Shabbethai Bass

Sabbatai ben Joseph, also named Josef Prague, bass and Meschorer (* 1641 in Kalisz, † July 21, 1718 in Krotoschin ) was a Jewish writer, scholar, bibliographer and publisher who worked in Poland, Bohemia, Holland and Silesia.

Life

Sabbatai was born in the western Polish city of Kalisz and lost his parents during the great fire of the city in 1656. Together with his brother he fled to Prague, where he got a job in the chorus of the Old-New Synagogue, thanks to his beautiful voice. From this period two minor name Sabbatai - "Bass " or " Bassista ", which refers to his voice, and " Meschorer " - " singer " in Hebrew. In Prague, he received his training as a Talmudic scholar, he also learned Latin and received a general humanistic education. In 1669 he came with his first independent work: a processing of the Bible glossary of Moses Sertel in Yiddish, which he enclosed a comprehensive grammar of the Yiddish language.

In the years 1674-1679 he made ​​several trips to Jewish communities in Poland, Germany and Holland and lived in 1679 in Amsterdam, which was the intellectual center of European Jewry at that time. He was a collaborator in the translation of the Bible into Yiddish, which was published in Amsterdam, and published in 1680 a large bibliographic work " Sifte jaschanim " ( mouths of the sleeping one), which described 2400 religious books, which 2200 in the Hebrew language, with author's name, the publication and year, and a brief summary of the content. Thus he was called the " father of Jewish bibliography " and became well known in the Christian world under the name of " bass " and appreciated. Soon appeared translations of the work into German and Latin. Another well-known work from this period of his life Sabbatai was a guide for Jewish merchants and travelers, " Derech eretz " ( " Good Parenting " ), with ao Directories of all the more important roads and distances in Europe.

After three years of effort, succeeded Sabbatai in 1687 to obtain approval to open a Jewish printing in the Silesian town Dyhernfurth. The first book was moved by it "Bet Shmuel " ( " Samuel's house," 1689), a commentary of Samuel Loslau of the ritual Code.

Sabbatai always went in person to the fair in Breslau, where he ran a booth with the laid by him books. On July 15, 1694, he was accused by the Jesuits Breslauer, distribute blasphemous and anti-religious books and the municipal authorities of the city left them all confiscated. Only after a few years he got it back.

In 1711 Sabbatai handed the print to his son Joseph. At the same time Sabbatai and the son of Joseph Ben Sabbatai by the professor of Hebrew at the University of Breslau, the Jesuit Frantz accused, an anti-Christian, blasphemous and politically seditious book of Nathan Hannover " Schaare Sion " to have published ( " Gates of Zion " ) and received two months in prison. After Sabbatai of life was tired under the Habsburgs and moved back to Poland, where the house of his son- Berl Nathan he died in Krotoschin 1718. The printing company existed until 1750, and 1729 under the direction of Nathan Berl and later as the property of Sabbatai's granddaughter Esther.

Works (selection)

• Boron Moshe. ( " Well of Moses ") with a grammar of Yiddish, Amsterdam 1669th
• Comment on Siftej ḥakamim ( " mouths of the scholars " ), Amsterdam 1680.
• Sifte jaschanim. ( " Mouths of the sleeping " ) large bibliography of Jewish religious literature, Amsterdam 1680.
• Derech Eretz Massekhet. ( " Good Parenting "), Amsterdam 1680.