DOI issue:
Artykuły / Articles
DOI article:Budzioch, Dagmara; Tomal, Maciej: The manuskript of the Moreh Nevuchim from the collection of the National Museum in Krakow
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.31060#0156
154 Dagmara Budzioch, Maciej Tomal
[20] doh TiziDb nbw:i [19] 3_iddn nn PNn’b yiD^n mo znb [18] vnmn ’]h:pi urnpn
o’\y\yi riNDi o’£3!?n [24] nwnn m\y dhid onp [23] o^n1 [22] wbw [21] itk yyrnn
own innD [27] obiy [26] rmmb nwun [25]
[1 ] This book of Morek Nevuchim was written [rewritten] [2] by the teacher and rabbi
Yicchaą son of the distinguished teacher and rabbi Ezracha [?],3 4 man [3] Catalonian, here
in the town of Perugia, which [4] is located at the river Tibris. And he wrote it for [me]
[5] junior Nathanael, let the Rock protect me, son of the distinguished teacher and rabbi
Avraham, [6] let his soul be woven into the wreath of life, son of the distinguished rabbi
Nathanael, let peace be upon him, son of the distinguished Moshe, of blessed memory, [7]
son of the distinguished Yicchaą, let him hnd rest in the Garden and God remember him,
here in our house, [8] that Lord granted us with, and he had received his rent,5 paid6 [9] in
the presence of the most faithful witnesses in Israel [10] and these are: teacher and rabbi
Ezrach/Zerach, let his years be multitude and good, son of the distinguished teacher and
rabbi Yicchaą [11] from Todi, his rest is in [the Garden of] Eden, and teacher and rabbi
Avraham, let the Rock protect him, son of the distinguished rabbi [12] Binyamin, peace
be upon him. And as it happened that departed [13] rabbi Yicchaą sofer, in a hurry, when
I was in [14] Castello, he has not signed his name at the end of this book [15] his own
signature. Let Lord through His mercy and grace [16] grant me that I could mediate [de-
light] in this splendid book7 [17] and in the rest of sacred books and remember me in your
mercy [18] for the good hidden for those who fear him.8 And this book [the text hnds its
continuation on the next page] [19] has been completed for the glory of The Name [02]
in the month Adar [12] the second, three [22] days [32] before Purim of the year five [24]
thousand and one hundred and sixty [25] six of the creation [26] of the world [27] as The
Name blesses (fig. 2).
It is certain that the colophon was written by a different hand than the body of the
codex. In the colophon the letters are smaller, so the “density” of the writing is different.
Moreover, there are conspicuous variations in the shape of particular letters: the beam of
V is different; b in the main text is written with two strokes of pen and a point, “a thorn”
on the top of the stick, while in the colophon it is written with one stroke and without
“a thorn”; p written in the colophon with a space between a leg and a roof, in the main
text - without, i.e. the beam sticks to the leg.
As to the persons that occur in the text there are some certainties as well as uncertain-
ties. The name of the scribe is Yicchaą son of Ezracha (reading uncertain). The name
3 The text finds its continuation on the next page.
4 The form Ezrachi is also testified but it seems rather a modern variant of the name Ezrach.
5 Hebr. UTlTDW [skhiruto], which refers rather to a payment for renting a fiat or a house.
6 The lack of congruence: HYTPDW [skhiruto] - fem., nbwn [meshullam] - masc. The same phenomenon
occurs also in the second colophon - see further. This creates an impression that the adjective meshullam
was used as an uninflected part of speech. Another possibility is that the adjective refers to the scribe and
should be, conseąuently, translated as “and he was paid”.
7 Biblical wording, cf. Jos 1:8; Ps 1:2; Ps 77:13; Ps 143:5.
8 Biblical phrase, cf. Ps 31.
[20] doh TiziDb nbw:i [19] 3_iddn nn PNn’b yiD^n mo znb [18] vnmn ’]h:pi urnpn
o’\y\yi riNDi o’£3!?n [24] nwnn m\y dhid onp [23] o^n1 [22] wbw [21] itk yyrnn
own innD [27] obiy [26] rmmb nwun [25]
[1 ] This book of Morek Nevuchim was written [rewritten] [2] by the teacher and rabbi
Yicchaą son of the distinguished teacher and rabbi Ezracha [?],3 4 man [3] Catalonian, here
in the town of Perugia, which [4] is located at the river Tibris. And he wrote it for [me]
[5] junior Nathanael, let the Rock protect me, son of the distinguished teacher and rabbi
Avraham, [6] let his soul be woven into the wreath of life, son of the distinguished rabbi
Nathanael, let peace be upon him, son of the distinguished Moshe, of blessed memory, [7]
son of the distinguished Yicchaą, let him hnd rest in the Garden and God remember him,
here in our house, [8] that Lord granted us with, and he had received his rent,5 paid6 [9] in
the presence of the most faithful witnesses in Israel [10] and these are: teacher and rabbi
Ezrach/Zerach, let his years be multitude and good, son of the distinguished teacher and
rabbi Yicchaą [11] from Todi, his rest is in [the Garden of] Eden, and teacher and rabbi
Avraham, let the Rock protect him, son of the distinguished rabbi [12] Binyamin, peace
be upon him. And as it happened that departed [13] rabbi Yicchaą sofer, in a hurry, when
I was in [14] Castello, he has not signed his name at the end of this book [15] his own
signature. Let Lord through His mercy and grace [16] grant me that I could mediate [de-
light] in this splendid book7 [17] and in the rest of sacred books and remember me in your
mercy [18] for the good hidden for those who fear him.8 And this book [the text hnds its
continuation on the next page] [19] has been completed for the glory of The Name [02]
in the month Adar [12] the second, three [22] days [32] before Purim of the year five [24]
thousand and one hundred and sixty [25] six of the creation [26] of the world [27] as The
Name blesses (fig. 2).
It is certain that the colophon was written by a different hand than the body of the
codex. In the colophon the letters are smaller, so the “density” of the writing is different.
Moreover, there are conspicuous variations in the shape of particular letters: the beam of
V is different; b in the main text is written with two strokes of pen and a point, “a thorn”
on the top of the stick, while in the colophon it is written with one stroke and without
“a thorn”; p written in the colophon with a space between a leg and a roof, in the main
text - without, i.e. the beam sticks to the leg.
As to the persons that occur in the text there are some certainties as well as uncertain-
ties. The name of the scribe is Yicchaą son of Ezracha (reading uncertain). The name
3 The text finds its continuation on the next page.
4 The form Ezrachi is also testified but it seems rather a modern variant of the name Ezrach.
5 Hebr. UTlTDW [skhiruto], which refers rather to a payment for renting a fiat or a house.
6 The lack of congruence: HYTPDW [skhiruto] - fem., nbwn [meshullam] - masc. The same phenomenon
occurs also in the second colophon - see further. This creates an impression that the adjective meshullam
was used as an uninflected part of speech. Another possibility is that the adjective refers to the scribe and
should be, conseąuently, translated as “and he was paid”.
7 Biblical wording, cf. Jos 1:8; Ps 1:2; Ps 77:13; Ps 143:5.
8 Biblical phrase, cf. Ps 31.