Manuscript
Aleppo Codex
Also known as Keter Aram Tzova · Crown of Aleppo
A 10th-century Hebrew manuscript of the entire Tanakh with full Masoretic apparatus; considered one of the most authoritative witnesses to the Masoretic Text.
masoreticold-testamenthebrew-bible
Overview
Aleppo Codex(c. 920–930 CE)— Preserved in Aleppo, Syria until 1947; partially damaged in anti-Jewish riots that year and subsequently recovered
The Aleppo Codex is a manuscript of the Hebrew Bible produced in Tiberias in the first half of the 10th century CE, traditionally associated with the scribe Shlomo ben Buya'a and the masoretic authority Aharon ben Asher. It was originally a complete codex of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) with the full masoretic vowel pointing, cantillation, and marginal annotations. For centuries it was held by the Jewish community of Aleppo, Syria (hence its name). During anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo in December 1947, the synagogue housing the codex was burned; the codex was recovered but approximately one-third of its leaves are missing — most notably almost all of the Pentateuch up through Deuteronomy 28. The surviving leaves are now held at the Shrine of the Book in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and at the Ben-Zvi Institute. The codex is widely regarded by textual scholars as the most authoritative single witness to the Ben Asher masoretic tradition and, where intact, is used as the base text of critical editions such as the Hebrew University Bible Project.
Manuscript Details
- Date
- c. 920–930 CE
- Language
- Hebrew (with Aramaic Masoretic apparatus)
- Script
- Square Hebrew with tiberian pointing
- Material
- Parchment
- Current location
- Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum; Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem
- Discovery location
- Preserved in Aleppo, Syria until 1947; partially damaged in anti-Jewish riots that year and subsequently recovered
- Contains books
- Tanakh (partial — Pentateuch largely missing)
- Tags
- masoretic · old-testament · hebrew-bible
Significance
The Aleppo Codex is the preeminent representative of the Ben Asher masoretic tradition and serves as the base text for the Hebrew University Bible Project edition. Along with the Leningrad Codex (which is complete and roughly a century younger), it establishes the standard Masoretic Text that undergirds every modern Hebrew Bible and every Christian Old Testament that translates from the Hebrew. The fact that approximately one-third of its leaves were lost in 1947 is one of the great textual-historical tragedies of the 20th century; the surviving portions remain foundational to Hebrew Bible scholarship.
The passages the manuscripts argue over
The places where the manuscripts differ — the ending of Mark, the woman caught in adultery, the three heavenly witnesses — with the case each way.