MANUSCRIPTS, BIBLICAL blb'lr-kal). These are either Hebrew or Greek.
1. Jeteish Manuscripts. Jewish MSS. are divided into (a) Synagogue rolls or sacred co,bies; and (b) Private or common Lopies.
(a) The synagogue rolls contain the Penta teuch, the appointed sections of the prophets, or the book of Esther, which last is used only at the Feast of Purim. The three are never put to gether ; but are written on separate rolls. They are in the Chaldee or square Hebrew character, without vowels and accents, accompanied with the puncta extraordinaria, and having the unusual forms of certain consonams. The great beauty of penmanship exhibited in these synagogue cop ies has been always admired. They are taken from authentic exemplars, without the slightest deviation or correction. They seldom fall into the hands of Christians, since, as soon as they cease to be employed in the synagogue, they are either buried or carefully laid aside, lest they should be profaned by coming into the possession of Gentiles.
(b) Private MSS. are written partly in the square or Chaldce character, partly in the Rab binical. They are held in far less esteem than the synagogue rolls, and are wont to be denomi nated profane (pesulim). Their form is entirely arbitrary. They are in folio, quarto, octavo, and duodecimo. Of those written in the square char acter, the greater number are on parchment, some on paper. The ink of the letters is always black, but the vowel points are usually written with ink of a different color from that of the consonants. Initial words and letters are frequently decorated with gold and silver colors. The prose parts are arranged in columns, the poetic in parallel mem bers. Some copies are without columns. The columns are not always occupied with the He brew text alone; for a version is frequently added which is either written in the text after the man ner of verses or in a column by itself, or in the margin in a smaller character. The number of lines is not prescribed by the Talmud. The up per and lower margins are filled with the Great Masora, and sometimes with a Rabbinical com mentary ; as also with prayers, psalms, and the like. The external margin is for corrections,
scholia, variations, notices of the haplztaroth (sec tions from the prophets), parashoth (sections from the law), the commentaries of the Rabbins, etc. The inner margin, or that between the col umns, is occupied with the little Masora. The single books of the Old Testament are separated from one another by spaces, except the books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah, which are written continuously. The sections of the law and prophets are generally marked. In the MSS. of different countries the books are differently arranged. These copies generally pass through various hands before they are finished. Thc consonants proceed from the sopher or scribe. When the same person writes both consonants and vowels, as is frequently the case, he never makes them at the same time; the former are fin ished before be begins to append the latter. The K'ris in the margin uniformly proceed from the vowel-writer. It is probable that these copies were in no instance made by Christians.
Although the square character be employed in all the MSS. of which we have spoken, yet it has varieties. The Jews themselves distinguish in the synagogue rolls, (1) the TO7II letter, with sharp corners and perpendicular coronulw, used among the German and Polish Jews; (2) thc Velshe letter, more modern than the Tam. and rounder, with coronuke. particularly found in the sacred copics of the Spanish and Oriental Jews.
The age of Hebrew MSS. is not easily deter mined. It is true that they often contain sub scriptions giving an account of the time when they were written, and the name of the scribe, or also of the possessor. But these accounts are often ambiguous and occasionally incorrect. Where they are altogether wanting, it is still more difficult to discover the age. In the latter case, the character of the writing, the color of the ink, the quality and yellowness of the parchment, the absence of the Masora, of the vowel-points, of the unusual letters, etc., have been chiefly rested upon. Still, however, such particulars are uncertain marks of age.