Codex of Ketuvim (‘Writings’, the third division of the Hebrew Bible), in Hebrew, Aramaic and Judeo-Arabic.
It is important to note that the Aramaic translation to the Five Rolls (in Hebrew Hamesh Megilot) has a super-linear punctuation (i.e. placed above the letters). The Arabic translation of Psalms, Job, Proverbs and Song of Songs, among others, are by Sa’adia ben Yosef Gaon (892-942 CE). Sa’adia Gaon was one of the greatest medieval biblical scholars and philosophers. He was originally from Fayyum, Egypt, but lived most of his life in Babylonia. He is credited with translating almost the entire Hebrew Bible into Arabic, and is recognised as the founder of Judeo-Arabic literature.
It was penned on paper in a typically Yemenite square script. Beside the Hebrew text, there are partial translations in Aramaic and in Judeo-Arabic (i.e. Arabic text in Hebrew characters). The vowel points and accents, and the masoretic notations are inconsistent. The scribe responsible for copying the text was most probably, Benayah ben Zeharyah ben Marga, a major Yemenite scribe (d. 1490).
View images of the entire manuscripts via our Digitised Manuscripts website.
Public Domain in most countries other than the UK.
The Hebrew language is central to Judaism but several other languages have also been used in biblical translations and interpretations. Daniel Isaacs looks at the languages of Aramaic, Judaeo-Arabic, Djudezmo and Yiddish and their relationships to the Jewish sacred text.
Barry Dov Walfish explains the development of biblical interpretation in Judaism, looking at key corpuses such as the Masorah, Targum and Midrash.
Rabbi Johnny Solomon explores the role of prayer within Jewish tradition, looking at its history, development and use within worship and rituals.
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