Writers > Illustrated fables and homilies
RABBA, ELIYAHU BEN MENAḤEM.
Beʾer mayim ḥayim sefer kolel u-meʾasef ketsat maʾamare Talmud ve-Halakhot ve-Agadot, meyusadim ʻal adane ha-Alfa Beta...ʻim perush milim zarot.
Italy, 1590.
Manuscript in Hebrew and Italian, on paper.
MS X893 R112
Rare Book and Manuscript Library
The last section of this beautifully written and illustrated manuscript includes a collection of sayings, allegedly written by "Aesop of Phrygia" and translated into Hebrew. It is unlikely that these were actually written by the well-known Aesop of fable fame, but rather by someone who wanted to share in his glory. Considering the beauty of the manuscript and the care of its script, it is interesting to note that the grammar of the Italian translation is actually quite poor.
Gift of Congregation Temple Emanu-El, 1892.