Rabbi Judah Moscato and the Jewish Intellectual World of Mantua in the 16th-17th Centuries

Stemming from an international conference organized by the Institute of Jewish Studies at Halle-Wittenberg and held in Mantua in July 2009, the 15 essays of this proceedings offer an insight into the rich intellectual world of Mantua's Jewish community in the Renaissance. The first 7 essays are devoted to the life and career of the celebrated intellectual Rabbi Moscato, with discussion of such topics as his eulogies, approach to the Kabbalah, and a survey of the world of 16th-century Hebrew printing where his writings appeared. The remaining articles examine other aspects of the Jewish community, including music, the history of the Gonzaga archives, writings on Christianity in 16th-century Yiddish literature, and an Italian translation of the Psalms by Judah Sommo. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Giuseppe Veltri, is Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Halle-Wittenberg and Director of the Zunz Centre (Halle). He has published widely in the subjects of hermeneutics and philosophy including Gegenwart der Tradition (2002), Cultural Intermediaries (2004 with D. Ruderman); Libraries, Translation and 'Canonic texts' (2006); The Jewish Body (2008, with M. Diemling); Renaissance Philosophy in Jewish Garb (2009); Judah Moscato’s Sermons (2011). Gianfranco Miletto is university private lecturer (“Privatdozent”) at the University of Halle-Wittenberg. He has published on Biblical Philology and on the Jewish culture in Italy at the time of the Renaissance and Counter-Reformation: L’ Antico Testamento Ebraico nella tradizione babilonese (1992); Die Heldenschilde des Abraham ben David Portaleone, 2 vols. (2003); Glauben und Wissen im Zeitalter der Reformation (2004); Judah Moscato’s Sermons (2011).