| A Hebrew Chronicle from Prague, C. 1615 First Edition, Edition Contributor(s): David, Abraham (Author), Weinberger, Leon J. (Translator), Ordan, Dena (Translator) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0817352902 ISBN-13: 9780817352905 Publisher: University Alabama Press OUR PRICE: $23.70 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: January 2006 Annotation: A Hebrew Chronicle from Prague, by one or possibly two anonymous writers in the years prior to 1615, reflects the determination of the Bohemian Jewish community to record the story of their travail in exile. The volume is composed of short entries focusing on the Jewish communities in Bohemia from 1389 to 1611. The earlier entries had their basis in written documents, which are cited in some cases by the chronicler. Events occurring closer to the time of the writing apparently were recorded from verbal accounts of the elders in the Jewish community. The author was neither a scholar nor a rabbi, for the Hebrew of the chronicle is crude and liberally sprinkled with expressions in the German vernacular. In his own words, the chronicler committed his materials to writing "to serve as a token of remembrance for us and our descendants forever". In 1978, research scholar Abraham David chanced upon the chronicle while examining the rare book collection of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. David realized the enormous importance of the work to scholars of Jewish historiography, Bohemian and Slavic history, and Jewish life in Eastern Europe. The medieval Hebrew text of the chronicle was published in a critical edition edited by David with a lengthy introduction and extensive historical notes written in modern Hebrew. This edition also included two hitherto unknown martyrologies. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Eastern Europe - General - Social Science | Jewish Studies - History | Europe - General |
| Dewey: 943.712 |
| Lexile Measure: 1480 |
| Series: Judaic Studies |
| Physical Information: 0.36" H x 6.1" W x 8.96" (0.42 lbs) 120 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Eastern Europe |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Translated by Leon J. Weinberger with Dena Ordan This slender anonymous work, spanning 1389 to 1611, presents the priorities and concerns of a Jewish community straddling the late medieval and early modern periods. Ample footnotes and explanations provide the lay reader with sufficient background to understand the references to historical events and figures, to ideologies and to institutions. A comprehensive introduction presents the realities of Prague and Bohemia, as well as offering a helpful discussion of the chronicle and other contemporary Jewish accounts. In about 1615 an anonymous Jew from Prague composed a short Hebrew chronicle to recount 'the expulsions, miracles, and other occurrences befalling the Jews] in Prague and the other lands of our long exile.' Abraham David discovered the manuscript and] added glosses, historical notes, and an introduction. . . . The chronicle, with its brief annual entries, is not a continuous narrative, but does give a feeling of immediacy, like a newspaper. |