The lecture tells the story of two Yiddish integral Bible translations, both of which were published in Amsterdam in 1678/9 and 1679. Initially working on one translation project, the two collaborating publishers quarreled and one of them?Joseph Athias?decided to launch his own project. The ensuing competition between the two led them to produce a book in a way that would justify their own project while attempting to outdo the other. A book historical analysis of a series of texts which were added to each of the editions exposes the particular background of these Yiddish Bibles, as well as the position of Yiddish within Ashkenazi culture in the early modern period.

Shlomo Berger is a professor of Yiddish culture at the University of Amsterdam. He recently completed a book titled Producing Redemption in Amsterdam: Early Modern Yiddish Books in Paratextual Perspective, which is slated for publication within the year.