1641 Rare Vellum Book - De Republica Ebraeorum, Ancient Israel by B.C. Bertramus

Author: Bonaventura Cornelius Bertramus.
Title: De Republica Ebraeorum, recensitus commentarioque illustratus.
Publisher: Lugduni Batavorum (Leiden): Ex Officina Ioannis Maire, 1641.
Language: Text in Latin with Hebrew.
Size: 4.5 x 2.5 inches. 
Pages: 452 pages + Index.
Binding: Attractive and very good, lovely and well-preserved contemporary full limp vellum binding with yapp edges, decorative blind-stamped central medallion on both covers, and original two brass clasps — fully functional (a rare survival). (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. Overall a charmingly intact 17th-century binding, supple and authentic, retaining excellent structural integrity.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, early ink initials on front blank page - as shown). Textblock clean, crisp, and nicely printed in a strong Roman type with Hebrew words and expressions interspersed.

Estimate: (USD 400–600)

The book: A rare and appealing 1641 Leiden edition of De Republica Ebraeorum, Bertramus’s influential treatise on the structure, governance, and legal customs of ancient Israel and Judaic civil and ecclesiastical polity. First printed in 1574, the work became widely studied among early modern scholars of Hebraism, political theory, biblical exegesis, and comparative law.

This 1641 issue was published by the distinguished Leiden printer Ioannes Maire and features renewed commentary, expanded notes, and extensive textual citations in Hebrew — a hallmark of scholarly works aimed at the new academic centers of Reformed Europe. The presence of Hebrew references, Hebrew index entries, and detailed errata reflects the high level of academic rigor typical of Dutch Hebraist circles in the 17th century.

This compact in-12 format, elegantly bound in limp vellum with working clasps, was designed for practical scholarly use, yet remarkably few survive in such complete and functional condition. The retention of both clasps is particularly uncommon and adds significantly to the book’s desirability to collectors of Judaica, Hebraica, and early European intellectual history.

The author: Bonaventura Cornelius Bertramus (1531–1594), also known simply as Bertram, was a prominent Dutch humanist and Hebraist deeply influential in the development of early modern Jewish studies. His De Republica Ebraeorum became a foundational text in understanding ancient Hebrew political structures, combining rigorous philological work with historical interpretation. Bertramus’s scholarship shaped discussions of biblical governance, legal institutions, and the relationship between ecclesiastical and civil authority.