The manuscript as a medium. A critical look at the circulation of the Sefer Ḥizzuq Emunah by Isaac ben Abraham Troki (c. 1533-1594)

This paper looks at how the manuscript form of the Jewish anti-Christian polemical text Sefer Hizzuq Emunah (Strengthening of the Faith) was circulated and received. The text was written in the late sixteenth century by Karaite scholar Isaac ben Abraham Troki (c.1533-1594) and it contains powerful attacks to Christianity, to the Gospels and an interesting critical representation of Jesus of Nazareth. The importance of this text is also due to the exceptional attention that has been given to it by some European intellectuals, among whom H.S. Reimarus (1694-1768), recognized as the pioneer of the Quest of the Historical Jesus. In these pages, the focus is on the presence of the text in the “Ets Haim” library in Amsterdam, which preserves a rich documentation of copies and translations of the Sefer Hizzuq Emunah. These translations seemingly represented an excellent opportunity for non-Jewish readers to approach this polemical work.