The role of the colon in MS Erfurt of the Tosefta

The Erfurt manuscript of the Tosefta contains 15 places where the scribe marked one of two possible versions of the text with a double colon. While scholars have commented on individual instances of the double colon, there is no scholarly consensus as to its form and purpose. In this article I provi...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Shmidman, Shira (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Journal of Jewish studies
Year: 2025, Volume: 76, Issue: 1, Pages: 13-40
Further subjects:B Erfurt Manuscript
B Scribes
B Middle Ages
B Manuscripts
B Rabbinic Literature
B Tosefta
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:The Erfurt manuscript of the Tosefta contains 15 places where the scribe marked one of two possible versions of the text with a double colon. While scholars have commented on individual instances of the double colon, there is no scholarly consensus as to its form and purpose. In this article I provide a comprehensive analysis of all instances of this scribal phenomenon; in each case I demonstrate the philological import of the notation, and the backdrop to the proposed alternate text. Furthermore, an analysis of these instances as a whole reveals a complex system of internal notations whereby the scribe uses a combination of colons and selective vocalization to record his emendation practices while copying the manuscript. My analysis also relates to the long-debated question of whether the scribe had access to an additional witness of the Tosefta and lends support to the claim that he did.
ISSN:2056-6689
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal of Jewish studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3828/jjs.2025.76.1.13