Manchester. The John Rylands Library, Gaster Hebrew MS 1460
- Source
- Manchester Digital Collections
- Library
- The John Rylands Library
- Shelfmark
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- Gaster Hebrew MS 1460
- Biblissima authority file
- Language
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- Hebrew
- Aramaic
- Title
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- Maḥzor (מחזור | Prayer book)
- Agent
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- Preferred form
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- Abraham Girondi
- Role
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- Author
- Original form
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- Abraham Girondi
- Girondi, Abraham
- Biblissima authority file
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- Preferred form
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- Judah ha-Levi (1075?-1141?)
- Role
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- Author
- Original form
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- Judah Halevi
- Yehudah Halevi, ca.1085-1141
- יהודה הלוי
- Other form
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- Judah ha-Levi (1075?-1141?)
- Juda be Samuel Ha-Lévi (avant 1075-1141)
- Ha-Levi, Judah
- Judah, ha-Levi
- see more
- Biblissima portal
- Biblissima authority file
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- Preferred form
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- Moses Gaster (1856-1939)
- Role
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- Former owner
- Original form
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- Moses Gaster
- Gaster, Moses 1856-1939
- Biblissima portal
- Biblissima authority file
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- Description
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- Extent:
61 ff. (61+ii) Leaf height: 136 mm, width: 101 mm. Written height: 112 mm, width: 81 mm.
Binding:
Sewing visible through spine. Marbled paper covering cardboard boards.
Decoration:
Folio 35b: Pen and ink drawn ornamental band within the text space, with a flower on top.
Acquisition:
Acquired by The John Rylands Library from the heirs of Moses Gaster in 1954.
Layout:
Long line with 17 written lines. Dry point ruling.
Collation:
Catchwords at the bottom left corner of most pages. The catchword on folio 52b does not match up with the first word on the next page.
Script:
Italian square script.Italian semi-cursive script for the rubrics.
Data Source(s):
Description based on Alexander Samely's unpublished draft catalogue, revised and expanded by Stefania Silvestri and Renate Smithuis, description of decorations by Nienke Valk.
Subject(s):
Judaism Liturgy Texts; Prayer Judaism; Piyutim; Maḥzor
Abstract:
Small-sized mahzor for Rosh ha-Shanah, possibly of the rite of Corfu. The manuscript includes prayers, piyyutim, songs (pizmonim), bakkashot and biblical texts for the New Year service, introduced by rubrics in semi-cursive script. On folios 14b-15a a long rubric indicates the blessing that is to be recited before eating the symbolic food: beans (רוביא), leeks (כרתי), green leafy vegetable (סילקא), dates (תמרי), gourds (קרא). The names of the food are accompanied by their vernacular equivalents [לועזים]. Folio 15b is mostly empty and the new section begins in the second half of the page: there might be a missing rubric or a missing decoration. Throughout the manuscript larger letters are used for two reasons: one is to identify the main parts of the text, the second one is to indicate acrostics. Examples of the latter are the alphabetical acrostic poem on folios 3b-4a, and Isaac (יצחק) and Rebecca (רבקה) on folio 22a. The text ends on folio 60b with a long rubric and the sentence תם ונשלם חלק ימים נוראים. This suggests that the text was once preceded by a section on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), even though the order would seem illogical. The tentative link with Corfu can be made due to the mention of 'Korfu' on the front paste-down by a modern hand. For a similar manuscript see Gaster Hebrew MS 1461.
Foliation:
Modern pencil foliation in Arabic numerals at the bottom outer corner of side a of each folio. The folio between folios 23 and 24 is numbered "23A". Paper stub between folio 29 and 30.
Format:
Codex
Material:
Paper.
Provenance:
Front board: Handwritten label with number 1460.
Front paste-down: Handwritten note in pencil reading "Korfu / New Year / 1460".
Condition:
Iron-gall ink visible from opposite side. Boards partly without paper cover.
Note(s):
Here is a partial overview of the contents:Liturgical poem (1a-b). Incipit: אחות קטנה תפלותיה עורכה ועונה תהלותיה. Acrostic poem by Abraham Girondi forming the name Abraham Hazzan. Cf. א 2451.
Psalm 47 (2a).
Psalm 136 (2b-3a).
Psalm 106:44-48 (3a-b).
Psalm 150 (3b-4a).
Liturgical poems by Judah Halevi including a reshut on folios 22b-23b and 26b-28b, and a bakkashah on folios 34b-35b.
- Extent:
- Rights
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- Provided by The University of Manchester. Zooming image © University of Manchester Library, All rights reserved. Images and Metadata made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Images and Metadata made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
