A Scholarly Edition of Andres de Li's Thesoro de la Passion (1494)

A Scholarly Edition of Andres de Li's Thesoro de la passion (1494) is the first new edition of this early Castilian Passion text in five hundred years. Originally published in 1494 by the prolific Zaragozan printer Pablo Hurus, this beautifully illustrated devotional offers the modern reader a glimpse into the complex social world of late fifteenth-century Spain. Li's converso identity permeates his retelling of the Passion through expositions on hypocrisy, anti-Semitism, and false faith. This new, modernized edition of the Thesoro de la passion dramatically illustrates the unique confluence of social, religious, and cultural forces present during the emergence of Spain's national identity via analyses of the Thesoro's Classical, Castilian, and Catalan sources, its importance as an early printed book, Li's portrayal of the Virgin Mary, Christ, and the Passion events, and the importance of Li's converso perspectives throughout the work.

Review:

...This chapter concludes Delbrugge's very informative, well-written, and focused introductory study... Her edition preserves most of the characteristics of the original; she has only added capitalization and punctuation when needed, and expanded abbreviations, but, for instance, she has not added accents. She has glossed it with helpful notes that guide the reader though the text, which is itself provided only in Castilian...In conclusion, Delbrugge's contribution is most welcome and relevant. Devotional literature was very important in the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, but very few works are available as scholarly editions--most have not even been published since the sixteenth century. This work is not only going to expand the body of Castilian religious texts available for specialists working on Iberian Studies, but also for those scholars working on religious literature and conversion--if, of course, they have the skills to read a text in fifteenth-century Spanish. Nuria Silleras-Fernandez, The Medieval Review, 12.06.32