De Rossi’s collation of over 800 Hebrew manuscripts demonstrated overwhelming textual stability, confirming faithful transmission of the Masoretic Text.
J. B. de Rossi and the Systematic Publication of Hebrew Manuscript Variants
Proto-Masoretic Continuity Through the Silent Period (2nd–10th Century C.E.)
The “Silent Period” is a gap in surviving manuscripts, not a gap in transmission; proto-Masoretic continuity persists into the Masoretic codices.
