In medieval Spain, Jewish intellectuals played a central role in the translation, interpretation, and circulation of Biblical texts, providing their (often Christian) patrons with elegantly rendered versions of Old Testament texts in Spanish. After the expulsions and mass conversions of the late fifteenth century, however, this work was radically transformed. Now, Jewish writers in diaspora were translating the Bible into the vernacular of their former persecutors—and for an audience that had lost its connection to Hebrew but remained deeply attached to Jewish tradition. The class will trace this historical shift by centering a passage from the Ferrara Bible—an iconic Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) translation of the Hebrew Bible, produced by Sephardic Jews in sixteenth-century Ferrara, Italy. We will explore the linguistic, cultural, and political implications of this translation, asking what it meant to translate holy texts while in diaspora.

No knowledge of Hebrew, Ladino, or Spanish is required; all materials will be accompanied by translations. Students interested in Biblical studies, translation, exilic literature, and Sephardic culture are especially encouraged to attend.

Adam Mahler is a doctoral candidate in Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard, where he founded the Ladino language program. He is currently a lecturer on Judeo-Spanish at Harvard.