Lot 273
Ma'aseh Yeshu – Manuscript on Parchment
Ma'aseh Yeshu, or Ma'aseh Talui. Manuscript on parchment. [Europe, c. 19th century].
Ma'aseh Talui is an early anonymous Jewish composition composed of various fables of the history of Yeshu the Nazarene. The work was distributed in manuscript form for many years but was not printed by Jews (until recent times) due to fear of harassment. This manuscript is unique because it is written on parchment with scribal writing. The scribe writes on title page: "This is a tradition from our fathers, father to son, one person from the mouth of another, until I found a manuscript and copied it into Hebrew (Ashurit) writing”. At the end of the composition, after its conclusion, the scribe adds verses from the Bible which the Christians believe allude to Jesus and the principles of the Christian faith as well as sections of the Talmud referring to Jesus and Christianity. Some were intentionally omitted by the Christian censor from the printed editions of the Talmud.
This version differs from the version printed in Otzar Vikuchim by Yehuda David Eisenstein. Not examined in comparison to the known manuscripts.
[26] pages. 18 cm. Good condition, stains.
