1560, Venice, Italian: Giosefo, Delle antichita giudaiche

This 1560 edition is a reprint of the first printed Italian translation of Josephus' Jewish Antiquities made by Pietro Lauro and originally published in 1544 (Venice: Vincenzo Vaugris). It is the first of eight such reprints by various Venetian publishers between 1560 and 1604 (Castelli 2016, 408). As noted by Castelli (2016, 407-408) Lauro's translation was made from the Latin translation of Josephus, rather than from the Greek.

The preface to this reprint contains Lauro's original dedication of his translation to the Duchess of Urbino, Lionora Gonzaga della Rovere (1494-1570): “Alla illustris et eccellentissima signora, la S. Lionora, Gonzaga della Rouere, Duchessa d'Urbino…”. The dedication explicates the usefulness of Josephus' Antiquities for understanding both the Old and New Testaments, by being a commentary on the Old Testament and sheding light on people and places mentioned in the New Testament (Castelli 2016, 407).

Dedication to the Duchess of Urbino, Lionora Gonzaga della Rovere

Bibliographic Information

Title:

Giosefo, Delle antichita giudaiche Giosefo ; tradotto in italiano per M. Pietro Lauro Modense.

Imprint:

In Venetia: Appresso Francesco Lorenzini da Turino, MDLX.

Language:

Italian

Translator:

Lauro, Pietro.

Physical description:

2 vols. CRRS holds volume 1: [24], 306, [1] leaves; 16 cm.

Contents (vol. 1):

Tavola [index] -- (signature a 5)

De le antichita givdaiche (Lib. I-X) [Jewish Antiquities 1-10] -- 1

Signatures:

a-c⁸, A-Z⁸, Aa -Pp⁸, Q³

Imperfections:

Errors in pagination: leaf 6 numbered as 10, 139 as 159.

Condition:

Volume cover detached and crumbling.

CRRS call number:

PA4223 .I7 1560

References

Castelli, Silvia. (2016). "Josephus in Renaissance Italy." Pp. 402-413, in Chapman, Honora Howell and Rodgers, Zuleika (eds.), A Companion to Josephus. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.