Obj. ID: 26347
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts Nahman ben Barukh Pentateuch, Germany, 1340
The main text of the manuscript was copied by a single scribe (Scribe A). After he copied the text he added parts of the text which he missed on the separated sheets and two quires (fols. 440, bifolio 482-483, completing verses of Jeremiah and fols. 536-549, completing the Haftarot). Rashi’s commentary accompanies the text throughout the entire manuscript, including the added leaves. The commentator wrote a colophon on the blank leaf at the end of Pentateuch (fol. 425), in which he mentioned his name, Nahman ben Barukh, the name of the patron, Manoah Katz (Kohen Zedek) bar Hisda Kohen Zedek and the date of 17 November, 1340. The commentator informs us that he copied the commentary (פירושים). Although the hands wrote the text and the commentary are similar in square letters, they seem different people.
Initial words for the different books of the Pentateuch, Five scrolls, Job and Jeremiah were executed after the text was copied. The scribe missed the initial words to Leviticus (fol. 195v), to Esther (fol. 437v), to Ruth (fol. 450v) and to Job (fol. 454v), whereas two last ones were added by a later hand.
The initial words to Deuteronomy (fol. 344) and Ecclesiastes (fol. 430) are not completed and include the contour line only.
In the last two quires, sometimes the initial words in the text and in the commentary are missing.
The Massorah magna and parva is written by the scribe Shimshon, as he indicates himself by marking this name in the Massorah. The correction of the main text is also by Shimshon, although the main scribe did some corrections by himself. Likewise, it is most probable that Shimshon was responsible for vocalization and punctuation of the text.
Thus, it is most likely that after the main text was copied the scribe transmitted it to Shimshon, who copied the Massorah, and corrected, vocalized and punctuated the text. Later, the commentator, Nahman bar Barukh copied Rashi’s commentary. During the copying he discovered that some parts of the main text were missing. He added the missing parts and also copied the commentary for them. All these parts: the added text and the commentary are not proofread and corrected, and have no vocalization, punctuation, and Massorah.
The commentary to Job is completed by the commentary of Jacob Ha-Nazir. Rashi did not finish his commentary to Job (he completed it only till the middle of chapter 40). Most printed editions use commentary of RashBam (Rashi’s grandson), but in manuscripts, both commentaries, of Jacob Ha-Nazir and of RashBam appear.
2 image(s)
sub-set tree:
:
Parchment, II+549+II leaves (first and last flyleaves bear gray marbled pattern as the pastedown).
Measurements
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Full page: 340 x260 mm |
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Text space: (150 -155) x95 mm Text space with massorah: (220-230) x (110-120) Text space with commentary and massorah: (230-285) x (170-200) |
Scribes
The manuscript is copied by four scribes:
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Scribe A |
Main text (Pentateuch, Five scrolls, Job, Jeremiah 2:29 – 10:16, Haftarot)
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Fols. 1- 549 |
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Nahman ben Barukh |
Rashi's commentary |
For all sections of the manuscript, except for those written by Ishmael. |
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Ishmael |
Rashi's commentary |
Fols. 262v-263, 265v, 266v, 269-269v and fols. 394-401v (quire LI) |
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Shimshon |
Massorah, vocalization and punctuation |
For all sections of the manuscript, except for lower part of fol. 452 and upper part of fol. 452v, fols. 481v (last three lines)- 483v and 536-549v. |
Columns
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Scribe A (probably Nahman ben Barukh. See Remarks) |
One column |
Main text |
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Nahman ben Barukh |
One column |
Rashi's commentary for all sections of the manuscript, except for those written by Ishmael. |
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Ishmael |
One column |
Fols. 262v-263, 265v, 266v, 269-269v and fols. 394-401v (quire LI). |
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Shimshon |
One column |
Massorah |
Script
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The main text is written by Scribe A in square Ashkenazi script in dark brown ink. |
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Rashi's commentary is written by Nahman ben Barukh in semi-cursive Ashkenazi script in dark brown ink, whereas the commentary by Yeshmael are in lighter brown ink. |
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The Massorah is written by Shimshon in semi-cursive Ashkenazi script in mostly black ink. |
Number of lines
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Main text (Pentateuch, Five scrolls, Job, Jeremiah 2:29 – 10:16, Haftarot)
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Most leaves are of 23 lines per page, except for the leaves which were added: fol. 483 is of 30 lines and fol. 483v is of 31 lines. In the last quires, which also were added, the number of lines reaches 26. |
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Rashi's commentary |
The commentary is written with a different number of lines per page, depending on the length of the commentary. On some leaves the commentary does not exist at all, on others it occupies upper, outer and lower margins. |
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Massorah |
The Massorah magna is written in two lines at the top of the page and in three lines at the bottom. At the bottom, it occupies the space between the main text and marginal commentary. The Massorah parva is written in a variety of number of lines in the space between the main text and marginal commentary. |
Ruling
The ruling is done by plummet on both sides of the leaves. Each section has its own ruling: ruling for the main text and for the commentary is done by a brown plummet and ruling for the Massorah is done by a black plummet. The ruling of the Massorah was done after the main text was copied (e.g. fol. 91v). On the added leaves, where the number of lines of the main text reaches 30-31 (fols. 483-483v), the ruling for extra lines does not exist.
In addition, on the added leaves, ruling for Massorah also was not done (fols. 440, 482- 483v and 536-549v).
Vertical lines: 1+2+1+1 (e.g. fols. 224v-225); 1+2+1 (e.g. ?); 3+2+1 (e.g. fol. 356); 1+4+1 (e.g. fol. 396), all depending on the commentary and massorah parva.
Horizontal lines:
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Main text |
24 horizontal lines (last line is unwritten) |
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Rashi’s commentary |
36-38 (written between lines) |
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Massorah |
Two-three lines on the upper margins and three-four lines on the lower margins |
Pricking
The pricking, found on the inner and outer margins, is done for each section of the text separately. There are two vertical rows on the inner margins, for the main text and for the commentary, and two vertical rows on the outer margins. The pricks for the commentary proceed till end of page. The number of the pricks for the commentary is bigger, so the space between the commentary’s lines is narrower. These pricks serve also massorah magna.
The Massorah magna has its own pricking situated close to the main text.
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Main text |
One vertical row in the inner margins and one in the outer margins. |
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Rashi’s commentary |
One vertical row in the inner margins and one in the outer margins, proceed till end of page. |
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Massorah magna |
Pricks of the Rashi’s commentary |
Quires
72 quires of 8 leaves each, except for VII(8-1) (fol. 50 is a single leaf, but no text is missing), XXVIII(6), XL(6), XLVI(6), LIII(4), LV(4) (end of the Pentateuch); LXIII(2) (the quire, which was added), LXX(4) (end of the original part of the Haftarot), LXXII(8-2) (last quire with the additional Haftarot which are interrupted in the middle of Joshua5: 15. Two last leaves with the text are missing.)
Fol. 440 is cut and a new parchment leaf is pasted instead of it. The text on the past leaf is not missing and it is written by the original scribe.
The hair and flesh sides of the parchment are hardly discernable.
Catchwords
The catchwords are written in the lower left hand corner on the final verso of each quire. They are usually decorated. The quire before the last quire (both were added) also has a catchword.
The second commentator, Ishmael, wrote his own catchwords to the commentary, under the catchwords of the main text (fols. 269v, 401v).
Hebrew numeration
None
Blank leaves
Fol. 425v is a blank leaf at the end of the Pentateuch, preceding the beginning of the Five Scrolls.
Fol. 535v is also a blank leaf at the end of the original Haftarot section.
Vienna (?) Baroque binding is made around 1800 (?). The back and front are the same. Light brown calf decorated with blind tooled inner rectangle, its frame decorated with winding band enclosing rosettes and its center has an X with four compound flowers arranged as rhomboid. The outer frame is decorated with interlacing ovals sprouting floral motifs. The corners between the frame are decorated with eagle wings, escutcheon ??? etc. = arms of someone
Spine: Gold stamped as 6 rectangles placed across, which have decorated frames, X and center flower and fan motifs at the corners of each rectangle.
The edges are colored in grey. Front and back flyleaves have a watermark (C & I Honig, s. G. Eineder, The Ancient Paper-Mills…, 1960).
I. Most catchwords are decorated with dotted lines arranged in triangular form with three fleur de lys on the top and on either side. One catchword on fol. 63v is also supported by a row of Gothic windows.
II. The drawing of dog in plummet is situated on the left, above the catchword and overwritten by the massora (fol. 127v). The pen drawing of a bird on the right side in the lower margin resembles a stork (fol. 166v). The colour of the ink is similar to that of the massorator. The drawing is not related to the text (Exodus 28: 31-38) or massora.
III. The text at the end of different sections is shaped into a triangle (e.g. fol. 343v). Often the text of the commentary is also fashioned into triangles, bowls and other geometrical shapes (e.g. fol. 173v, 176, 177).