Biblia Hebraica Sine Punctis

Book Description

THE FIRST SEPARATE PRINTING OF THE HEBREW BIBLE IN ENGLANDTORAH, NEVIIM, U’KETUVIM. BIBLIA HEBRAICA Sine Punctis. Nathaniel Forster, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1750. 499pp. In Original calf binding, expertly rehinged, raised spine bands, title “Biblia Hebraica Forsteri” on red morocco label. Custom clamshell box. Near Fine Condition.THIS IS THE EARLIEST EDITION OF THE HEBREW BIBLE (apart from the London Polyglot) to be printed in England. With the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290 there was an understandable dearth of books printed in the Hebrew language. With their resettlement in 1657, following Oliver Cromwell’s decree, a slow re-opening of scholarly, Hebraic studies began to emerge. The greatest symbol of that emergence was the printing of the Hebrew Bible in 1750. The naturalization decree (or the "Jew Bill") in 1753 crystallized the civil rights of modern Jews and made knowledge of their history and Hebrew tradition of interest to the English scholar, the Hebrew Bible serving as the cornerstone of this renaissance. Its editor Nathaniel Forster (1718-1757) was a Corpus Christi College scholar from Oxford. He was a professional cleric in the Anglican Church, administering to Bishop James Butler. He published several other scholarly dissertations relating to antiquities in Egypt and the Holy Land, symbolizing his deep interest in Jewish life. It was therefore natural for him to undertake the editing of the Hebrew Bible as the primary source for the study and understanding of the Jewish people and their history.REFERENCES:Historical Catalogue of Printed Bibles. London: 1903. Vol. III Page 719. #5151An Introduction to the Greek and Latin Classics. London: 1827. Vol. 1. Page 68.

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