Ferrara Bible
Encyclopedia
The Ferrara Bible was a 1553 publication of the Ladino version of the Tanach used by Sephardi Jews
. It was paid for and made by Yom-Tob ben Levi Athias (the Spanish
Marrano
Jerónimo de Vargas, as typographer) and Abraham ben Salomon Usque
(the Portuguese
Jew Duarte Pinhel, as translator), and was dedicated to Ercole II d'Este
, Duke of Ferrara
. Ercole's wife Renée of France
was a Protestant, daughter of Louis XII of France
.
This version is a revision of a translation which had long circulated among Spanish Jews. It is more formally entitled Biblia en Lengua Española Traducida Palabra por Palabra de la Verdad Hebrayca por Muy Excelentes Letrados, Vista y Examinada por el Oficio de la Inquisicion. Con Privilegio del Ylustrissimo Señor Duque de Ferrara. ("The Bible in the Spanish Language, Translated word for word from the true Hebrew by very excellent Literati, Viewed and Examined by the Office of the Inquisition
[though the Inquisition would not have passed such a work]. With the Privilege of the most Illustrious Lord Duke of Ferrara.)
Two editions were printed, one dedicated to the duke, and one for the Jewish public dedicated to Doña Gracia Nasi
.
The tetragrammaton
is translated as A. (for Adonai).
It was a basis for the 1569 translation of Casiodoro de Reina
as shown in the "Amonestacion al Lector" found before the biblical text written by the translator himself wherein he writes the following:
De la vieja Tranſlacion Eſpañola del Viejo Testamento, impreſſa en Ferrara, nos auemos ayudado en ſemejantes neceſsidades mas que de ninguan otra que haſta aora ayamos viſto, no tanto por auer ella ſiempre acertado mas que las otras en caſos ſemejantes, quanto por darnos la natural y primera ſignificacion de los vocablos Hebreos, y las differencias de los tiempos de los verbos, como eſtan en el miſmo texto, en lo qual es obra digna de mayor eſtima (à juyzio de todos los que la entienden) que quantas haſta aora ay: y por eſta tan ſingular ayuda, de laqual las otras translaciones no há gozado, eſperamos que la nueſtra por lo menos no ſerá inferior à ninguna deellas.”
"Of the old Spanish translation of the Old Testament, published in Ferrara, we have availed ourselves hereof more than any other that we have seen thus far, not simply due to it always being accurate in such things, but rather because it gives us the natural and first meaning of Hebrew terms, and the differences between the tenses of the verbs as found in the same text; it is a work that is worthy of greater esteem (in the judgement of all those that understand it) than the many others found to this day: and by this exceptional aid, of which the other translations have not taken advantage, we hope that ours will not be considered inferior to any of them."
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
. It was paid for and made by Yom-Tob ben Levi Athias (the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Marrano
Marrano
Marranos were Jews living in the Iberian peninsula who converted to Christianity rather than be expelled but continued to observe rabbinic Judaism in secret...
Jerónimo de Vargas, as typographer) and Abraham ben Salomon Usque
Abraham Usque
Abraham ben Salomon Usque was a 16th century publisher. Usque was born in Portugal to a Jewish family and fled the Portuguese Inquisition for Ferrara, Italy, around 1543....
(the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
Jew Duarte Pinhel, as translator), and was dedicated to Ercole II d'Este
Ercole II d'Este
Ercole II d'Este was Duke of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio from 1534 to 1559. He was a member of the house of Este and the eldest son of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia....
, Duke of Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
. Ercole's wife Renée of France
Renée of France
Renée de France was the younger daughter of Louis XII of France and Anne, Duchess of Brittany. Her elder sister was Queen Claude of France. She was the Duchess of Ferrara due to her marriage to Ercole II d'Este, grandson of Pope Alexander VI...
was a Protestant, daughter of Louis XII of France
Louis XII of France
Louis proved to be a popular king. At the end of his reign the crown deficit was no greater than it had been when he succeeded Charles VIII in 1498, despite several expensive military campaigns in Italy. His fiscal reforms of 1504 and 1508 tightened and improved procedures for the collection of taxes...
.
This version is a revision of a translation which had long circulated among Spanish Jews. It is more formally entitled Biblia en Lengua Española Traducida Palabra por Palabra de la Verdad Hebrayca por Muy Excelentes Letrados, Vista y Examinada por el Oficio de la Inquisicion. Con Privilegio del Ylustrissimo Señor Duque de Ferrara. ("The Bible in the Spanish Language, Translated word for word from the true Hebrew by very excellent Literati, Viewed and Examined by the Office of the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
[though the Inquisition would not have passed such a work]. With the Privilege of the most Illustrious Lord Duke of Ferrara.)
Two editions were printed, one dedicated to the duke, and one for the Jewish public dedicated to Doña Gracia Nasi
Gracia Mendes Nasi
Gracia Mendes Nasi was one of the wealthiest Jewish women of Renaissance Europe. She married into the eminent international banking and finance company known as the House of Mendes...
.
Language
Its language follows closely the Hebrew syntax rather than that of everyday Judaeo-Spanish as per the norm for "vulgar" translations of the Scriptures. It is written entirely in the Latin alphabet, albeit with various diacritics suitable for expressing Ladino phonetics. This distinguishes this translation from others from the same century printed in Constantinople entirely in Hebrew script. Both were based on the previous Spanish oral tradition.The tetragrammaton
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
is translated as A. (for Adonai).
It was a basis for the 1569 translation of Casiodoro de Reina
Casiodoro de Reina
Casiodoro de Reina or de Reyna Casiodoro de Reina or de Reyna Casiodoro de Reina or de Reyna (born 1520 in Montemolín; died 15 March 1594 in Frankfurt am Main was a Lutheran theologian who (perhaps with several others) translated the Bible into Spanish.-Early life:...
as shown in the "Amonestacion al Lector" found before the biblical text written by the translator himself wherein he writes the following:
De la vieja Tranſlacion Eſpañola del Viejo Testamento, impreſſa en Ferrara, nos auemos ayudado en ſemejantes neceſsidades mas que de ninguan otra que haſta aora ayamos viſto, no tanto por auer ella ſiempre acertado mas que las otras en caſos ſemejantes, quanto por darnos la natural y primera ſignificacion de los vocablos Hebreos, y las differencias de los tiempos de los verbos, como eſtan en el miſmo texto, en lo qual es obra digna de mayor eſtima (à juyzio de todos los que la entienden) que quantas haſta aora ay: y por eſta tan ſingular ayuda, de laqual las otras translaciones no há gozado, eſperamos que la nueſtra por lo menos no ſerá inferior à ninguna deellas.”
"Of the old Spanish translation of the Old Testament, published in Ferrara, we have availed ourselves hereof more than any other that we have seen thus far, not simply due to it always being accurate in such things, but rather because it gives us the natural and first meaning of Hebrew terms, and the differences between the tenses of the verbs as found in the same text; it is a work that is worthy of greater esteem (in the judgement of all those that understand it) than the many others found to this day: and by this exceptional aid, of which the other translations have not taken advantage, we hope that ours will not be considered inferior to any of them."