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The Alba Bible also known as the Arragel Bible, was created to foster understanding between Christians and Jews. It is an illuminated manuscript containing a translation of the Old Testament made directly from Hebrew into mediaeval Castilian. The translation was completed under the supervision of Moses Arragel [es], who was rabbi of the Jewish community of Maqueda in the Spanish province of Toledo. This was done at the request of Grand Master Luis González de Guzmán [es] of the Order of Calatrava. During the antisemitic riots of 1430, the Alba Bible was created. Arragel initially hesitated due to the unrest, but ultimately chose to asist Guzman in translating and interpreting the manuscript. This collaborative process laster eight years, from 1422-1430.
After the fall of Granada in 1492, the Spanish Inquisition led to the expulsion of Jews from Spain and the destruction of many books. The Alba Bible was on of the few that was spared, hidden amoung society's elites and passed down through generations.
The Alba Bible is currently displayed in the House of Alba in Liria, Madrid. In 1992, five hundred facsimile copies were made to mark five hundred years since the expulsion of the Jewish population from Spain. The original has 515 folios while the facsimile editions contain 513 folios.
The first 25 folios were expressed in an argument made by Arragels on his reluctance to accept the position. They worked on with a collaborative effort with Christians also involved in the making. The Bible was produced in the Spanish provinces of Toledo. The work has 334 miniatures. Of these miniatures, six are full-page works. The Bible's uniqueness stems from its incorporation of Christian and rabbinical texts, and accompanying images. More biblical contex can be found alongside rabbinical imagery. Some of the descriptions listed in this Bible are deeply connected with Jewish backgrounds and iconography. Such miniatures as the menorahs, the parting of the Red Sea, the Zeal of Phineas, and images of circumcision.
The Alba Bible’s significance is that it is a response to antisemitism, and its patron who initiated the creation of this bible for the purpose of extending an olive branch. There is also a significance in the way it was written using the vernacular or common language instead of an overly formal language. need to add when citations are updated
History
Origins
During the 15th century, many people within Spanish society held hostile views toward Jews. In the aftermath of a series of anti-Jewish riots centered in Madrid, Don Luis de Guzmán believed that he could help heal the rift and build a bridge of understanding between Christians and Jews by commissioning a Castilian translation of the Old Testament from the original Hebrew, accompanied by commentary from Jewish scholars interpreting the text of their holy book.
On April 5, 1422, Don Luis de Guzmán initiated his project by sending a letter to rabbi Moses Arragel inviting him to compose "vna biblia en rromançe, glosada e ystoriada." It is unknown what convinced Rabbi Arragel to accept as he initially hesitated in an extensive reply letter to Guzmán. Nevertheless, eight years later the bible was completed.
Religious Context in Spain
After the fall of Granada on January 2, 1492, Spain's religious tolerance came to an end. Following this event, the Inquisition acted without restraint. was uninhibited and acted without restraint. Jews who refused to be baptized were compelled to leave the country that year. As a result, Jewish Old Testament translations into Castilian were burned on September 25, 1492. Around twenty Bibles containing heretical writings were publicly burned in Salamanca on the same day.
Meanwhile, the hunt for so-called heretical writings continued, and many copies were kept safe by the highest-ranking members of society. Queen Isabella of Spain, a devout Catholic, possessed at least four different translations. Although she was not the commissioner of the Alba BIble, it was common that such writings would be passed down generationally once in the royal collection.
Modern History
Today, the original Alba Bible is preserved by the House of Alba and is on exhibition in the Palace of Liria in Madrid. The original Bible has been valued at 2.5 million euros.
In 1992, to commemorate the five hundredth anniversary of the expulsion, Mauricio Hatchwell Toledano, President of the Fundacion Amigos de Sefarad published five hundred copies in an exact facsimile edition, one of which was given to Juan Carlos I of Spain, the reigning King of Spain. Copies of the five hundred were sold for US$44,000.
The whereabouts of the Alba Bible were unknown from 1492, the year the Alhambra Decree was issued mandating the expulsion of all Jews from Spain. It resurfaced in 1622 at the Palace of Liria, owned by the House of Alba. In 1922 an illustrated facsimile edition of three hundred copies was published by the scholar Antonio Paz y Meliá.
Stockholm Exhibition
During the history of this Bible it was once on display as a Spanish exhibition at the National Museum in Stockholm starting in the winter of 1959 through 1960.
Roxburghe Club
Between 1918 and 1921, the Duke of Alba gave permission for a printed version of the Alba Bible to be issued. Printed in two volumes, the copies were created using a letter press instead of a facsimile. This was an advantage because it made the Castilian text easier to read. The Roxburghe Club commissioned the facsimile for their personal use.
Description
The work contains 515 folios. Inserted at the beginning of the work are 25 folios of correspondence between Rabbi Arragel and Don Luís Guzmán as well as between the rabbi and various Franciscans involved in illustrating the translation and discussing matters related to the collaboration. The Rabbi Arragel expressed his hesitancy for the project in these 25 folios, listing concerns about this project and how it may lead to his ruin, or even death. This hesitation may have been well founded as any record of him disappears after the creation of this Bible. It’s not just hesitation that he expressed within the first 25 folios; he also argued that this book should not be completed in the first place, expressing fears that this may even fan the flames of further unrest between the communities that it is intended to help. Eventually Arragel gave in to the demands and agreed to working on the Alba Bible.
The Alba Bible contains a series of comments on the writing of both Jewish and Christian theologians, including Abraham ibn Ezra, Maimonides, Nahmanides, Joseph Kimhi, Asher ben Jehiel, Shlomo ben Aderet, Ya'acob and Nissim of Gerona. There is also commentary taken from rabbinic literary sources such as the Talmud and the Midrash.
Collaboration
Although the text of the Alba Bible was the product of Rabbi Arragel, the elaborate artistic detail is wholly the product of Franciscans of Toledo. The work contains 334 miniatures that illustrate passages from the religious text. Six of these occupy whole pages. Because this manuscript was the result of a collaboration between the Abrahamic religions, there were significant differences to other Christian Bibles. An example of this would be the miniature depiction of the killing of Abel by Cain. This is described in the Hebrew text that Cain, with snake-like intention, bit the neck of Able thus causing his death. This is depicted clearly in this manuscript being illustrated by one miniature, folio 29v, making it a perfect example of how the differences between this Bible, and many others that are not collaborative.
Although Grand Master Guzman was not directly involved, he appointed two monks to assist Rabbi Moses. Brother Arias was from the monastery in Toledo and through their theological collaboration it is likely that Arragle was able to understand the view of Grand Master Guzmán. Although he would have been aware of classic works and activity such as Aristotle without Christian intervention. His primary reason for work, however, was his rabbinical perspective which widely occupied space within the commentary. Though in isolated cases, these viewpoints were already present and part of Arrangles' plan and can be found in captions along side the miniatures. It is to be noted that many of the rabbinical illustrations have no corresponding features within the accompanying text.
See also
References
- ^ Carl-Otto Nordström, The Duke of Alba's Castilian Bible: A Study of the Rabbinical Features of the Miniatures (Uppsala, 1967), p. 12-14, 16, 24, 25, 28, 40, 56, 58-59, 90-92,100-104,110-112,112-116,119-120, 229,153-154
- Finn Business Services Pty. Ltd (1997–2006). The Alba Bible: Rabbi Moses Arragel's Testament Archived 2006-08-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- Fathom Knowledge Network (2002). The Sephardim: Jews in Spain from Antiquity to Exile Archived 2006-10-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- Noticiasdot.com (2004). El fabuloso patrimonio de los Alba, Grandes de España pero de con Mayúsculas Archived 2010-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- ^ University of Wisconsin (2001). The Bible. The Classic Text: Traditions and Interpretations Archived 2006-09-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- Old Manuscripts & Incunabula (2006). Facsimile Editions London: The Alba Bible. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- "Home - Facsimile Editions". facsimile-editions.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- Old Manuscripts & Incunabula (2006). Facsimile Editions London: The Alba Bible. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- A Blurred Encounter in Moses Arragel's Epistle on the Alba Bible. Wallace S. Lipton MLN, Vol. 84, No. 2, Hispanic Issue (Mar., 1969), p. 298. Digital abstract at JSTOR. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- Noticiasdot.com (2004). El fabuloso patrimonio de los Alba, Grandes de España pero de con Mayúsculas Archived 2010-02-03 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- Facsimile Editions Limited (2006). The Alba Bible: HISTORY OF THE MANUSCRIPT. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- "Home - Facsimile Editions". facsimile-editions.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- University of Wisconsin (2001). The Bible. The Classic Text: Traditions and Interpretations Archived 2006-09-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- SEFARAD: Asosiasion para la Konservasion i Promosion de la Kultura Djudeo-espanyola, en kolaborasion kon La Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino (2006). AKI YERUSHALAYIM #78 LA BIBLIA DE ALBA Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- JTS — The Jewish Theological Seminary (2003–2006). Between the Lines: Vol. 11, No. 1, Facsimile of Famed Alba Bible Acquired Archived 2009-01-05 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
- Facsimile Editions Limited (2006). The Alba Bible: HISTORY OF THE MANUSCRIPT. Retrieved October 19, 2006.
External links
Media related to Alba Bible at Wikimedia Commons
- (Ladino) AKI YERUSHALAYIM.
- (in Spanish) El fabuloso patrimonio de los Alba, Grandes de España pero de con Mayúsculas.