Hebrew and Judaica Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford University

MS. Canonici Or. 43

Oriental Manuscripts Canonici Oriental Collection

Contents

Avicenna: Canon (Book I)

ff. 1r-205v
Avicenna, 980?-1037אבן סינא, אלחסין בן עבדאללה,980-1037, Canon (Book I) קאנון (ספר א’)

Nathan's translation, with marginal notes, containing omissions, various readings and commentaries.

Written by Yosef מרצולי bar Ḥayim on 28 Siṿan 5181.

The same scribe Yosef copied MS. Cambridge UL Add. 65611 in Barletta (South Italy) in 1455).

Another copyist assisted in the copying repacing the main copyist very frequently (dozens of times), but apart from fols. 126v-152v he only copied short sections.

Colophon: Colophon on fol. 205v: "נשלמתי העתקתי זה הספר הראשון בחדש סיון כח בו שנת מאה ושמונים ואחד לפרט וחמשת אלפים לבריאת עולם העתיקו יוסף מרצילי העלוב בר’ חיים מרצולי"
Language(s): Hebrew

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: paper
Extent: ff. 205
Dimensions (leaf): 210 × 140 mm.
Foliation: Foliation in Arabic numerals.

Collation

No signatures, catchwords on the verso side of the leaves.

Condition

Good condition.

Hand(s)

Sephardi semi-cursive script.

Decoration

Not decorated.

Binding

Quarter bound.

History

Origin: [Sepharad (Southern Italy or Sicily?)]; 1421

Provenance and Acquisition

Matteo Luigi Canonici's (1727-1805) collections passed to his brother Giuseppe, and on his death in 1807 to Giovanni Perissinotti and Girolamo Cardina, who divided them. To the former fell the MSS., then about 3550 in number, and, after many attempts to sell them, the Bodleian became the purchaser of the greater part in 1817, for £5444 5s. 1d., or including incidental expenses about £6030, the largest single purchase ever made by the Library. The formal list of volumes handed over was signed on May 18, 1817, and the books probably arrived later that year.

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on Catalogue of the Hebrew Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, vol. I, by Adolf Neubauer, Oxford 1886, No. 2098, Catalogue of the Hebrew manuscripts in the Bodleian Library; Supplement of Addenda and Corrigenda to Vol. I, No. 2098, and on the data of the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts, National Library of Israel with additional enhancements by the cataloguer.

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card (for admissions procedures contact Bodleian Admissions). Contact specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript.

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)

Microfilm

MSS R.R. Film No. F 19912

Bibliography

    Neubauer, Adolf, Catalogue of the Hebrew Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library (Oxford, 1886), no. 2098.
    Beit-Arié, Malachi and R.A. May (eds), Catalogue of the Hebrew manuscripts in the Bodleian Library; Supplement of Addenda and Corrigenda to Vol. I (A. Neubauer’s Catalogue) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), no. 2098.

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