Tractatus contra perfidos Iudeos de condicionibus veri Messie, id est Christi uel Vncti : ex textibus Hebraicis, Latinorum elementis utcumque figuratis confectum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Petrus Niger, approximately 1434-1483, author.

Contributor:

Fyner, Konrad, active 1472-1488, printer.

Incunable Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Standardized Title:

Contra perfidos Judaeos de conditionibus veri Messiae

Language:

Latin

Subjects (All):

Jesus Christ--Messiahship--Early works to 1800.

Judaism--Controversial literature--Early works to 1800.

Genre:

Incunabula -- Germany -- Esslingen am Neckar -- 1475.

Physical Description:

[50] leaves (first leaf blank) ; 29 cm (fol. and 4to)

Other Title:

Tractatus contra perfidos Judaeos de conditionibus veri Messiae, id est Christi vel Uncti

Title from colophon: Tractatus ad Iudeo[rum] [per]fidiam exstirpandam

Fingerprint:

iaes mot* erst igca (C) 1475 (R)

Place of Publication:

[Esslingen] : Inpressus [sic] est [per] ... Conradum Fijner de gerhu[ss]en In E[ss]lingen ..., ac [com]plet[us] Anno ab Incarnac[i]o[n]e d[omi]ni Millesimo cccclxxv die sexta Iunij [6 June 1475]

Summary:

"In 1474, Peter Schwarz (Peter Nigri, Petrus Niger) ... was invited to preach an open-air sermon in the city of Regensburg against Judaism. Since he intended to speak in Hebrew, Duke Ludwig IX of Bavaria-Landshut instructed the bishop, Heinrich IV of Abensberg, as well as the city council of Regensburg, to order the Jews to attend. Between 21 and 28 April, in seven three-hour sessions, Schwarz addressed the Jews at the court of the bishop’s residence in the presence of the bishop and other Christian dignitaries ... According to Schwarz, the bishop of Regensburg encouraged him to record his arguments, which became the Contra perfidos Judaeos de conditionibus veri Messiae ('Against the perfidious Jews, on the condition of the true Messiah'), a short Latin version of his sermons ... printed on 6 June 1475 by ... Conrad Fyner (Konrad Feiner) in Esslingen. The main innovation of his text, which was in Latin, was its treatment of the Hebrew verses [which] were transliterated into Roman script; a Latin translation was written above each word. The ideas, however, based on biblical texts and avoiding interpretations on rabbinic sources, were hardly original."--S. Shalev-Eyni, "Book art as historical evidence," Journal of medieval history, 46.2 (2020), pages 240-241.

Notes:

"Author also recorded as Peter Schwartz"--Incunabula short title catalogue.

Title from incipit of preface on leaf [a]2r which reads: Ad Reuerendissimu[m] in [Christ]o p[at]rem ac dominu[m] sancte ecclesie Ratisponen[sis] Episcopu[m], Prefacio F[rat]ris petri Nigri, Ordinis p[re]dicato[rum] In tractatu[m] [con]tra [per]fidos Iudeos de [con]dicionib[us] veri messie [id est] [Christ]i u[e]l vncti ex textibus hebraicis, latino[rum] elementis utcu[m][que] figuratis [con]fectu[m] feliciter Incipit.

Imprint from colophon on leaf [d]12v which reads: Explicit tractatus Ad Iudeor[um] p[er]fidiam exstirpandam [con]fectus p[er] fratrem Petru[m] Nigri Ordinis p[re]dicato[rum] Vniuersitatu[m] Montispellulam in Francia, salamantine in hispania, friburgen[sis] ac Ingelstetensis In Alama[n]nia, situata[rum], Baccalariu[m] In theologia formatu[m] In ligua [sic] hebraica [pro]ficientem Qui [et] ip[s]o corrige[n]te Inpressus [sic] est [per] discretu[m] ac Industriu[m] viru[m] Conradum Fijner de gerhu[ss]en In E[ss]lingen Imperiali villa, ac [com]plet[us] Anno ab Incarnac[i]o[n]e d[omi]ni Millesimo cccclxxv die sexta Iunij.

Chancery folio (watermark: a pair of crossed keys or a bull's head) and royal quarto (watermark: round 8-petalled flower). Leaf d2r: 37 lines; area of text: 177 x 117 mm. Initial spaces, one with Hebrew guide letter on leaf [a]3r. Without signatures, foliation or catchwords. Woodcut diagram on leaf [b]3r; woodcut outline initials on leaves [a]2r, [c]4v [c]6r, [c]8v, [d]4v, [d]7r, [d]9v, [d]10r, [d]11r and [d]12v.

Signatures: [a]¹² [b]-[c]¹⁰ [d]¹² [e]⁶ (leaf [a]1 blank).

Hebrew alphabet chart on leaf [e]3r. "First incunabulum to contain printed Hebrew characters"--Encyclopaedia Judaica, volume 12, page 1158.

Local Notes:

CJS Incunable copy imperfect: all before leaf [a]3 wanting. Patterns of damage suggest that this is a made-up copy.

CJS Incunable copy: leaf size: 265 x 184 mm.

CJS Incunable copy: rubrication: capital strokes in red on leaves [e]3r-[3]4v.

CJS Incunable copy disbound into gatherings (gathering [e] sewn).

CJS Incunable copy has pinpoint wormhole in central portion of leaves [b]1-[d]3 and [d]9-[d]12.

CJS Incunable copy 1 imperfect: leaves [a]11, [a]12, [e]3 and [e]4 only.

CJS Incunable copy 1: leaf size: 264 x 183 mm.

CJS Incunable copy 1 without rubrication.

CJS Incunable copy 1: leaves laid in to damaged paper wrapper with evidence of spine label; modern manuscript bibliographical notes in pencil on inside front and back wrappers.

CJS Incunable copy 1: portion of inner margin of leaves [a]11, [a]12 and [e]3 torn off.

Cited in:

Goff, F.R. Incunabula in American libraries, N-257

Catalogue of books printed in the XVth century now in the British Museum II, page 514 (IB.8926)

Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke M27101

Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Inkunabelkatalog N-205

Bibliothèque nationale (France). Catalogue des incunables (CIBN), N-148

Catalogue of the fifteenth-century printed books in the Harvard University Library 933

Incunabula short title catalogue in00257000

OCLC:

27143475