Call for papers: The 2011 Aramaic Studies section will have an open
call for papers in any area relating to the various aspects of Aramaic
language, literature, and context. Previous paper topics have included aspects
of the Targumim, Qumran Aramaic, Peshitta, Samaritan papyri, and Elephantine
Aramaic.
On January 1, 2012, the
Community numbered 751 persons [353 in Kiryat Luza-Mount Gerizim,
Samaria; 398 in the State of Israel: 396 males [190:206] and 355 females
[170: 185]. These included 350 married persons [158:192], 215 unmarried
males [104:111], 153 unmarried females [70:83]; 7 widowed men [4:3]; 23
widowed women [15:8]; 2 Divorced Men [0:2]; 1 Divorced Woman [0:1].
Source: Benyamim Tsedaka, A.B. - Institute of Samaritan Studies,
Holon, Israel
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE TRUTH OF THE ISRAELITE SAMARITAN VERSION OF THE PENTATEUCH IS
BECOMING CLEARER
As time goes by the consideration of the Biblical research and the
history of the People of Israel is changing to the right consideration
in dealing with the Torah Version in the hands of the Israelite
Samaritans. There is a growing number of researchers who can no longer
ignore the overwhelming evidence of archaeological findings as well as
deeper comparative studies between different biblical sources and
different translations.
Until a decade ago even well known Biblical scholars used to claim the
next three following claims against the Israelite Samaritan Version of
the Torah.
1. The Samaritan sages of old made adjustments to the texts in the books
of Moses, which explains the lack of double texts in the Massoretic =
Traditional version of the Torah [i.e. the Jewish Version].
2. The Samaritan sages added to the text to adjust it to their belief in
Mount Gerizim, such as adding the Tenth Commandment about building an
altar on Mount Gerizim, which is not in the Jewish Version. They also
changed the text in Deuteronomy 27:4-6 from building an altar to the
Almighty "On Mount Gerizim" to "On Mount Ebal" as it is written in
the Jewish Version.
3. The completeness of the Jewish Version was preserved throughout the
many generations until present times, however the Samaritan Version has
been corrected by Samaritan sages with additions and changes, and
sometimes with no need for a change.
These are the main claims against the Samaritan version of the Torah.
These claims were considered valid and accepted naturally in the
biblical research. However, as biblical research and biblical criticism
began to be exposed to new criteria that were not known to scholars in
the near past, like the finding of 510 inscriptions on stone on Mount
Gerizim in the last 25 years, thanks to the excavation of Dr. Yitzhaq
Magen since 1983; additional discoveries from the Dead Sea Scrolls,
deeper comparative studies of Bible sources and its different ancient
translations – the picture started to get clearer slowly in regard to
the Israelite Samaritan Version of the Torah. Now it is easy to reject
all these three claims one by one, and there is a new stream of Biblical
scholars in a way of thinking ”out of the box“ in which the conclusions
of the former Bible researchers are not sufficient for them any more.
The first claim is that the the Samaritans have harmonized the texts by
adjusting texts (identical texts between the books of Exodus and Numbers
to the Book of Deuteronomy) using the same words but inserted throughout
the different books of Moses. It is known that the Book of Deuteronomy
repeats events that happened to the Sons of Israel and Greek Translation
of the Bible, The Septuagint] that was composed in the third century
BCE, in 1900 of 3000 significant differences between the Samaritan and
Jewish versions, the LXX is identical to the Samaritan version and
contradicts the Jewish Version. It is logical to say that the most
ancient manuscripts of the Pentateuch prior to the third century BCE
were available to the translators of the LXX, much more ancient than the
Dead Sea Scrolls from Qumran with dates between the second century BCE
to the first century CE. Following this logic the Samaritan Version of
the Torah preserved the most ancient texts of the Torah.
Therefore it is not logical to make claims against the Samaritans in
adjusting texts within the Five Books of Moses when identical versions
were found in Qumran and when there was much better suitability between
the Samaritan Version and the LXX than the Jewish Version. It is not
recommended to understand that the remaining 1100 significant
differences of the 3000 are identical between the Jewish version and LXX,
maybe only less than half of them, because the other differences of the
1100 show independent variants of the LXX that do not appear in the
Samaritan text nor in the Jewish version.
This first claim about harmonization of the Samaritan text is rejected
also from the next point of reason: If Samaritan sages harmonized the
texts systematically to harmonize them exactly in the same words within
the books of Exodus and Numbers to the Book of Deuteronomy, why
according to this system didn't they write the Decalogue in Exodus Chap.
20 and the Decalogue in Deuteronomy 5 using the same words since both
Decalogues are different from one another by many words?
The second claim is that the Samaritans changed the original text of the
Torah in many places in order to adjust it to their belief in Mount
Gerizim. The main claim in this regard is that the Samaritans added a
tenth commandment about building an altar to the Almighty on Mount
Gerizim. It claimed that they also changed the word יבחר = Will chose to
בחר = Has chosen in 22 different verses in Deuteronomy and also changed
the text in the Book of Deuteronomy 27:5 בהר עיבל = In Mount Ebal to
בהרגרזים = in Mount Gerizim as the place of the altar to the Almighty
built by Joshua right after the entrance into the promised land.
The question remains of why the Samaritans added a tenth commandment to
the Decalogue if it is so clear from the Torah that the place of the
Altar on Mount Gerizim was the sole chosen place? Only what should be
done is to read together the end of Chap. 11 in Deuteronomy with the
beginning of Chapter 12 to find out that offering the blessings on Mount
Gerizim is the title of the words of Chap. 12 about destroying all
places of worship in favor of one chosen place of worship [we must
remember that the division of the text into chapters was done by a
Christian monk in the thirteenth century CE].
Moreover, the opposite could be claimed against the Jewish sages of the
Second Temple Period in reducing the Tenth Commandment from the original
text about building the Altar on Mount Gerizim, because it didn't fit
their belief in the Jerusalem Temple, that was consecrated many hundreds
of years after the Torah; therefore, in order to complete the number of
the Commandments to 10 they made the introductory words of the Decalogue
as a commandment although it is clear that it is not a commandment and
it does not contain any commandment but only words of introduction of
the Almighty before starting the Ten Commandments. Hence the Ten
Commandments in the Jewish version have one commandment missing.
This claim of the Samaritan sages was reinforced recently in the
identical words of the building of the Altar to the Almighty "on Mount
Gerizim" as it is in Deuteronomy 27:5 in a fragment from Qumran exposed
by Prof. James Charlesworth of Princeton University, USA. The fragment
was written in Aramaic by a Jewish scribe, since there were not
Samaritans in Qumran. This text about building the Altar "on Mount
Gerizim" בהרגרזים is similar to the text in some translations of the
Bible.
Before Qumran discoveries the Samaritans and some scholars did claim
against the lack of logic to the text of the Jewish Version in Duet.
27:5 "On Mount Ebal" בהר עיבל instead of "On Mount Gerizim" בהרגרזים.
First, because it is not logical that an Altar of the Almighty would be
built on the Mountain of Cursing, and secondly, on Mount Gerizim where
the blessing was offered stood the 6-7 main tribes of Israel, Simon and
Levi, Judah and Yissaschar, Joseph [Menashe and Ephraim] and Benyamim,
while on the Mountain of Cursing=Mount Ebal stood the less important
tribes of the second and third positions: The tribes of Reuben and
Zebulan and the four tribes the sons of the concubines, Dan and Naphtali,
Gad and Asher. This fact shows exactly the priority of Mount Gerizim
over Mount Ebal as the place of the first Altar of the Almighty built by
Joshua. Yes, many scholars think today that the variant "In Mount Ebal"
בהר עיבל was installed by the Jewish sages against the sole sacred place
of the Samaritans.
Also in the matter of ""Has chosen" בחר in the Samaritan version against
the variant "Will chose" יבחר in the Jewish version it is all clear with
the newly discovered fact that in some manuscripts of the LXX the
variant "Has chosen" בחר like in the Samaritan Version appears, which
proves that not only the variant "Has chosen" בחר reflects the fact of
the sole holiness of Mount Gerizim as the places where the Almighty
chose to dwell His Name there [as demonstrated above by putting together
the end of Duet. 11 and the beginning of Duet. 12], but also it proves
that the variant "Will choose" יבחר is a Jewish correction in order to
adjust the text of the Pentateuch to a future choice of the chosen place
to a period much later than the period of the Torah.
The frustration of the ancient Jews to accept the fact that Jerusalem
was never mentioned in the Torah has effected some scholars from old
generations. [The place Shalem שלם mentioned in Genesis is today the
Arabic village Salem east of the city of Nablus, that is called in
Samaritan sources "Shalem Rabta" = the big Shalem = שלם רבתה].
The fact that the Torah never meant Jerusalem as the chosen place
appears in Duet. chapter 31 when the People of Israel were ordered to
read the Torah in the chosen place at the Festival of Tabernacles at the
end of the seventh year to the entrance of the People of Israel to The
Promised Land. In this seventh year Jerusalem was a tiny city and waited
hundreds of years for David and Solomon the kings to make it an
Israelite cult center.
Concerning the third claim of the Jews, and many past scholars, there
were few decades that the Jewish Version was completely preserved
through all generations as an authentic text while the Samaritan sages
have corrected the original text sometimes with no need.
After all that was written above it is now clear that the Jewish sages
of the Second Temple period have disqualified the Samaritan sages with
their own defect, when they themselves indeed corrected the text in
order to adjust it to their belief in Jerusalem, by reducing one
commandment, by changing every "Has chosen" in regard to the chosen
place of the Almighty to "Will chose", by changing in Duet. 27:5 "On
Mount Gerizim" to "On Mount Ebal" and by omitting what they considered
as double texts on the books of Exodus and Numbers vis a vis the Book of
Deuteronomy.
The question is when were those Jewish corrections of the original text
of the Torah made? Many scholars have confirmed the corrections but they
don't agree about its time. There are those who think that the changes
were done at the time of Josiah king of Judea in the Seventh Century
BCE, following the "discovery" of the Book of Deuteronomy in the
Jerusalem Temple, when writers of the destroyed Kingdom of Israel
escaped from the Assyrian invaders to Judea. Than changes were done in
the text of the Torah as part of reformation, king Josiah did so to
reinforce the holiness of the Temple of Jerusalem. It is hard to accept
such a determination since the Assyrians never stopped in borders of
Judea but put Judea also under their jurisdiction.
There are scholars who delay the changes that the Jews made in the
original text of the Torah to the time of the Hasmoneans in the second
century BCE in the framework of the reformations that they did to
reinforce the holiness of Jerusalem. It is hard to accept this
determination since the fragment from Qumran of the second century shows
that the variant "On Mount Gerizim" is still kept at this time also in
the Jewish text.
It should be suggested that all changes the Jews have done to the
original text of the Torah were made until the end of the first century
CE when they completed the process of changing the script from ancient
Hebrew to Aramaic. At that time they completed all changes including the
reduction of text to the edition of the Jewish Traditional Version [MT]. Benyamim Tsedaka A.B. - The Samaritan News. issue no. 1103-1104, February 15, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF THE ISRAELITE SAMARITAN FAITH
The principles of the Israelite Samaritan faith are four: All of them
are unique: One Almighty. One Prophet, One Holy Book and One Chosen Holy
Place.
One Almighty - The Almighty of Israel
One Prophet - Moses b. Amram - Never appeared a Prophet like him, before
him' during his time and after him.Moses himself has encouraged
prophecy by others but none of the prophets that are known never
achieved his unique state and level/ No wonder he was called in both
traditions, the Jewish and the Samaritan - The master of all Prophets.
One Holy and True Scripture - The Torah. From "Bereshit" to "Before the
Eyes of Israel. Writing the first Character of the Torah ב together
with the last character of the Torah ל giving the words בל [don't] and
לב [heart] - Don't believe in any book except the Torah and this is the
book that we ace to learn and keep in out hearts.
One Holy Chosen Place - Mount Gerizim or Aargaareezem - RThe Chosen
Place of the Almighty to dwell His Name there, as a result of reading
non stop the end of chapter 11 and chapter 12 in Duet, that leading to
the conclusion clearly that Aargaareezem is the Place of the Dwelling.
The name of the Mountain written in 7 characters הרגרזים in the group
of "Seven's" related to the Mountain: It is the seventh name of 13 names
the greatest commentator Marqeh of the 4Th century CE found in the Torah
related to the Mountain. The Torah mentions in Duet. 11:29-30 seven
locations of the Mountain and it is appears twice in the Tenth
Commandment that missing in the Jewish version about building an Altar
on Mount Gerizim. During the pilgrimage three times a year to the top of
Mount Gerizim the worshipers stay in 7 different stations on the summit
of the Mountain. To the central site, where formerly was the Tabernacle
of Moses there are two sets of seven stony stairs leading exactly to it
in the Ancient City of Luza that was built there.On Mount Gerizim stood
the more important seven tribes to offer seven blessings Semion. Levi,
Judah, Yissaschar, Joseph [Menashe and Ephraim] and Benyamim. At the end
of every pilgrimage the High Priest blesses the pilgrims with seven
blesses.
There are many ancient Samaritan manuscripts that giving the name in 8
characters - הרגריזים but these are as a result that in ancient times
the Samaritans used the characters אהו"י as vowels. The original form
that appears in some Samaritan manuscripts written in 7 characters
הרגרזים as it was found recently in a Jewish fragment from Qumran of
Duet. 27:4-6, but this form undoubtedly is not Samaritan or Jewish but
the ancient Israelite Hebrew form of writing the name in seven
characters to mark its holiness.
In later periods the Samaritan sages added to the opening words of each
prayer a fifth principle - the belief in the Day of Vengeance and
Recompense as it mention in Duet. 32:35, but in the ancient hymns till
the 14Th century CE appear only the first four ones. Probably the
addition of a fifth one was as a result of the desire to let this day of
salvation to the People of Israel much earlier.
It is clear that that Day is one of the Samaritan fundamental believes
like observing the Shabbat' the festivals, Paschal Sacrifice, Purity and
Impurity, not eating the eaten animals with milk products etc. But non
of these rites declared as a principle of the faith.
Some of my experience - I have followed always the dignified cantor the
late Phinhas b. Abraham the priest in the central Samaritan Synagogue
in Holon in the years 1967-1992. He always insisted to mention only the
first four principles at the end of the second Shabbat of the month noon
prayer without mentioning the Fifth one. Only today I have found the
reason because his genius grandfather Phinhas b. Isaac [1840-1898] that
composed hundreds of hymns and many compositions about the Samaritan
teaching of the Law, including a guide book of questions and answers for
beginners. But I fund the secret of his grandson the priest Phinhas b.
Abraham in a short hymn called Yishtabach [Praise] in the Book of
Praises published by the sage Israel b. Gamliel Tsedaka [1932-2010]
Holon 1963, p. 124. There the Priest Phinhas b. Issac wrote the next two
lines:
One El, One Prophet, One Torah: And One place of worship the Mountain of
Settling and Dwelling;
This are the principles of the Samaritan Congregation Faith: the
Community of Jacob that called in the Torah Yisrael.
Words of Truth are so clear.
Benyamim Tsedaka A.B. - The Samaritan News. issue no. 1103-1104, February 15, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
Israelite Samaritan Version of the Torah:
First English
Translation Compared with the Masoretic Version
HOW THE ISRAELITE SAMARITANS REACT AFTER DEATH OF A COMMUNITY MEMBER?
Each family reacts up to their general behavior usually reacts in
silence, others react louder.
Women actually sitting together. Crying in silence, singing songs of
farewell to the dead but all together in respect, not pulling their hair
not tearing their cloths not cutting the edge of the shirt. After Sinai
Assembly it is forbidden.
These are the expression of the Israelite Samaritans men and women [each
group in separate rooms] in case of mourning right after death. Men
repeat the habit to speak memories about the late positive activities.
This the opportunity to hear about her/him things you never heard. Pure
folklore. Some poets sing songs of burial that composed by them special
to the memory of the late. The men singing the repeated words between
the parts of the song. When a High Priest died the mourning is heavier
but not longer.
After returning from the funeral one of the households welcoming the
comers to a special mourning lunch. In the menu: Cooked rise with
chicken meat, beans soup cooked with chicken meat and pieces of roasted
lamb, light drinks mostly mineral water.
During the seven days of mourning the relatives of the dead are
welcoming visitors that paying their condolences. Tea and cookies are
served and bitter coffee.
There are kind of complaints to the dead why he/she left suddenly but
these "complaints" are limited to the time between his/her death and
putting him/her in the grave. During the seven days of mourning there
are special gatherings to pray for forgiveness to the soul of the late.
But all agree that this is the will of the Almighty and we have no other
choice, all in His hands.
30 days after the death there is a special gathering of all the
community at the evening. Relatives and friends of the dead visit his
tomb at the same day. Tea and cookies are served.
Benyamim Tsedaka A.B. - The Samaritan News. issue no. 1103-1104, February 15, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Survey
"A survey among 70% percent of the Mount Gerizim shows that up to the
community to build a new synagogue but not far from the center of the
neighborhood and two separate prayers."
Aabed Cohen, Feb 20, 2012
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The History of the
Roman Emperors: from Augustus to Constantine, Volume 6.
By Jean Baptiste Louis Crevier.
Translated From the French by John Mill, Esq.
In 10 Volumes, London 1814. published by F.C. & J. Rivington, etc.
This work was written corresponding for the
year 67 CE
(p. 152)
During the siege of Jotapata, Vespasian took another city of Galilee,
and dispersed a very numerous body of Samaritans who had got together.
Japha, a city not far
from Jotapata, elated by Romans, the resistance of her neighbours
against the Roman arms, behaved with an audaciousness unbecoming her
small strength. Trajan, who commanded the tenth legion, was sent to
chastise her with two thousand foot and a thousand horse. He soon made
himself master of the first enclosure, for Japha had two walls, one
within the other; and those who had retreated within the second,
having shut the gates of it for fear the enemy should enter pell-mell
with their fellow-citizens, such as had the misfortune to be enclosed
within the two walls, were cut to pieces, to the number of twelve
thousand. Trajan, desirous to let his general's son have the honour of
taking the place, sent Vespasian an account of the situation of
things; and he, in consequence thereof, gave Titus a thousand foot and
five hundred horse to put an end to that affair. The inner wall of
Japha was scaled and the town taken; all that were able to bear arms
were put to the sword, and the women and children made prisoners.
The Samaritans had
assembled on mount Garizim; and though they committed no hostilities,
their numerous meeting gave room for suspicion. Vespasian ordered
Cerialis, who commanded the fifth legion, to march against them with
three thousand foot and six hundred horse. Cerialis arriving at the
foot of the mountain, did not think proper to attack directly enemies
who had the advantage of ground over him, but surrounded them, and
threw up trenches all around. This was towards the end of the month of
December, which in that country is the end of spring; and the heat
beginning already to be very great, was extremely troublesome to the
(p. 153) Samaritans, who were forced to remain
on the top of a dry barren mountain, having but few provisions, and,
above all, suffering from want of water. Numbers died of thirst, and
others went over and submitted to the Romans. Cerialis, learning from
them how great the distress of the rest was, thought it time to march
up to them. He offered them their lives if they would lay down their
arms; and, on their refusal, he attacked them, and
killed eleven thousand six hundred.
The two exploits I have been speaking of happened
a few days before the taking of Jotapata. Vespasian having at last
made himself master of that city, thought it was but just to give his
troops some rest after so obstinate a siege; and accordingly he sent
them into quarters, some at Caesarea, and others at Scythopolis.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Call for Papers:
"The Other Temples"
25-27 May 2012, Dublin, Ireland
Hekhal: The Irish Society for the Study of the Ancient Near East
The
role of the temple cult is extremely important for Judaism despite
Deuteronomic centralisation never being fully realised. As such, other Jewish
temples may offer a fruitful area for discussing the development of Judaism in
the Ancient Near East. We are therefore calling for papers dealing with temple
ideology and its material culture in the context of temples other than the one
in Jerusalem, whether those be real ones such as Elephantine, Leontopolis or
Gerizim, or conceptual ones like the Qumran Yahad or the new Jerusalem in
Revelation. The committee would hope to receive submissions on topics as
diverse as diaspora Judaism, early Christianity, Qumran, early Samaritan
studies, and any other historiographic and/or archaeological fields of
research referencing these paradigms.
We invite abstracts of under 500 words to reach us by email no later than
27 January 2012 Late submissions will not be considered. Abstracts for
presentation shall be selected by peer review. The committee intends to
publish the proceedings within a peer-reviewed and edited volume. Contributors
should therefore only submit abstracts for publishable, original work.
The presentation of papers at this symposium will be 40 minutes long within a
one-hour slot, allowing time for ample discussion after each paper.
Cost: Euro 60 on the day. Euro 50 if paid before 1 May 2012.
Abstracts must be submitted to
hekhal.dublinia@gmail.com by January 27th 2012
Hekhal: The Irish Society for the Study of the Ancient Near East First Annual
Conference
Hekhal is an academic association established by four graduates and
postgraduates of Trinity College Dublin. The society’s primary aim is to
facilitate rigorous research in Ireland in the fields of Biblical Studies,
Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Archaeology and Historiography,
towards a more comprehensive understanding of the Biblical and Ancient Near
Eastern worlds and their texts.
The Multi-lingual Synagogue Inscriptions in Syria and Iudaea/Palaestina
by Jonathan Price
.....For
example, in the entire region we find, alongside thousands of Greek
inscriptions, ca. 5500 Nabataean texts, nearly 2900 in Palmyrene, 800-900
in Jewish Aramaic (not counting ostraca), 450 Hatran, many hundreds more
in Samaritan, not to mention the over 20,000 Safaitic “graffiti....
According to a
report in Israel National News, the commander of Israel
Army Radio, the national radio station in Israel operated by
the Israel Defense Forces, has determined that all the
station’s reporters should refer to the West Bank as “Judea
and Samaria.” The report states the decision was made as a
result of complaints made by Israel Media Watch that the
radio station’s referral to the area as the “West Bank”
gives the impression to listeners that the territory does
not in fact belong to Israel.
Israel Army Radio
is a popular mainstream station in Israel listened to by
people from across the political spectrum. It is thus
significant that it is now being directed to use the same
terminology used by the settler movement when invoking the
Biblical, divine notion of “Greater Israel” that is
completely detached from reality, diplomacy and human
rights.
Even Deputy
Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon refers to the area as “the
West Bank” in his famous
“hasbara” (PR)
video explaining why the land is in fact not occupied –
but I am all for calling the area “Judea and Samaria.” Since
Israel looks like a theocracy and acts like a theocracy, it
might as well talk like one too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The
Wonders of the Samaritan Kitchen
4000 Years of the Israelite-Samaritan Kitchen
Edited by Benyamim Tsedaka
Publishing House: A.B.- Institute of Samaritan Studies,
Holon, Israel, 2011
In Hebrew.
For Sale: In Europe - Euro50
In England - GBP40
In USA - $70
In Canada - $80 + mailing
Contact email information: sedakab@yahoo.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Benyamim Tsedaka - The
Collection of Samaritan Manuscripts in Klau Library in Hebrew Union
College, Cincinnati [In English and Hebrew], Illustration from each
manuscript - 180 pages.
Palestine: The Land of My Adoption by Clapham, J W
Published 1946
by Pickering & Inglis ltd. in London.
Hardback. Near Fine/Very Good. 206pp, HC in Good- blue boards with spine
discoloured and marks at end, DW pictorial full colour of camels and
Palestine scene small area missing to each end of spine, creasing to
extremities, interior very nice with four full colour illustrations and 20
plates in photo brown, two colour maps . A vivid travelogue to the area of
Palestine, Galilee, Nazareth, the Mount of Olives, Calvary. Chapters
include "Towards the Dead Sea", "Old Jerusalem", "Bethlehem", "Passover on
Mount Gerizim", etc.
Book Description:
London,., 1929. FIRST EDITION, London, Maggs Bros., 1929. folio, 355 x 250
mm, 14 x 9¾ inches, title page printed red and black, pages 55
Dissertation and 439 pages of facsimile illustrations of the manuscript,
bound in half leather over cloth sides, black dividing rules, raised bands
and black rules to spine, gilt lettered red morocco label, top edges gilt,
in the original plain card slipcase. One or two small pale marks to cloth,
very slightly rubbed at head and tail of spine otherwise contents clean
and bright. Slip case slightly marked and slightly worn, starting to split
at opening on one end. A very good copy of a scarce book. Dr Moses Gaster
(1856 -1939) was a Romanian-born Jewish-British scholar and Hebrew
linguist. He settled in England in 1885 where he held a lectureship, 1886
and 1891, in Slavonic literature at the University of Oxford and in 1893
he became a naturalised British citizen. He became the Hakam of the
Spanish and Portuguese congregation in London. He was a member of the
councils of the Folklore, Biblical, Archeological, and Royal Asiatic
societies, and wrote many papers in the interest of these bodies. He was a
great collector of manuscripts, having over two thousand, mainly Hebrew,
Samaritan and Slavonic. The manuscript published in The Tittled Bible "in
all probability the only manuscript of its kind in existence. . The
manuscript is written in an Oriental hand, probably by the middle of the
fourteenth century. .The special value of this unique manuscript lies . in
the fact that it is profusely marked with Tittles." Dissertation pages
41-43".
Book Description:
Francfordij (Io. Theodorum et Io. Israelem de Bry), 1596., 1596. 6ff.
including fully engraved dec. title, and letterpress text (including
dedication with large engraved design), and 51 engraved plates (including
a repeat of the dedication engraving with no surrounding letterpress, and
a decorated alphabet arranged two letters to the plate on 12 plates;
lacking plate N1). Fine modern marbled boards, 3/4 brown morocco gilt.
Slipcase case (cloth, edged in morocco). First edition, published
simultaneously with a German-language issue ("Alphabeten, und aller art
Characteren."). The alphabet plates include representations of
Chaldaean, Syriac, Hebrew, Coptic, Arabic, Samaritan, Greek,
Illyrian, etc. etc.
Book Description:
Thomas Roycroft [1653]-57, London, 1653. 6 volumes, folio, engraved
frontis portrait of Walton by Lombart, additional engraved title by Hollar
after Webb, ruled title printed in red and black, preliminary matter in
double column, the text proper alternating quadruple and double column on
each page, without leaf D2 (blank), 1 (of 2) correction slips is not
present, leaves C1-2 of the preface are present in 1 state only
(indicative of early copies), and without the 2 leaves of dedication to
Charles II found in some copies; this copy with the so-called "Loyal" form
of Walton's preface (not acknowledging Cromwell's assistance in importing
the paper); a few early ink corrections; preliminary matter includes
woodcuts in the text of alphabets and coins, tables, double-p. engraved
plan of Jerusalem, 3 engraved maps of the Holy Land on one double-p.
spread, 4 architectural plates (3 double-p., 1 folding), all by Hollar.
Compelling copy in full red morocco by John Leighton, bound circa 1830,
with triple gilt rules enclosing a central panel of triple gilt rules,
fleurons in the corners, gilt decorated spines in 6 compartments,
gilt-lettered in 2, a.e.g.; occasional minor rubbing, but overall
generally fine throughout. The fourth and last of the great polyglot
Bibles, in the tradition of the Complutensian edition of 1514-17,
Plantin's edition of 1569-72, and the Paris edition of 1629-45, but this
edition of Walton's, according to Darlow & Moule, is "the most accurate
and best equipped," containing extensive revisions, and with the addition
of the Aethiopic and Persian languages. Wing B2797; Darlow & Moule 1445.
Accompanied by Castell's Lexicon Heptaglotton, London, 1669, 2 vols.,
folio, with an engraved portrait frontispiece by Faithorn, the rarer of
the two known title-pp. (Roycroft's name only is present in the imprint),
text primarily in triple column. This Lexicon was compiled in
connection with Walton's Bible, and in his Preface Walton cites Castell as
being especially responsible for the Samaritan, Syriac, Arabic, and
Aethiopic versions. Lowndes I, p. 386: "The work, embracing all the
oriental languages in Walton's Polyglot, and designed to complete it, is,
says Dr. Clarke, probably the greatest and most perfect work of the kind
ever performed by human industry and learning."
Book Description:
Congregation de Propaganda Fide,, Rome, Vatican, 1636. Oblong 8vo
(110x170mm). Contemporary plain vellum. All pages within double woodcut
border lines. 12 lvs. (Collation: A-C4). Extremely rare original and
complete set, published without a title-page, of a collection of 12 very
interesting type specimens, printed at the Printing Office of the
Congregation de Propaganda Fide at the Vatican. The collection drew on
earlier Roman publications of a similar vein: it reprised for example
material from Angelo Rocca's Variarum linguarum alphabeta et inventores
(Rome 1595), Giacomo Bonaventure Scozese's Virga aurea (Rome 1616), and
Athenasius Kircher' Prodromus Copticus sive Aegyptiacus (1636). The famous
Jesuit Athenasius Kircher devoted half of his eighth chapter of his
Prodromus - ostensibly concerned with the usefulness of Coptic - to an
enigmatic inscription that had been discovered by Thomaso Obicini at the
foot of Mt. Horeb in the Sinai. Although it did not pertain to Coptic or
anything Egyptian, Kircher announced that he would be remiss not to
discuss it. Kircher described how he brought to bear his philological
expertise by trying to match the inscription's characters with three
oriental languages, Hebrew, Samaritan, and Syriac. According to
Kircher the inscription was written in a form of ancient Chaldean. It
concerns our nr. 8.In the collection are three alphabets of Adam, the
first from the Vatican Library, the second by Giacomo Bonaventura Scozese,
the third by Lorenzo Schrader; 4 Hebrew alphabets, the first 'detto
soprasilvio', the second 'detto testo', the third designed by Garamond and
the fourth Rabbinic by Garamond, the above mentioned script discovered by
Tomaso da Novara at the foot of Mont Horeb, an analysis of the same by
Athanasius Kircher, Samaritan and Estrangelo alphabets, and a Chaldean
alphabet. Established in 1626 for the propaganda of the Catholic faith
among the Eastern peoples, the 'Propaganda fide', has published many texts
in exotic, oriental alphabets. This publication shows the different types
the printing office could use:(1) Alfabeto del protoparente Adamo I.
delineato nella libraria Vaticana.(2) Alfabeto II. di Adamo secondo che
riferisce il P. Giacomo Bonavent. Scozese dell'Ordine di S. Francesco di
Paolo nel suo alfabetario intitolato Virga Aurea.(3) Alfabeto III. di
Adamo cavato dal libro di Lorenzo Schradero stampato in Helmstatt l'anno
1592.(4) Alfabeto Hebreo detto soprasilvio.(5) Alfabeto Hebreo detto testo.(6)
Alfabeto Hebreo detto Garamone.(7) Alfabeto Hebreo Rabbinico detto
Garamone.(8) Lettere cavata dal P. Tomaso da Navara che si trovano
sculpite in una pietra piccola posta à piedi del monte Oreb, dove Dio N.S.
diede la legge.(9) Analysi dell'antecedente carattere, conforme alla
dispositione del P. Atanasio Kircher nel prodromo Copto, approvata
da'molti.(10) Alfabeto Samaritano, detto testo.(11) Alfabeto
estranghelo, overo Chaldeo antico, detto testo.(12) Alfabeto Chaldeo,
overo Siro detto, di due righe di Silvio. Good copy of this very rare
publication- (Several lvs. shaved at the bottom, not effecting the text).
G. Amaduzzi, Catalogus librorum qui ex typographio Sacrae Congreg de
Propaganda Fide variis lainguis prodierunt (Rome 1773), p. 7; Birrell &
Garnett, Cat. of I Typefounders' specimens .(1928, repr. 1972), p. 4, nr.
4; R. Smitskamp, Philologia orientalis: a description of books
illustratingthe study and printing of oriental languages (3 vols., Leiden
1976-91), pp. 74-7 (Smithkamp calls the work by the first title of the
first of its alphabets: Alphabetum Adamiticum, and suggests ca. 1636 for
the publication date) ; D. Stolzenberg, Egyptian Oedipus. Antiquarianism,
oriental studies . in the work of Athanasius Kircher (Thesis Stanford
Univ., 2004), pp. 118 and 121; the copy at the Harvard's Houghton Library,
which is catalogued as a 'Collection of Twelve Exotic Alphabets', with the
date ca. 1650.
Book Description:
Printed by and sold for H. Overton, 1743]., London:, 1743. 406 x 260 mm
(16 x 10 1/4"). Pleasing contemporary polished calf, neatly rebacked and
recornered in the 20th century, covers bordered with double gilt fillets,
raised bands flanked by double gilt rules, panels with blindstamped floral
lozenge, red morocco title label. ENGRAVED THROUGHOUT, WITH 213 LARGE
FOLIO PLATES DISPLAYING VARIOUS SCRIPTS AND FEATURING SEVERAL ORNAMENTS
AND LARGE, FULLY-REALIZED VIGNETTE HEADPIECES. Front flyleaf with
elaborately flourished ink calligraphic ownership inscription of "Thomas
Pemberton, Junior, 1746"; front free endpaper with ink ownership
inscription (also calligraphic) of Edwin Hubert Rutter, dated July, 1833.
Ekstrom, pp. 78-81; Bonacini 208; Heal, p. 171, #7; Wiles, p. 288. Covers
a little marked and crackled, but the binding expertly restored, entirely
solid, and certainly appealing. Three-inch closed tear to top of
dedication leaf (touching engraving), three other small marginal tears,
first dozen and final half dozen leaves with a bit of soiling and slightly
frayed edges, isolated faint dampstaining of no consequence, occasional
small ink spots, thumbing, and other trivial imperfections, but the thick
leaves mostly clean and still quite fresh, and generally a very pleasing
copy internally of a book usually found in poor condition. This large and
impressive book explores "the art of writing," which is here "made useful
to the gentleman and scholar as well as the man of business [and which is]
exemplified in all the useful and ornamental branches of modern
penmanship." It is generally considered to be not only the most beautiful,
but also the most important calligraphic book of the century; Bonacini
praises it in an even larger context, calling it "one of the most
interesting writing books of all time." The monumental work, which was
begun in 1733, comprises a compendium of all the scripts then in use in
England--including a page of exotic alphabets with Hebrew, "Rabinical,"
Samaritan, Syriac, Arabic, and Armenian characters.......
Book Description:
London,?printed for Nath,Brook, at the Angel in Gresham Colledge? 1669.,
1669. First edition of this remarkable publication by John Webb
(1611-1672), Inigo Jones?s pupil, architectural assistant and professional
successor. In his independent architectural career since the 1650s Webb
had had both successes and disappointments, but his executed buildings
show that he was an adept handler of the Palladian style of architecture
introduced into England by Inigo Jones, and his inheritance from Jones
both of Jones?s drawings and of Jones?s library of printed books provided
him with the best reference archive of any English architect of his
generation. By 1669 Webb?s career as an architect was drawing to a close
and this evidently gave him the leisure to write the present book, in
which he argues that the Chinese language was essentially the same
language that was spoken throughout the world before Noah?s flood, and
also provides an extensive discussion of Chinese culture and of the remote
origins of the Chinese empire. Webb?s text is entirely based on existing
printed sources, but his is nonetheless the earliest extensive discussion
of the Chinese language by an European author, and it is possible to
reconstruct from his remarks exactly which books he possessed on China
(some no doubt inherited from Inigo Jones). Speculation on the peoples and
culture of the distant past both by Jones and by Webb himself had been a
feature of their successive books on Stonehenge, respectively published in
1655 and 1665, and a lingering memory at Wilton House of Inigo Jones?s
interest in comparative languages no doubt accounts for the remarkable
statement in Nicola Haym?s original preface to his early eighteenth
century engraved catalogue of Lord Pembroke?s coin collection that ?I
desir?d my Lord [Pembroke] to let me print what he has writ of Mr.Jones?s
explanations not only of the Samaritan & Arabick but also
Phoenician the which he spoke from a boy being educated in Mount Atlas?
(sic !).....
Raphelengius,
Franciscus ; Erpenius, Thomas (1584-1624).
Book Description: Ex
Officina Auctoris, Leidae (Leiden): 1613., 1613. Hardcover. Book
Condition: Very Good. pp. [12], 648, LXVIII, [4]. The famous Plantin
printer's device of the Golden Compasses, with motto "Labore et constantia",
on title page recto. Wonderful engraved portrait of the author/printer on
the title page verso. Printed and paged from right to left. Text in Latin,
Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek. 4to. 195 x 265 mm. Occasional manuscript notes
and corrections. Small repaired paper fault on title. Some browning, age
stain, and soiling - but no brittleness. No endpapers. Early full vellum
binding. A complete copy of a rare and important Arabic dictionary.
Franciscus Raphelengius (1539-1597) was the son-in-law of the great
scholar/printer Christopher Plantin, and a collaborator on the famous
Antwerp Polyglot Bible. He managed the Leiden Plantin printing office, and
became printer to the University in 1586; a year later he was also
appointed Professor of Hebrew. His scholarly printing qualities were one
of the attractions by which Scaliger was persuaded to come to Leiden in
1593, and this event may have induced Raphelengius to acquire types for
the printing of Ethiopic, Samaritan, and Arabic. This Arabic dictionary
was published by his sons after his death in 1597, and was composed with
the Arabic types specially cut for him in 1595 by Hondius. Thomas Erpenius
added an important section: Observationes in Lexicon Arabicum, his first
philological publication on Arabic. In the Introduction, dated 1 January
1613, the main sources for the Lexicon are listed: 14 are manuscripts or
groups of manuscripts, and only six are printed works (Pedro de Alcala's
Vocabulista; Giustiniani's Psalter of 1516; Saadia Gaon's version in the
Istanbul polyglot of 1546; and the Medicean publications of the Gospels,
Avicenna, and al-Idrisi). Erpenius was probably responsible for a short
introduction to a supplementary list offering a selection of Arabic words
and word forms in the original manuscript which were omitted by the author
in the final printer's copy. To render the dictionary accessible, indexes
for Hebrew, Greek and Latin were provided. The Hebrew index is set in an
extremely small 5 point type. Though there were earlier printed
dictionaries of the Arabic language, this is really the first to employ
Arabic type. A landmark book marking, the start of scholarly Arabic
studies in Europe. Scarce. OCLC locates only four copies in the U.S. and
just as few abroad.
Book Description:
Lisbon, Na Officina de Simão Thaddeo Ferreira, 1797., 1797. Small
typographical vignette on title page. Typographical headpiece. xix, 68 pp.
8°, contemporary mottled calf (single tiny round wormhole in spine; very
slight wear), plain flat spine, gilt bands, text block edges sprinkled
red. Clean and crisp, printed on high quality paper. This rare
introduction to paleography and diplomatics. Included are sections on
semiotics and Latin monuments, as well as abbreviations, tachygraphy, and
"grammatophylaquica" (the preservation of documents in archives). There
are also descriptions and classifications of different kinds of
handwriting and scripts throughout the ages, from the Greek, Etruscan,
Roman, Samaritan, Hebrew, Phoenician, Arabic,........
Book Description:
Geographia Antiqua, 1771. Map. Book Condition: Used: Very Good. 9 x 14-1/2
inches. Hand colored copper plate engraving of the region between the
Black Sea and Caspian Sea circa 300 BC, during early Samaritan times.
Composed by Samuel Wheatley for the Geographia Antiqua Delineata, an atlas
consisting of 31 engravings of historical maps, including various
depictions of the Roman empire. Decorative title cartouche in top right
corner. Waterways and mountain ranges are embellished with hand coloring.
Book Description:
Pearson and Rollason, MDCCLXXXVIII., Birmingham, 1788. Hard Cover (leather
binding). Book Condition: Good. Engraved Plates (illustrator). Re-issue.
Large Quarto. BIRMINGHAM : 1788 [ Baskerville ] Large quarto; approx 23
x26 cm. 11cm thick. The notes are those of Baskerville's edition, with
additional ones from the collation of Kennicott and Rossi and Bishop
Louth's translation, and also additions from the Samaritan Pentateuch. The
N.T. has a separate title-page. Double column text. [No pagination
provided]. Text complete. Final leaf ends 9H2 (subscribers). With 34
engravings many with the imprint: Published by Pearson & Rollason, and
bearing dates between December 1787 and June 1789. Originally issued in 48
parts. With an 8-page list of subscribers {from Wales, Midlands,
Lancashire, Yorkshire mainly}.
Book Description:
London; Dublin (printed) Whittaker and Co. [etc.] 1857., 1857. Good orig.
navy cloth. Backstrip detached, pieces laid in. [3], xxx, 634 p.; front.
(of author), 2 pl. ancient characters from inscriptions; 25.5 cm. Errata
slip tipped in at Contents. [balance of title] its Authorized English
Version. -- Contents -- Introduction -- I. Preliminary philological
observations. -- II. Proofs of the spuriousness of the matres lectionis in
the sacred text derived from the uses made of them in its nomenclature. --
III. Proofs of the spuriousness of the matres lectionis in the sacred
text, derived from the uses made of them in the structure of its language.
-- IV. Continuation of the argument derived from the structure of the
Hebrew language. -- V. Final part of the argument derived from the
structure of the language [Hebrew text formerly not divided into words nor
distributed into verses] -- VI. Corroboration of foregoing argument
derived from a foreign source [Gesenius's study of Phoenician
vowel-letters] -- Appendix. Supplementary materials. 1. Indications of
unfair design which the first vocalization of the sacred text betrays. -
2. The Christians utterly ignorant of Hebrew during by far the greater
part of the second century. - 3. Investigation of the date of the first
vocalization of the Hebrew text. - 4. Of the spurious Greek versions of
the Old Testament that were written, most of them, in the second century.
- 5. A brief review of the conduct of the Jewish rulers during the second
century, and a few of those next ensuing. - 6. Of the Peshitah, or first
Syriac version. - 7. Of the Samaritan text and version. - 8. Of the
Chaldee versions, strictly so called, that is, the order targums. - 9.
Value of the present discovery illustrated by one more example [Kennicott's
argument on Joshua xxiv, 19].
Book Description:
Propaganda Press, Rome, 1771. Modern marbled wrappers. Small 8vo. 16 pp.
Birrell & Garnett 14, PO 204. The Hebrew types are a fine sefardi 18pt (soprasilvio)
fount, the Rabbinical a 10pt garamone, and together with the Samaritan
types they already figure in the undated alphabet specimen of c. 1636 (see
PO 199). The alphabet was published by J. C. Amadutius, superintendent of
the Propaganda Press for nearly 20 years.
Book Description:
Amsterdam, Daniel van den Dalen, 1700, Cont.vellum, (64, incl. engr.
frontispiece), 198, (8), 203, (4) pp. and 4 fold. engravings. 8vo.
Simonville is the pseudonyme of Richard Simon (1638-1712). He explains in
his introduction, that the authors of the N.T. were Jews and could only be
understood in the light of Judaism. He added a chapter on the Karaites and
the Samaritans. A second supplement on the comparison of Judaism
and Christianity was published in 1681. In this Dutch translation, 4
engravings by Jan Luyken have been added representing Wedding, Divorce,
Halitza, and Circumcision.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Editor
We have added more
New Articles in our Samaritan Archives Section. Check them all out!
As recommended
by one of our Subscribers, I shall attempt to add a full Bibliography of
Articles placed in our Archives section of the Samaritan Update
Publisher: Brill