90426 - History of the Hebrew Book

Learning outcomes

The course aims at providing students with historical and codicological knowledge, analytical skills and bibliographical tools necessary to describe the main forms and characteristics of the Hebrew book: from the Qumran scrolls, to medieval Hebrew manuscripts - biblical text, liturgical, scientific and halachic works, mysticism and magic -, up to the first printed editions of the Talmud and the Kabbalistic works. At the end of the course, the student is able to place the samples examined during the classes in their historical, literary and social context. The student will be able to contextualize the phases of the life cycle of the Hebrew book - from its production by professional or private scribes, to its commission in the middle ages and in the Renaissance, up to censorship, the inclusion of the Hebrew books in the List of banned books and their destruction, or otherwise their preservation in modern collections and libraries. The students acquire the historical and literary notions enabling them to set contents, manuscripts and documents examined during the classes in the framework of Jewish tradition.

Course contents

The course focuses on the study of the Hebrew manuscript as a material witness to the Jewish textual and cultural tradition, exploring its historical, codicological, palaeographical, and literary-historical aspects. It surveys the major stages in the history of the Hebrew manuscript book, from its earliest forms (the Qumran manuscripts) to the production of medieval codices, the formation of humanistic collections, and the early modern practices of lending, censorship, dismemberment, and the reuse of parchment leaves. Within this historical framework, particular attention is devoted to the cultural, historical, and artistic features that characterize different formats and types of manuscripts (scrolls and codices), their contents, writing techniques, and scribal styles. The material aspects of manuscript production are examined in relation to the principal literary genres, ranging from religious texts to scholarly works. By the end of the course, students will be able to understand and critically assess the various stages in the “life cycle” of the Hebrew book.

Readings/Bibliography

Bibliography for the exam:

Students who attend the classes

• C. Sirat, Du scribe au livre. Les manuscrits hébreux du Moyen Âge, CNRS Editions, Paris, 2002 (En. ed.: Hebrew Manuscripts of the Middle Ages, trans. N. De Lange, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2008)
• A. Hoffman, P. Cole, Il cimitero dei libri. La Genizah del Cairo: un mondo perduto e ritrovato, Officina Libraria, Cremona, 2019 (Or. ed.: Sacred Trash. The Lost and Found World of the Cairo Geniza, Nextbook, Schocken, New York, 2011)
  
• .Three articles from the volume: E. Abate, J. Isserles (ed.), From Cairo to Amsterdam: Hebrew Scrolls from the 11th to the 18th Centuries, numero speciale della rivista Henoch 43/1 (2021)

Students who cannot attend the classes will add to the aforementioned bibliography the studying of chapters 1-8 in the online volume:

• M. Beit-Arié, Hebrew Codicology, 2022, http://doi.org/10.25592/uhhfdm.9349

Teaching methods

30 hours, both lecture and seminar classes.

The students will be also invited to take part to laboratories conferences and seminars.

"In consideration of the type of activity and teaching methods adopted, the attendance of this training activity requires the prior participation of all students in modules 1 and 2 of training on safety in the study places, in e-learning mode"

Assessment methods

Oral exam.

For students attending the classes: The interview will allow to evaluate the student's ability to talk through the topics discussed in classes and scheduled in the program.

The participation of the student in the scientific discussions during the classes and in seminars is considered an element of evaluation.

For students who do not attend the classes: The interview will allow to evaluate the student's ability to talk through the topics scheduled in the program for students who cannot attend the classes.

For all students:
The student dealing with the topics in the program, discussed during the course or in the bibliography, with accuracy, synthesis, critical sense and command of language will receive the highest grade.
A fair or sufficient grade will be assessed to the student dealing with the topics in program and in the bibliography in a mnemonic way, but correctly and with an appropriate language.

The student who shows gaps in preparation and inadequate expression will fail the exam.

For assessment purposes, the use of AI is prohibited. Any use constitutes a violation of academic integrity.

Teaching tools

Further readings and materials will be distributed during the course and in "Virtuale".

Student who cannot attend the classes are invited to get in contact with me in order to receive an individual program and to fix the date of the oral exam.

Moreover, an hour-long online meeting is planned a few days before the beginning of the classes, which is intended mainly for students who cannot attend the classes and in which the program will be illustrated and useful instructions for the preparation of the exam will be provided.

Students with disabilities, including specific learning disorders (DSA), who need compensatory tools, should inform me of their needs in order to be directed to the contact persons, and adopt with them the most appropriate measures.

Office hours

See the website of Emma Abate