Leilão Bidspirit | Spanish Manuscript – The Providence

Spanish Manuscript – The Providence of God with Israel, by R. Shaul Mortera – Amsterdam, 1678 - Providencia de Dios con Ysrrael y verdad y heternidad de la ley Moses... [The Providence of God with Israel and the truth and eternity of the Torah of Moses], manuscript copying of a work by R. Shaul Levi Mortera. Amsterdam, 1678. Spanish. Spanish translation of a lengthy work by R. Shaul Levi Mortera, handwritten by several copyists. The work is devoted to a discussion of Divine Providence, which continues to be present and never leaves the world, even after the Biblical age of miracles. This work also polemicizes against Christianity, pointing to contradictions in the Gospels, and later attempts to demonstrate the perfection and eternity of the Torah and that Christian belief is mistaken to the core. The work was originally written in Portuguese and called Tratado da Verdade da Lei de Moisés [Treatise on the truth of the Torah of Moses]; edited and translated to Spanish soon after it was written by R. Moshe Refael d'Aguilar (1611-1679). Floral decorations on title page and last page. The manuscript includes catchwords and references at margins, and is divided into chapters; at the end of the volume is a list and summary of chapter contents. R. Shaul son of Yosef Levi Mortera (Morteira, 1596-1660) was apparently born in Venice. He studied under R. Yehudah Aryeh of Modena (1571-1648) and served as secretary to his friend, a Marrano physician named Eliyahu de Luna Montalto (1567-1616) during a stay in Paris. He settled in Amsterdam in his 20s, serving as rabbi in the Sephardic Beit Yaakov synagogue. He was a founder of the city's Etz Chaim yeshiva, and he was known as an avid student of the Rambam. As a result of his rationalistic positions and his undisguised criticism of Calvinism, he had difficulty publishing his work, and manuscript copies were circulated secretly. He is known for being one of Baruch Spinoza's teachers, and his influence on the latter is debated by scholars, although he sided with the rabbinic establishment of the Portuguese community in Amsterdam during Spinoza's excommunication. Early copies of this work: Copy dated 1663, Bodleian Library MS. Oppenheim Add. 4° 49; copy dated 1664, Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana Ms. 542; copy dated 1664, Ets Haim Library, Amsterdam, Ms. 48 C 21. For further reading, see: • Gregory B. Kaplan, Providencia de Dios con Ysrael Saul Levi Morteira, Manuscript B 16 of the Ets Haim Library, Portuguese Synagogue Amsterdam (available at the website of Heska Amuna Synagogue, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA). See also: M.H. Gans, Memorbook, p. 83 (with facsimile of title page of a later manuscript copy). [1], 640, [12] leaves. 21.5 cm. Light stains, including dampstains (mainly to beginning and middle of volume). Light smearing of ink. Creases, mainly to last leaves. Minor marginal tears to a few leaves. Early leather binding, with gilt decoration. Remains of clasps. Minor wear, cracks and loss to boards and spine. Provenance: Collection of Mozes Heiman Gans.