Note 33 — III. FOLKLORE
Reading edition
The older literature of that class is briefly discussed by Steinschneider in his articles in the Serapeum under the following numbers (for the years 1848, 1849, 1864, 1866, 1869): 392, Kalilah we-Dimnah; 393, Barlaam and Josaphat; 59, 399, Diocletianus; 266 b, Octavianus; 22, Bevys of Hamptoun; 51, Ritter Sigmund und Magdalena; 266, König Artus; 13, Eldad ha-Dani; 156-198, 410-413, 420, various stories; 212, 213, fables (Kuhbuch); 167, Maase Nissim; 156-158, Maasebuch. But the latter has been superseded by his Jüdisch-deutsche Litteratur und Jüdisch-deutsch, mit besonderer Rücksicht auf Avé-Lallemant; 2. Artikel: Das Maase-Buch, Serapeum, Vol. XXVII. (1866), No. 1. This Maasebuch is extremely rare now, but in its day it was enormously popular, having been used for regular religious readings on the Sabbath. Wagenseil and Buxtorf mention this fact, while Helwich thought it of sufficient importance to translate the book into German and supply it with critical notes. Helwich's book seems to have escaped the attention of all who have dealt on the Maasebuch, Steinschneider included; and yet without it a study of the Jewish folklore is very difficult, as the Maasebuch can hardly be procured. The title of the book is: Erster Theil jüdischer Historien oder Thalmudischer Rabbinischer wunderlicher Legenden, so von Juden als wahrhafftige und heylige Geschicht an ihren Sabbathen und Festtagen gelesen werden. Darausz dieses verstockten Volcks Aberglauben und Fabelwerck zu ersehen. Ausz ihren eigenen Büchern in Truck Teutsch verfertigt, von neuem übersehen und corrigiert durch Christophorum Helvicum, der H. Schrift und Hebräischen Sprach Professorem in der Universitet zu Giessen, Giessen, bey Caspar Chemlein, Im Jahre 1612, 16mo, 222 pp. Second part with slightly different title. After gelesen werden follows: Sampt beygefügten Glossen und Widerlegung, 16mo, 207 pp. See also Is. Lévi, Cinq contes juifs, in Mélusine, Vol. II. col. 569-574. On the König Artus, cf. Schröder, Mitteilungen über ein deutsches Wigaloisepos aus dem 17. Jahrhunderte, M. Hanau B. V. Hess. G. Some of these stories are discussed in Jacobs's Jewish Diffusion of Folk Tales (as above).