Uriel Da Costa’s Examination of Pharisaic Traditions, Supplemented by Semuel Da Silva’s Treatise on the Immortality of the Soul

615 Pages·1993·71.92 MB·English

by  Herman Prins Salomon

BRILL'S STUDIES
IN
INTELLECTUAL HISTORY
General Editor
A J. VANDERJAGT, University of Groningen
Editorial Board
M. COLISH, Oberlin College
J.I. ISRAEL, University College, London
J.D. NORTH, University of Groningen
H.A. OBERMAN, University of Arizona, Tucson
R.H. POPKIN, Washington University, St. Louis-UCLA
VOLUME 44

The synagogue of Talmud Tora, 1639, etching by J.J. Veenhuysen
(H.P. Salomon collection, New York).
URIEL DA COSTA
EXAMINATION OF
PHARISAIC TRADITIONS
Exame das tradiçoes phariseas
Facsimile of the unique copy
in the Royal Library of Copenhagen
SUPPLEMENTED BY
SEMUEL DA SILVA'S
TREATISE
ON THE IMMORTALITY
OF THE SOUL
Tratado da immortalidade da alma
TRANSLATION, NOTES AND INTRODUCTION
BY
H. P. SALOMON AND I. S. D. SASSOON
E.J. BRILL
LEIDEN · NEW YORK · KÖLN
1993
The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the
Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library
Resources.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Acosta Uriel, ca. 1585-1640.
(Exame das tradiçoes phariseas conferidas com a lei escrita.
English & Portuguese)
Examination of Pharisaic traditions = Exame das tradiçoes
phariseas : facsimile of the unique copy in the Royal Library of
Copenhagen / Uriel da Costa ; translation, notes, and introduction
by H.P. Salomon and I.S.D. Sassoon.
p. cm. — (Brill's studies in intellectual history, ISSN
0920-8607 ; v. 44)
"Supplemented by Semuel da Suva's Treatise on the immortality of
the soul = Tratado da immortalidade da alma."
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 9004099239
1. Judaism—Controversial literature—Early works to 1800.
2. Immortality—Judaism—Controversial literature—Early works to
1800. 3. Judaism—Apologetic works—Early works to 1800.
I. Salomon, H. P. (Herman Prins), 1935- . II. Sassoon, I. S. D.
III. Silva, Semuel da. Tratado da immortalidade da alma. English &
Portuguese. 1993. IV. Kongelige Bibliotek (Denmark) V. Title.
VI. Title: Exame das tradiçoes phariseas. VII. Series.
BM585.A2613 1993
296—dc20 93-26266
CIP
ISSN 0920-8607
ISBN 90 04 09923 9
© Copyright 1993 by E.J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written
permission of the publisher.
Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal
use is granted by E.J. Brill provided that
the appropriate fees are paid directly to Copyright
Clearance Center, 27 Congress Street, Salem MA
01970, USA. Fees are subject to change.
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations IX
Prologue XI
Glossary of Hebrew Words XV
Abbreviations XVII
Norms XVIII
Bibliography XIX
Introduction 1
1. The Life of Uriel da Costa 1
2. Uriel da Costa and Leon Modena 24
3. Samuel da Silva and Leon Modena 29
4. Uriel da Costa and Samuel da Silva 32
5. The Question of the Soul's Immortality Placed in
Historical Perspective 38
6. Jewish Views on Eschatology 42
7. The Aftermath 48
Facsimile of URIEL DA COSTA: EXAME DAS TRADIÇOES
PHARISEAS 51
Translation of URIEL DA COSTA: EXAMINATION OF PHA
RISAIC TRADITIONS 267
PARTI
To the Reader 269
Chapter 1 271
Chapter 2 277
Chapter 3 281
Chapter 4 283
Chapter 5 285
Chapter 6 287
VI CONTENTS
Chapter 7 288
Chapter 8 290
Chapter 9 293
Chapter 10 294
Chapter 11 297
Chapter 12 298
Chapter 13 300
Chapter 14 302
PART II
Preface 307
Chapter 1 311
Chapter 2 319
Chapter 3 340
Chapter 4 344
Chapter 5 345
Chapter 6 348
Chapter 7 352
Chapter 8 354
Chapter 9 361
Chapter 10 367
Chapter 11 374
Chapter 12 377
Chapter 13 381
Chapter 14 385
Chapter 15 391
Chapter 16 397
Chapter 17 401
Chapter 18 406
Chapter 19 412
Chapter 20 415
Question 420
Translation of SAMUEL DA SILVA: TREATISE ON THE IMMOR
TALITY OF THE SOUL 427
To the Gentle Reader 429
Chapter 1 433
Chapter 2 434
Chapter 3 436
Chapter 4 437
CONTENTS VII
Chapter 5 441
Chapter 6 443
Chapter 7 444
Chapter 8 447
Chapter 9 451
Chapter 10 454
Chapter 11 456
Chapter 12 459
Chapter 13 462
Chapter 14 465
Chapter 15 470
Chapter 16 476
Chapter 17 479
Chapter 18 485
Chapter 19 488
Chapter 20 495
Chapter 21 501
Chapter 22 505
Chapter 23 513
Chapter 24 520
Chapter 25 523
Chapter 26 527
Chapter 27 529
Chapter 28 530
Chapter 29 534
Chapter 30 538
Last Chapter 546
Appendix 1: Document transcribed by Uriel da Costa (1601) 555
Appendix 2: Confirmation of Uriel's Excommunication (1623) 556
Appendix 3: Exemplar humanae vitae, 1640 (?) 556
Index of biblical references 567
Index of proper names 573
Index of subject matters and terms 577

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
The synagogue of Talmud Tora, 1639, etching by J.J. Veenhuysen
(H.P. Salomon collection, New York), frontispiece.
1. Genealogical Charts
I. Jâcome da Costa, paternal grandfather of Uriel da Costa.
II. Dinis Eanes, Maternal Grandfather of Uriel da Costa.
III. Related Families.
2. Rua de Säo Miguel, Oporto, anno 1993
3. Document transcribed and signed by Uriel da Costa, Coimbra, 1601
(British Library)
4. Portrait of Leon Modena (Detail enlaged from the title page of the
1638 Venice edition of his Historia de' riti hebraici)
5. Confirmation of Uriel da Costa's excommunication, Amsterdam,
1623 (Gemeente Archief, Amsterdam)
6. Semuel da Silva, Tratado da Immortalidade da Alma, Amsterdam,
1623, title page (Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana, Amsterdam)
7. Houtkopersdwarsstraat (olim Vloonburghsteeg), Amsterdam, anno
1993