‎THOMAS A KEMPIS (& GURIEL Joseph, ed.)‎
‎Thomae a Kempis De Imitatione Christi, a Josepho Guriel Persa-Chaldaeo, Chaldaice editum [= Tuma men kempiŽs ?al dumya dmaran yesu]‎

‎Romae [Rome], Typis S. Congregationis de Propaganda Fide 1857 [576] pp. + one engraving out of text depicting a suffering Christ image, 23cm., modern blue half-cloth binding (gilt title on spine, vague trace of a removed label at lower end of spine, marbled boards with a small remnant of transparant adhesive tape), two opposite titles pages (Latin & Syriac) with similar engraved vignet, this copy was part of the collection of the leading French Syriac scholar Jean-Baptiste Chabot (1860-1948) containing his small ex-libris stamp "I.B. Chabot" on the first page, two small ex-libris stamps on the Latin title page, paper and text are exceptionnaly bright and clean, Text edition entirely in Syriac (Neo-Aramaic) language, in the bilingual preface (Latin-Syriac) Joseph Guriel dedicates this publication to the Italian Cardinal Alessandro Barnabo (1801-1874) who at that time served as the Prefect of the Congregation Propaganda Fide, the preface is preceded by a bilingual (Italian-Syriac) prayer in verse // This edition of Thomas a Kempis De Imitatione Christi is most probably the first printed translation into Syriac, based on a manuscript from the Vatican Library. Auguste De Backer S.J. mentions in his Essai bibliographique sur le livre De Imitatione Christi (1864) two earlier translations dated resp. 1705 and 1822 (ref.nos.2699 & 270) but so far none of these two references appear in any collection or database worldwide. A very scarce and typographically finely edited Syriac text edition, R120468‎

Reference : R120468

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