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  • From: Bearpecs AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Variants of YHWH in the BHS Text
  • Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 02:10:21 EDT

davedonnelly1 AT juno.com references a website
http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/software/mac/online.bible/BHS-BHM.Read_Me.txt
which includes the following statement:

"Because of the presence or absence of the so-called "vowel
letters" (consonants used to indicate vowels) in unpointed MSS,
however, the consonantal Hebrew text as found in the Masoretic
manuscripts splits into two unique but complementary traditions:
that of Ben Asher (circa centuries 9-10 CE) and that of Ben
Chayyim (circa centuries 13-14 CE)."

This makes no sense to me. AFAIK there is no such thing as a "tradition" of
Ben Chayyim. There were two Massoretic traditions: that of Ben Asher and
that
of Ben Naftali, the former being generally accepted as authoritative.

The only "Ben Chayyim" I know of who might be relevant is Jacob Ben Chayyim
ibn Adoniyah, who edited the Rabbinic Bible of 1525. This was considered the
definitive edition (textus receptus) and the basis of the first two editions
of
BHS's predecessor, the BHK. Ben Chayyim was the first to collate a large
number of manuscripts and massoretic volumes in order to create what he
considered the best possible representation of the Massoretic Text (which of
course
meant according to the tradition of Ben Asher) together with massoretic
marginalia. (Norman Snaith, however, suggests that the consonantal text of
the first
Rabbinic Bible, 1517 edited by Felix Pratensis, is closer to the authentic
Ben
Asher tradition). Unfortunately he did not provide footnotes or
bibiliography, so we do not know which specific manuscripts and volumes he
used.

Can anyone clarify whether this website has some arcane information the rest
of us do not? or is it simply mistaken?

For more details, see: Jacob Ben Chajim Ibn Adonijah's Introduction to the
Rabbinic Bible ... and the Massoreth ha-Massoreth of Elias Levita... (by
Christian D. Ginsbug, 1867, reprinted 1968 with a Prolegomenon by Norman H.
Snaith,
The Library of Biblical Studies, ed. by Harry M. Orlinsky, Ktav.)




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