Corpus Glossariorum Biblicorum Hebraico-Gallicorum Medii Aevi, Part II: Le Glossaire de Leipzig, Introduction

The Leipzig Glossary, composed toward the end of the thirteenth century in the Norman capital of Rouen, is a complete glossary of the entire Hebrew Bible, accompanied by translations of the words of the biblical text into Old French and by numerous rabbinic interpretations. When the Jews were expelled from France in the early fourteenth century, the book was carried to the German-speaking region of southern Alsace, and translations into Middle High German were added in the margins. The parallel appearance of Hebrew, Old French and Middle High German equivalents, the latter two given both in the original vocalized Hebrew characters and in Latin transliteration, makes this text of incomparable importance to linguists of Old French, Yiddish, and early modern Hebrew alike.