Sefer Tagin Fragments from the Cairo Genizah
A Critical Edition, Commentary and Reconstruction. Cambridge Genizah Studies Series, Volume 12
Series: - Études sur le judaïsme médiéval, Volume: 85
In Sefer Tagin
Fragments from the Cairo Genizah, Marc Michaels transcribes and recreates fragments of arguably the earliest found manuscript of the manual for
sofrim (scribes) concerning the decorative
tagin (tittles) and 'strange' letter forms that adorn certain words in the
Torah. Comparing these found fragments against other core and secondary sources of
Sefer Tagin (including several pages of a new secondary source), Michaels establishes the most likely readings to assist the reconstruction of the fragments and shed light on the original intention of the author of
Sefer Tagin.
Marc Michaels is studying for a PhD at Cambridge University (FAMES). A Strategy and Creative Director, he is also a
Sofer S"TaM presenting and writing on topics related to scribal practice (www.sofer.co.uk).
Acknowledgements
List of Assigned Sigla
List of Figures, Tables and Reconstructions
Note on Transliteration
1 Introduction
1 The ‘Strange Letters’, Visual midrash and Sefer Tagin
2 A Brief Introduction to tagin
3 Sefer Tagin—A Manual for sofrim (Scribes)
4 The Corpus of Textual Witnesses to Sefer Tagin—Core and Secondary Sources
5 Some Example Uses in Sifrey Torah
6 Adding to the Core Corpus, Oxford Bodleian MS. Heb. d. 33/3 (fol. 9), a Known Fragment from the Cairo Genizah
2 A New (Partial) Witness
1 T-S D1.42—Two New Pages from a Version of Sefer Tagin Identified from the Cairo Genizah
2 Dating and Locating T-S D1.42
3 Identifying Additional Joins, T-S AS 139.152, T-S NS 287.11 and T-S AS 139.144
4 An Additional Find, a Secondary Source T-S Misc. 24.182 from the Cairo Genizah
5 Dating T-S Misc. 24.182
3 Transcription and Analysis
1 Diacritical Conventions
2 Digital Composition and Font Construction
4 Critical Analysis of T-S D.142
1 End of Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter he Form
2 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter he
3 Description and Example Forms of the Second Special Letter he
4 Listing of Instances for the Second Special Letter he
5 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter vav
6 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter vav
7 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter zayin
8 Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter zayin
9 Description and Example Forms of the Second Special Letter zayin
10 Listing of Instances for the Second Special Letter zayin
11 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter ḥet
12 Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter ḥet
13 Description and Example Forms of the Second Special Letter ḥet
14 Listing of Instances for the Second Special Letter ḥet
15 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter ṭet
16 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter ṭet
17 Summary—T-S D1.42
5 Analysis and Reconstruction of Joined Fragments
1 Reconstruction of Additional Pages of Our New Core Source
2 Continuing the Listing for the Special Letter ṭet
3 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter yod
4 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter yod
5 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter kaf
6 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter kaf
7 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter kaf sofit
8 Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter kaf sofit
9 Description and Example Forms of the Second Special Letter kaf sofit
10 Listing of Instances for the Second Special Letter kaf sofit
11 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter lamed
12 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter lamed
13 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter mem
14 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter mem
15 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter mem sofit
16 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter mem sofit
17 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter nun
18 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter nun
19 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter tav
20 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter tav
21 Conclusion of Sefer Tagin
22 Summary—CG Joined Fragments
6 Oxford Bodleian MS. Heb. 33/3 (fol. 9)
1 Critical Analysis of MS. Heb. d. 33/3
2 Continuing the Listing for the Special Letter nun
3 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter nun sofit
4 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter nun sofit
5 The ‘Upside Down’ nun sofit of Haran
6 Continuing the Listing for the Special Letter nun sofit
7 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter samekh
8 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter samekh
9 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter ʿayin
10 Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter ʿayin
11 Summary—Oxford Heb. 33/9
Appendix 1: Transcription and Annotation of T-S Misc. 24.182
Appendix 2: Enhanced Imagery of Sefer Tagin from Sassoon 82 (JUD. 022)
Bibliography
List of Assigned Sigla
List of Figures, Tables and Reconstructions
Note on Transliteration
1 Introduction
1 The ‘Strange Letters’, Visual midrash and Sefer Tagin
2 A Brief Introduction to tagin
3 Sefer Tagin—A Manual for sofrim (Scribes)
4 The Corpus of Textual Witnesses to Sefer Tagin—Core and Secondary Sources
5 Some Example Uses in Sifrey Torah
6 Adding to the Core Corpus, Oxford Bodleian MS. Heb. d. 33/3 (fol. 9), a Known Fragment from the Cairo Genizah
2 A New (Partial) Witness
1 T-S D1.42—Two New Pages from a Version of Sefer Tagin Identified from the Cairo Genizah
2 Dating and Locating T-S D1.42
3 Identifying Additional Joins, T-S AS 139.152, T-S NS 287.11 and T-S AS 139.144
4 An Additional Find, a Secondary Source T-S Misc. 24.182 from the Cairo Genizah
5 Dating T-S Misc. 24.182
3 Transcription and Analysis
1 Diacritical Conventions
2 Digital Composition and Font Construction
Part 1
4 Critical Analysis of T-S D.142
1 End of Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter he Form
2 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter he
3 Description and Example Forms of the Second Special Letter he
4 Listing of Instances for the Second Special Letter he
5 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter vav
6 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter vav
7 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter zayin
8 Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter zayin
9 Description and Example Forms of the Second Special Letter zayin
10 Listing of Instances for the Second Special Letter zayin
11 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter ḥet
12 Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter ḥet
13 Description and Example Forms of the Second Special Letter ḥet
14 Listing of Instances for the Second Special Letter ḥet
15 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter ṭet
16 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter ṭet
17 Summary—T-S D1.42
Part 2
5 Analysis and Reconstruction of Joined Fragments
1 Reconstruction of Additional Pages of Our New Core Source
2 Continuing the Listing for the Special Letter ṭet
3 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter yod
4 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter yod
5 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter kaf
6 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter kaf
7 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter kaf sofit
8 Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter kaf sofit
9 Description and Example Forms of the Second Special Letter kaf sofit
10 Listing of Instances for the Second Special Letter kaf sofit
11 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter lamed
12 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter lamed
13 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter mem
14 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter mem
15 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter mem sofit
16 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter mem sofit
17 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter nun
18 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter nun
19 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter tav
20 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter tav
21 Conclusion of Sefer Tagin
22 Summary—CG Joined Fragments
Part 3
6 Oxford Bodleian MS. Heb. 33/3 (fol. 9)
1 Critical Analysis of MS. Heb. d. 33/3
2 Continuing the Listing for the Special Letter nun
3 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter nun sofit
4 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter nun sofit
5 The ‘Upside Down’ nun sofit of Haran
6 Continuing the Listing for the Special Letter nun sofit
7 Description and Example Forms of the Special Letter samekh
8 Listing of Instances for the Special Letter samekh
9 Description and Example Forms of the First Special Letter ʿayin
10 Listing of Instances for the First Special Letter ʿayin
11 Summary—Oxford Heb. 33/9
Appendix 1: Transcription and Annotation of T-S Misc. 24.182
Appendix 2: Enhanced Imagery of Sefer Tagin from Sassoon 82 (JUD. 022)
Bibliography
Anyone interested in Jewish scribal practice and Jewish
halacha (law), Hebrew manuscripts and the Hebrew script, findings from the Cairo
Genizah and general
Torah/Bible studies.