Obj. ID: 38058
Jewish printed books  Biblia Hebraica, Berlin, 1699

This text was prepared by William Gross:

The Berlin edition of the "Biblia Hebraica" by Daniel Ernst Jablonski from the year 1699 is regarded as an important contribution to a struggle lasting over centuries to reconstruct the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament. This work, which was produced by Jablonski, attracted much attention because of its exquisite typography. The theologian Jablonski, one of the most important scholars in Berlin at the time, worked intensively on numerous versions of the bible from various manuscripts Hebrew and christens alike , which lead to a new, scientifically valid edition of the bible. This copy is filled with glosses in Latin.
Johann Heinrich Knebel, Berlin, 1699. RARE edition of 'Biblia Hebraica', the third after Bomberg's and Buxtorf's editions, considered to be one of the most correct and important editions of the Hebrew Bible ever printed. 235x200mm. 508 double pages - [62] [1016] [18] pages.
Three editions of this bible was prited, this is the First. Darlow and Moule no. . Brunet p.319: "M. de Rossi, dans son Apparetus hebraeo-biblicus, dit que l'on peut placer cette edition au rang des plus correctes, des plud importantes et des plus rare". Encyclopaedia Judaica vol.11 p.1110: "The earliest notation of the European Sephardic tradition of the Masoretic accents was published in the Hebrew Bible of Berlin in 1699 by Daniel Jablonski, for whom it was furnished by David de Pinna, one of the Parnessim of the Portuguese Community of Amsterdam."
Hebrew Bible with notes in Latin from the editor.
ablonski was born in the village of Nassenhuben (present-day Mokry Dwór, Gmina Pruszcz Gdański, Pomeranian Voivodeship), near Danzig. His father, Peter Figulus, was a minister of Unity of the Brethren (Latin: Unitas fratrum; Czech: Jednota bratrská – also known as "Bohemian Brethren"); the son preferred the Bohemian surname Jablonski (Jablonský) which was based on his father's birthplace – Jablonné nad Orlicí. He was the younger brother of Johann Theodor Jablonski. His maternal grandfather, Johann Amos Comenius (d. 1670), was the last bishop of the Unity. Having studied at Frankfurt (Oder) and at Oxford, Jablonski entered upon his career as a preacher at Magdeburg in 1683, and then from 1686 to 1691 he was the head of the Brethren college at Polish Leszno (German: Lissa), a position which had been filled by his grandfather.[1] Consecrated a bishop of the Unity for the churches in Poland, he was encouraged by the Elector Friedrich Wilhelm I of Brandenburg, King in Prussia, to secure the Apostolic Succession to the Renewed Unity of Brethren, the Moravian Church, and consecrated David Nitschmann bishop in Berlin in 1735.[citation needed]
Still retaining his connection with the Bohemians, he was appointed court preacher at Königsberg in 1691 by the elector of Brandenburg, Frederick III, and here, entering upon a career of great activity, he soon became a person of influence in court circles. In 1693 he was transferred to Berlin as court preacher, and in 1699 he was consecrated a bishop of the Unity of the Brethren.[1]
At Berlin Jablonski worked hard to bring about a union between the followers of Luther and those of Calvin; the courts of Berlin, Hanover, Brunswick and Gotha were interested in his scheme, and his principal helper was the philosopher Gottfried Leibniz. His idea appears to have been to form a general union between the German, the English and the Swiss Protestants, and thus to establish una eademque sancta catholica et apostolica eademque evangelica et reformata ecclesia ("the one and selfsame saint Catholic and Apostholic and selfsame Evangelic and Reformed Church"). For some years negotiations were carried on with a view to attaining this end, but eventually it was found impossible to surmount the many difficulties in the way; Jablonski and Leibniz, however, did not cease to believe in the possibility of accomplishing their purpose. Jablonski's next plan was to reform the Church of Prussia by introducing into it the episcopate, and also the liturgy of the Church of England, but here again he was unsuccessful.[1]Academic achievements
As a scholar, Jablonski brought out a Hebrew edition of the Old Testament. He is especially celebrated by an edition of the Hebrew Bible, with notes and an introduction, published under the title of Biblia Hebraica cum notis hebraicis (Berlin, 1699, 2 vols. 4to; — 2nd ed. 1712, 12mo). The 'preface has since been printed in other editions of the Hebrew Bible. Both editions have a list, by Leusden, of 2294 select verses, in which all the words to be found in the Bible are contained.