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In Judaism, the earliest manuscripts were the prophetic books that were written by the prophets themselves. At the death of each of the prophets, the original manuscript was deposited with the Sanhedrin, which was the high court of Torah-sages in the Temple premises. This is why the first Torah-scroll, which had been written by Moses himself (Deuteronomy 31:24), was found in the Temple (2 Chronicles 34:14). These originals were used to proofread later copies, to ensure no mistakes would creep in (Talmud, Soferim 6:4).
After the First Destruction, God's presence was no longer felt as clearly as before (see Deuteronomy 31:17-18). In addition, exile is not conducive to prophecy (Mechilta, parshat Bo). The Sages of the time, including the last living prophets, convened a special synod for a couple of decades, which was called the Men of the Great Assembly (Mishna, Avot ch.1). This group sealed the canon of the Hebrew Bible. It was they, for example, who set the twelve Minor Prophets as a single book, and who set the books in their traditional order (see Talmud, Bava Batra 14b). It was the Men of the Great Assembly whom Esther had to approach when she felt that the Divinely-inspired Scroll of Esther should be included in the canon (see Talmud, Megillah 7a).
Tradition states that Moses wrote a scroll containing the narratives of Genesis, at God's command, before the formal Giving of the Torah (Rashi commentary, Exodus ch.24).The contents of this scroll included the ancient traditions of the Creation, the Flood, the early Israelites, etc. (These traditions had been widely known, except that among other nations [the idolaters] the Flood and Creation-narratives had become garbled with idolatrous drivel.)
It was this scroll (whose contents were soon incorporated in the complete Torah itself by God), which Moses read to the Israelites (Exodus 24:7) as an introduction to what God's covenant would entail. This was not a surprise to the Israelites, since they had carefully handed down the narratives and events of the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Midrash, Shemot Rabbah 5:18 and 22).
When God gave the Ten Commandments (Exodus ch.19-20), He gave them in writing, inscribed on stone tablets (Exodus 31:18), while He taught the rest of the Torah to Moses orally, on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:12), without writing it.
At God's command and precise dictation (Deuteronomy 1:3), Moses penned the entire Torah (Deuteronomy 31:24) immediately before his death, so that it included events that had happened in the preceding months (such as Numbers ch.20).
No Hebrew copy of the Torah has ever been found to differ with the others, worldwide. The Torah we possess today contains the exact wording written by Moses.See also the Related Links.
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Why were manuscripts so expensive in the early fourteenth century?
Manuscripts were expensive in the early fourteenth century due to a combination of factors. Firstly, the production process was labor-intensive, requiring skilled scribes to copy texts by hand. Additionally, the materials used, such as parchment and ink, were costly. Furthermore, the demand for manuscripts exceeded the supply, contributing to their high price. Overall, these factors made manuscripts a luxury item affordable only to the wealthy and elite.
What Byzantine art is notable for its?
Early use of bright colors and illuminated manuscripts (apex)
History of the hospitality industry early history?
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What is a true statement with regard to the early history of Greece?
In its early history, Greece was not united because of the isolation that was caused by the mountainous terrain.
How Livy explains history?
Livy did not explain history. He reconstructed the history of early Rome, but did not present any theories about history.
What is another name for volume of old manuscripts?
Old Manuscripts were called the Codes. Refer to the Voynich Biblical Manuscript codes
What is the early history of sports?
How about a biblical reference? Cane and Able engaged in a battle to the death!
What decorates sacred buildings and record history?
That would be the many paintings of Biblical history and of the history of early Christendom that can be found in many Catholic churches.
Byzantine art is notable for its?
Early use of bright colors and illuminated manuscripts (apex)
What has the author Lucy Freeman Sandler written?
Lucy Freeman Sandler has written: 'Omne bonum' -- subject(s): Early works to 1600, Encyclopedias and dictionaries, English Illumination of books and manuscripts, Facsimiles, History, History and criticism, Illumination of books and manuscripts, English, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Learning and scholarship, Medieval Illumination of books and manuscripts 'The Lichtenthal psalter and the manuscript patronage of the Bohun family' -- subject(s): Art patronage, English Illumination of books and manuscripts, Illumination of books and manuscripts, English, Illumination of books and manuscripts, Medieval, Illustrations, Lichtenthal psalter, Medieval Illumination of books and manuscripts, Psalters 'Studies in manuscript illumination, 1200-1400'
What has the author A S Korteweg written?
A. S. Korteweg has written: 'Praal, ernst & emotie' -- subject- s -: Exhibitions, French Manuscripts, History, Medieval Manuscripts, Sources 'Splendour, gravity & emotion' -- subject- s -: Exhibitions, French Manuscripts, History, Medieval Manuscripts, Sources
What has the author J Hamond written?
J. Hamond has written: 'The history of the Holy Bible' -- subject(s): Bible, Early works to 1800, History of Biblical events
What has the author Kirsopp Lake written?
Kirsopp Lake has written: 'Landmarks in the history of early Christianity' -- subject(s): Church history, Christianity 'The Text of the New Testament' -- subject(s): Accessible book 'The Epistle to Diognetus' 'The Shepherd of Hermas' 'Codex 1 of the Gospels and Its Allies: No. 3 (Texts and Studies: Contributions to Biblical and Patristic L)' 'Dated Greek minuscule manuscripts to the year 1200' -- subject(s): Facsimiles, Greek Manuscripts, Greek Paleography 'The early days of monasticism on Mount Athos' -- subject(s): Accessible book 'The Apostolic fathers' 'The religion of yesterday and to-morrow' -- subject(s): Christianity, Theology 'The Apostolic fathers'
What has the author A H Drysdale written?
A. H. Drysdale has written: 'Early Bible songs' -- subject(s): Accessible book, Biblical Hebrew poetry, Bible, History of Biblical events, Poetry
What has the author Dominik Wujastyk written?
Dominik Wujastyk has written: 'The Roots of Ayurveda' -- subject(s): Holistic medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, Diseases, Causes and theories of causation 'A handlist of the Sanskrit and Prakrit manuscripts in the Library of the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine' -- subject(s): Catalogs, Manuscripts, Prakrit, Manuscripts, Sanskrit, Prakrit Manuscripts, Sanskrit Manuscripts, Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine. Library
What has the author Florine G L Asselbergs written?
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What has the author Colin H Roberts written?
Colin H. Roberts has written: 'Buried books in antiquity' 'Two Biblical papyri in the John Rylands library, Manchester' -- subject(s): Manuscripts, Greek (Papyri) 'The birth of the codex' -- subject(s): Ancient Literature, Books, History, Learning and scholarship, Literature, Ancient, Manuscripts
