1630 – Commentary on Middot | First Edition on the Temple from Babylonian Talmud

Talmudis Babylonici Codex Middoth by Constantijn l’Empereur is a 1630 first edition of the Mishnah tractate Middot. l’Empereur, a prominent Orientalist and professor of Semitic languages at Leiden University, published this extensive commentary on the measurements and architectural designs of the ancient Jerusalem Temple as it was described in the Babylonian Talmud. While most of the work is Latin commentary, it does feature the original Hebrew text in parallel columns to the Latin translation.

This first edition was published by the Elzevier house in Leiden and is beautifully bound in original 17^th-century leather.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Talmudis Babylonici Codex Middoth, sive de mensuris templi una cum versione Latina
• Author(s): Constantijn l’Empereur
• Publisher: Ex officinâ Bonaventuræ & Abrahami Elzevir, Lugduni Batavorum [Leiden]
• Edition: First Elzevir Edition, 1630.
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  7.75 in x 6.25 in (19.7 cm x 15.9 cm)
• Collation: [40], 194, [14] pp
• Illustrations:
• Contents Include:
  • Tractate Middot in Hebrew with Latin translation
  • Preface and Latin commentary by Constantijn l’Empereur

Condition:

Good. Bound in full leather with a tight, secure binding. Pages show noticeable age staining throughout. Preliminary leaves exhibit marginal loss, though the text remains entirely intact. No restorations noted.

Why Collect This?

• Early Latin-Hebrew edition of a core Mishnah tractate
• Printed by the esteemed Elzevir press in Leiden
• Valuable for collectors of Judaica, Talmudic texts, and Elzevir imprints

Item Number: #29603