This volume includes contributions which were presented on two occasions. First, 11 papers on Hebrew binding fragments in Austria, Germany, Italy, France and Spain were presented at an international workshop at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (2â3Â May 2017). In addition to that, a paper was presented on Medieval Arabic fragments. At the World Congress of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem (7Â August 2017) a panel on Books within Books: Hebrew Fragments in European Libraries, Discoveries and Updates was organized by Emma Abate with eight presentations. In addition to some of the papers presented on these occasions, five further articles have been accepted for this volume.
The articles present a number of new discoveries in several European libraries and archives, and also abroad, even as far away as Australia. The book is divided into five parts. Part 1 presents newly discovered texts with unknown Jewish writings from the Middle Ages, while Part 2 includes articles which present and analyse fragments of well-known texts, all textual witnesses of Midrashim. Part 3 of the book provides papers presenting overviews on recent discoveries in certain collections, some of them far beyond the geographical horizon of the project, but certainly all of European origin. Part 4 comprises studies on palaeographical and codicological issues on the basis of manuscript fragments and Ashkenazic inscriptions. Part 5 of the book goes back to the beginnings of scholarly interest in Hebrew binding fragments in Germany and sheds light on the part played by Christian Hebraists in its development.
The editor wishes to thank all participants in the workshop in Mainz, the contributors to this volume, and his staff at the University of Mainz. I address special thanks to the German Research Council (DFG) and the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) for their generous support. I am grateful to the archives and libraries who gave permission for reproduction of the material published within this volume. My deep thanks to Erika Mandarino from Brill for her meticulous work. I am also grateful to the series editor, Professor Giuseppe Veltri, for including this work in the âStudies in Jewish History and Cultureâ series.
September 2019
Andreas Lehnardt