Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

You are asking one of the most perplexing questions of Jewish  
history. But this is what I think:

1. At first there was a dagshan, possibly even during the first  
temple period. He was a man of considerable authority, to the extent  
that he had the authority, or, at least, found the audacity, to alter  
the shape of the Hebrew letter by placing a dot in its interior  
(interior!). The purpose of this dot was to serve as a mnemonic –––  
as a hint, in the absence of any niqud (imagine this: no niqud!), as  
to the proper reading of the sacred books. The dot was placed in the  
letter following a present day patax, xiriq or qubuc. This dot is  
mostly absent in the "gutturals" (not entirely clear to me why.  
Removed later?) and also in an "unmoved" (namely, punctuated by a  
present day schwa) letter. In the latter case the dagesh was moved  
ahead to the next letter. This shifted dagesh is called now "QAL". At  
first, it used to appear in every letter, as does the dagesh "XAZAQ",  
but was left later only in the BGDKPTs. Obviously, the dagesh is  
superfluous in plene writing.
The dagesh in the opening letters is a remnant of a dot placed there  
to separate one word from another.
There is, of course, no manuscripts extant without niqud but with  
dgeshim.

2. Nothing is known about the Tiberias nakdanim, but I tend to agree  
with the thinking that they were Karaites who "made ALIYAH" following  
the Anan schism in the middle of the 8th century. They may have  
brought the niqud system with them from Babylonia or Persia, and  
brought it to fruition in Teberias. Being Karaites, they did not need  
any rabbinical permission, and fearlessly did what they thought is  
right.
It took about 200 years for this niqud to be eventually universally  
accepted by all other streams of Judaism, with some thinking it was  
made in heaven.

3. Once the niqud was accepted, the "Masorates' (Qaraites, at first?)  
stepped in to carefully preserve it, as well as the text itself.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jun 24, 2011, at 11:48 AM, Nir cohen - Prof. Mat. wrote:

> isaac,
>
> can you inform me the identity of the naqdanim, dagshanim and what YOU
> call masoretes? and perhaps a few sources which back up your story?
>
> nir
>
>
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