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  • From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
  • To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Was the MT for public consumption?
  • Date: Thu, 23 Dec 2010 01:31:50 +0000

The question is: Was the Masoretic Text (MT), specifically the Leningrad
Codex, produced for public consumption?

Answer: It was produced (1) in order to preserve the text received; and (2)
for Jewish liturgical purposes.

Within the scope of those two points, I don't think there was a consideration
about whether it was produced for public consumption. Insofar as 'for Jewish
liturgical purposes' coincided with public consumption, then yes. But I don't
think the Ben Asher family of Tiberias thought of themselves as a public
publishing house. I think if you asked them, they would have said they were
performing a religious duty motivated by piety, not a publishing or marketing
campaign.


GEORGE ATHAS
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
www.moore.edu.au





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