The Invention of the Printing through the Eyes of Jewish Scholars and Responsas on the Books Printed in Printing Houses

Abstract

The invention of the printing press is a very important turning point in the history of the book. The printing house has created significant changes in the Jewish world, especially in Europe. In this article, how the invention of the printing press is met by Jewish scholars will be discussed. In this context, the issues such as narratives that attribute the invention of the printing to the Jews in the Jewish religious literature, the importance attributed to the printing press by the Jews and ritual use of the books printed in printing houses will be examined. The main subject of the article is whether the religious texts printed in the printing press are ritually kosher according to Jewish religious law. During the examination of these debates, the responsas given by the Jewish scholars on the subject during the centuries when the printing house was invented and the next centuries are the main sources of our research. In this way, readers will have seen, via first-hand sources, the content of responsas in that period and the extent of the debate among the Jews.