Masora Parva Peculiarities in MS Vienna ÖNB Cod. hebr. 16

Abstract

Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers 21

Masoretic material is not evenly distributed within medieval Bible manuscripts. Moreover, Masoretic traditions in the Ashkenazi codices differ from the Tiberian tradition in several ways, particularly in terms of philological content. The Aberzush Bible is one of the Ashkenazi manuscripts that include copious Masoretic material, especially in the masora parva. In contrast to the more detailed masora magna, these short Masoretic notes are directly attached to the main biblical text, a feature that sheds light on discrepancies between the Masorah and the Biblical text, which hints at the diversity of the traditions. In this essay I compare Vienna ÖNB Cod. hebr. 16 with other Ashkenazi manuscripts in order to elucidate the impact of the masora parva on the biblical text, which led to textual corrections, and discuss the various Masoretic traditions.