Spanish Biblical Hebrew Manuscripts

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present the most important Hebrew manuscripts conserved in the libraries of Madrid and El Escorial. The collection of Hebrew manuscripts is especially significant in the National library of Spain, the library of the Monastery of El Escorial, and the Complutensian University library. Most of the manuscripts are of sephardic origin. The importance and accuracy of Spanish manuscripts has been recognized since the Middle Ages. Some of them have been used in the editing of such important Polyglot Bibles like the Complutensian Polyglot or the Antwerp Polyglot. In order to update old catalogues from the end of the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century and in order to incorporate relevant data for researchers and librarians, a new catalogue is being published. The first step of the work is the study of Bibles, biblical commentaries, and grammatical works. Further research must be done in the future to update the description of other Hebrew manuscripts in these libraries.