Vlaamse Werkgroep Boekgeschiedenis kicking off lecture series at Antwerp (29 April 2009)

Vlaamse Werkgroep Boekgeschiedenis, the society uniting every person who takes a keen interest in rare books and manuscript research in the Dutch-speaking part of this country, is premiering a new international lecture series at Antwerp, in collaboration with the UA, University of Antwerp, and the EHC, Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience.

Venue is the historical Nottebohmzaal of the Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience (formerly Stadsbibliotheek), on Wednesdays, at 5 p.m.

The idea is to invite researchers from abroad who are in this country for research to deliver a talk about their current projects. Kicking off today, Wednesday 29 April 2009, is Professor Paul Dyck of Canadian Mennonite University, with "Picturing the World: Antwerp Biblical Illustrations at Little Gidding."

Professor Dyck will explain how a family from Little Gidding near Cambridge devised a cut and paste method to combine Prostestant New Testament text to Catholic imagery, largely biblical illustrations originating from Antwerp, resulting in 17th century illustrated Bibles.

Details: Wednesday 29 April 2009 from 5-6.30 p.m. Nottebohmzaal, Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience, Hendrik Conscienceplein 4, 2000 Antwerpen. Free access.

The next lecture, to be announced, will be held on 24 June 2009, same venue, same time, by Marie-Claude Felton (EHESS Paris - UQÀM, Montreal).

Erasmus's Social Network: Talk at Erasmus House (30 April 2009)

2.0., Netlog, Facebook: sometimes one wonders how Vives and Erasmus would have dealt with these means of social networking. It's all the more exciting however to learn how a researcher today succeeds in unearthing the intellectual network of a humanist who lived 500 years ago.

Tomorrow, 30 April 2009 at 7.30 p.m., Franz Bierlaire, professor at ULg, University of Liège, and at the ULB , University of Brussels, delivers a talk, in French, at the Erasmus House at Brussels entitled "Le carnet d'adresses d'Erasme" or "Erasmus's address book".

Primary source is Erasmus's correspondence. Bierlaire will show to what extent the humanist's network helped to shape his writings.

Venue: Rue du Chapitre 31 Kapittelstraat 31, 1070 Brussels (Anderlecht). Metro: Saint-Guidon/Sint-Guido.

Sprak God Hebreeuws? Did God Speak Hebrew?

The Plantin-Moretus Museum is currently enjoying the presence on its premises of Dutch Professor Albert van der Heide, as visiting curator of the upcoming exhibition Hebraica veritas. Sprak God Hebreeuws? The exhibition opens Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 7.30 pm at the museum.

Albert van der Heide is professor at the University of Amsterdam, where he studied theology and Semitic languages. On February 2, 2008, he gave a talk at the yearly meeting of the Vereniging van Antwerpse Bibliofielen (Antwerp Bibliophile Society), entitled Hebraica Veritas. Christopher Plantin and the Hebrew Language. Those present got a preview of this exhibition.

Christopher Plantin's preoccupation with Hebrew, mostly Bible edition, is part of Christian Hebraic Studies, or the effort on part of Christian humanists -as well as Jewish converts to Christianism, who were few- to acquire and transmit knowledge about the Hebrew language.

With regard to Hebrew as well as in other matters, humanists wanted to go ad fontes. As Christians, they were interested in the most truthful version of Hebrew for the purpose of Bible edition. But how many were fully aware of the ramifications of rabbinic texts: the knack of producing commentary upon commentary for the sake of adding truth to truth?

Printers like Plantin had to deal with different notational systems for Hebrew, if they knew about them. Jews were still not exempt of persecution, and not likely to openly transmit their different traditions. And the Church had been known for extreme wariness of translations of the Bible.

In short, Christian Hebraic scholars found themselves having to make choices. The quest for God's truth was neither easy, nor unpolitical.