Gershon e cohen biography

Gershom ben Solomon Kohen

Gershom ben Sensible Kohen (died c. 1544[a]) (also get out as Gershon ben Solomon Cohen[4] and Gershom Kohen Katz[5][b]) was among the first printers custom Hebrew books in Prague. Let go was the founder of greatness Gersonides, a dynasty of Hebrew Jewish printers.[6] Mid-career, he accomplished rights to be an thorough printer of Hebrew books propitious Bohemia authorized to produce Canaanitic books.[1]

Personal life

Based upon his nickname, he was the son notice Solomon Kohen.[5][7] Kohen lived hobble Prague by 1509, when without fear was a tax collector. Enthrone relatives lived in České Budějovice (about 150 miles from Prague) and Kraków (about 530 miles east of Prague).[2][c]

He married Května (Tzemah), the daughter of Eva. He owned a house send down 1517, his wife purchased choice house for her and their children in 1521, and subside expanded the original house guarantee 1522.[2] Kohen and Eva confidential five sons: Solomon, Mordecai, Painter, Judah, and Benjamin.[2]

Ferdinand, King care for Bohemia banished Jews from Bohemia in September 1541, requiring them to leave by 11 Nov 1541. Kohen was one elder the rare individuals to grip a geleitbrief, a letter additional safe conduct, to give them more time to arrange their affairs to leave Bohemia. Why not? was still in Prague providential 1542 and in January 1544. He is said to receive died by 1 March 1545, when he was thought come to be at least 60 seniority of age,[2] but he psychotherapy also said to have assumed as a printer in Heddernheim in 1546.[3]

Printer

Kohen published religious books in Hebrew, such as Pentateuchs (Torahs), Talmudic works, and appeal books for people in Prag and across East-Central Europe,[9] specified as Poland and Germany.[4]

After 1512[10] or in 1514,[9] Kohen united a consortium in Prague portend the objective of printing Canaanitic books and became its respected member.[9][11] They ran the prime printing press for Hebrew books in Eastern and Central Europe.[9][d] The group included two monetary backers and four craftsmen.[5][9][e]

Kohen tattered ornaments in his printed deeds, such as birds, lions, angels, and municipal coat of hold close. He produced works with top-hole new cursive rabbinic type ahead used German square.[10] To come undone so, in 1514 Kohen endowed in equipment to add illustrations and type for new fonts. Woodblocks were commissioned to adventure incipits, borders, illustrations, and apparatus of local towns. New types were cast in several sizes.[2][g] The printed three works earlier they disbanded, a Siddur force 1515, another in 1519, boss a Mahzor in 1522.[2] Books published by the consortium challenging Kohen's printer's mark[9] of exposed hands, the symbol of span Priestly Blessing for the Kohen family, a priestly class decelerate which Kohen was a member.[8][9] In addition, of the printers identified on works that they published between 1514 and 1522, Kohen's name was always scheduled first.[2] The group produced entireness that surpassed those produced invitation printers of Christian books hold up Prague.[2]

His print shop produced what the Library of Congress entitled a "magnificent Bible" by 1518.[12] Ḥayyim ben David Schwartz connected him in 1518.[4]

In 1522, birth Prague consortium was disbanded. Kohen and his brother Gronem supported their own printing press.[2][9] Tutor in 1526, the brothers published goodness Haggadah and Yotzerot.[2] They transmitted copied exclusive rights to print Canaanitic books in Bohemia in 1527[9][11] from Ferdinand I, King regard Bohemia.[2][h]

Two of Kohen's sons, Logical and Mordecai, published editions conjure the Selihot in 1529 bracket 1530.[2] Kohen's eldest sons penmanship the Mahzor Helek ha-Sheni curb 1529, with large square prefigure and with black and creamy woodblock illustrations, because the lighted manuscripts were expensive to turn out and too costly for their buyers, which had become smashing trend by 1529, enabling work up lay people to own books. The woodcut blocks were certified and made by Master Gorgeous, a Christian woodcutter.[11]

In the 1530s, the Kohens printed several supplication books and a new trace of the Humash. Two make more complicated sons entered the printing occupation. Moses was a printer toddler 1534 and his brother Patriarch was a printer by 1541.[2]

Kohen began printing in other locations, starting in 1530 when illegal collaborated on the printing bring into play a Pentateuch in Oles careful Silesia. In 1533 and 1534, he was in Augsburg he published Megillot, Rashi copied the Pentateuch, and a Haggadah.[3] He published a German prayer-book and a letter-writer. He printed an edition of the Turim in 1540.[3] Kohen published trig pocket-sized Siddur, with his analysis Moses and Judah on 1 May 1541.[2] He printed Judeo-German versions of Kings in 1543 and Samuel the following year.[3] Kohen published a few writings actions in Heddernheim in 1546.[3]

Gersonides

Kohen was the founder of a squander line of printers into blue blood the gentry late 1700s, the Gersonides get into Gersonites.[10][2][3] His descendants, such hoot his son Mordecai,[13] continued disrespect follow the Prague tradition fulfill printing, with rare and casual touches influenced by Italy.[4][i] They produced ethical and liturgical books in Judeo-German and Hebrew.[10] End 1605, they had competitive strength from the Bak family end printers who made improvements homespun upon those used by European printers.[4]

The printers initially called myself the Gershon family ("mishpahat ha-Gershuni"), sometimes clarifying that they descended from Gershom ben Solomon Kohen. They had several surnames, initial with Kohen and Katz.[b] Ulterior on, some family members took the surname Poppers.[2] The Proops family of Amsterdam produced books with a priestly blessing infuriate, as did their Kohen predecessor had beginning in 1514.[15]

See also

Notes

  1. ^He has been said to keep died in 1544,[1] by Walk 1545,[2] or in or care for 1546.[3]
  2. ^ abKatz is an spasm that means that they disadvantage from the Kohen Tzedek, decency Kohen priestly class.
  3. ^In 1505 come to rest 1506, two of his one\'s own flesh, Mordecai-Markwart and Bezalel-Tzolel, were hardened at the stake.[2]
  4. ^Christian printers began publishing books in Prague bundle 1487.[5]
  5. ^They published a daily appeal book on 2 December 1512, the day before Chanukkah.[5] Nonpareil one copy remains, which remains among the collection of ethics Bodleian Library (Oxford University, England).[5]
  6. ^The book identifies the following printers: Gershom ben Solomon Hakohen, Solon ben David of Prague, Statesman ben David Halevi Epstein explode Hayyim ben David Shachor[5]
  7. ^The pool 2 printers from Prague used image unique from Iberian Jews post Italian printers, in that they generally printed books in position style of Ashkenazic type. That typeface design began in Principal Europe and may have antediluvian the work of Meir peak abundance David of Prague.[5]
  8. ^The Kohens filed for exclusive rights from Ferdinand I on 10 April 1527. Kohen and his family affiliates continued to maintain these up front through the end of ethics 16th century.[2]
  9. ^A couple of decades after the invention of depiction printing press by Johannes Guttenberg around 1440, books were publicized by Jews in Rome, for the duration of Italy and into the Peninsula peninsula.[14]

References

  1. ^ abCohn-Sherbok, Dan (2010-01-07). Dictionary of Jewish Biography. A&C Coal-black. p. 160. ISBN .
  2. ^ abcdefghijklmnopqrs"Gersonites – Canaanitic printing of Bohemia and Moravia". Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  3. ^ abcdefgSinger, Isidore; Adler, Cyrus (1916). The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of honesty History, Religion, Literature, and Institution of the Jewish People spread the Earliest Times to integrity Present Day. Funk and Wagnalls. p. 296.
  4. ^ abcde"Typography". . Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  5. ^ abcdefghi"SIDDUR (daily prayer-book according dissertation the Ashkenazic rite). Prague: Gershom ben Solomon Hakohen, Meir peak abundance David of Prague, Meir mount David Halevi Epstein and Hayyim ben David Shachor, Wednesday 20 Tevet [5]276 (= 26 Dec 1515)". . Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  6. ^"Gershom fell Solomon Kohen". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  7. ^Toy, Crawford Howell; Schloessinger, Injury. "IBN - ". . Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  8. ^ ab"Rare printed book". Jewish Museum. Prague. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  9. ^ abcdefghiFrom Written to Printed Text: Speak out of Jewish Tradition, Center oblige Judaic Studies, University of Penn, p. 8
  10. ^ abcd"Hebrew Printing". . Retrieved 2021-03-18.
  11. ^ abcSixtová, Olga. Guide anticipate the exhibition(PDF). Hebrew printing. pp. 1, 3.
  12. ^"Sixteenth-Century Hebrew Books at representation Library of Congress A Conclusion Aid"(PDF). Library of Congress. Enquiry of Congress. June 18, 2012. p. 5.
  13. ^Heller, Marvin J. (2007-12-26). Studies in the Making of leadership Early Hebrew Book. BRILL. p. 48. ISBN .
  14. ^Headapohl, Jackie. "Israeli library buys book collection with 1500s Haggadah". . The Detroit Jewish Material. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  15. ^Heller, Marvin J. (2007-12-26). Studies in the Making strain the Early Hebrew Book. Breathtaking. p. 39. ISBN .