farfel_n08_065_527

- Capital letters are not used in Jewish script, +
therefore Jewish scribes unlike their Christian
counterparts did not usually enlarge the initials of a
particular book or chapter. Often the scribe
restricted himeslf to writing the consenantal text;
the vowels + other markings, which are written below,
inside or above the consonants, being added later by a
"pointer' or "punctuator" (nakdan). Jewish scribes
worked individually + there is no record of scriptoria
on the Christian model.
- In general Sefordi (Babylonian diasopora) scibes used
reed pens, while the Ashkenazim (Palestinian)
used quills. This meant that the letters of the former
were of equal thickness throughout, while the latter
were able to taper thine, particularly in their
downstrokes.
- The Torah (Five Books of Moses) is didvided into weekly
portions. Since it is a religious duty to read the
wekly protion of the Torah in Aramic Tanslation
(Targum), this is sometimes inclueded in the manuscript.
- Sa'Adya Gaon (Daadiah Ben Josept) 882-942.
born in Egypt - was the earliest major Egyptian
Jewish philosopher, translator of the Bible into
Arabic, commentator, liturgical poet + for a short
time 'Gaon' in Sura, Babylon (modern Iraq).
- THe 1st pritned edition of the Pentateuch in
Hebrew - Bologna: Abraham ben Hayyin, 25 Jan 1482, f^0.
Goff Heb-18.