Acrostic Signatures in Masoretic Notes

The practice of creating an acrostic to spell out the name of the author of a Hebrew liturgical poem started in the classical period (5th or 6th century). An acrostic may sometimes indicate the name of the scribe who copied the manuscript. In recent years some examples of acrostics have been discove...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ofer, Yosef (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Brill 2015
In: Vetus Testamentum
Year: 2015, Volume: 65, Issue: 2, Pages: 230-246
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Handwriting (British Library) Ms. Or. 4445 / Massorah / Acrostic / Signature
RelBib Classification:BH Judaism
HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B acrostic Massorah manuscripts ms bl Or. 4445
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:The practice of creating an acrostic to spell out the name of the author of a Hebrew liturgical poem started in the classical period (5th or 6th century). An acrostic may sometimes indicate the name of the scribe who copied the manuscript. In recent years some examples of acrostics have been discovered in the Masoretic notes accompanying ancient manuscripts of the Bible. David Lyons exposed three acrostic signatures in ms British Library Or. 4445. I have discovered two further acrostics: one in a biblical manuscript, the other on a page of a Masoretic work. The article addresses the ways in which the Masoretes create their acrostic signatures, and what we may deduce from these acrostics concerning the location of their creators and their time. The main point is that the place of the masorete of ms Or. 4445 is included in his acrostic, and has not been recognized before.
ISSN:1568-5330
Contains:In: Vetus Testamentum
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/15685330-12301197