Biblical Hebrew Forum

["B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>]

Hi Jimmy,

Did anyone answer you?

It depends what we consider a manuscript.  If we count every orphaned 
fragment of a Biblical text, we have many tens of thousands of mss, some 
of which date back into the first and second centuries BCE.  For 
instance, the Great Isaiah Scroll, a complete copy of the book of 
Isaiah, dates back to the second century BCE, if memory serves.

See
Tov, E. _Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible_ Minneapolis: Augsburg 
Fortress, 2001.
Tov, E. "Textual Criticism of the Old Testament" in _Anchor Bible 
Dictionary_ ed. Freedman. NY: Doubleday, 1992.

For the popular audience:
McDowell, Josh.  _The New Evidence the Demands a Verdict_. Nashville: 
Nelson, 1999, chapter 4.

Shalom,
Bryan

Jimmy Doyle wrote:
> I'm trying to find information on the number of MSS (and their relative
> dates) for the Hebrew Scriptures.  I have found great information regarding
> New Testament texts, even down to the details of individual books and their
> dating; but when it comes to the Hebrew Scriptures, I can't seem to find
> this info.  The only thing I have found is a general number of about 2000
> MSS.  I'm really looking for something more specific than this, but even
> this will do if I can find it in reputable source.
>
> Any ideas?
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--
B.M. Rocine
Living Word Church
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Syracuse, NY 13206
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