ביקורת נוסח המקרא: פרקי מבוא [The Textual Criticism of the Bible: An Introduction] (review)

Hebrew Studies 33 (1992) 170 Reviews (several eds., two excellent Spanish translations and one terrible English one). On the citation of Ibn Zabara as well as the matters discussed by Talmage on p. 50 of the introduction, see Judith Dishon's splendid edition (Jerusalem, 1985, p. 218; if Talmage did not see this edition, the editors again surely must have) which cites Davidson, whose edition Talmage did see, yet ignored. These matters aside, the commentary which is of most importance is that of Joseph, while the most disappointing-and even useless-is that of Moses. (Incidentally, the Oxford text [So R. Driver], attributed to Ibn 'Ezra, was also reprinted in Kitvey R' [sic] Avraham Ibn 'Ezra [Jerusalem, 1972], vol. 5; not mentioned by Talmage, nor did he make it clear that the Oxford MS was the one edited by Driver; see his vague remarks, pp. 18-19 of the introduction.) David Qiml:ti's commentary lies somewhere in between these two and is of little value to anyone other than a student of his work. Bible scholars as well as students of medieval Jewish commentaries may benefit, however, from Joseph's fascinating commentary. Talmage's introduction, for all its faults, provides an adequate guide to some of the more important observations. Norman Roth University of Wisconsin Madison, WI 53706 .~':JO 'Pi£) :~ipOn MOU m'p':l [THE TEXTUAL CRITICISM OF THE BIBLE: AN INTRODUCTION ]. By Emanuel Tov. The Biblical Encyclopaedia Library 4. Pp. xxiv + 326. Jerusalem: The Bialik Institute, 1989. Paper. Lower criticism has, lamentably, often been held in low esteem, not only because of the pejorative sound of its name but also because the study of textual minutiae seems to offer rather little intellectual adventure. Though this may not be its purpose, the book under review is certainly qualified to set things straight: The lower (or, better, textual) criticism constitutes the indispensable foundation for any serious study of the Bible. As the author pertinently points out (p. 12), however, it is not the only foundation of the literary analysis of the Bible; the so-called "Higher Criticism ," linguistic investigations, geographic and historical research, and the interpretation of individual verses likewise serve as pedestals. If these topics constitute fascinating subjects of study for their own sake, so does Hebrew Studies 33 (1992) 171 Reviews textual criticism. Tov's book produces the proof, displaying an intriguing segment of cultural history and providing excellent guidance for its appraisal. The exposition starts with a convincing demonstration of the unreliability of any commonly used Bible text (chap. 1). The most carefully printed editions of the Hebrew text, some of which claim to be based on authoritative manuscripts (e.g., Leningradensis or the Aleppo codex), not only differ from one another, but quite frequently reflect the views (or should one say "bias"?) of the scholars who edited them. The author makes us aware of the problem by juxtaposing variant readings exhibited in parallel biblical passages as well as early witnesses to text-forms which differ from the MT, to say nothing of the textus receptus. At the end of this introductory chapter the most important technical terms are explained. The second chapter describes the textual witnesses, beginning with the proto-Masoretic texts and their relation to the MT, then commenting on the Samaritan text and its earlier forms, before finally explaining the classical versions. Numerous comparative tables illustrate the issues under debate, and the problems connected with the text-critical use of the versions are amply discussed. In contradistinction to earlier works on text and versions of the OT, the unique importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls is duly demonstrated here. For the emergence of the MT the author postulates three historic stages, each bearing a characteristic degree of textual stability or variance. Chapter 3 sketches the history of the text, which is compared to previous scholars' outlines. Tov differentiates between pristine literary documents and the later established text, advocating the search for the latter as the ideal goal of textual research even though it can only be progressively approached and never reached. Chapter 4 deals with the transmission of the text, including the material aspects of the scribes' workmanship on the one hand and...