Excerpt from Pirke De Rabbi Eliezer: The Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer the Great According to the d104 of the Manuscript Belonging to Abraham Epstein of Vienna; Translated and Annotated With Introduction and Indices The book enjoyed considerable popularity in Jewish circles in former days, for there are more than two dozen editions. There is also a Latin version with an elaborate commentary by Vorstius indicating a certain interest in the book even in non-jewish circles. The first edition was printed in Constantinople in 1514, the second edition appeared in Venice, 1544, the third edition was published in Sabbioneta in 1567. Later editions of value are those of Amsterdam and Prague. The folio edition of Rabbi David Luria (vilna, 1837) is the best extant. His critical commentary is a mine of valuable information which has been constantly laid under contribution in the preparation of the notes in the present volume. The editions of Brode and Einhorn have also been consulted. The text adopted for translation is a valuable unedited ms. Belonging to Abraham Epstein of Vienna. This treasure contains not only the entire work as printed in the various editions, but a small section of the last chapter which has never been printed. Wertheimer's Botte Midrashoth, iii. Pp. 29 - 34, contains a parallel text to the last chapter, but not as complete as our ms. d104. The ms. Is probably the work of a Spanish scribe of the twelfth or thirteenth century. It was formerly the property of N. Coronel. In very many instances the text preserved in the ms. Is superior to that contained in the printed editions. The ms. Used by the editor of the editio princeps was fairly accurate, as this text is on the whole correct and consecutive. This edition was used by the editor of the beautiful second edition, in which some of the errors incidental to a first edition have been rectified. This text has been used by all subsequent editors and was adopted by Vorstius for his Latin version. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.