Sefer Hasidim and the Ashkenazic Book in Medieval Europe

216 Pages·2018·1.97 MB·English

by  Ivan G. Marcus

Sefer Hasidim
and the Ashkenazic Book
in Medieval Eu rope
JEWISH CULTURE AND CONTEXTS
Published in association with the
Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies
of the University of Pennsylvania
Steven Weitzman, Series Editor
A complete list of books in the series
is available from the publisher.
Sefer Hasidim
and the Ashkenazic Book
in Medieval Eu rope
Ivan G. Marcus

University of Pennsylvania Press
PhiladelPhia
Copyright © 2018 University of Pennsylvania Press
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for
purposes of review or scholarly citation, none of this book
may be reproduced in any form by any means without written
permission from the publisher.
Published by
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 - 4112
www.upenn . edu/ pennpress
Printed in the United States of Amer i ca on acid- free paper
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Marcus, Ivan G., author.

Title: Sefer hasidim and the Ashkenazic book in medieval Eu rope /

 Ivan G. Marcus.
Other titles: Jewish culture and contexts.

Description: 1st edition. | Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press,
 [2018] | Series: Jewish culture and contexts | Includes bibliographical
 references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017058051 | ISBN 9780812250091 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Judah ben Samuel, approximately 1150–1217. Sefer hasidim. |
 Jews— Europe— History— To 1500. | Jews— Europe— Intellectual life.
Classification: LCC BJ1287.J83 S438 2018 | DDC 296.3/6— dc23

LC rec ord available at https:// lccn . loc . gov / 2017058051
In loving memory of our son,
Magen Dror Marcus, MD (1969–2010)
Ki laqah oto elohim (Gen. 5:24)
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Contents
Abbreviations ix
Abbreviations of Sefer Hasidim Manuscripts xi
Introduction 1
Chapter 1. Sefer Hasidim as an Open Book 13
Chapter 2. Rewriting Jewish Pietist Traditions 31
Chapter 3. Judah he-H asid’s Life and Legends 45
Chapter 4. Ashkenazic Hebrew Book Writing in
Historical Context 75
A Descriptive Cata log of the Manuscripts

and Editions of Sefer Hasidim 87

Notes 125

Select Bibliography 161

Index 191

Acknowl edgments 199
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Abbreviations
Abbreviations of manuscript cata logs are found at the beginning of the cata-
log following Chapter 4. Abbreviations of Sefer Hasidim manuscripts follow
the general abbreviations below.
b. ben (son of )
B. Babylonian Talmud
Bologna Sefer Hasidim, first ed. Bologna, 1538 = SHB
d. date of death
F microfilm
FJTSB45 former Jewish Theological Seminary Boesky 45
H or héb. Hebrew
IMHM Institute for Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts. National
Library of Israel, Jerusalem
JQR Jewish Quarterly Review
JTS Jewish Theological Seminary of Amer i ca, New York

Mich. Michael MS in Oxford, Bodleian Library

MS(S) manuscript(s)
Ninety- nine stories

Jerusalem, National Library of Israel Hebrew MS Oct. 3182,
published by N. Brüll and by Eli Yassif, Me’ah Sippurim
Haser Ehad.

NLI National Library of Israel, Jerusalem
NP No place of publication
Oct. Octavo- size manuscript

Opp. Oppenheim MS in Oxford, Bodleian Library
x Abbreviations
Or. Oriental MS in Oxford, Bodleian Library
Parma Sefer Hasidim, Parma, Biblioteca Palatina H 3280=SHP
PH photo graph
PUSHD Prince ton University Sefer Hasidim Database
r recto, or the “a” side of a folio
R. Rabbi
REJ Revue des études juives
SH Sefer Hasidim
SHB Sefer Hasidim, Bologna, 1538 (not the same as SHM)
SHB I SHB 153-440
SHB II SHB 441-587
SHB III SHB 588-1135
SHK Sefer Hasidim, Krakow, 1581
SHM Sefer Hasidim, ed. Reuven Margoliot (1924, 1956).
SHP Sefer Hasidim, Parma ed. Wistinetzki 1891; Frankfurt am Main,
1924
SHP I pars. 37-1426 of SHP following Samuel’s Sefer ha- Yir’ah and
some non- Ashkenazic authors like Saadia Gaon
SHP II pars. 1427-1983 appendices on topics.
ShH Sefer ha- Hasidut
Simon Simon, Joseph. “Les manuscrits hébreux de la bibliotheque
de la ville de Nîmes.” REJ 3 (1881): 225–237.
v verso, or the “b” side of a folio
z”l zikhrono li- verakhah (may his memory be for good [lit.,

a blessing])

zz”l zekher zaddiq li- verakhah (may the memory of the righ teous
be for good [lit., a blessing])