Bidspirit auction | LEVITA, ELIYAHU BACHUR. Sepher Tuv

LEVITA, ELIYAHU BACHUR. Sepher Tuv Ta’am [on cantillation points and grammatical accents]. FIRST EDITION. pp. 35. Stained, final leaf shorter, opening two and closing two leaves with blank portions removed. Modern boards. Sm. 4to. Vinograd, Venice 155; Stefansky, Sifrei Yesod 521. Venice, Daniel Bomberg, 1538. Levita here puts forth the theory that the Torah’s cantillation points ('trop') were not Sinaitic but rather of post-Talmudic origin. This novel idea, which contradicted that stated in the Talmud (see TB Nedarim 37b and commentaries) became the subject of much controversy.