Bodleian Library, MS. Pococke 32 (fols. 28-152)
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MS. Pococke 32
fols. 28-152
Bodleian Library (Oxford, United Kingdom)
Manuscript Book
Arabic translation of Isaiah by Sa'adiya Ga'on
Codicological Definition
Codex
Horizontal rectangle
Single manuscript
Fols. 1-27, in a different hand, contain the beginning of Isaiah: fols. 28-152 continue where the previous part ended. Since there is space at the bottom of fol. 27v, it is possible that the first section was written to complete the second.
Content Description
Bible Commentary
Judeo-Arabic
סעדיה ראש הישיבה בן מרׄ ורׄ יוסף
Saadya Gaon
c.842 Fayyum – 942 Sura
תפסיר ישעיה
Tafsir of Isaiah
(Title given in colophon on fol. 152v, as the beginning of the book is a later addition.)
Full text of the Tafsīr of Isaiah.
פיצירו עברה לבאקי אלבשריון:
A recurring marginal decoration in the same ink as the main text marks some section divisions (many align with certain parashot). Chapter and verse markings (Latin) have been added in a (much) later hand in the margins.
A more ornate marginal decoration on fol. 73r marks חצי הספר (the halfway point of the book).
חודש אילול שנת אתקנו לשטרות
Elul 1245
13th Century CE
- Orient
- Iraq
It has been claimed (cf. Sfardata questionnaire) that though the section divisions reflect a Yemenite tradition, the script and paper indicate a Babylonian origin.
Colophon
- Interlineations: in main hand, to correct errors (which are not crossed out)
- Interlineations: in later hand, to correct errors (which are crossed out)
- Other: missing verse (Isa. 60:20) added by same later hand in upper margin of fol. 139r
Physical Description
137mm
110mm
105mm
75mm
The pages have been cut later, as indicated by cut-off quire ordering marks.
152
Complete
Many pages have worm holes and some pages have been modernly restored with paper.
Visible
No
Paper
- Chain lines: not visible
- Laid lines: not visible
- Watermarks: not visible
light brown
text on reverse is not visible
Black (carbon based)
[1 V-I (1-9) 2 V (10-19) 3: IV (20-27)] 4 V (28-37) 5 V (38-47) 6 V (48-57) 7 V (58-67) 8 V (68-77) 9 V (78-87) 10 V (88-97) 11 V (98-107) 12 V (108-117) 13 V (118-127) 14 V (128-137) 15 V (138-147) 16 III-I (148-152, last page missing and quire has been reconstructed with glue)
Catchwords at the end of quires, position: bottom left corner
Each quire bears the quire number in Hebrew (alphanumerals) on the top right; from the eleventh quire this is also written in Arabic (whole words) on the top left. Catchwords on the last page indicate the first word of the following quire.
No pricking
There is ruling
Mastara
Grid of single vertical and horizontal lines
12
Ruling has left very little visible trace on the paper.
Text on recto and verso
12
- Left-hand margin is not even
- Space fillers
- Extended letters
- Reduced letters
- Writing above the line oblique
Very variable combination of the use of a space filler (V with a dot above), extended letters (no more than double standard width of letter), slightly reduced letters, and long words written obliquely at end of line; yet the margin is still not strictly even.
Paragraph marks and textual dividers
small marginal decoration divides text into sections
Hebrew
Oriental
Non-Square (beinoni)
Calligraphic
Bookhand
2
- Hand #1 of Item "MS. Pococke 32"
- Type: Main text scribe
- Scribe Identifications: Scribe named in the document
- Name Assigned to Scribe: Judah b. [?] b. Samuel of KHRBW
- Date Assigned to Scribe: active in 1245
- Name in the Document: יהודה בר [..?ע?]ד בר שמואל מן חרבו - Hand #2 of Item "MS. Pococke 32"
- Type: Glossator
- Scribe Identifications: Scribe not identified
- Date Assigned to Scribe: later
- Observations:recognisable from a number of small corrections and the insertion of one missing verse - Hand #3 of Item "MS. Pococke 32"
- Type: Main text scribe
- Type Description: [scribe of fols. 1-27]
- Scribe Identifications: Scribe identified by handwriting
- Name Assigned to Scribe: סעגיה בן דוד התימני / Saadya b. David the Yemenite
- Observations:Scribe of the first section (not the section described here) identified from handwriting according to SfarData questionnaire.
No vowels or accents
Dots above letters
God = אללה
Diacritics on abbreviations in Hebrew (in colophon only) either one or three dots above letter.
Later
Bibliography
