MERCIER, Jean.
Tabulae in grammaticen linguae Chaldaeae, quae et Syriaca dicitur.
Paris, Apud Guil. Morelium, 29 November 1560.£2,250.00
FIRST EDITION thus. 4to. pp. 165 (iii). Roman and Hebrew letter, borders ruled throughout. T-p with woodcut printer’s device. Woodcut initial. T-p slightly dusty, blank upper edge lightly darkened, X1-2 with small paper flaw to lower blank margin. A very good, clean, crisp copy in C18 calf gilt, red morocco label, rebacked. Modern dates and shelfmarks to pastedowns, C20 bookplate of Viktor Klagsbald to ffep.
First edition of Jean Mercier’s (1510-70) grammar of Chaldaean or biblical Aramaic, expanded from a work with a similar title that Mercier published in 1550 (only 18 ll.). This was the first full grammar of Aramaic to be published in France. Mercier was professor of Hebrew at the Collège Royale, where he succeeded François Vatable. He went into exile because of his Protestant sympathies but eventually returned to France, where he died of plague. The grammar begins with a brief note on the transliteration of Aramaic words into Hebrew script. After a quick summary of the alphabet, Mercier dives straight into verbs, which occupy the majority of the grammar, before eventually moving onto pronouns and numbers, etc. The grammar itself is followed by a work on abbreviations of Aramaic words as they appear in Talmudic and rabbinic texts.
Not in Steinschneider or Brunet. Adams M1310. BM STC Fr., p. 310. USTC 152955.In stock
