually happens with a textus receptus,
Bomberg's printing-shop
Bomberg's printing-shop (Venice
(Venice earlier edition on the title page did it
an earlier
the text of Bomberg's
Bomberg's edition
edition has
has been
been
1516-1549) was
was the largest
largest and most become clear why even the best
subjected
subjected to extensive amendations
amendations
early Hebrew
productive of the early Hebrew book
book talmudic philologists
bibliographers and talmudic
intended to make the
through the years, intended
printers and the only one mentioned
mentioned in in had been baffled by by the maze of the
standard
standard version, also the most
contemporaries.
the chronicles of his contemporaries. Bomberg tractates.
Bomberg tractates.
authoritative one. These
These amendations
Several monographs were
Several were devoted
devoted toto
shaped
shaped the text of the Talmud as it is in In recent years, identification
identification criteria
describing much is
describing his work, yet much is still
still
use
use today.
today. The
The details
details of
of this process have been put forward to to help
help
unknown or unclear.
and the relation of the first
first Bomberg
Bomberg between the different
distinguish between
Between Bomberg house
Between 1520-1523 the Bomberg edition to earlier editions and Bomberg editions, revealing many
Bomberg
issued the first complete edition of
of the
the manuscripts are of considerable However, in
unknown tractates. However, in some
some
Talmud.
Talmud. For the convenience of printers
printers academic
academic and practical
practical interest.
interest. Their cases those criteria do not apply or have
and
and scholars,
scholars, the make-up
make-up (i.e. page study
study will now
now be
be made easier
easier and more to apply.
proved difficult to apply. A practical
accurate. solution was
was called for.
The present microfiche edition includes
all
all Bomberg
Bomberg tractates, their different
different
wra
ri oy t/jys I S? 5; critically and
editions critically and properly
properly
'3 jiyi:,'iay3S-!J i-swTrfi-^'fattnns'yfmi! 334

identified.
identified. It presents
presents Talmudic scholars
scholars
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and bibliographers
bibliographers with easy
easy and safe
44.4..'
access
access to those
those rare tractates,
tractates, of which
only
only a single copy
copy has
has survived
survived in some
cases. The microfiche collection is is
accompanied
accompanied by a guide, aa list of of the
the
tractates
tractates printed in each
each edition and
means of
means of identification, enabling those
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interested in a tractate to find the
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from:
Cover illustration from:
version of the first book printed for
The first version for
D. Bomberg. Psalms, translated intointo Latin
Latin by
by
F. Pratensis. [Venice, 1515].
Pratensis. [Venice, 1515].
Title- and first page of the original first edition of The same from the last edition of tractate
tractate courtesy of the
From a (unique?) copy, courtesy
Shekalim.
tractate Shekalim. forged t.p. of the first edition.
Shekalim with a forged edition. Valmadona
Valmadona Library, London.
Library, London.
The division of the four
four editions Printed guide
The
The four editions of the Bomberg
Bomberg tractates are divided
divided as follows:
follows: A printed guide
guide for the complete
complete
will be
collection will be compiled
compiled byby
Edition Status No. of
of tractates
tractates publication
Years of publication Mr. A. Rosenthal.
Rosenthal. The guide provides
provides
First Complete 44 1520-1523
1520-1523 full
full bibliographical details such as title
Second
Second Incomplete
Incomplete 33 1526-1531 description, pages,
descnption, date, number of pages,
Third
Third Partial 88 1538-1539
153 8-1539 fiche tractates in
fiche number and notes. The tractates
Fourth Incomplete 40 1543-1549
1543-1549 this guide
guide will appear according
according to their
their
order
order of publication. As soon
soon as this
guide is available we will inform you.

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Last edition
edition of
of tractate
tractate Me'ila on its t.p.:
1528 -- in the colophon, correctly, 1547.
1528 1547.

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