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—I. the Tam letter, with sharp corners and perpendicular coronul, used among the German and Polish Jews ; 2. the Velshe letter, more modern than the Tam, and rounder, with coronulm, particularly found in the sacred copies of the Spanish and Oriental Jews.
The age of Hebrew MSS. is not easily deter mined. It is true that they often contain subscrip tions 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 ambi guous, occasionally incorrect. Where they are altogether wanting, it is still more difficult to dis cover the age. In the latter case, the character of the writing, the colour of the ink, the quality and complexion of the parchment, the absence of the Masora, of the vowel-points, of the unusual letters, etc., have been chiefly rested upon. Still, how ever, such particulars are uncertain marks of age.
The oldest Hebrew MS. known to Kennicott or De Rossi was 634 of De Rossi, a mere fragment containing small portions of Leviticus and Num bers. According to its former possessor, it belongs to the Sth century. So much uncertainty attaches to the internal marks adopted by these two Hebraists, that the ages to which they assign several Hebrew MSS. are gratuitous. Since Pinner examined a number of MSS. belonging to the Bible Society of Odessa, older ones are now known. The most ancient is that which he marks No. I, a Pentateuch roll on leather. The subscription states that the MS. was corrected in the year 58o; and therefore it must have been written earlier. Hence the roll must be above 1280 years. Pinner expresses no doubt of the correctness of the subscription, which, if genuine, proves it to be the oldest known MS.
It was brought from Derbend in Daghestan, and is now at St. Petersburg. Nos. 5 and 11 of Pinner are assigned to the 9th century ; No. 13 seems as old ; and No. 3 belongs to the loth century. We sus pect, however, the accuracy of some of the dates.
In the Imperial public library at St. Petersburg, there is a collection of Hebrew MSS. made by Mr. Firkowicz, containing several very ancient ones. The oldest date is in a roll found in a Karaite syna gogue in the Crimea, viz., A.D. 489. But that date is very suspicious. Several fragments of rolls give, as the dates of purchase or dedication, A. D. 639,
764, 781, 789, 798, 8o5, 815, 843, 848. Are these dates genuine ? We shall know more of the MSS., and their age, when Neubauer shall have finished his collation.
A few of the oldest Hebrew MSS. may be briefly described here.
No. 1, Pinner. This is a Pentateuch roll on leather, containing the five Mosaic books com plete. It has no vowels, accents, or Masorah. The roll consists of forty-five pieces. As to the form of the letters, it differs considerably from the present one.This is particularly observable in the case of , r n. The variations in the text from the Masoretic recension are few and inconsider able. The MS., according to the subscription, was corrected in the year 58o, consequently the roll must have been written upwards of 128o years. If the subscription be genuine, it is the oldest MS. known, except that one in the Firkowicz collection, dated 489.
No. 634, De Rossi, quarto. This is but the fragment of a MS., containing Lev. xxi. i9— Num. i. 5o. It is on parchment, without the vowel-points, Masorah, or K'ris. It has also no interval between the parshioth or sections. But there are sometimes points between the words. It belongs, in De Rossi's opinion, to the Sth century, and is corroded by age. The character of the letters is intermediate, approaching the German. Now at Parma.
No. 5, Pinner. This is a roll of the Pentateuch, but incomplete. The writing begins with Num. xiii. 19. The form of the letters is very different from the present one. It is carelessly written ; words and letters being frequently omitted. The subscription states that it was written A.D. 843.
No. II, Pinner. This is a fragment of a syna gogue roll beginning with Dent. xxxi. 1. The date is 881.
No. 503, De Rossi, in quarto. This is a MS. of the Pentateuch, made up of different pieces. It begins with Gen. xlii. 15, and ends with Deut. xv. 12. There is a chasm in it from Lev. xxi. 19 to Num. i. 50, because De Rossi separated this por tion, thinking it to be older than the rest, and characterised it as an independent fragment by the No. 634. The vowel-points are attached, but not throughout, evidently by the same hand as that which wrote the consonants. There are no traces of the Masorah or K'ris. Sometimes its readings have a remarkable agreement with those of the Samaritan text and ancient versions. De Rossi places the various pieces of which it is made up, in the 9th and loth centuries.