J. Frakes 
The Cultural Study of Yiddish in Early Modern Europe 

A unique analysis of the intensive interest in Jewish culture of early modern Christian Humanists as a part of their comprehensive program of study of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. The book focuses on how that interest was particularly manifested in a score of treatises on Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Yiddish language and literature.

Table of Content

Preface Christian Humanism and the Jews Humanism and Yiddish Humanist Scholarship and the Study of Yiddish Texts/Translations Johannes Böschenstein, Elementale Introductorium in hebreas litteras teutonice et hebraice legendas / Elementary Introduction to Reading German and Hebrew in Hebrew Letters (1514) Sebastian Münster, ‘Intitutio breuis, quomodo uernacula quæque lingua Hebraicis characteribus cribi poit’/ A Brief Introduction to How the Vernacular Language can be Written in Hebrew Characters Institutiones grammaticae in hebraeam linguam / Grammatical Principles of the Hebrew Language (1524) Anonymous, ‘Here Follows How One Can Learn to Read Yiddish’/ The Book of Measures (1542) Paulus Fagius, ‘De variis literarvm figuris sev notvlis’ / ‘On Various Forms and Pointings of Letters, ‘ from Compendiaria isagoge in linguam hebræam / A Brief Introduction to the Hebrew Language (1543) Paulus Fagius, ‘Svccincta ratio legendi hebræo-germanica’ / ‘A Concise Method for Reading Hebrew-German, ‘ from Prima qvatvor capita Geneseos / The First Four Chapters of Genesis (1543) Paul Helicz, Elemental / oder lesebüchlen / Primer, or Reader (Hundesfeld 1543) Michael Adam, ‘How to Read and Write Yiddish, ‘ / Yosifo (1546) Elias Schadäus, ‘Ein gewisser Bericht von der Teutsch Hebreischen Schrifft deren ich die Juden gebrauchen’ / ‘A Reliable/Certain Report on the Germano-Hebrew Script, ‘ from Mysterium (1592) Thomas Blebelius, ‘Isagoge brevissima exhibens rationem legendi et scribendi Hebræo-germanicum’ / ‘Very Brief Introduction Expounding the Principles of Reading and Writing Hebrew-German’, from Compendium Hebrææ Lingvæ / Precis of the Hebrew Language (1594) Johannes Meelführer, ‘De Scriptura Judæorum’ / ‘On the Script of the Jews, ‘ from Grammaticæ Hebrææ compendiosa institutio / Brief Principles of Hebrew Grammar (1607) Johann Buxtorf, ‘Lectionis Hebræo-Germanicæ Uus et exercitatio’ / ‘The Practice and Exercise of Reading Hebrew-German, ‘ from Thesaurus Grammaticus Linguæ Sanctæ Hebrææ / Grammar of the Holy Hebrew Tongue (1609) Andreas Sennert, ‘De scriptura ebræo-germanica’ / ‘On Hebrew-German Script, ‘ from Rabbinismus hoc est praecepta Targumico-talmudico-rabbinica …, in Ebraismus, Chaldaismus, Syriasmus, Arabismus … / Rabbinism, that is, the Targumic-Talmudic-Rabbinical Principles (1666) August Pfeiffer, ‘De lectione ebræo-germanica’ / ‘On Reading Hebrew-German’, from Critica Sacra / Biblical Textual Criticism (1680) C[aspar] Kümmet, ‘De Lectione Hebræo-Germanica” / ‘On Reading Hebrew-German, ‘ from Schola Hebraica / Hebrew School (1688) Henricus [Heinrich] Ammersbach, ‘Anweiung / Wie man die Rabbinichen Teutchen Bücher und Brieffe … leen und vertehen oll’ / ‘Instruction in How to Read and Understand … Rabbinical Books and Letters’, from Neues ABC Buch / New ABC Book (1689) Johann Christof Wagenseil, ‘Bericht wie das Jüdisch-Teutsche zu lesen’ / ‘Report on How to Read Jewish-German, ‘ from Belehrung der Jüdisch-Teutschen Red- und Schreib-Art / Manual of the Jewish-German Manner of Speaking and Writing (1699) Franz [Franciscus] Haselbauer, ‘Appendix de idiotismo germanico judæorum’/ ‘Appendix on the Germanic Vernacular of the Jews, ‘ from Fundamenta grammatica / Grammatica Foundation (1742) Bibliography

About the author

JEROLD C. FRAKES is Professor of German and Comparative Literature and part of the Associate Faculty in Classics at the University of Southern California, USA. He has authored three books:
The Fate of Fortune in the Early Middle Ages: The Boethian Tradition, The Politics of Interpretation: Alterity and Ideology in Old Yiddish Studies, and most recently,
Brides and Doom: Gender, Property and Power in Medieval German Women’s Epic. He is the editor of the anthology
Early Yiddish Texts, 1100-1750.