Franchi - Sole della Lingua Santa - 1599

ALL ORIGINS OF HEBREW-CHRISTIAN STUDIES: THE SEMES LESON HAQODES (BERGAMO, 1599)
The Semes leson haqodes, i.e. Sun of the holy language by Guglielmo Franchi, printed in Bergamo in 1599 by Comino Ventura, constitutes one of the most relevant testimonies of Christian Judaistic scholarship between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. The work, conceived as a didactic and philological tool, aims to render the Hebrew language accessible through a bilingual Italian-Hebrew framework, fitting into the broader humanistic and confessional project of appropriation of biblical languages. Printed with Hebrew and Latin characters, the volume also represents the first book with Hebrew text printed in Bergamo, thus taking on a typography of primary importance.
MARKET VALUE
In the antique market, the sixteenth-century editions of Franchi’s Semes leson haqodes, especially given the historical significance tied to Bergamasque typography and the use of Hebrew characters, generally fall in a price range between 500 and 1,000 euros. The presence of material defects and the absence of the folded plate affect the valuation, though they do not compromise the collecting interest of the specimen, which remains significant for scholars and Judaica and incunabula historians.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Later binding in half leather with marbled paper boards, handwritten title on a spine inlays, red edges; some losses to the front cover and the lower spine. Printer’s device on the frontispiece; ornaments, headpieces and initial woodcuts. Manuscript notes and a contemporary calligraphic possession note at the end of the volume. Text in Italian and Hebrew. The folded plate is missing. Small insect hole present in the white area of the lower right corner of the first and last five leaves; outer margin trimmed; other small defects. In old books with a long history, some imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (2); 20nn; 416; (2).
FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Semes leson haqodes, cioè Sun of the holy language.
Guglielmo Franchi.
Bergamo, Comino Ventura, 1599.
CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Franchi’s work sits at the heart of the post-Tridentine Christian Judaic tradition, in which the study of Hebrew takes a central role in the reading of Scripture and in confessional polemics. The Semes leson haqodes is not only a linguistic manual but also an ideological instrument, intended to form ecclesiastics and Christian scholars in the language of the Old Testament. The Bergamasque printing of 1599, with the systematic use of Hebrew characters, attests to the circulation of advanced typographic skills even in editorial centers smaller than Venice or Rome.
BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Guglielmo Franchi was an author active between the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, engaged in the study and teaching of Hebrew in a Christian context. His production sits within the line of humanistic and confessional Judaic scholarship, which aimed to provide linguistic tools for biblical exegesis and for theological engagement with Judaism.
PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Printed in Bergamo by Comino Ventura in 1599, the Semes leson haqodes represents a unique item for local typography, as the first book with Hebrew text printed in the city. The work enjoyed a limited but qualified circulation, intended mainly for ecclesiastical and academic circles interested in the study of biblical languages.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: Bergamo edition, Comino Ventura, 1599. Adams, Catalogue of Books Printed on the Continent of Europe, 1501–1600. Steinschneider, Die hebräischen Übersetzungen des Mittelalters. Studi sulla tipografia ebraica in Italia settentrionale e sull’ebraistica cristiana post-tridentina.