Poesiat & Schrijver_Two medieval Hebrew manuscripts Deventer_1993

Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer 'Stads-of Athenaeumbibliotheek'Author(s): Lies Kruijer-Poesiat and Emile G. L. SchrijverSource: Studia Rosenthaliana, Vol. 27, No. 1/2 (1993), pp. 101-135Published by: Peeters PublishersStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41481942 .

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer

'Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek

• Lies Kruijer-Poesiat & Emile G. L. Schrijver

In the Netherlands Hebrew manuscripts are housed not only in the widely known collections of the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana and Leiden University Library, but also in libraries not especially known for their Hebrew holdings.1 One of these libraries is the 'Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek' in Deventer, in the province of Overijssel. It possesses two biblical manuscripts, one containing the larger part of the text of the Pentateuch, Targum Onqelos , the Five Scrolls and the Haftarot , with interesting micrographie decoration (74 A 4), the other containing the larger part of the text of the Latter Prophets, with Rashi's commentary added in the margins later (74 A 5).

The acquisition of the two manuscripts was described by A. C. F. Koch in 1985.2 The Westphalian rector magnificus of the Deventer Athenaeum Illustre, Antonius Perizonius3, had approached the city counsel, because he wanted to acquire books from the collection of Isaac Vossius, former librarian of Queen Christina of Swe- den4, on an auction held in Leiden in November 1666. In the accompanying auction catalogue, entitled Catalogus librorum illustrium , quorum audio habebitur Lugduni in Batavis in œdibus Petri Leffen sub signo Phœnicis. Ultimo Novembris Anni 1666 ,

* We are grateful to Dr. J. C. Bedaux, Director of the Stads- of Atheneumbibliotheek, Deventer, Ms. Ina Kok, Curator of the Rare Book Department of the Library and Mr. Frank van Wijk, also of the Rare Book Department, for their very kind help extended to us during our visits to the library and for their permission to study the manuscripts in the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana. All photographs were made by Iman Heystek of the Photographic Department of the Amsterdam University Library and appear courtesy of the Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek, Deventer. 1 See e.g.: S. R. de Melker, et al., eds., The Image of the Word. Jewish Tradition in Manuscripts and Printed Books [...] (Amsterdam & Leuven 1990). A. C. F. Koch, 'De collecties van de Athenaeumbibliotheek in historisch perspectief , in: J. C. Bedaux et al., eds., Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek Deventer 1560-1985 (Deventer 1985) p. 30-95: 60-61, 92. The information provided in: S. R. de Melker, 'Hebraica in Dutch Public Libraries', in: S. R. de Melker et al ., eds., op. cit. (п. 1), p. 33-42: 37 is based largely on the information provided there, as is the information provided here. A. J. van der Aa, Biographisch Woordenboek der Nederlanden [...] 15 (Haarlem 1872) p. 180-181; P. C. Molhuysen et al. , eds., Nieuw Nederlands Biografisch Woordenboek 5 (Leiden 1921) p. 466. 4 A. C. F. Koch assumed that the manuscript even may have belonged to Christina of Sweden s collection; A. C. F. Koch, art. cit. (п. 2) p. 60.

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Lies Kruijer-Poesiat & Emile G. L Schrijver

1. A. F. Ruckersfelder, Sylloge . . titlepage.

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer * Stads - of Athenaeumbibliotheek '

2. A. F. Ruckersfelder, Sylloge . . p. 209.

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Lies Kruijer-Poesiat & Emile G. L. Schrijver

hora nona matutina (Leiden: Petrus Leffen, 1666)5, the two manuscripts were listed on p. 1 as:

1. Bibliorum Hebraicorum partes duae continentes libros historíeos & propheticos, scriptae manu antiquissima, in quibus puncta & accentas recentiori manu adscripti sunt. In pergamena.

On 15 November Perizonius was given permission to buy at the auction and bought the two manuscripts for 125 Carolus guilders. His statement of expenses was accep- ted on 21 January 166 7.6

The two manuscripts are not very well known in the scholarly world. Probably their first mention can be found in the well-known itinerary of the Frankfurt burgomaster Zacharias Conrad von Uffenbach, published in 1753. Very much to his re- gret, however, Von Uffenbach did not have enough time to see the manuscripts.7 In nineteenth-century bibliographical literature only a single reference to the manuscript of the Prophets could be found, namely in Moritz Steinschneider^ renowned lectures on Hebrew manuscripts.8 There Steinschneider mentioned a study by A.F. Ruckersfelder9, entitled Sylloge commentationum & ohservationum philologico exe- geticarum et criticarum. Fasciculus prior (Deventer 1762; ill. 1), a copy of which is preserved in the Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek in Deventer (shelfmark: DM 397). 10 The second part of Ruckersfelder's work (ill. 2) deals extensively with variant

5 Also see: F.L. Hofmann, "Über einen merkwürdigen Auctionskatalog vom Jahre 1666', Serapeum. Zeitschrift für Bibliothekswissenschaft , Handschriftenkunde und ältere Litteratur 9 (1848) p. 161-162, who also transcribed the titlepage. Hofmann used a copy in the City Library in Hamburg. We know of copies in the Herzog Augustbibliothek in Wolfenbüttel (of which we used a microfiche; shelfmark: BE Kapsel 1:14) and in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris. It should be noted, by the way, that Isaac Vossius's name is not mentioned explicitly in the catalogue. Deventer, Municipal Archives, Res. 15.11.1666 and Res. 21.1 1667; based on: A. C. F. Koch, art. cit. (n. 2) p. 92, n. 53, 58. Z.C. von Uffenbach, Merkwürdige Reisen durch Nierdersachsen Holland und Engelland (Leipzig etc.: s.n., 1753-1754) 3 vols., vol. 2, fol. 2A7v, p. 382; also see: J. C. Bedaux, 425 jaar Stadsbibliotheek Deventer', in: J. C. Bedaux et al., eds., op. cit. (n. 2) p. 8-29: 14-15. M. Steinschneider, Vorlesungen über die Kunde hebräischer Handschriften. Deren Sammlungen und Verzeichnisse (Leipzig 1897) p. 7. 9 Abramus Fredericus Rückersfelder, born in Frankfurt am Main on 19 September 1727, was Professor of Theology and Oriental Languages at the Athenaeum Illustre of Deventer on 20 December 1753, a position which he held until 1787; a short biographical sketch may be found in: C.F. van Eck & P. Bosscha, Het tweede eeuwfeest van het Athenaeum Illustre te Deventer op den 16 February MDCCCXXX plegtig gevierd (Deventer 1830) p. 112-114, where the manuscript is mentioned as well. A further reference to both manuscripts may be found in: Hedendaagsche historie of tegenwoordige staat van alle Volkeren , beheizende de beschryving der Vereenigde Nederlanden , en wel in 't byzonder van Overyssel (Amsterdam etc. 1801) p. 219; there the following text can be read: 'Onder anderen berust er een Hebreeuwsch Handschrift van de Propheten, welks Varianten de Hoogleraar Abraham Fredrik Ruckersfelder in 4 jaar 1762, heeft in 't licht gegeven, en nog een soortgelijk van de vyf Boeken van Moses, waar van wij niet weten nog gebruik gemaakt te zijn.' (Among other things there reposes a Hebrew manuscript of the Prophets, the variants of which were brought to light by Abraham Fredrik Ruckersfelder in the year 1762, besides a similar one of the five Books of Moses, which, as far as we know, has not been used vet.) 10 The information provided in The National Union Catalog. Pre- 19 5 6 Imprints 509 (London 1977) p. 92 is confusing. Reference is made there to a Deventer 1742 edition in the library of the New Brunswick Theological Seminary (Ruckersfelder was born on 19 September 1727) and to a 1762 Utrecht edition in the Andover-Harvard Theological Library, the existence of which is also unknown to us.

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer * Stads - of Athenaeumbibliotheek'

readings found in this manuscript.11 The discussion of these is preceded by an introduction, which is well worth reading, as, in spite of his obvious inexperience with the study of medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the author makes some clever observa- tions. Especially striking is his interest in what would nowadays be called Hebrew codicology. He counts the number of lines per page and the number of characters per line (fol. 02r, p. 211), and notices that different inks were used for the conso- nant text and for the vocalization (fol. 02v, p. 212). From this he draws the correct conclusion, for which he provides other arguments too, that more than one person was involved in the production of the manuscript. Certain scribal practices, such as line filling techniques, are also described in detail (fol. 03rv, p. 213-214); he noticed, for example, that the scribe usually paid less attention to the execution of anticipated letters at the end of a line and he described the shape of the scribe's favorite graphic filler as resembling a Samaritan qof Occasionally his remarks do not make sense, however. In one instance, for example, he wondered whether the sof pasuq was not added by the original scribe, but rather by the vocalizer, since also there the color of the ink seemed to differ (fol. 03r-04v, p. 214-215). There is no reason whatsoever to assume that that happened.12

The manuscripts were further described in some detail in the 1892 catalogue of the manuscripts of the Deventer library13, they were listed by N. Allony and E. F.

Kupfer in 196414, while in 1968 the Dutch biblical scholar P. A. H. de Boer was the first to provide scholarly descriptions of the still relatively unknown manuscripts.15 His descriptions, however, are part of a mere survey of Hebrew biblical manuscripts and can therefore only serve as a first introduction. In the The Image of the Word exhibition the two manuscripts were, since long, shown to a large audience and

briefly described in the accompanying catalogue.16 Here for the first time detailed

descriptions (and photographs) will be provided of the codicology and the decoration of the manuscripts. Hopefully these will help to make known to a wider public the importance of these two impressive medieval handwritten Hebrew books.

11 Half-title: II. Descriptio codicis m.s. hebraici in Bibliotheca Publica, III. Gymnasii Daventriensisy Prophetas continentis: cum indice omnium , in eo, variarum lectio num, fols. N8-2H4, p. 207-383. 12 The manuscript is also listed by Benjamin Kennicott, who obviously based himself on A. F. Ruckersfelder: 'Codex. 159. Daventr. folio majori, biblioth. Pub. - Prophet, poster. Abest Jeremias, I saue olim praefixus; et I sai. usque ad 37,21; deficit quoque codex a Zac. 1,12 ad Mal. finem. Vox prima Ezech. et Hoseœ est literis maximis. Forte scriptus fuit codex exeunte seculo 14. Vid. Sylloge Cl. Prof. Ruckersfelder, Ultraj. [!; see note 10] 8°. 1762.' See: B. Kennicott, Dissertatio generalis in Vetus Testamentům hebraicum; cum variis lectionibus, ex codicibus manuscriptis et impressis (Oxford: Clarendon, 1780) fol. X2r, p. 84, published together with: B. Kennicott, ed., Vetus Testamentům hebraicum , cum variis lectionibus (Oxford: Clarendon, 1776-1780) 2 vols. [J.C. van Slee], Catalogus der handschriften berustende op de Athenaeum-Bibliotheek te Deventer (Deventer 1892) Nos. III, 1 (6143) and III, 2 (6144), p. 75; these catalogue numbers occasionally appear as shelf marks. N. Allony & E.[F.] Kupfer, eds., List of Photocopies m the Institute [of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts]. 2: Hebrew Manuscripts in the Libraries of Belgium , Denmark , the Netherlands , Spain and Switzerland (Jerusalem 1964) p. 79, Nos. 885, 886. P. A. H. de Boer, 'Hebrew Biblical Manuscripts in the Netherlands , in: M. Black et al., eds, In Memoriam Paul Kahle (Berlin 1968) p. 44-52: 44-45, Nos. 1, 2. [Saskia R. de Melker & Emile G.L. Schnjver], Catalogue , in: De Melker, op. at. (n. 1), p. 45-79: No. 1, p. 45 & No. 14, p. 50.

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Deventer, Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek, 74 A 4

Contents Fols. lr-23r: Genesis 35:11 - end (with Targum Onqelos in alternating verses)

incipit: bxnw I maw mpi yiw I w vp I py Tiy "| ш nprn Fols. 23r-76r: Exodus (with Targum Onqelos in alternating verses; ill. 7) Fols. 77r-114r: Leviticus (with Targum Onqelos in alternating verses; ill. 9) Fols. 114v-165r: Numbers (with Targum Onqelos in alternating verses; ill. 10) Fols. 165v-212v: Deuteronomy (with Targum Onqelos in alternating verses; ill. 12) Fols. 213r-215r: Song of Songs (ill. 13) Fols. 215r-217r: Ruth (ill. 14) Fols. 217r-221v: Ecclesiastes (ill. 15) Fols. 221v-226v: Esther (ill. 16) Fols. 226v-229r: Lamentations (ill. 17) Fols. 229r-236v: Haftarot

229r-229v : Bereshit (Is. 42:5-43:1) 229v-230r : Noach (Is. 54:1-55:5) 230r : Lekh lekha (Is. 40:27-41:16) 230r-231r : Wa-yera (2 Kings 4:1-37; vocalized until 2 Kings 4:26 only) 231r-231v : Chayye Sarah (1 Kings 1:1-31) 231v-232r : Toledot (Maleachi 1-2:7) 232r-232v : Wa-yetze (Hosea 12:13-14:10) 232v-233r : Wa-yishlach (Obadiah) 233r-233v' Wa-yeshev (Amos 2:6-3:8) 233v-234r : Mi-qetz (I Kings 3:15-4:1) 234r : Wa-yiggash (Ezekiel 37:15-28, 38:23) 234r-234v : Wa-yechi (I Kings 2:1-12) 234v-235r: Shemot (Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22, 23) 235r-235v: Wa-'era (Ezekiel 29) 235v-236r : Bo (Jeremiah 46:13-28) 236r-236v : Be-shallach (Judges 4:4-5:8; the rest is missing)

explicit : ram пкт dk I pa Dnyw nnb тк I D^unn П'л^к I nnn'

Codicology • 236 fols. There is a modern foliation in blue ink (ball point!) in the left-hand upper corner of the rectos of the leaves. This foliation is used here. Besides there are remnants of a running title in an old Ashkenazic cursive hand, also in the left-hand upper corner of the rectos, indicating the names of the different parasbiyyot . Proba- bly in Deventer the Latin names of the biblical books were added in Latin script. • Written on calf-parchment of average thickness, with equalized hair and flesh sides. In certain instances, however, it is not altogether impossible to distinguish between hair and flesh sides. Holes, the result of old stitches, worming and/or

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer 'Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek'

natural deterioration, occur on fols. 1, 2, 10-15, 19 (due to aggressive ink on the recto), 23, 25, 33, 38, 40, 42, 49, 54, 65, 68, 69, 73, 79, 80, 86, 95, 97, 100, 101, 107, 109, 113, 114, 116-119, 122, 124-128, 131, 132, 140, 143, 144, 150-153, 156, 157, 160, 165, 167, 175-177, 181, 182, 184, 191, 193, 199, 201, 207, 212, 215, 216, 223, 231. Tears occur on fols. 1 (slightly affecting the text on the recto), 13, 16, 27, 45 (corner at the bottom missing), 56, 76 (affecting the text on both recto and verso), 104, 175, 182 (part of the bottom margin missing), 199, 220, 225 (corner at the bottom mis-

sing), 229 (part of the outer margin missing). Part of the text on fol. lOOv makes a somewhat rubbed impression. For some reason the book appears to have been left

opened on these particular pages (lOOv-lOlr: Leviticus 18:25-19:20). • Text, vocalization and masorah are written in dark brown ink in varying shades. • Measurements in millimeters:

fol. 2r fol. 75v fol. 150r fol. 228v Total height 432 431 432 434

Upper margin 44 46 48 46 Text 297 297 296 297 Bottom margin 91 88 88 91 Number of lines 33 33 33 33 10 lines 90 90 90 91

Total width 319 317 315 307 Inner margin 56 56 55 54 Text 217 219 217 220 Outer margin 46 42 43 33 Columns 3 3 3 3 214 characters in 5 lines of text (fol. 2r).

• The book was trimmed considerably during a binding. On fol. 155v there is an old textual addition in a later hand written in the outer margin of the original leaf, written before the margins of the manuscript were cropped during a binding (ill. 3). It contains the Hebrew text of Num. 29: 26-28, which is missing in the main text; Targum Onqelos is not present. This piece of parchment, measuring 42 x 58 mm, still preserves the original (double) prickings of the bottom line of the biblical text and of the top line of the masorah magna, and the single pricking for the second line of the masorah magna. On the basis of this an estimate of the original width of the

manuscript would lead to at least 43 (outer margin) + 58 mm =101 mm, that is an

original total page width of at least 374 mm (55 + 218 + 43 + 58). • A regular quire consists of 4 bifolia. Collation: 1-48 58 (ill. 4) 6-268 274 28-308. • In the left-hand bottom of the last page of the different quires single catchwords were written horizontally in the same size as the text letter, against the ruled inner

marginal line. The catchwords were decorated with abstract, floral and animal

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3. 74 A 4, fol. 155v, detail.

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer 'Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotbeek'

37 36

38 35

39 34

4 0 33

4. 74 A 4, the 5th quire.

designs. Catchwords and their decoration have been preserved in full on fols. 168v, 176v, and 220v, and only in part on fols. 8v, 24v, 32v, 40v, 48v, 56v, 64 v, 72v, 80v, 88v, 96v, 104v, 112v, 120v, 128v, 136v, 144v, 152v, 160v, 184v, 192v (ill. 5), 200v, 208v, 212v, 220v and 236v. • There are 34 pricks in the inner and outer margins of the manuscript for 33 lines of biblical text. The pricks in the outer margins have been preserved in fol. 155 only. The 1st, 3rd, 17th, 19th, 32nd and 34th lines have double pricks. Furthermore there are 3 pricks for 2 lines of masorah text, the 1st and 3rd pricks of which are double, above the main text and 4 pricks for 3 lines of masorah text, the 1st and 4th being double pricks, below the main text. The pricks for vertical lines have been preserved in the top margins only, with the exception of the 28th quire (fols. 213-220), where

pricks are also preserved in the bottom margin. Apart from the single pricks for the vertical boundary lines of the three columns (60-20-60-20-60 mm.), there is one set of double pricks, for two additional vertical lines, in the center of each of the two intercolumnia, and two single pricks for two additional vertical lines in the outer margin. All pricks were made from the beginning of the folded quire. Both horizontal and vertical lines were ruled either by hard point or by plummet, on both sides of the parchment (sometimes using the ridges on the reverse, sometimes disregarding them) while all horizontal lines that are guided by double pricks are through-lines. Especially in the upper half of the page many retracings of the ruling by plummet occur. Many of these retracings, especially those of vertical lines, were done rather

carelessly. • Different layouts occur on fols. 210r-212v, no doubt in order to achieve that the book of Deuteronomy would end at the end of a quire.

109




5. 74 A 4, fol. 192v, detail.

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer ( St ads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek '

6. 74 A 4, fol. 23r, detail.

Ill




• The text is written in Ashkenazic square script. The scribe only used the alef- lamed ligature in the word Elohim. Even for an Ashkenazic square script certain descenders are exceptionally short and do in fact not really descend. • The scribe used various devices to maintain an even left-hand marginal line. He filled the line with dilated letters, or with a graphic symbol. He also wrote the first letters of the word up to the marginal line, and repeated it in full on the following line. Anticipated words sometimes end with a broken letter, of which he just wrote the first two strokes, or a graphic filler, and sometimes with a broken letter and a graphic filler. The most commonly used are alef, shin and mem. Occasionally other broken letters occur, e.g. tet on fol. 228v, col. 2, line 21. To prevent the margin from being exceeded, the scribe frequently compressed the last word or words in the line. • There is a full infra-linear vocalization, together with masorah magna and masorah parva, all added by an unknown vocalizer.

• The manuscript was bound, probably in the library, in red sheepskin with heavi- ly rubbed red marbled paper over cardboard; this type of binding is also known as a 'burgomaster's binding.' There are a paper pastedown at the front (flyleaf torn out) and a paper pastedown and one flyleaf, making up a bifolium, at the back. In the flyleaf there is a watermark of an unidentified coat of arms, topped by a French lily, and a monogram NMH. The watermark could not be identified.

Decoration Fol. 23r: Two dragons, executed in micrography, adorn the initial word of the

book of Exodus, while the text of the book of Genesis ends in a decorative shape to accomodate the end of the book (ill. 7). Within the initial word the name Eleazar bar Solomon is still visible (ill. 6), despite the fact that the original blank space was filled in by a later owner. The SFARD AT A database of the Hebrew Palaeography Project in the Jewish National and University Library in Jerusalem does not contain a reference to a scribe or an owner by this name.17

Fol. 7 6v: A full-page micrographie design, consisting of a menorah, flanked by two birds with human heads (ill. 8).

Fol. 77r: The initial word of the book of Leviticus, of which only the outlines of the letters are drawn, is topped by two animals with only one head, executed in micrography (ill. 9). Below the initial word there is a micrographie design of two dogs with intertwined tails. The whole design is framed by part of the text of the Masorah.

Fol. 1 14v: The initial word of the book of Leviticus, of which only the outlines of the letters are drawn, is surrounded by geometric designs, executed in micrography (ill. 10). Within these geometrical design two micrographie animal designs occur.

17 We are grateful to Dr. Mordecai Glatzer and Tamar Leiter of the Hebrew Palaeography Project for providing us with this information.

112




7. 74 A 4, fol. 23r.

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Lies Kmijer-Poesiat & Emile G. L. Schrijver,

8. 74 A 4, fol. 76v.

114




9. 74 A 4, fol. 77г.

115




10. 74 A 4, fol. 114v.

116




11. 74 A 4, fol. 165r.

117




12. 74 A 4, fol. 165v.

118




13. 74 A 4, fol. 213г.

119




14. 74 A 4, fol. 215r.

120




15. 74 A 4, fol. 217r.

121




16. 74 A 4, fol. 221v.

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer (Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek '

17. 74 A 4, fol. 226v.

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Fol. 165r: The end of the book of Leviticus has a different, rather creative layout, in order to fill the otherwise blank space (ill. 11).

Fol. 165 v: The initial word of Deuteronomy, of which only the outlines of the letters are drawn, is topped by a micrographie design of two winged, double-hea- ded, two-legged dragons with intertwined barbed tails (ill. 12). Below the initial word there is a micrographie design of two animals with split tails that end in a floral design. The whole design is framed by part of the text of the Masorah.

Fol. 205v: A small bird is drawn between the second and third columns. Fol. 212v: A deer is drawn next to the text, that also has a different layout to

accomodate the ending of the book of Deuteronomy. Fol. 213r: The initial word of the Song of Songs is surrounded by geometrical

designs, executed in micrography (ill. 13). Fol. 215r: The initial word of the book of Ruth, occurring in the third column of

the page, is decorated with some pen flourishes and topped by a dragon, executed in micrography. In the bottom margin there is an interesting micrographie hunting scene (ill. 14).

Fol. 216r: A small dog is drawn in the left-hand margin, indicating the middle of the book of Ruth.

Fol. 217r: The initial word of the book of Ecclesiastes, occurring in the third column of the page, is preceded by a micrographie design resembling the shape of a Magen Dawid, which incorporates the last word of the preceding book of Ruth: Dawid. In the bottom margin there is a micrographie depiction of two dogs, with both tails ending in yet another more grotesque animal design (ill. 15).

Fol. 221 v: The individual letters of the initial word of the book of Esther are surrounded by fine pen flourishes. In the bottom margin there is a micrographie design of two animals, the one on the left-hand side being of a rather grotesque nature, both depicted within a round arch (ill. 16).

Fol. 226v: The first one and a half column contain the end of the book of Esther, the text of the book of Lamentations starts off at the top of the third with an initial word in large display script, without any decoration. At the bottom of the page, there is a geometric design, executed in micrography, on which a rampant animal, filling the blank bottom half of the second column and also executed in micrography, occurs (ill. 17).

The decoration in the manuscript is typical of Ashkenazic biblical manuscripts of the second half of the thirteenth century. The micrographie designs are of high quality and are reminiscent of those occurring in various biblical manuscripts from the Franconian, Bavarian and even Swiss (i.e. Southern German) lands18, as, for example, Ms. Toronto, D. Friedberg Collection (formerly New York, General Theological Seminary), dated 126419, Ms. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, hébr. 5-6, 18 See: L. Avrin, Micrography as Art (Paris & Jerusalem 1981) Nos. 50-76.

See e.g.: Avrin, op. cit. (n. 18) Nos. 50, 54 and M. Beit-Arié, Hebrew Manuscripts of East and West. Towards a Comparative Codicology (London 1993) p. 87, Fig. 33 [The Panizzi Lectures 1992].

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer ' Stads - of Athenaeumbibliotheek '

dated 1294-9520, Ms. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, hébr. 8-10, dated 130421, Ms. Berlin, Staatsbibliothek Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Or. fol. 121 222 and Ms. Vienna, Cod. Hebr. 1623, both undated but datable to the period.

Text Medieval Hebrew biblical manuscripts combining the Hebrew and Aramaic texts

of the Pentateuch are known especially from Ashkenaz and Yemen, although exam- ples from other regions do exist. In such manuscripts the arrangement of texts found in this manuscript, with alternating Hebrew and Aramaic verses, is the most common. Interestingly enough the scribe of Ms. Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, hébr. 1-3, an Ashkenazic Bible finished in 1286, considered the copying of both the Hebrew text of the Pentateuch and of Targum Onqelos so common that in his colophon he explicitly mentioned the fact that he copied the text without the Targum.24

Concluding remarks The Ashkenazic origin of the manuscript is of course undisputed. On the basis of

the nature of the decoration it is not unlikely that it was in fact produced in the Southern German, Franconian/Bavarian region. The occurrence of both parchment with completely equalized sides and of parchment with still distinguishable sides, of both blind ruling and ruling by plummet and of prickings that were made in both inner and outer margins of the folded quire, lead to a date of production between 1260 and 1300, the period in which in Germany the old Ashkenazic parchment with easily distinguishable sides was gradually replaced by parchment with completely indistinguishable sides, a phenomenon that was accompanied by a shift of pricking and ruling techniques from blind ruling with prickings in the outer margins only, to colored ruling with prickings in both inner and outer margins.25

Deventer, Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek, 74 A 5

Contents Fols. lr-13v: Isaiah 37:21 - end (ill. 18) incipit : ... птзк го ппкЬ

20 M. Garel, D'une main forte. Manuscrits hébreux des collections françaises (Paris 1991) Nos. 87-88, p. 124-126 and the references found there. 21 Garel, op. cit. (n. 20) No. 89, p. 127 and the references found there. bee e.g.: Avnn, op. cit. (n. 18) Nos. 53, 60. A. Z. Schwarz, Die hebräischen Handschriften der Nationalbibliothek m Wien (Leipzig 1925) No. 5, p. 6-7, Pl. V; also see: Avrin, op. cit. (n. 18) Nos. 56, 75, 76. 24 M. Beit-Arié & С. Sirat, Manuscrits médiévaux en caractères hébraïques portant des indications de date jusqu'à 1540 (Paris & Jerusalem 1972) No. I, 12. 25 M. Beit-Arié, Hebrew Codicology. Tentative Typology of Technical Practices Employed in Hebrew Dated Medieval Manuscripts (Jerusalem 19812) p. 22-26, 84-85; also see, however: Beit-Arié, op. cit. (n. 19) p. 95-99.

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18. 74 A 5, fol. Ir.

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer 'Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek '

Fols. 13v-42v: Ezekiel Fols. 42v-46v: Hosea Fols. 46v-48r: Joel Fols. 48r-51r: Amos Fols. 51r-51v: Obadiah Fols. 51v-52v: Jonah Fols. 52v-54v: Micha Fols. 54v-55v: Nahum Fols. 55v-56v: Habakuk Fols. 56v-57v: Zephaniah Fols. 57v-58v: Haggai Fol. 58v: Zachariah 1:1 - 1:12 (ill. 19) explicit : лжпу п чакп ...

Codicology • 58 fols. There is a modern foliation in blue ink (ball point!) in the left-hand upper corner of the rectos of the leaves. Also in the left-hand upper corner of the leaves, there is an old Hebrew foliation, also indicating the names of the various biblical books, starting with 'its vw* (fol. Ir), restarting (almost) at the beginning of Ezekiel

(fol. 14r: к-га) and (almost) at the beginning of the Twelve Minor Prophets (fol. 43r:

к-т>; v counted twice). A later Latin hand added the names of the various biblical books, both in ink and in lead-pencil. • Written on calf -parchment of an average thickness, with equalized hair and flesh sides. On fols. 54v, 55r, 5 7v, 58r (the later addition), however, the grain is easily distinguishable. Holes, the result of old stitches, worming and natural deterioration occur in fols: 1-6, 8-10, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 31, 34, 36, 37, 40-42, 48, 49, 51-58. Tears occur in fols. 2 (corner at the bottom missing), 6, 10, 11, 18, 20, 38, 44, 46, 47, 50, 54, 56-58 (corner at the bottom missing affecting the text on the recto and verso). Fols. 10 and 11 make up a bifolium and are of much smaller size than the rest of the

manuscript. Especially the margins are soiled, as a result of which Rashi's commen-

tary that was added later can often be read only with great difficulty, if at all. • The text is written in black ink, the vocalization and the masorah parva and the addition on fols. lOrv and llrv in a darkbrown towards black ink and the commen-

tary in a different brown ink.26 The text of the commentary was often traced with black ink.

26 The mention of red ink in: De Melker & Schrijver, art. cit. (n. 16) No. 14, p. 50 is incorrect.

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19. 74 A 5, fol. 58v.

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• Measurements in millimeters:

fol. 15r fol. 30v fol. 45r Total height 521 522 523

Upper margin 91 96 100 Text 315 316 316 Bottom margin 115 110 107 Number of lines 33 33 33 10 lines 98 101 101

Total width 380 383 379 Inner margin 60 61 60 Text 230 230 230 Outer margin 90 92 89 Columns 3 3 3 196 characters in 5 lines of text (fol.27r).

• A regular quire consists of 4 bifolia. Collation: l8 28 + one bifolium after 1 3-78. • Of the catchwords of the first six quires only the decorations survive, while the one at the end of the last quire was added by the second scribe. Judging from the

position and the nature of the decoration, the original catchwords were written almost inside the fold and very close to the page border. • The manuscript was pricked to be a full biblical manuscript, that is masoretic text with masorah parva and magna (which was never added). Most pricks are preserved. There are 34 pricks in the inner and outer margins of the manuscript for 33 lines of biblical text. The 1st, 3rd, 17th, 18th, 32nd and 34th lines have double pricks. Fur- thermore there are 3 pricks for 2 lines of masorah text, the 1st and 3rd of which are

double, above the main text, and 4 pricks for 3 lines of masorah text, the 1st and 4th

being double pricks, below the main text. Apart from the single pricks for the vertical boundary lines of the three columns (60-25-60-25-60 mm), there are additional single pricks for vertical lines in the center of the two intercolumnia and two

single pricks for two additional vertical lines in the outer margin. All pricks were made from the beginning of the folded quire. The copyist of Rashi's commentary disregarded the original ruling completely and added his own ruling in ink, for which he apparently did not prick. It turned out to be very hard to establish the instrument that was used for the ruling of the main text. Most probably both blind

ruling and ruling by plummet occur (plummet seems the most frequent, fol. 14r

appears to have a blind ruling, while 14v has a ruling by plummet). The lines for the masorah magna were never ruled.

• With the exception of Rashi's commentary, which was written in an Ashkenazic semi-cursive hand, all texts (including, by the way, many initial words in the com-

mentary) were written in Ashkenazic square hands.

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20. 74 A 5, fols. 50v-51r.

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer 1 S tads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek'

21. 74 A 5, fols. 9v-10r.

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22. 74 A 5, fols. lOv-llr.

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23. 74 A 5, fols. llv-12r.

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• Four different hands can be found in this manuscript. The greater part of the biblical text was written by scribe A. The last quire of the manuscript (fols. 51-58), however, was written by a different scribe (ill. 20), as can be easily shown when comparing the two scribes' graphic fillers and other line-filling techniques. Fur- thermore the second scribe used a pointed instrument to make his prickings, while the first scribe's prickings are wedge-shaped, indicating the use of a knife-like instrument. Besides, this quire is the only one with a completely preserved catchword, while of the other scribes catchwords, usually written almost inside the fold and presumably very close to the page border, only the decorations survive (as opposed to the second scribe's which is written in a different place (ill. 19)). The text on fols. lOrv and llrv was written by yet another hand, almost certainly the vocalizer (ills. 21-23). The original scribe did not copy the text of Isaiah 59:4 correctly, while Isaiah 59:5-63:10 was not copied at all. The vocalizer therefore decided to strike out the verses from Isaiah 59:4 (fol. 9v, col. 3, 1. 19 and 20) onward and to copy the missing text on a piece of poor parchment, of smaller size than the original, himself, after which the bifolium addition was folded into the quire. On fol. 12r the text continues with Isaiah 63:11. The identical color ink used for the vocalization and for this addition, together with the different scribal practices and the slightly varying height of the text letter support this assumption. The fourth hand involved is the one that copied Rashi's commentary in the margins, some time after the completion of the biblical text and its vocalization. The commentary was written in the open space caused by the absence of the Masorah magna. • The main scribe used various devices to maintain an even left-hand marginal line. He filled the line with dilated letters, or with a graphic filler (occurring in three different shapes). He also wrote the first letters of the word up to the marginal line, and repeated it in full on the following line. Anticipated words and graphic fillers may be preceded by an open space. Anticipated words usually end with a broken letter, of which he just wrote the first two strokes, or (rarely) with a graphic filler. Such broken letters are usually marked with a single abbreviation sign. On fol. 36v, col. 1, 1. 26 the scribe combined final mem and a graphic filler into a unique ligature. To prevent the margin from being exceeded, the scribe frequently compressed the last word or words in the line. • There is a full infra-linear vocalization, together with the masorah parva; the masorah magna was not added. The anticipated words were left unvocalized, as was fol. 9v, col. 3, 1. 22-33. Rashi's commentary was left unvocalized as well.

• The manuscript was bound, probably in the library, in red sheepskin with heavi- ly rubbed red marbled paper over cardboard; this binding closely resembles that of the other manuscript. There are paper pastedowns and flyleaves, making up bifolia at both ends. In the flyleaves there are watermarks of an unidentified coat of arms, topped by a French lily and similar to the one in the other manuscript, and an unidentified monogram LV.

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Two Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts in the Deventer ' Stads - of Athenaeumbibliotkeek *

Text As already indicated in the codicological description, the text of the masorah

magna was never copied and the blank space was used by a later owner to copy Rashi's commentary. This old version of the commentary, although often very hard to read, deserves further study, as does the biblical text, especially in the light of A.F. Ruckerfelder's publication on the topic.

Concluding remarks Again an Ashkenazic origin of the manuscript, a German to be more precise,

cannot be disputed. On the basis of the occurrence of parchment with equalized sides in the part copied by the first scribe, but with distinguishable sides in the last quire, which was copied by a second scribe, and in light of the fact that in the manuscript both blind ruling and ruling by plummet appear to occur, it may be assumed that also this manuscript has to be dated between 1260 and 1300. Since, as indicated, our description of the ruling is somewhat doubtful, a time of production around the year 1300 seems the most likely, although a possible date of production of a few decades later cannot be excluded entirely.

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Poesiat & Schrijver_Two medieval Hebrew manuscripts Deventer_1993

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