[Rarebooks] fa: TRANSACTIONS OF THE PARISIAN SANHEDRIM (Napoleon & the Jews) 1807

[Ardwight Chamberlain]

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Ardwight Chamberlain
L.A

Diogene Tama (F.D. Kirwan, trans.): Transactions of the Parisian  
Sanhedrim, or Acts of the Assembly of Israelitish Deputies of France  
and Italy, Convoked at Paris by an Imperial and Royal Decree, dated  
May 30, 1806. Translated from the Original published by M. Diogene   
Tama, with a Preface and Illustrative Notes by F.D. Kirwan. London:  
Printed by William Burton... Published by Charles Taylor, Hatton  
Street, 1807. First edition in English. Modern half calf and marbled  
boards, red morocco spine label with titles in gilt (misdated 1804);  
xvi + 334 + [2] pp.; with final leaf of publisher's adverts.
Despite being made "equal before the law" by the Revolution, French  
Jews had come under increasingly hostile attack by various factions  
throughout France. In 1806, the Emperor Napoleon convened a Special  
Assembly of Deputies "of the Hebrew persuasion" to address the  
problem. This advisory body was called the "Sanhedrin" after the great  
council which, according to Jewish Talmudic tradition, ruled ancient  
Israel. Though Napoleon was conciliatory to the gathering of rabbis  
and other notables ("My desire is to make Jews equal citizens in  
France, to have a conciliation between their religion and their  
responsibilities...and to answer all the accusations made against  
them"), the English translator is unsurprisingly cynical, writing here  
in his preface: "The ultimate views which Bonaparte may have on the  
Jewish nation are to this day involved in obscurity; while the  
supposed advantages he so pompously conferred on them may reasonably  
be called in question. This will warrant our attempting to elucidate  
them, as far as his dark purposes  can admit of investigation."

Untrimmed edges somewhat browned, offsetting and scattered foxing  
(mostly light) to the leaves, library blindstamp to the upper corner  
of the title-page and several other leaves (no other library  
markings); otherwise clean and sound in a crisp, appealing modern  
binding.