The Autobiography of a Seventeenth-Century Venetian Rabbi Leon Modena's Life of Judah / transl. and ed. by Mark R. Cohen ; with introductory essays by Mark R. Cohen ... [et al.] ; and historical notes by Howard E. Adelman and Benjamin C.I. Ravid.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Modene, Leon de, (1571-1648)

Contributor:

Adelman, Howard Ernest.

Ravid, Benjamin C. I. (1936- )

Cohen, Mark R. (1943- )

Princeton University Press., Publisher.

Language:

English

Hebrew

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxv, 308 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

2nd printing.

Manufacture:

Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 2021

Other Title:

Leon Modena's Life of Judah.

Life of Judah.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 1989.

Language Note:

In English and Hebrew.

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

Leon (Judah Aryeh) Modena was a major intellectual figure of the early modern Italian Jewish community--a complex and intriguing personality who was famous among contemporary European Christians as well as Jews. Modena (1571-1648) produced an autobiography that documents in poignant detail the turbulent life of his family in the Jewish ghetto of Venice. The text of this work is well known to Jewish scholars but has never before been translated from the original Hebrew, except in brief excerpts. This complete translation, based on Modena's autograph manuscript, makes available in English a wealth of historical material about Jewish family life of the period, religion in daily life, the plague of 1630-1631, crime and punishment, the influence of kabbalistic mysticism, and a host of other subjects. The translator, Mark R. Cohen, and four other distinguished scholars add commentary that places the work in historical and literary context. Modena describes his fascination with the astrology and alchemy that were important parts of the Jewish and general culture of the seventeenth century. He also portrays his struggle against poverty and against compulsive gambling, which, cleverly punning on a biblical verse, he called the "sin of Judah." In addition, the book contains accounts of Modena's sorrow over his three sons: the death of the eldest from the poisonous fumes of his own alchemical laboratory, the brutal murder of the youngest, and the exile of the remaining son. The introductory essay by Mark R. Cohen and Theodore K. Rabb highlights the significance of the work for early modern Jewish and general European history. Howard E. Adelman presents an up-to-date biographical sketch of the author and points the way toward a new assessment of his place in Jewish history. Natalie Z. Davis places Modena's work in the context of European autobiography, both Christian and Jewish, and especially explores the implications of the Jewish status as outsider for the privileged exploration of the self. A set of historical notes, compiled by Howard Adelman and Benjamin C. I. Ravid, elucidates the text.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Currency Equivalents

Introductory Essays

The Significance of Leon Modena's Autobiography for Early Modern Jewish and General European History

Leon Modena: The Autobiography and the Man

Fame and Secrecy: Leon Modena's Life as an Early Modern Autobiography

The Life of Judah

Translation, with textual notes

Historical Notes

Excursus 1: The Venetian Ghetto in Historical Perspective

Excursus 2: Who Wrote the Ambrosiana Manuscript of Hayyei yehudah?

Index

Notes:

Tł. oryg.: Haye Yehudah.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780691213934

0691213933

OCLC:

1227050227