Obj. ID: 40685  Philologus Hebraeo-mixtus by Johannes Leusden, Basel, 1739

This text was prepared by William Gross:

This book is the illustrated, 5th edition of Leusden’s study of Jewish religious life and customs, philosophy and history, and the first edition to employ copper engraved illustrations (the first edition used woodcuts).
The work includes tens of attractive illustrations depicting Jewish customs of the time: mother and daughters preparing their home for Passover, haircut on Lag B’Omer, distributing candy to children on Simchat Torah, circumcision, baking matzot, lighting Shabbat candles, wedding canopy, laying tefilin, blowing the shofar, Megillat Esther, and the mezuzah. Johannes Leusden was a Dutch Hebraist and theologian. He was the head of the Hebrew department in the Utrecht University, and one of the most prominent Bible experts of his time. In addition to authoring many books on Judaism, the Bible and Hebrew philology, he worked with the Amsterdam rabbi and book printer Joseph Athias to published the first edition of the Hebrew Bible with numbered verses.