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Introduction to the Codex Hilleli

The Codex Hilleli is a significant yet mysterious manuscript in the history of Old Testament textual studies. Believed to have been written around 600 C.E., this manuscript was destroyed in 1197 in Spain. What makes the Codex Hilleli particularly intriguing is that it has only been preserved in a few sentences through Rabbinic literature. Understanding the Codex Hilleli requires an examination of its historical context, the Rabbinic references that mention it, and its impact on the study of the Old Testament text.

Historical Context of the Codex Hilleli

The Codex Hilleli is traditionally attributed to Rabbi Hillel ben Moses ben Hillel, a Jewish scribe and scholar who is believed to have lived during the early Middle Ages. This period was marked by significant developments in the transmission and preservation of biblical texts. The Masoretic Text, which serves as the authoritative Hebrew text for the Jewish Bible, was being meticulously compiled and standardized during this time. The Masoretes, Jewish scribes in Tiberias and Babylon, played a crucial role in this process by adding vowel points, accents, and marginal notes to the consonantal Hebrew text to ensure accurate transmission.

Rabbinic Literature and the Codex Hilleli

The primary references to the Codex Hilleli come from later Rabbinic literature. These references are scant but provide valuable insights into the manuscript’s existence and significance. According to Rabbinic sources, the Codex Hilleli was considered a highly accurate and authoritative copy of the Hebrew Bible. Its reputation for precision made it a benchmark against which other manuscripts were compared.

One of the key references to the Codex Hilleli is found in the writings of the 11th-century Jewish commentator Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki). Rashi, renowned for his comprehensive commentary on the Torah and Talmud, mentions the Codex Hilleli in his discussion of textual variants. He cites it as a reliable source, highlighting its importance in the tradition of textual accuracy.

The Destruction of the Codex Hilleli

The destruction of the Codex Hilleli in 1197 in Spain marked the loss of an invaluable resource for Old Testament textual studies. The circumstances surrounding its destruction are not well-documented, but it is believed to have been lost during a period of conflict or upheaval. Despite its physical destruction, the legacy of the Codex Hilleli endures through the references and quotations preserved in Rabbinic literature.

The Role of the Codex Hilleli in Textual Criticism

The Codex Hilleli holds a unique place in the history of Old Testament textual criticism. Textual criticism is the scholarly discipline dedicated to reconstructing the original text of the Bible by examining and comparing various manuscripts. Although the Codex Hilleli itself is lost, the fact that it was highly regarded for its accuracy suggests that it played a significant role in the tradition of careful textual preservation.

The Masoretic Text, which is the basis for most modern translations of the Old Testament, benefits from the rigorous standards of accuracy that characterized manuscripts like the Codex Hilleli. The meticulous work of the Masoretes ensured that the text was transmitted faithfully across generations, preserving the words of the Old Testament as they were originally inspired.

The Preservation of the Hebrew Text

The preservation of the Hebrew text of the Old Testament is a remarkable testament to the dedication and diligence of Jewish scribes and scholars. From the earliest days of the Masoretic tradition to the present, the Hebrew Bible has been preserved with an extraordinary level of care. This commitment to textual accuracy is evident in the extensive use of marginal notes, known as Masorah, which provide detailed information about the text’s transmission.

The Masoretic Text includes annotations that indicate textual variants, alternative readings, and instructions for pronunciation. These annotations reflect the scribes’ commitment to preserving the text’s integrity and ensuring that it could be read and understood correctly by future generations. The Codex Hilleli, as a highly regarded manuscript, would have been a part of this tradition of meticulous preservation.

The Impact of the Codex Hilleli on Modern Textual Studies

Although the Codex Hilleli itself is no longer available for direct study, its legacy continues to influence modern textual studies of the Old Testament. The references to the Codex Hilleli in Rabbinic literature serve as a reminder of the high standards of accuracy that characterized the transmission of the Hebrew Bible. Scholars today continue to benefit from the Masoretic tradition, which has preserved the text with remarkable fidelity.

The study of ancient manuscripts, including the few sentences preserved from the Codex Hilleli, provides valuable insights into the history of the Hebrew text. By comparing these manuscripts with other ancient copies, scholars can identify textual variants and better understand the development of the Old Testament text. This process of comparison and analysis is essential for reconstructing the original text and gaining a deeper understanding of the Scriptures.

Analyzing Readings from Codex Hilleli: A Detailed Examination

Introduction to Specific Readings

The Codex Hilleli, though largely lost, has preserved its textual legacy through the references and readings cited in Rabbinic literature. Examining these readings provides insights into the textual variations and transmission of the Old Testament. Noted scholars and editions have referenced the Codex Hilleli to highlight significant differences in the text. These readings, when compared to other manuscripts and translations, reveal the meticulous nature of scribal practices and the preservation of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Genesis 4:8

In Genesis 4:8, some editions of the Old Testament show a space between the words אחיו and ויַהי, marked in the margin by פסקא (space). This verse recounts the dialogue between Cain and Abel before the former commits fratricide. The Septuagint (LXX), Samuel, Syriac, Vulgate, and Jerusalem Targum add, “let us go into the field,” which is absent in the Codex Hilleli and several other manuscripts. Lonzano suggests that the presence of the piska (space) in printed editions, such as those by Buxtorf, Menasseh ben-Israel, Walton, Nissel, Hutter, Clodius, and Van der Hooght, is a printing error, as it does not appear in the manuscripts he consulted, including Codex Hilleli. Notably, Symmachus, Theodotion, and Onkelos do not include the phrase “let us go into the field,” supporting the authenticity of the reading in the Codex Hilleli. Origen also remarks, “it is not written in the Hebrew,” affirming the absence of this addition.

Genesis 9:29

In Genesis 9:29, various manuscripts and editions read ויהיו, while the Codex Hilleli reads ויהי. This verse records the death of Noah and signifies the end of a significant patriarchal era. The difference in reading, although minor, illustrates the variations that can occur in the transmission of biblical texts.

Genesis 19:16

In Genesis 19:16, the word וִיַּתמִהַמִהּ appears with the second mem written with kanets (dots) in some manuscripts and in the Codex Hilleli. This verse describes the angels urging Lot to leave Sodom. The editions of Bar and Delitzsch also follow this orthography, emphasizing the textual accuracy reflected in the Codex Hilleli.

Genesis 19:20

In Genesis 19:20, the word אַמָּלטָה גָּא is noted by Lonzano to have a raphe (soft pronunciation mark) on נא, whereas the Codex Hilleli writes it with a dagesh (hard pronunciation mark). Bar and Delitzsch’s Genesis also write it with a raphe, showing an orthographic variance that highlights the scribes’ attention to phonetic details.

Genesis 27:25

In Genesis 27:25, the word וִיָּבֵא לוֹ has the accent darga on the yod in the Codex Hilleli, while in most editions, it is placed on the beth. Bar and Delitzsch follow the Codex Hilleli and place the accent on the yod, underscoring the importance of precise accentuation in biblical Hebrew.

Genesis 39:6

In Genesis 39:6, the word מִראֶה is noted by Norzi to be written with a tsere (a vowel point) in the Codex Hilleli as מִראֵה. This verse describes Joseph’s appearance, and the correct vowel pointing is crucial for accurate pronunciation and interpretation.

Genesis 42:16

In Genesis 42:16, the word הֵאָסרוּ is written with a segol (another vowel point) in the margin of an old codex, confirmed by the editor of a new edition of the Old Testament in collaboration with Professor Delitzsch, as written with a segol in the Codex Hilleli, הֶאסרי. This verse involves Joseph’s command to his brothers, and the correct vowel pointing affects the word’s meaning.

Genesis 46:13

In Genesis 46:13, the word וּפֻיָּה has the vav written raphe in the Codex Hilleli, noted as וּפֻוָה. This verse lists the descendants of Jacob, and the correct orthography ensures accurate lineage records.

Exodus 10:9

In Exodus 10:9, the word וּבזַקנֵנוּ is written plene (full spelling) in the Codex Hilleli as ובזקנינו, according to Lonzano. This verse records Moses’ declaration to Pharaoh, emphasizing the completeness of those leaving Egypt.

Exodus 37:8

In Exodus 37:8, the word כרוּב is written with a makkeph (hyphen) in the Codex Hilleli and some other manuscripts. This verse describes the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, where precise details in spelling are significant for understanding the text’s description.

Joshua 21:35-36

In Joshua 21:35-36, Codex Kennicott No. 357 notes in the margin that these two verses are not found in the Codex Hilleli. A similar note appears in a manuscript formerly belonging to H. Lotze of Leipzig. This absence highlights textual variations and the manuscript’s role in textual criticism.

Proverbs 8:16

In Proverbs 8:16, many manuscripts, editions, and ancient versions, including the Syriac, Vulgate, Targum, and Greek versions, read שפטי צרק. However, the Complutensian text and other manuscripts read שפטי ארוֹ, supported by the Codex Hilleli and adopted in Bar’s edition of Proverbs. This verse, dealing with wisdom’s influence, reflects textual differences that impact interpretation.

Conclusion of Analysis

The readings of the Codex Hilleli, as examined, illustrate the manuscript’s significance in the history of Old Testament textual criticism. These readings highlight the meticulous nature of textual transmission and the commitment to preserving the Hebrew Scriptures’ accuracy. Through the references in Rabbinic literature and comparisons with other manuscripts, the Codex Hilleli continues to provide valuable insights into the textual history of the Old Testament. The precise details and variations recorded in the Codex Hilleli contribute to our understanding of the Bible’s textual tradition and the diligent efforts of scribes to preserve the inspired Word of God.

The Enduring Legacy of the Codex Hilleli

The Codex Hilleli, despite its destruction, remains a significant manuscript in the history of Old Testament textual studies. Its reputation for accuracy and the references to it in Rabbinic literature highlight the importance of careful textual preservation in the Jewish tradition. The meticulous work of Jewish scribes and scholars, exemplified by the Codex Hilleli, has ensured that the Hebrew Bible has been faithfully transmitted across generations.

By studying the references to the Codex Hilleli and other ancient manuscripts, scholars can continue to deepen their understanding of the Old Testament text and its transmission. The legacy of the Codex Hilleli serves as a testament to the enduring commitment to preserving the inspired Word of God with accuracy and fidelity.

Excursion—The Importance of the Masoretic Text

The primary weight of external evidence generally goes to the original language manuscripts, and the Codex Leningrad B 19A and the Aleppo Codex are almost always preferred. In Old Testament Textual Criticism, the Masoretic text is our starting point and should only be abandoned as a last resort. While it is true that the Masoretic Text is not perfect, there needs to be a heavy burden of proof if we are to go with an alternative reading. All of the evidence needs to be examined before concluding that a reading in the Masoretic Text is corrupt. The Septuagint continues to be very much important today and is used by textual scholars to help uncover copyists’ errors that might have crept into the Hebrew manuscripts either intentionally or unintentionally. However, it cannot do it alone without the support of other sources. There are a number of times when you might have the Syriac, Septuagint, Dead Sea Scrolls, Aramaic Targums, and the Vulgate that are at odds with the Masoretic Text; the preferred choice should not be the MT.

Initially, the Septuagint (LXX) was viewed by the Jews as inspired by God, equal to the Hebrew Scriptures. However, in the first century C.E., the Christians adopted the Septuagint in their churches. It was used by the Christians in their evangelism to make disciples and to debate the Jews on Jesus being the long-awaited Messiah. Soon, the Jews began to look at the Septuagint with suspicion. This resulted in the Jews of the second century C.E. abandoning the Septuagint and returning to the Hebrew Scriptures. This has proved to be beneficial for the textual scholar and translator. In the second century C.E., other Greek translations of the Septuagint were produced. We have, for example, LXX^Aq Aquila, LXX^Sym Symmachus, and LXX^Th Theodotion. The consonantal text of the Hebrew Scriptures became the standard text between the first and second centuries C.E. However, textual variants still continued until the Masoretes and the Masoretic text. However, scribes taking liberties by altering the text was no longer the case, as was true of the previous period of the Sopherim. The scribes who copied the Hebrew Scriptures from the time of Ezra down to the time of Jesus were called Sopherim, i.e., scribes.

From the 6th century C.E. to the 10th century C.E., we have the Masoretes, groups of extraordinary Jewish scribe-scholars. The Masoretes were very much concerned with the accurate transmission of each word, even each letter, of the text they were copying. Accuracy was of supreme importance; therefore, the Masoretes used the side margins of each page to inform others of deliberate or inadvertent changes in the text by past copyists. The Masoretes also use these marginal notes for other reasons as well, such as unusual word forms and combinations. They even marked how frequently they occurred within a book or even the whole Hebrew Old Testament. Of course, marginal spaces were very limited, so they used abbreviated code. They also formed a cross-checking tool where they would mark the middle word and letter of certain books. Their push for accuracy moved them to go so far as to count every letter of the Hebrew Old Testament.

In the Masoretic text, we find notes in the side margins, which are known as the Small Masora. There are also notes in the top margin, which are referred to as the Large Masora. Any other notes placed elsewhere within the text are called the Final Masora. The Masoretes used the notes in the top and bottom margins to record more extensive notes, comments concerning the abbreviated notes in the side margins. This enabled them to be able to cross-check their work. We must remember that there were no numbered verses at this time, and they had no Bible concordances. One might wonder how the Masoretes could refer to different parts of the Hebrew text to have an effective cross-checking system. They would list part of a parallel verse in the top and bottom margins to remind them of where the word(s) indicated were found. Because they were dealing with limited space, they often could only list one word to remind them where each parallel verse could be found. To have an effective cross-reference system by way of these marginal notes, the Masoretes would literally have to have memorized the entire Hebrew Bible.

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).