Three Manuscript Leaves from the Book of Ezekiel [Oriental: 11th-12th Century]

3 leaves (approximately 14 x 9 in.; 355 x 230 mm). From a manuscript codex written with brown ink on parchment; two columns, 21 lines to the page; ruled in hardpoint. Aged, soiled, a few small tears, losses at lower edges, especially ff.1,3. Bound in modern half morocco, gilt-stamped titles on upper board and spine.

Stefan Reif, A Jewish Archive from Old Cairo: The History of Cambridge University's Genizah Collection, Richmond, Surrey: 2000; Simha Emanuel, "Genizat Europa u-terumatah le-madda'e ha-Yahadut," Madda'e ha-Yahadut 35 (1995), pp. 5-29.

Biblical leaves of this era have usually survived in one of several ways. Some individual leaves have been recovered from genizot, repositories for sacred writings which have been rendered unusable.  The most well-known genizah is the one which was located in the Ben-Ezra synagogue in Cairo, whose contents were removed before the beginning of the 20th century. Documents from the Cairo Genizah form important collections at several large institutional collections, notably Cambridge University and The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary. Some fragments are also held in the collections of private individuals. In addition to genizot, it has been well documented that leaves of Hebrew manuscripts, especially those of large format works such as bible codices, were used throughout the Middle Ages by printers and bookbinders to serve as parts of the bindings for newer volumes.

The text of these leaves is from the Book of Ezekiel as follows: f.1: 34:7-35:8, f.2: 35:9-36:24, f.3: 37:18-39:17. Vowels and cantillation notes have been added and the scribe employed a characteristic Oriental square script of the 11th-12th century. In addition, the parchment is prepared in conformity with contemporary Oriental techniques.

The present leaves contain an interesting admixture of Tiberian and Babylonian traits in regards to vocalization and cantillation. Further study may reveal that they form an important link in the connection between these two grammatic and masoretic traditions.