Hebrew and Judaica Manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford University

MS. Canonici Or. 46

Oriental Manuscripts Canonici Oriental Collection

Contents

Hebrew Bible: Writings

ff. 2r-311r
Ketuvim (Writings) כתובים
Language(s): Hebrew

Physical Description

Form: codex
Support: parchment, Latin parchment waste was used to fix quire at fol. 17r.
Extent: ff. 311
Dimensions (leaf): 207 × 170 mm.
Foliation: Foliation in Arabic numerals.

Collation

39 quires of mostly 8 leaves signatures in Arabic characters by much later hand catchwords at the end of the quires.

Layout

One and two columns. Fol. 223 is blank. Torn parchment between fol. 167 and 168.

Hand(s)

Ashkenazi square script. Completion of missing quires in Sephardi square script on fols. 1-9, 26-33, 304-311. A leaf substituting a missing leaf, in Ashkenazi square script (fol. 74).

Decoration

Decorated catchwords (e.g., fols. 17v, 82v, 158v)

micrography (e.g., fol. 127v, 207r, 208r)

Binding

Leather binding, blind-tooled.

History

Origin: [Ashkenaz]; [early 13th century]

Provenance and Acquisition

Three hardly legible ownership inscriptions on fol. 2r: קנין כספי יחיאל .... ; משה... ; אשר...

Matteo Luigi Canonici's (1727-1805) collections passed to his brother Giuseppe, and on his death in 1807 to Giovanni Perissinotti and Girolamo Cardina, who divided them. To the former fell the MSS., then about 3550 in number, and, after many attempts to sell them, the Bodleian became the purchaser of the greater part in 1817, for £5444 5s. 1d., or including incidental expenses about £6030, the largest single purchase ever made by the Library. The formal list of volumes handed over was signed on May 18, 1817, and the books probably arrived later that year.

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on Catalogue of the Hebrew Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, vol. I, by Adolf Neubauer, Oxford 1886, No. 93, Catalogue of the Hebrew manuscripts in the Bodleian Library; Supplement of Addenda and Corrigenda to Vol. I, No. 93, and on the data of the Institute of Microfilmed Hebrew Manuscripts, National Library of Israel with additional enhancements by the cataloguer.

Availability

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card (for admissions procedures contact Bodleian Admissions). Contact specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript.

Digital Images

Digital Bodleian (full digital facsimile)

Microfilm

MSS R.R. Film No. F 33106

Bibliography

    Neubauer, Adolf, Catalogue of the Hebrew Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library (Oxford, 1886), no. 93.
    Beit-Arié, Malachi and R.A. May (eds), Catalogue of the Hebrew manuscripts in the Bodleian Library; Supplement of Addenda and Corrigenda to Vol. I (A. Neubauer’s Catalogue) (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), no. 93.

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