Syriac Gospels - Kaspar Kraft

The first printing of the Syriac New Testament appeared thanks to the patronage of Ferdinand I, to whom a long preface is dedicated to begin the book. Johann Albrecht Widmanstetter (1506-1557) and Moses of Mardin, on whose handwriting the Syriac type for the book was based, were the forces behind the work. This Syriac type was produced by Kaspar Kraft under the direction of the French Orientalist Guillaume Postel (1510-1581). This edition of the New Testament has James, 1 Peter, and 1 John, but not the other General Epistles or Revelation. Several woodcuts with Hapsburg motifs and Syriac and Latin inscriptions ornament the book, and facing the beginning of the Gospel of John is a unique woodcut of the crucifixion and the Kabbalistic Sephirot. The book had a liturgical aim, as is reflected in the table in Syriac and Latin of lectionary readings that concludes the work. (World Digital Library)