Moses Arragel de Guadalajara (d. 1493)
Alba Bible
Maqueda, Spain, 1422-1430
In 1422 the senior Churchman Don Luis de Guzmàn asked Rabbi Moses Arragel to translate the hebrew Bible into Castilian and present the Jewish understanding of the Bible, hoping to promote in Christians the religious tolerance of Jews. At first Arragel refused (as described in the opening folios of the volume), yet eventually he agreed. The translation introduces ideas from the Talmud, the Midrash and the Zohar, reflected also in its spectacular illustrations. The first facsimile edition of the translation was given in 1992 to Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, in a historical event that saw the public retraction of the 500-year-old order that signaled the expulsion of Jews from Spain, and their official welcoming back to the country.
Original at the Liria Palace, Madrid, Spain
