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Or 2201

Record Id:
032-003376501
Hierarchy Root Ancestor Record Id:
032-003376501
MDARK:
ark:/81055/vdc_100044188943.0x000027
LARK:
SLARK:
Format:
TEI
Reference (shelfmark):
Or 2201
Title:
The 'First Ibn Merwas Bible'
Collection Area:
Oriental Manuscripts
Project / Collection:
Hebrew Manuscripts Digitisation Project
Hierarchy Tree:
[{ "id" : "032-003376501", "parent" : "#", "text" : "Or 2201: The 'First Ibn Merwas Bible'" , "li_attr" : {"class": "orderable"} }]
Hierarchy Record Ids:
032-003376501
Is part of:
not applicable
Hierarchy:
032-003376501
Container:
not applicable
Record Type (Level):
Fonds
Extent:
368 folios
Digitised Content:
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Or_2201 (digital images currently unavailable)
Thumbnail:
Languages:
Hebrew
Jewish Babylonian Aramaic
Scripts:
Hebrew
Start Date:
1300
End Date:
1300
Date Range:
1300
Era:
CE
Access:

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User Conditions:
Material Type:
Archives and Manuscripts
Legal Status:
Not Public Record(s)
Names:
Judah 'n Musi
Musi 'n Salem al-Gamal
Shalom ben Yosef Ḥayim [ .. ]  Levi
Sulaiman ben Shemu᾿el (?) ben Ḥayim
Yosef ben Yudah ben Merwas
Yudah Kamal
TEI:

Hebrew Manuscripts Digitisation Project

Or 2201

The 'First Ibn Merwas Bible'

Contents

Bible with masorah.

Language(s): Hebrew, Aramaic

ff. 1r-368v
Title: Tana"kh
Title: תנ"ך
Language(s): Hebrew

Full-page miniature of the Temple implements, with colours and gold. f. 2r

5 full borders of geometric design, in colours and gold. f. 34v, 35r, 97v, 98r, 98v

Masorah in the margins written in microghraphical form.

6 full-page panels of masorah magna in micrographical design. f. 187r, 187v, 188r, 188v, 189r, 338r

Numerous decorated parashah signs, in ink.

Colophon: אני יוסף בר' יהודה נע' בן מרואס כתבתי אלו עשרים וארבעה ספרים בעזרת אדיר אדירים במאמר היקר הנחמד אור זורח וציץ פורח צפנת פענח גזע נדיבים ושועים מובחר בין רעים השם הטוב כגן הטוב [ ר' של[מה]...] הישישים טוב עם ה' ועם אנשים אדר היקר חסן ויקר [ ר' [יו]סף? ] האל יזכהו להגות בהם וללמד לשמור ולעשות ויקיים בו מקרא שכתו' לא ימוש ספר התורה הזה מפיך והגית בו יומם ולילה למען תשמור לעשות ככל הכתוב בו כי אז תצליח את דרכך ואז תשכיל. הלא צויתיך חזק ואמץ אל תערף ואל תחת כי עמך ה' אלהיך בכל אשר תלך. ונא' אמן. וסיימתים בירח איאר שנת חמשת אלפים וששים לבריאת עולם בטליטלה ישע יקרב. f. 184r
ff. 1v-3v
Title: Masoretic lists
ff. 4v-27v
Title: Genesis
ff. 27v-48v
Title: Exodus
ff. 48v-62v
Title: Leviticus
ff. 62v-82r
Title: Numbers
ff. 82r-104v
Title: Deuteronomy
ff. 104v-116r
Title: Joshua
ff. 116r-127v
Title: Judges
ff. 127v-155r
Title: Samuel

2Samuel starts on folio 142r.

ff. 155r-189v
Title: Kings

2Kings starts on folio 170r.

ff. 189v-208v
Title: Isaiah
ff. 208v-227r
Title: Jeremiah

Wanting chapters 6:6-20:18.

ff. 227r-248v
Title: Ezekiel
ff. 248v-251r
Title: Hosea
ff. 251r-252r
Title: Joel
ff. 252r-254v
Title: Amos
ff. 254v-255r
Title: Obadiah
ff. 255r-255v
Title: Jonah
ff. 255v-257v
Title: Micah
ff. 257v-258r
Title: Nahum
ff. 258r-259r
Title: Habakkuk
ff. 259r-259v
Title: Zephaniah
ff. 259v-260v
Title: Haggai
ff. 260v-254r
Title: Zechariah
ff. 264r-265r
Title: Malachi
ff. 265r-290r
Title: Psalms
ff. 290r-299v
Title: Job
ff. 299v-307v
Title: Proverbs
ff. 307v-309r
Title: Ruth
ff. 309r-310v
Title: Song of Songs
ff. 310v-314r
Title: Ecclesiastes
ff. 314r-316r
Title: Lamentations
ff. 316r-319v
Title: Esther
ff. 319v-326v
Title: Daniel
ff. 326v-337v
Title: Ezra

Nehemiah starts on folio 331r.

f. 338r
Title: Masoretic list
ff. 338v-368v
Title: Chronicles

2Chron. starts on folio 351v.

References

[Narkiss_1982] 2
[Narkiss_1984] 33
[Metzger_1982] 304
[Kogman-Appel_2004] 88-92
[Tahan_2007] 128
[EAJS-6_1999] 164-167

Physical Description

Parchment codex of 368 folios; written in Sefardi square script, first quarter of 14th century, punctuated.
Form: codex
Material: parchment
Support:
Extent: 368 folios
Dimensions (leaf): 240 × 210 mm.
Dimensions (written): 185 × 160 mm.
Foliation:

368 folios (+ 1 unfoliated paper flyleaf at the beginning and 4 unfoliated paper flyleaves at the end).

Collation

Originally quires of 6 leaves, but at a later re-binding the quires have been rendered indeterminate.

Catchwords at the end of quires.

Layout

Columns:3

Ruled lines: 32

Written lines: 32

Folio 1 is cut off most part. Folios 1 and 4 are later additions.

Complete ruling with hard-point. Pricking in outer and inner margins, quire by quire, on recto.

Uniform layout, last line of text written ouside ruling.

Heading on each leaf.

Hebrew foliation from folio 5, starting with 2 until the end of the Pentateuch (folio 99).

In the colophon (folio 184), the name of the patron has been erased. The original date 5060 [1300] has been erased and overwritten as 5006 [1246]. The same scribe copied two other bibles in Toledo: Sassoon Collection (MS 508 dated 1307, MS 1208 dated 1334).

Numerous decorations: full-page miniature of the Temple implements, 5 full borders of geometric design, masorah in the margins written in microghraphical form, 6 full-page panels of masorah magna in micrographical design, numerous decorated parashah signs.

Masorah magna occupies two lines at the top and three lines at the bottom of each page.

Joshua, Isaiah, Psalms, and Chronicles begin a new leaf, and Jeremiah begins a new column.

Hand(s)

Sefardi square script of the beginning of 14th century, punctuated.

Additions:

Yosef ben Yudah ben Merwas: inscribed with his name in the colophon, Toledo, Iyyar 5060 [1300] (folio 184r).

Erased inscription (folio 4r).

Sulaiman ben Shemu᾿el (?) ben Ḥayim: inscribed with his name as the seller in an Arabic purchase note, 1450 (folio 99v).

Judeo-Arabic note, partially obliterated (folio 368v).

Shalom ben Yosef Ḥayim [ .. ]  Levi: inscribed with his name in an owner's inscription, 18th century (folio 184r).

Musi 'n Salem al-Gamal: inscribed with his name in an owner's inscription, 18th century (folio 184r).

Judah 'n Musi: inscribed with his name in an unclear purchase note, undated (folio 186v).

Yudah Kamal: inscribed with his name in an owner's inscription, undated (folio 5r).

Binding

Post-1600. White parchment binding, black tooled.

Spine: 'Bible. Hebrew. Brit. Mus. Oriental 2201.'

History

Origin: 1300

Provenance and Acquisition

Spain, Central (Castile, Toledo)

Purchased by the British Museum in 1879.

1879

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on Margoliouth, G.: Catalogue of the Hebrew and Samaritan Manuscripts in the British Museum, London 1965.

Availability

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Surrogates

http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Or_2201 (digital images currently unavailable)

Bibliography

    George Margoliouth, Catalogue of the Hebrew and Samaritan Manuscripts in the British Museum, 4 vols (London: British Museum, 1899-1935; vols I-III repr. 1965); IV, Introduction, Indexes, ed. by Jacob Leveen (London: British Museum, 1977), no. 52.
    Ortega-Monasterio, Maria-Teresa, 'Some Masoretic Notes of Mss. L and Or 4445 Compared with the Spanish Tradition', Sefarad57, no. 1 (1997), pp. 127-133, esp. 132-133.

Bibliography

    [Narkiss_1982] NarkissB. 'Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts in the British Isles 2 VOLS. (2 COPIES)'. Oxford Oxford UnivPress 1982, 1982.
    [Narkiss_1984] Bezalel Narkiss. 'Kitve-Yad ʿIvriyim Metsuyarim / Me-et Betsalʾel Narḳis ; Mavo Me-et Sesil Rot ; [ʿIvrit, Daliyah Shaḥaḳ ; ʿarikhah, Daliyah Ṭesler].'Mahad. ʿIvrit ḥadashah u-Metuḳenet.. Yerushalayim: Keter, 1984.
    [Metzger_1982] Thérèse Metzger. 'Jewish Life in the Middle Ages : Illuminated Hebrew Manuscripts of the Thirteenth to the Sixteenth Centuries / Thérèse and Mendel Metzger.'New York: Alpine Fine Arts Collection, 1982.
    [Kogman-Appel_2004] Katrin Kogman-Appel. 'Jewish Book Art between Islam and Christianity : The Decoration of Hebrew Bibles in Medieval Spain / by Katrin Kogman-Appel ; Translated by Judith Davidson.'Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2004.
    [Tahan_2007] Ilana Tahan. 'Hebrew Manuscripts : The Power of Script and Image / Ilana Tahan.'London: British Library, 2007.
    [EAJS-6_1999] Judit ed Targarona Borras. 'Jewish Studies at the Turn of the Twentieth Century 2 Vols. Proceedings of the 6th EAJS Congress Toledo July 1998'. Leiden Brill 1999, 1999.

Funding of Cataloguing

BL