[Manuscript peciae of Bible verse selections, astronomy and astrology].
[קטעי כתב-יד פסוקים מתנ"ך ואסטרונומיה ואסטרולוגיה].

Format:

Book

Manuscript

Author/Creator:

Barney and Eleanor Frommer Memorial Fund. PU

Contributor:

Barney and Eleanor Frommer Memorial Fund.

Standardized Title:

Bible. Selections. Hebrew

תנ"ך. קטעים.

Language:

German

Hebrew

Latin

Subjects (All):

Bible--Quotations.

Bible.

Astrology, Hebrew--16th century.

Astrology, Hebrew.

Astronomy--16th century--Handbooks, manuals, etc.

Astronomy.

Planets--Religious aspects--Judaism.

Planets.

Jews--Germany--16th century--History--Sources.

Jews.

Genre:

codices (bound manuscripts)

peciae

compilation manuscripts

Manuscripts, Renaissance.

Manuscripts, European.

Penn Provenance:

Sold by Winner's Auctions (Jerusalem), Auction 140 (21 February 2023) item 62.

Formerly read by Moritz (?) of Frankfurt in August (acrostic poem at end of manuscript in Judeo-German; "[...]רניש מאריז לעניש אויגנר | צו ורנקפורט טוט מ[...] | מן מעס הלטן אים אויגשת", approximately 1550).

Physical Description:

58 leaves : paper ; 208 x 167 (160 x 120) mm bound to 220 x 170 mm.

Place of Publication:

[Germany], [after 1527?-1599?].

[גרמניה], [אחר 1527?-1599?]

Language Note:

Hebrew (Biblical quotes) and introductions to books in Judeo-German and Latin (in Hebrew characters; Exodus, f. 3r; Numbers, f. 7v; Deuteronomy, f. 10v); astronomical/astrological portion with Judeo-German and Latin (in Hebrew characters; f. 57v-58v).

Summary:

A peciae (a manuscript rented out by a university for students' copying use) mostly surviving as a book of selected Biblical verses quoted in a formal layout (organized by Biblical book, with the Pentateuch verses mostly beginning with the letter ו, and the Prophets and Writings consisting of assorted prominent verse fragments, ending with וכו' (etcetera)), and the layout shows some influence from the manuscript of Elijah Levita's Sefer ha-Zikhronot (1527). The Biblical selections finish at the end of Chronicles (f. 57v), and is missing the first folio (f. 1r begins with Genesis I:29, הנה נתתי לכם את כל עשב) and also two folios between f. 5v and 6r; the order of the quotes follow Hebrew Bibles for books in Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, and Job) and Isaiah is quoted more than other books (reflecting a curriculum). The final folios contain notes of astronomy, physics, and planetary science, with some definitions and terms from Latin (including the four cardinal directions, origination of winds, planetary orientation, the שבעה כוכבי לכת (the seven classical planets) and the weekday names (f. 58v)).

Notes:

Ms. codex.

Title supplied by cataloger.

Collation: Paper, 58; 1¹⁶ (-1, -7, -8) 2-4¹² 5¹² ⁽⁻¹⁰ ⁻¹¹ ⁻¹²⁾; ii (later paper) + 58 + ii (later paper); modern foliation in pencil, 1-58, lower left recto.

Layout: Written in 19-21 lines, aligned right, with chapter and verse citation in-line at left margin; flourish above titles (perhaps to indicate print in bold type); astrological and astronomical portion written in 24, 26, and 11 long lines (f. 57v, 58r, and 58v respectively).

Script: Written in a 16th century German semicursive script in a scribal hand; astrological portion written in a smaller script; Latin words partially or completely vocalized. Marginalia in a different hand, contemporary to the manuscript (such as f. 6r).

Binding: Blind-tooled sheepskin on wood boards, with evidence of clasps (removed); front board has a centerpiece with two rows of ornaments, and two frames; rear board has five lined rows of ornaments as a centerpiece, framed; three raised bands on spine.

Origin: Written in Germany (script, Judeo-German, and provenance), possibly after 1527 (the influence of the manuscript of Elijah Levita's Sefer ha-Zikhronot) and during the 16th century.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Barney and Eleanor Frommer Memorial Fund.

Related Collections:

The Biblical concordance work which this manuscript may be associated with, Sefer ha-Zikhronot by Elijah Levita, is The National Library of France, Paris, France Ms. hebr. 134.

Cited as:

Manuscript peciae of Bible verse selections, astronomy and astrology (UPenn CAJS Rar Ms 674). Library at the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania.

OCLC:

1416590307