Sefer Hasidim and the Ashkenazic Book in Medieval Europe
JEWISH CULTURE AND CONTEXTS
Published in association with the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies of the University of Pennsylvania
Steven Weitzman, Series Editor
A complete list of books in the series is available from the publisher.
Sefer Hasidim and the Ashkenazic Book in Medieval Europe
Ivan G. Marcus
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PRESS
PHILADELPHIA
Copyright © 2018 University of Pennsylvania Press
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of review or scholarly citation, none of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher.
Published by
University of Pennsylvania Press
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Marcus, Ivan G., author.
Title: Sefer hasidim and the Ashkenazic book in medieval Europe / Ivan G. Marcus.
Other titles: Jewish culture and contexts.
Description: 1st edition. | Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2018] | Series: Jewish culture and contexts | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017058051 | ISBN 9780812250091 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Judah ben Samuel, approximately 1150–1217. Sefer hasidim. | Jews—Europe—History—To 1500. | Jews—Europe—Intellectual life.
Classification: LCC BJ1287.J83 S438 2018 | DDC 296.3/6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017058051
In loving memory of our son,Magen Dror Marcus, MD (1969–2010)
Ki laqah oto elohim (Gen. 5:24)
Contents
Abbreviations of Sefer Hasidim Manuscripts
Chapter 1. Sefer Hasidim as an Open Book
Chapter 2. Rewriting Jewish Pietist Traditions
Chapter 3. Judah he-Hasid’s Life and Legends
Chapter 4. Ashkenazic Hebrew Book Writing in Historical Context
A Descriptive Catalog of the Manuscripts and Editions of Sefer Hasidim
Abbreviations
Abbreviations of manuscript catalogs are found at the beginning of the catalog following Chapter 4. Abbreviations of Sefer Hasidim manuscripts follow the general abbreviations below.
| b. | ben (son of) |
| B. | Babylonian Talmud |
| Bologna | Sefer Hasidim, first ed. Bologna, 1538=SHB |
| d. | date of death |
| F | microfilm |
| FJTSB45 | former Jewish Theological Seminary Boesky 45 |
| H or héb. | Hebrew |
| IMHM | Institute for Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts. National Library of Israel, Jerusalem |
| JQR | Jewish Quarterly Review |
| JTS | Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New York |
| Mich. | Michael MS in Oxford, Bodleian Library |
| MS(S) | manuscript(s) |
| Ninety-nine stories | |
| Jerusalem, National Library of Israel Hebrew MS Oct. 3182, published by N. Brüll and by Eli Yassif, Me’ah Sippurim Haser Ehad. | |
| NLI | National Library of Israel, Jerusalem |
| NP | No place of publication |
| Oct. | Octavo-size manuscript |
| Opp. | Oppenheim MS in Oxford, Bodleian Library |
| Or. | Oriental MS in Oxford, Bodleian Library |
| Parma | Sefer Hasidim, Parma, Biblioteca Palatina H 3280=SHP PH photograph |
| PUSHD | Princeton University Sefer Hasidim Database |
| r | recto, or the “a” side of a folio |
| R. | Rabbi |
| REJ | Revue des études juives |
| SH | Sefer Hasidim |
| SHB | Sefer Hasidim, Bologna, 1538 (not the same as SHM) |
| SHB I | SHB 153-440 |
| SHB II | SHB 441-587 |
| SHB III | SHB 588-1135 |
| SHK | Sefer Hasidim, Krakow, 1581 |
| SHM | Sefer Hasidim, ed. Reuven Margoliot (1924, 1956). |
| SHP | Sefer Hasidim, Parma ed. Wistinetzki 1891; Frankfurt am Main, 1924 |
| SHP I | pars. 37-1426 of SHP following Samuel’s Sefer ha-Yir’ah and some non-Ashkenazic authors like Saadia Gaon |
| SHP II | pars. 1427-1983 appendices on topics. |
| ShH | Sefer ha-Hasidut |
| Simon | Simon, Joseph. “Les manuscrits hébreux de la bibliotheque de la ville de Nîmes.” REJ 3 (1881): 225–237. |
| v | verso, or the “b” side of a folio |
| z”l | zikhrono li-verakhah (may his memory be for good [lit., a blessing]) |
| zz”l | zekher zaddiq li-verakhah (may the memory of the righteous be for good [lit., a blessing]) |
Abbreviations of Sefer Hasidim Manuscripts
The alphanumeric codes that appear in parentheses after each abbreviation refer to a section of the catalog that follows Chapter 4.
Cambridge Add. 379 (E 1)
Cambridge,