The Masorah of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: Introduction and Annotated Glossary (review)

Hebrew Studies 40 (1999) 272 Reviews THE MASORAH OF BmLIA HEBRAICA STUTTGARTENSIA: INTRODUCTION AND ANNOTATED GLOSSARY. By Page H. Kelley, Daniel S. Mynatt, and Timothy G. Crawford. pp. xiv + 241. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1998. Paper, $26.00. This volume consists of an introduction and glossary to the Masorah as encountered in its printed form in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. While it is principally aimed at helping beginning students of the Hebrew Bible grapple with the complexities and intricacies of the Masorah, its usefulness expands further and can be of benefit to a wider readership. Convinced that the secrets of the Masorah could be unlocked for beginning students of Hebrew if only they had the right introduction, the authors of this attractively presented work have set about meeting this need in a very practical and specifically targeted way. The first four chapters are short, covering the first 68 pages of the book. The first chapter looks at some basic definitions of Masorah and points out some cogent reasons for becoming familiar with it if one is to appreciate the richness of the Tiberian Masoretic Text in all its aspects. It then outlines the basic tools and skills necessary for embarking on an in-depth understanding of the Masorah as encountered in BHS, so that students may learn the mechanics of how the Masorah works in its printed form. The second chapter gives a brief history of the Masorah, exploring its gradual emergence and complex development over the centuries, and highlights the importance of the contribution of the ben Asher family. It also records the ongoing work on the Masorah in the centuries that followed the golden age of the Masoretes, ending this overview with a brief explanation of how G. E. Well (1926-1986) "systematized and completed the Masorah of L for BHS." The authors are at pains to point out that "this was the first time that the complete Masorah Parva (Mp) and Masorah Magna (Mrn) of a specific manuscript had been published," and that "[Weil's] revisions were intended to make it easier for the novice to use them" (p. 27). However, in the opinion of this reviewer. the extent to which Weil's aim has been realized is open to question. Chapter three is devoted to an examination of the Proto-Masoretic Text in an attempt to catalog and discuss the various types of textual irregularities encountered by the Masoretes, and which were consequently passed on to modem times. These include the orthographic irregularities as well as other peculiarities received by the Masoretes. Chapter four then enters into a more detailed explanation of how to work with Masoretic notes with the focus mainly on the Mp. This fourth chapler ends with some paragraphs on the nature and extent of Weil's substantial revisions of the Masorah of L for BHS, and some illustrations of how to analyze Mp notes. Hebrew Studies 40 (1999) 273 Reviews The fifth chapter, by far the bulkiest (pp. 69-193), provides a useful glossary of Masoretic terms. The authors have painstakingly developed a more complete and user-friendly glossary in English than the incomplete Latin lists of BHS. In it they list alphabetically the terms the new student would most likely meet in both Mp and Mm. Acknowledging the usefulness of Yeivin's Introduction to the Tiberian Masorah. the authors rightly note that this work is often beyond the grasp of students. and frequently draws its examples from sources other than L. The glossary is easy to follow and contains numerous pertinent examples which illustrate the complexity of the system. Of particular interest is their elaboration of the rationale underlying the Aramaic mnemonics, some of which are notoriously difficult to decipher (pp. 159-160). There are 38 of them in L, and the authors note that one can look forward to a fuller treatment of these mnemonic devices by David Marcus in a forthcoming publication. The authors have valiantly attempted to do two difficult things in this book: to initiate the novice into the complexities of the Masorah in as painless a way as possible. while at the same time introduce them to the complexities that Weil introduced into his elaboration and...