Hebrew Manuscripts : Hebrew Bible

Hebrew Manuscripts

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Illuminated Hebrew Bible (Pentateuch and Hagiographa) with full Tiberian vocalisation and cantillation (gaʿya is rare; rafe occurs over quiescent he and alef), masora parva and magna (often in the form of micrographic geometric designs, flora and even fauna). The stars of David (which occur occasionally at the end of books, for instance, at the end of Leviticus, f. <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(182);return false;'>89v</a>), seder and paraša markers in the Pentateuch are all gilded or rubricated. Other rubrics (e.g. the rubric noting the middle of a biblical book) are also treated decoratively (e.g., the micrographic lion at the end of the book of Daniel, f. <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(634);return false;'>315v</a>).<br /><br /> The word in the text to which masoretic notes refer is marked with two tiny supralinear dots, side by side. Omissions from the text are given by the naqdan (presumably) in the margin, using larger letters than the masora and marking them with a supralinear dot, for example לשרת at Exodus 39:26, f. <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(136);return false;'>66v</a>. Crude taggim (‘crowns’) have been added to a number of letters in Genesis 1, including בראשית. These are probably not the work of the original scribe or naqdan. The pentateuchal text and non-poetic hagiographa are written throughout in 2 columns, with the exception of the poetical parts of the Torah, which are written either text over space (The Song of the Sea, Exodus 15:1-18, ff. <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(97);return false;'>47r-v</a>) or space over space (The Song of Moses, Deuteronomy 32:1-43, ff. <a href='' onclick='store.loadPage(290);return false;'>143v-144v</a>).<br /><br />Schiller-Szinessy (vol. i p. 24) writes: ‘The text is a model of beauty and correctness and in strict accordance with the מסרת.’ </p>