The Arundel and Xanten Bibles: A Model and a Copy?

Abstract

Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers 10

Based on a newly established attribution of two Bibles to a single scribe-masorete, Joseph of Xanten ben Kalonymos of Neuss, this paper discusses their model-copy relationship. It analyzes the copying process and identifies additional hands involved, which contributed to the complex dynamics between models and copied texts. The discussion also reveals how Ashkenazi scribes perceived their own Masoretic tradition compared to the “original” tradition that governed ancient Near Eastern Masoretic codices.