Israeli Museum Unveils a Hebrew Renaissance

Photo:Wikipedia Commons

After a year of preparation and hard work, restorations have finally been completed on a 15th-century Hebrew manuscript created in Renaissance Italy. A copy of the Mishneh Torah written in the late 1100′s by Maimonides, the manuscript is a Medieval-era document that details religious law and customs. While the Mishneh Torah is usually presented in 14 chapters, the manuscript in Jerusalem is but one half of the puzzle, with the rest of the manuscript in the Vatican Library since the 19th century.

While most Italian Renaissance works of art are based on Christian or Greco-Roman mythology, this manuscript stands out for another important reason. At the time of its creation, the world was about to enter a very new era. The advent of the printing press would change the art of bookmaking forever, making this manuscript one of the last of a dying breed in Europe.

The exquisite specimen will go on display at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem this July.

To see pictures of the manuscript in all its colorful, gold leaf glory, click here.

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