Kirchliche Verfassung der heutigen Juden, sonderlich derer in Deutschland by Johann Christoph Georg Bodenschatz. Frankfurt and Leipzig, 1748-1749. Four parts in one volume. German. First edition.
Book by the German theologian Johann Christoph Georg Bodenschatz (1717-1797) about the Jewish religion and its customs, in particular the customs of Ashkenazi Jews. The book includes very detailed and objective descriptions of Jewish customs during the author's period, and provides a very important source of information for the history of Jews in the 18th century.
Alongside Bodenschatz's study, the book includes twenty-nine engraved plates and an additional frontispiece engraving. The engravings depict, mostly, the customs of Jews in Germany: Blessing of the Moon, prayers in the synagogue, Tisha Be'Av, lighting Hanukkah candles, and more.
[16], 206, 328, 331-386 [i.e. 384], [18], 256, 270, [34] pp + [30] plates. One leaf at the beginning of the book was originally bound following page no. 206 of the first part. Last leaf (with instructions to the binder) is missing. 21.5 cm. Good-fair overall condition. Stains to leaves and to engravings. Worming (some slightly affect the text). Creases, small tears to margins of a number of leaves. Wear and open tears to margins of frontispiece engraving and margins of first leaves (repaired with pasted paper). Original vellum binding with some stains and blemishes.