The Cairo Codex and Its Doublet Catchwords (Hardback)

This book is designed for students of the Bible who are interested in the Hebrew language, Hebrew manuscripts, and Masoretic studies. It provides a basic overview of the history of Tiberian manuscripts and compares the traditional understanding of the Tiberian Masorah—primarily shaped by the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex—with the unique features found in the Cairo Codex, the third principal Tiberian codex. For scholars, this study presents a comprehensive list of all 1,072 doublet catchwords in the Masorah Parva of the Cairo Codex. It highlights 131 of these catchwords for their distinctive characteristics and examines them in detail in the areas of orthography, function, and placement. The analysis offers insights into the reasons behind the divergences observed in the Cairo Codex and emphasizes the significance of Cairo’s Masorah for deepening our understanding of the Tiberian Masorah. Furthermore, it demonstrates the benefits of using a comparative approach in Masoretic studies.