Hebräische und jiddische Handschriften
Item
Country
DE
Name of institution (English)
Bavarian State Library
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
deu
Contact information: postal address
Ludwigstraße 16, 80539 Munich
Contact information: phone number
0049 8928638-0
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
direktion@bsb-muenchen.de
Reference number
Cod.hebr.
Type of reference number
Archival reference number
Title (English)
Hebrew and Yiddish manuscripts
Title (official language of the state)
Hebräische und jiddische Handschriften
Language of title
deu
Creator / accumulator
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
Date note
12th century/18th century
Language(s)
ara
deu
fra
gre
heb
ita
lad
lat
spa
yid
Extent
694 manuscripts (including 183 fragments)
Type of material
Textual Material
Scope and content
The Hebräische und jiddische Handschriften collection is one of the largest and most relevant collections of Hebrew manuscripts in the German-language area. Aside from codices, the collection also includes a large number of Torah scrolls. Most of these manuscripts were created in Europe, predominantly in Germany and France, but also in Spain before the late-15th century expulsion.
The collection includes a manuscript copied in Seia (Portugal) in 1284-1285 by a Jewish scribe named Natan, son of de Abraão al-Tsifi (Cod.hebr. 207). It is a copy of Sefer ha-ḥayim, the only known manuscript of Seferha-Mešalim by Jacob ben Eleazar of Toledo (12th-13th centuries), which includes the Sefer he-Aruk of Natan ben Abraão Yehiel of Rome (1035-1106).
Some examples of Hebrew manuscripts copied in Spain are the following:
Cod.hebr. 213: Maimonides' Sefer ha-mitsṿot, copied prior to 1325. Other copies of Maimonides' works produced in Spain: Cod.hebr. 99, Cod.hebr. 134, Cod.hebr. 144, Cod.hebr. 253, Cod. hebr. 275, Cod.hebr. 280, Cod.hebr. 282, Cod.hebr. 287.
Cod.hebr. 237: Aharon ha-Levi's Pekudat ha-Leviyim, 1409.
Cod.hebr. 123: Hebrew translation of Bernardus de Gordonio's Lilium medicinae, 1495.
Cod.hebr. 291: Judeo-Spanish Medicine collection composed in 15th-century Spain.
14th- and 15th-century copies of Abraham Ibn Ezra's works: Sefer ha-ʿolam (Cod.hebr. 304), Melekhet ha-ḳavuʿa (Cod.hebr. 249), ʿArugat ha-mezimah ṿe-Pardes ha-ḥokhmah (Cod.hebr. 239).
Hebrew translations of works by Lanfrancus Mediolanensis (Cod.hebr. 271), Averroes (Cod.hebr.269), Avicenna (Cod.hebr.127), Euclides (Cod.hebr. 130), Al-Farabi (Cod.hebr. 290) and Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (Cod.hebr. 296).
Copies of works by Jacob ben Asher (Cod.hebr. 255), Shemuʾel ben Yehudah Ibn-Tibon (Cod.hebr. 262), Ha-Meiri (Cod.hebr. 251) and Nachmanides (Cod.hebr.257, Cod.hebr.137, Cod.hebr.138)
See other manuscripts presumably produced in Spain in Cod.hebr. 222, Cod.hebr. 250, Cod.hebr. 270, Cod.hebr. 129, Cod.hebr. 283, Cod. hebr. 461, and Cod.hebr. 463.
The collection includes a manuscript copied in Seia (Portugal) in 1284-1285 by a Jewish scribe named Natan, son of de Abraão al-Tsifi (Cod.hebr. 207). It is a copy of Sefer ha-ḥayim, the only known manuscript of Seferha-Mešalim by Jacob ben Eleazar of Toledo (12th-13th centuries), which includes the Sefer he-Aruk of Natan ben Abraão Yehiel of Rome (1035-1106).
Some examples of Hebrew manuscripts copied in Spain are the following:
Cod.hebr. 213: Maimonides' Sefer ha-mitsṿot, copied prior to 1325. Other copies of Maimonides' works produced in Spain: Cod.hebr. 99, Cod.hebr. 134, Cod.hebr. 144, Cod.hebr. 253, Cod. hebr. 275, Cod.hebr. 280, Cod.hebr. 282, Cod.hebr. 287.
Cod.hebr. 237: Aharon ha-Levi's Pekudat ha-Leviyim, 1409.
Cod.hebr. 123: Hebrew translation of Bernardus de Gordonio's Lilium medicinae, 1495.
Cod.hebr. 291: Judeo-Spanish Medicine collection composed in 15th-century Spain.
14th- and 15th-century copies of Abraham Ibn Ezra's works: Sefer ha-ʿolam (Cod.hebr. 304), Melekhet ha-ḳavuʿa (Cod.hebr. 249), ʿArugat ha-mezimah ṿe-Pardes ha-ḥokhmah (Cod.hebr. 239).
Hebrew translations of works by Lanfrancus Mediolanensis (Cod.hebr. 271), Averroes (Cod.hebr.269), Avicenna (Cod.hebr.127), Euclides (Cod.hebr. 130), Al-Farabi (Cod.hebr. 290) and Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (Cod.hebr. 296).
Copies of works by Jacob ben Asher (Cod.hebr. 255), Shemuʾel ben Yehudah Ibn-Tibon (Cod.hebr. 262), Ha-Meiri (Cod.hebr. 251) and Nachmanides (Cod.hebr.257, Cod.hebr.137, Cod.hebr.138)
See other manuscripts presumably produced in Spain in Cod.hebr. 222, Cod.hebr. 250, Cod.hebr. 270, Cod.hebr. 129, Cod.hebr. 283, Cod. hebr. 461, and Cod.hebr. 463.
Archival history
The acquisition of the private library of Johann Albrecht Widmanstetter (1506-57), diplomat and a pioneer of Oriental studies, by Duke Albrecht V (1528-79) in 1558 constituted the founding act of the Munich court library. At that time, around 200 manuscripts in the Hebrew, Arabic, and Syrian languages were acquired. The Oriental collection was expanded in 1571 by the incorporation of the library of Johann Jakob Fugger (1516-75), one of the most prolific book collectors of the 16th century.
The secularisation of the Bavarian monasteries in 1803, the transfer of the Mannheim court library in 1803-04, and the acquisition of the library of the French Orientalist Étienne Marc-Quatremère (1782–1857) in 1858 contributed to a substantial expansion of the Hebrew manuscripts collection.
In the 20th century, Jewish patrons made important donations to the library. Two examples are the donations made by American classical philologist and financier James Loeb (1867-1933) in 1927, and the jurist Heinrich Reinstrom (1884-1960). In 1955, Rabbi Joseph Prijs (1889-1956), a lecturer in Hebrew at the Ludwig Maximilians University, also gave his collection to the library.
Meanwhile, the air raids on the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek during the Second World War had destroyed a total of almost 500,000 volumes, but the greatest part of Hebrew works survived. However, the important Bible collection of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, in many languages including Hebrew, fell victim to the flames.
At present, a working group is looking into the acquisition history of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek during the time of the National Socialist regime, with the objective of identifying possibly expropriated pieces and returning them to their rightful owners or their heirs.
The secularisation of the Bavarian monasteries in 1803, the transfer of the Mannheim court library in 1803-04, and the acquisition of the library of the French Orientalist Étienne Marc-Quatremère (1782–1857) in 1858 contributed to a substantial expansion of the Hebrew manuscripts collection.
In the 20th century, Jewish patrons made important donations to the library. Two examples are the donations made by American classical philologist and financier James Loeb (1867-1933) in 1927, and the jurist Heinrich Reinstrom (1884-1960). In 1955, Rabbi Joseph Prijs (1889-1956), a lecturer in Hebrew at the Ludwig Maximilians University, also gave his collection to the library.
Meanwhile, the air raids on the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek during the Second World War had destroyed a total of almost 500,000 volumes, but the greatest part of Hebrew works survived. However, the important Bible collection of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, in many languages including Hebrew, fell victim to the flames.
At present, a working group is looking into the acquisition history of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek during the time of the National Socialist regime, with the objective of identifying possibly expropriated pieces and returning them to their rightful owners or their heirs.
Administrative / Biographical history
In 1558, Duke Albrecht V (1528-79) acquired the private library of the Austrian Chancellor Johann Albrecht Widmanstetter (1506-57), an important patron of the arts and sciences, and thus founded his court library. Widmanstetter's library comprised 300 manuscripts, among them 140 in Hebrew and 50 in Arabic, as well as 500 printed volumes.
In 1571, the Duke purchased the library of the Augsburg Patrician Johann Jakob Fugger (1516-75), comprising more than 10,000 volumes. Fugger was one of the best book connoisseurs of his time and had already integrated the library of the Nuremberg physician and humanist Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514) into his collection. The court library thus grew from a variety of important manuscripts and printed works, in particular from Italy, and from some literature on history and jurisprudence.
In 1600, the collection comprised about 17,000 volumes. However, in the second half of the 17th century and in the early 18th century, the library ceased to make new acquisitions and was made hardly accessible.
This long phase of stagnation was overcome under Prince Elector Maximilian III Joseph (1727-77), who was personally interested in the arts and sciences. He ensured the allocation of the necessary funds for the expansion of the library's holdings. Also, in 1759, the library became part of the newly founded Academy of Sciences, and it was also made accessible to court officials and professors of the University of Ingolstadt.
In 1756, the Elector of the Palatinate Karl Theodor (1724-99) founded the court library of Mannheim. When the old Bavarian line of the Wittelsbach dynasty ended upon the decease of Maximilian III Joseph in 1777, Karl Theodor became Prince Elector of Bavaria. He moved to Munich in 1778 and, later, in 1803-04, he bought the Mannheim court library.
The secularisation that occurred in the years 1802-03 was a crucial turning point in the history of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. The library received selected collections from about 150 monasteries and seminaries in Upper Bavaria, Lower Bavaria, and parts of Swabia, which contained unique manuscripts and printed works from the Middle Ages to the late Enlightenment. In 1818, the holdings had been extended to 500,000 printed volumes – half of them originating from secularised monasteries – and 18,600 manuscripts. From 1829 onward, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek was ranked second in Europe behind the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
Under the reign of Kings Ludwig I (1786-1868) and Maximilian II (1811-64), enormous efforts were made to complement and extend the collections. For instance, the library of the French Orientalist Etienne Quatremère (1782-1857), containing 1,200 manuscripts and 45,000 prints from the 16th to the 19th century, was purchased. The general collection development dropped back at the end of the 19th century. Around 1900, the library crossed the threshold of one million volumes.
The darkest hour of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek came with World War II. Between 1943 and 1945, the library was devastated. The manuscripts and the most valuable printed works were saved since they had already been moved out in 1940, but the rest of the holdings remained on the premises. Due to the systematic shelving, complete subject areas were lost, in a total of almost 500,000 volumes, which corresponded to a quarter of the overall collections.
Up to today, only one-third of the books destroyed in the war were acquired anew. The purchase of foreign literature during the war years and the systematic development of the collections on the basis of the current book production reached noteworthy figures only in the 1950s. During this phase, the library managed to build up the largest and most comprehensive holdings of scholarly and scientific literature of the current publication years in German-speaking territories.
In 1571, the Duke purchased the library of the Augsburg Patrician Johann Jakob Fugger (1516-75), comprising more than 10,000 volumes. Fugger was one of the best book connoisseurs of his time and had already integrated the library of the Nuremberg physician and humanist Hartmann Schedel (1440-1514) into his collection. The court library thus grew from a variety of important manuscripts and printed works, in particular from Italy, and from some literature on history and jurisprudence.
In 1600, the collection comprised about 17,000 volumes. However, in the second half of the 17th century and in the early 18th century, the library ceased to make new acquisitions and was made hardly accessible.
This long phase of stagnation was overcome under Prince Elector Maximilian III Joseph (1727-77), who was personally interested in the arts and sciences. He ensured the allocation of the necessary funds for the expansion of the library's holdings. Also, in 1759, the library became part of the newly founded Academy of Sciences, and it was also made accessible to court officials and professors of the University of Ingolstadt.
In 1756, the Elector of the Palatinate Karl Theodor (1724-99) founded the court library of Mannheim. When the old Bavarian line of the Wittelsbach dynasty ended upon the decease of Maximilian III Joseph in 1777, Karl Theodor became Prince Elector of Bavaria. He moved to Munich in 1778 and, later, in 1803-04, he bought the Mannheim court library.
The secularisation that occurred in the years 1802-03 was a crucial turning point in the history of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. The library received selected collections from about 150 monasteries and seminaries in Upper Bavaria, Lower Bavaria, and parts of Swabia, which contained unique manuscripts and printed works from the Middle Ages to the late Enlightenment. In 1818, the holdings had been extended to 500,000 printed volumes – half of them originating from secularised monasteries – and 18,600 manuscripts. From 1829 onward, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek was ranked second in Europe behind the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.
Under the reign of Kings Ludwig I (1786-1868) and Maximilian II (1811-64), enormous efforts were made to complement and extend the collections. For instance, the library of the French Orientalist Etienne Quatremère (1782-1857), containing 1,200 manuscripts and 45,000 prints from the 16th to the 19th century, was purchased. The general collection development dropped back at the end of the 19th century. Around 1900, the library crossed the threshold of one million volumes.
The darkest hour of the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek came with World War II. Between 1943 and 1945, the library was devastated. The manuscripts and the most valuable printed works were saved since they had already been moved out in 1940, but the rest of the holdings remained on the premises. Due to the systematic shelving, complete subject areas were lost, in a total of almost 500,000 volumes, which corresponded to a quarter of the overall collections.
Up to today, only one-third of the books destroyed in the war were acquired anew. The purchase of foreign literature during the war years and the systematic development of the collections on the basis of the current book production reached noteworthy figures only in the 1950s. During this phase, the library managed to build up the largest and most comprehensive holdings of scholarly and scientific literature of the current publication years in German-speaking territories.
Access points: locations
Access points: persons, families
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The collection is organised under the general rules of libraries.
Access, restrictions
Extensive documentation is available online:
Finding aids
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Kevin Soares, 2022
Bibliography
Published primary sources
Linked resources
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