Two compositions by Rabbi Jacob Judah Leon "Templo", bound together: "Afbeeldinge van den Tempel Salomonis" and "Afbeeldinge van den Tabernakel", Amsterdam: Pieter Joosten Messchaert, 1669. Dutch.
Two works by Rabbi Jacob Judah Leon: His composition dealing with Solomon’s Temple (intended as an explanatory text to accompany the model he had constructed of the Temple); and a second composition on the subject of the biblical Tabernacle which Moses was commanded by the Almighty to assemble in the desert to provide for the ritual needs of the Children of Israel. Both works provide reconstructive models and describe and discuss the ritual vessels associated with the two structures, and the customary manner in which the vessels were used.
The present edition is exceptionally rare. It was published while R. Leon was still alive; only a handful of copies have survived, and only a minority of these few copies include the engravings. The present copies contain all three engraved plates – hand painted in bold colors and gilt – featuring reconstructions of Solomon’s Temple (an illustration which inspired many later representations of the same structure); the Tabernacle and its vessels; and a map showing the positional arrangement of the members of the Tribes of Israel around the Tabernacle.
The composition dealing with Solomon’s Temple opens with the stamped impression of the Orange-Nassau coat of arms of the Dutch royal family, regarded in Jewish books as an outstanding example of royal coats of arms. Importantly, use of the impressed royal coat of arms was heavily restricted and demanded full authorization of the royal house; it demonstrated that the monarch had given his/her imprimatur and sanction to the work in question.
Rabbi Jacob Judah Leon Templo (1603 – sometime after 1675) was one of the great Jewish scholars of 17th-century Amsterdam. Born in Portugal to a family of Jews expelled from Spain, he studied in Amsterdam under Yitzhak Uziel, rabbi of the Neve Shalom congregation. Leon gained fame on account of his descriptions and reconstructions of the most significant structures and sacred vessels discussed in the Bible – including the Tabernacle in the desert, Solomon’s Temple, the Ark of the Covenant, and more – compiled for the first time ever, on the basis of the academic knowledge available at the time. His pioneering work earned him a great deal of respect. His reputation extended all across Europe, and gained him recognition among rulers and monarchs, including King Charles II of England; William II, Prince of Orange; Rudolph Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (who commissioned a translation of his works into German for his own benefit); and others. Building on the success of these books, Leon created a visual reconstruction of Solomon’s Temple, complete with the Temple vessels drawn to scale. So renowned was this model in its day that it earned him the nickname "Templo" in contemporary European academic circles.
Rare, few copies in OCLC.
Two works bound together: [2] leaves, 44 pages (pages 26-31 bound out of sequence) + [1] folding engraved plate (structure of the Temple); [4] leaves, 24 pages + [2] double engraved plates. 18 cm. Good condition. Minor stains and blemishes. Minor worming to back pastedown and other endpapers. Old binding with new front flyleaf. Inked stamp and handwritten notation on front pastedown. Wear and abrasion. Inscription on spine.
Exhibition: Only on Paper: Six Centuries of Judaica from the Gross Family Collection, Chicago, Columbia College, 2005.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, item no. NHB.125.
