Codicological Response to Persecution: The Aberzush Bible

Abstract

Corpus Masoreticum Working Papers 18

The present article examines the material aspects of the Aberzush Bible, a well-known Masoretic manuscript copied in Franconia in 1298–1299 during the Rintfleisch massacres. It reconstructs the process of its production and discusses how the persecution may have affected the work of its scribes and masoretes, as well as the manuscript’s material appearance. The analysis suggests that the Rintfleisch massacres may have constituted a watershed moment, one that disrupted the tradition of high-end Masoretic codices and subsequently led to a general deterioration in their quality.