Until the close of the medieval period, the responsibility for transmitting the Hebrew text of the Old Testament lay solely within the Jewish community. As a result, the first printed editions of the Hebrew Bible emerged from Jewish scholarship and were designed for Jewish religious use. These editions, known as Rabbinic Bibles, included not only the Hebrew biblical text but also traditional rabbinic commentaries and Aramaic translations (Targums).

The most significant early printer of the Rabbinic Bible was the Christian publisher Daniel Bomberg of Venice. Between 1516 and 1517, Bomberg produced the first Rabbinic Bible, edited by Felix Pratensis, a Jewish convert to Christianity. This initial edition set the stage for the second Rabbinic Bible (1524–1525), also printed by Bomberg but edited by Jacob ben Hayyim. The latter edition became the foundation of the printed Hebrew Bible for centuries.

Jacob ben Hayyim’s edition incorporated both the Masorah Parva (Mp) and the Masorah Magna (Mm), as well as the Masorah Finalis. Drawing from a variety of Masoretic manuscripts, Ben Hayyim attempted to correct inferior readings and construct a stable text, often modifying or even creating Masoretic notes to fit the accepted textus receptus. His work produced an edition that, despite its inconsistencies between the Masorah and the biblical text, held quasi-canonical authority well into the 20th century, influencing the early editions of the Biblia Hebraica.

Variant Collections and Early Textual Criticism

In the 18th century, scholars began compiling variant readings from Hebrew manuscripts to evaluate the textual integrity of the Masoretic Text (MT). Benjamin Kennicott’s monumental work (1776–1780) collated over 600 manuscripts, documenting differences in a comprehensive apparatus. Though valuable, these variations were mostly minor.

Giovanni di Rossi (1784–1788) published a more expansive collection, cataloging orthographic variations and minor grammatical discrepancies. However, the late dates of the manuscripts used rendered the editions textually weak in terms of reconstructing earlier forms of the MT. Consequently, while these collections were foundational for later scholarship, their practical utility for textual emendation has largely diminished with the rise of more reliable editions.

Polyglot Bibles: Comparative Textual Insight

Polyglots, or multilingual editions, served as tools for comparing various textual traditions. The Complutensian Polyglot (1514–1517), spearheaded by Cardinal Francisco Ximenez de Cisneros, was the first of its kind. For the Old Testament, it featured the MT, the Septuagint (LXX) in the Lucianic recension, the Latin Vulgate, and Targum Onqelos with its Latin translation.

The London Polyglot (1653–1657), edited by Brian Walton, was a more extensive endeavor. It included not only the aforementioned texts but also the Samaritan Pentateuch, Samaritan Targum, Syriac Peshitta, Arabic versions, fragments of the Old Latin, and versions in Ethiopic and Persian, each with accompanying Latin translations. Walton’s introduction also provided early guidelines for textual comparison, enhancing scholarly methodology.

Diplomatic vs. Eclectic Editions

Modern scholarly editions of the Hebrew Bible adhere to one of two methodologies: diplomatic or eclectic. Diplomatic editions aim to reproduce a specific manuscript faithfully, while eclectic editions reconstruct a text by selecting the best readings from a variety of witnesses.

Biblia Hebraica editions represent diplomatic principles. The third edition, known as Biblia Hebraica Kittel (BHK), departed from the Ben Hayyim textus receptus and adopted the Leningrad Codex (B 19A), thanks to the efforts of Paul Kahle. BHK’s apparatus was split into two parts but was ultimately considered cumbersome.

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), the fourth edition (1967–1977), improved on BHK by reproducing the Leningrad Codex more meticulously. Edited by Karl Elliger and Wilhelm Rudolph, BHS included a refined apparatus and referenced the Dead Sea Scrolls where available. However, BHS still treated Qumran texts as isolated witnesses rather than part of the transmission history.

Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ)

BHQ, the ongoing fifth edition, continues the diplomatic approach. Overseen by Adrian Schenker and others, it reflects updated scholarship and provides a closer correspondence to the Leningrad Codex. Unlike BHS, BHQ fully reproduces the Masorah Magna instead of referencing catalog numbers, and it displays apparatus notes in their original scripts (e.g., Estrangelo for Syriac).

Each volume of BHQ includes a scholarly commentary, enhancing its value for academic study. The volumes already published include Judges, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, the Twelve Minor Prophets, Megilloth, and Ezra-Nehemiah. The apparatus now omits older Latin directive terms, reflecting a more conservative and respectful attitude toward the MT.

The Stuttgart Electronic Study Bible (SESB)

SESB (Version 2.0) provides an integrated digital environment for text-critical research. It includes morphologically tagged texts of the LXX (Rahlfs), the Vulgate (Weber), BHS, and the released portions of BHQ. Users can view critical notes interactively and perform complex searches using WIVU grammatical data. The SESB interface permits both cursory exploration and advanced research.

The Hebrew University Bible (HUB)

HUB, based in Jerusalem, is a parallel project that emphasizes an editio critica maior approach. It relies on the Aleppo Codex, although this manuscript is incomplete for the Pentateuch. Thus far, volumes for Isaiah (1995), Jeremiah (1997), and Ezekiel (2004) have been published. HUB’s apparatus includes four categories of evidence: early versions, Judean Desert texts, rabbinic citations, and medieval manuscripts.

Notably, HUB refrains from conjectural emendation and does not evaluate readings. Its structure includes two columns (Hebrew and English), with a fifth apparatus providing further editorial observations. This edition provides a rigorous but cautious textual base.

Oxford Hebrew Bible (OHB)

The OHB represents the most deliberate attempt at an eclectic Hebrew Bible. Under the direction of Ronald Hendel, the OHB aspires to reconstruct the earliest recoverable form of the Hebrew text using all available textual witnesses. Where the tradition presents significant divergence, OHB provides multiple columns to represent alternative textual histories.

Despite its progressive methodology, OHB maintains a cautious stance toward conjectural readings, allowing them but recognizing their limited value absent manuscript support. The OHB seeks to balance scholarly rigor with the complexities of ancient textual transmission.

Conclusion

The development of printed and scholarly editions of the Hebrew Bible reflects a progression from fidelity to traditional texts toward increasing engagement with textual witnesses across history. While the diplomatic tradition maintains a stronghold in editions like BHS and BHQ, the eclectic method continues to explore the potential for reconstructing the earliest forms of the text. In this landscape, projects like SESB, HUB, and OHB provide unique and valuable contributions to our understanding of the transmission and preservation of the Old Testament Scriptures.

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