Immanuel Benveniste Explained

Immanuel Benveniste (also Manuel Benveniste)^[1] (1608 in Venice – c. 1660 in Amsterdam) was an Italian Jewish printer in Amsterdam who printed many Hebrew works including an edition of the Talmud from 1644-48.^{[2] [3] [4]} He was one of a number of notable Portuguese Jewish printers at Amsterdam in the seventeenth century, including Manasseh ben Israel, David de Castro Tartas, and Joseph and Immanuel Athias.^{[5] [6]} Benveniste also published the sermons of Saul Levi Morteira in 1652.^[7]

Benveniste’s printer’s device (which may have been the family escutcheon) showed an upright lion facing a tower with a star above. Apparently, later printers often “borrowed” this mark for various reasons. The first to do so were Ben Judah ben Mordecai of Posen and Samuel ben Moses ha-Levi, Ashkenazic printers who had previously worked for Benveniste. In their case, Benveniste presumably allowed them to use the mark, perhaps as a show of support for his former employees.^[8]

Notes and References

1. http://lccn.loc.gov/nr2004026706 Library of Congress Authorities
2. Encyclopaedia Judaica 3 Fred Skolnik, Michael Berenbaum - 2007 "1660), Hebrew printer in Amsterdam. Benveniste's name appears in an entry in the Puiboken of that city, dated Feb. 10, 1640: "Immanuel Benveniste of Venice, 32 years old, parents still living."
3. Marvin J. Heller Printing the Talmud Page 67 1999 "The printer's mark on the title page of Shevut Ya'akov is a copy of Immanuel Benveniste's device.2 In 1710, the press issued"
4. Marvin J. Heller, "The Printer's Mark of Immanuel Benveniste and its Later Influence," Studies in Bibliography and Booklore 19, 1994
5. Martin F. J. Baasten, Reinier Munk Studies in Hebrew language and Jewish culture Page 61 2007 "About the Jewish printers of the seventeenth century at Amsterdam (like Manasseh ben Israel, Immanuel Benveniste, David de Castro Tartas, Joseph and Immanuel Athias) a lot of research has been done, but about the Jewish printers of the ...
6. Yosef Kaplan, Richard Henry Popkin, Henry Méchoulan Menasseh Ben Israel and his world Page 2 1989 "The first two volumes, published in 1984-1987, contain, among other things, valuable descriptions of the books published in Portuguese Jewish printing houses such as those of Menasseh ben Israel, Daniel de Fonseca, Immanuel Benveniste, ...
7. Exile in Amsterdam: Saul Levi Morteira's sermons to a congregation Page 542 ed. Marc Saperstein 2005 "The two works were published together by the press of Immanuel Benveniste at Amsterdam. The year of publication on the title page is 5413 (1652-1653), some time within two to fourteen months after the author's death."
8. http://omeka.wustl.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/brisman/printinginamsterdam/item/7013 Manuel Benveniste