Ferrara Bible

Template:Short description Template:Refimprove Template:Template otherTemplate:Wikidata image The Ferrara Bible was a 1553 publication of a Judeo-Spanish version of the Hebrew Bible used by Sephardi Jews. It was paid for and made by Yom-Tob ben Levi Athias (the Portuguese marrano known before his return to Judaism as Alvaro de Vargas,Template:Efn as typographer) and Abraham Usque (the Portuguese marrano Duarte Pinhel, as translator), and was dedicated to Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. Ercole's wife Renée of France was a Protestant and a daughter of Louis XII.

This version is a revision of a translation that had long circulated among Spanish Jews. It is more formally entitled Biblia en Lengua Española Traducida Palabra por Palabra de la Verdad Hebrayca por Muy Excelentes Letrados, Vista y Examinada por el Oficio de la Inquisicion. Con Privilegio del Ylustrissimo Señor Duque de Ferrara. ("The Bible in the Spanish Language, Translated word for word from the true Hebrew by very excellent Literati, Viewed and Examined by the Office of the Inquisition [though the Inquisition would not have passed such a work]. With the Privilege of the most Illustrious Lord Duke of Ferrara.)

Two editions were printed simultaneously, one dedicated to the duke, and one for the Jewish public dedicated to Gracia Mendes Nasi.

Language

Its language follows closely the Hebrew syntax rather than that of everyday Judaeo-Spanish (Ladino), as per the norm for "vulgar" translations of the Scriptures. It is written entirely in the Latin alphabet, albeit with various diacritics suitable for expressing Ladino phonetics. This distinguishes this translation from others from the same century, printed in Constantinople entirely in Hebrew script. Both were based on the previous Spanish oral tradition.

The tetragrammaton is translated as A. (for Adonai).

It was a basis for the 1569 translation of Casiodoro de Reina as shown in the "Amonestacion al Lector" found before the biblical text written by the translator himself wherein he writes the following:

See also

• Reina-Valera
• Spanish translations of the Bible

Further reading

• Vargas-Pinel, article in Spanish with samples.

External links

• Template:Trim Ferrara Bible at the Internet Archive
• Template:Trim Ferra Bible, 1726 Amsterdam printing at the Internet Archive
• Scan at the Biblioteca Virtual de Polígrafos