“I have always loved the Holy Tongue” based on the carl newell jackson lectures “I have always loved the Holy Tongue” Isaac Ca sau bon, the Jews, and a Forgotten Chapter in Renaissance Scholarship y Anthony Grafton Joanna Weinberg with alastair hamilton The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press cambridge, massachusetts london, en gland 2011 Copyright © 2011 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-i n- Publication Data Grafton, Anthony. “I have always loved the holy tongue” : Isaac Ca sau bon, the Jews, and a forgotten chapter in Renaissance scholarship / Anthony Grafton, Joanna Weinberg. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978- 0- 674- 04840- 9 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Ca sau bon, Isaac, 1559–1614. 2. Old Testament scholars—Biography. 3. Christian Hebraists—Biography. 4. Bible—Criticism, interpretation, etc.— History—16th century. 5. Bible—Criticism, interpretation, etc.— History—17th century. I. Weinberg, Joanna, 1949– II. Title. PA85.C3G73 2011 296.092—dc22 [B] 2010012951 To the memory of A. M. Meyer Contents List of Illustrations ix A Note to Readers xi 1 Rabbi Isaac Ca sau bon A Hellenist Meets the Jews 1 2 How Ca sau bon Read Hebrew Texts 60 3 Wider Horizons in Hebraic Studies 121 4 Ca sau bon and Baronio Early Chris tian i ty in a Jewish Setting 164 5 The Teller and the Tale What Ca sau bon Learned from Jews 231 Appendix 1 The Long Apprenticeship 293 Cas au bon and Arabic by alastair hamilton Appendix 2 Ca sau bon on the Masoretic Text 307 Appendix 3 Ca sau bon’s Hebrew and Judaic Library 329 Glossary 333 Bibliography 335 Acknowledgments 367 Index 369 Illustrations 1.1 Ca sau bon’s copy of Calvin’s catechism, in Hebrew 2 1.2 Ca sau bon’s copy of Kimhi’s Sefer Mikhlol 3 1.3 Ca sau bon’s working copy of Polybius 25 1.4 Hebrew note in a working copy of Theophrastus’ Characters 28 1.5 Ca sau bon’s copy of Hermes Trismegistus 32 1.6 Ca sau bon’s copy of a Hebrew prayerbook 46 1.7 Ca sau bon’s copy of a blessing from the Roman Mahzor 47 1.8 Ca sau bon’s transcription of Psalm 119 53 1.9 Note in Ca sau bon’s copy of Sefer Hasidim 56 1.10 Note in Ca sau bon’s copy of Calvin’s catechism, in Hebrew 58 2.1 Ca sau bon’s copy of Samuel di Uceda’s Midrash Shemuel 61 2.2 Notes in Latin and in cursive Hebrew, in Ca sau bon’s copy of Mercier’s edition of the minor prophets 69 2.3 Ca sau bon’s list of books to be sent on from Paris to London 70 2.4 Notes on Proverbs 72 2.5 Ca sau bon’s copy of Chevalier’s Hebrew grammar 74 2.6 Ca sau bon’s copy of Mercier’s edition of the minor prophets 76 2.7 Colophon to Ca sau bon’s notes on Elijah Mizrahi 77 2.8 Beginning of Ca sau bon’s notes on Elijah Mizrahi 79 2.9 Notes on Jewish exegetical techniques in Kimhi’s Sefer Mikhlol 88