Newspaper Discarded History.Pdf
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1 When the spirit is gone, we put the corpse out of sight to protect it from abuse. In like manner, when the writing is worn out, we hide the book to preserve it from profanation. The contents of the book go up to heaven like the soul... SOLOMON SCHECHTER Genizah is a Hebrew word meaning ‘treasury’. To the Jews of medieval Cairo, a Genizah was a place for worn In 1896, intrepid twins Agnes Lewis and out scrolls or other sacred texts. Brought to Cambridge Margaret Gibson returned to Cambridge by scholar Solomon Schechter in 1897 the contents from a research trip to Egypt and Palestine. of the Genizah of the Ben Ezra Synagogue are among They brought with them a treasure lost for the University Library’s greatest treasures. a thousand years: a page from the original Cambridge lecturer Solomon Schechter was Through the Genizah manuscripts in Discarded History, Hebrew book of Ben Sira. The page had so excited by the sisters’ remarkable discovery we reveal the social, business and personal lives of the accumulated along with thousands of other he travelled to Old Cairo to see for himself remarkable Jewish community of Fustat, Old Cairo, documents in the Ben Ezra Synagogue, what the Genizah held. The Chief Rabbi a thousand years ago. Old Cairo, in a chamber called a Genizah. of Egypt gave Schechter permission to take The Jewish community had been placing whatever he liked. Schechter declared that their worn-out books and documents in the he ‘liked all’, and shipped almost 200,000 Genizah since at least the 10th century CE. manuscripts back to Cambridge. 2 1 THE DISCOVERY THE BOOK OF BEN SIRA Arabic script instead of Hebrew, as they UNCONSERVED TORAH Palestine or Egypt, 10th century believed it allowed them to present Egypt (?), 10/11th century a more correct pronunciation of the This manuscript changed the course original Hebrew text. Schechter described the Genizah of scholarship. It prompted Schechter as a ‘battlefield of books’. 120 years to travel to Cairo and retrieve the Hebrew in Arabic characters, paper later almost all of Cambridge’s 200,000 contents of the Genizah. The book T-S Ar.52.242 Genizah fragments have been carefully of Ben Sira, known in Christian circles conserved. This small copy of the as Ecclesiasticus, was composed Hebrew Pentateuch has been left in the 2nd century BCE, but doubts QUR’AN in its original condition to show about its sanctity led to its exclusion in Hebrew script something of the task that confronted from the Hebrew Bible and the loss Egypt, 11th century Schechter in Cairo. of its Hebrew text in the Middle Ages. In Solomon Schechter’s day, the oldest In the Genizah we can see evidence Hebrew, parchment known version was in Greek, and some of close relations between the T-S 6K3 questioned the existence of a Hebrew different faiths of Egypt. Some Jews original. When Schechter saw that this were clearly interested in learning manuscript preserved a copy of the about Islamic theology. This fragment Some… have perished original text, he made plans to track contains Suras 1 and 2 from the Qur’an, outright, and are literally down its source in Cairo. followed by omens for undertaking a journey. The text of the Qur’an has ground to dust in the terrible Hebrew, paper been transliterated into Hebrew struggle for space, whilst Or. 1102 script, suggesting that it can only others, as if overtaken by a have belonged to a Jew. general crush, are squeezed SOLOMON SCHECHTER Judaeo-Arabic, paper into big unshapely lumps. TO AGNES LEWIS T-S Ar.51.62 Solomon Schechter Schechter wrote to Mrs Lewis declaring his excitement at identifying the Ben JERUSALEM TALMUD, Sira/Ecclesiasticus fragment. He insists TRACTATE GITTIN that for the time being they keep the Palestine, 9/10th century discovery secret. The Ben Ezra Genizah preserved Dear Mrs Lewis, many sacred texts unique to the Jews of Syria and Palestine. This large I think we have reason to congratulate page from a magnificent copy of the ourselves. For the fragment I took Jerusalem Talmud (‘The Talmud of with me represents a piece of the the Land of Israel’) was an important Original Hebrew of Ecclesiasticus. discovery when Schechter first saw it in It is the first time that such a thing the sisters’ possession. Syro-Palestinian was discovered. Please do not speak traditions of Jewish worship were yet about the matter. I will come to you almost entirely forgotten until the The Ben Ezra Synagogue tomorrow about 11 pm and talk over discovery of the Genizah. before its recent restoration the matter with you how to make the Fustat, 1970s matter known. Aramaic, Hebrew, parchment Lewis-Gibson Talmud 2.4 In haste and great excitement yours sincerely S. Schechter HEBREW BIBLE, THE BOOK OF NEHEMIAH In 1896, intrepid twins Agnes Lewis and Cambridge lecturer Solomon Schechter was Du Gunbadan, Iran, 903–4 CE Margaret Gibson returned to Cambridge so excited by the sisters’ remarkable discovery HEBREW BIBLE, THE BOOK OF NUMBERS When sacred books and scrolls became from a research trip to Egypt and Palestine. he travelled to Old Cairo to see for himself They brought with them a treasure lost for what the Genizah held. The Chief Rabbi in Arabic script damaged and were no longer fit for They brought with them a treasure lost for Palestine or Egypt, 11th century use they were placed in the Genizah a thousand years: a page from the original Cambridgeof Egypt gave lecturer Schechter Solomon permission Schechter to take was chamber. These two leaves from Hebrew book of Ben Sira. The page had sowhatever excited heby liked.the sisters’ Schechter remarkable declared discovery that This Bible is written in the Hebrew a small, personal copy of the Bible accumulated along with thousands of other he ‘liked all’, and shipped almost 200,000 language but with Arabic letters. were written by a scribe called Joseph accumulated along with thousands of other he travelled to Old Cairo to see for himself It was probably written by a Karaite, in Du Gunbadan in Iran. This Bible – documents in the Ben Ezra Synagogue, whatmanuscripts the Genizah back toheld. Cambridge. The Chief Rabbi a member of a Jewish sect that the oldest dated medieval Hebrew Old Cairo, in a chamber called a Genizah. of Egypt gave Schechter permission to take objected to the rabbinic tradition of manuscript – travelled far before it was The Jewish community had been placing mainstream Judaism and sought to eventually deposited in the Genizah. The Jewish community had been placing whatever he liked. Schechter declared that return to the pure teachings of the Bible. their worn-out books and documents in the he ‘liked all’, and shipped almost 200,000 Some Karaite scholars of the Middle Hebrew, parchment Genizah since at least the 10th11th century CE. manuscripts back to Cambridge. Ages chose to write their Bibles with T-S NS 246.26.2 2 3 A SYNAGOGUE IN OLD CAIRO PALESTINIAN VERSION Kinana 1 The glassmaker 4 OF THE AMIDA PRAYER The ‘Adept’ ben al-Halla 8 The son of the mother-in-law Palestine or Egypt, Umm Sabi 3 of al-Mutalibi 2 – Received 10/11th century Danil and his son 2 A newcomer elder of Baghdad 6 The Berber woman 3 The cantor ben al-Quda‘i 6 The oldest form of the Amida prayer, Her sister 3 The mother-in-law of ben al-[…] 4 recited by Jews at every weekday service, Zuhayr and his father-in-law 6 The acquaintance of Abu l-Muna 8 included a curse against ‘Christians and Yafuni 2 The daughter of Hashika 5 heretics’. The old Palestinian version of The newcomer from Rum 6 Abu Mukhtar 4 the rite, used in the Ben Ezra Synagogue The ‘runner’ Kohen 6 His sister 3 in the Middle Ages, constantly reminded His mother and maternal aunt 4 The wife of the tanner 3 the congregation of the dangers The brothers of the deceased man 3 Yaqub the blind man 3 posed by Christians and other heretical Umm Aynayn Hamd 4 Makhluf the blind man 2 sectarians. In modern versions the The children of the deaf man 8 wording has been changed to curse Mubaraka 4 Translation by MC ‘slanderers’ and ‘enemies’ instead. The mother-in-law of Elia and the orphan boy 2 Hebrew, parchment Elia 3 SYNAGOGUE INVENTORY T-S K27.33b Elia ‘the short’ 2 Fustat, 1080 CE The orphans of the Karaite 2 And may the Christians and The female washer of the dead Hebrew, parchment sectarians instantly perish... of the Rum 3 T-S 20.47 Rebecca 4 Umm Matatya 2 ... new material, [a colour] with yellow, ALMS LIST The acquaintance of the dyer 4 from the family of Sana’a al-Dawla, Fustat, 1107 CE Abu Khalif the blind man 5 on which there is inscribed ‘for the His in-law 1 congregation of the Iraqis’... and a Judaeo-Arabic, paper Two acquaintances of Azhar 16 siqlatun handkerchief, black and T-S NS J41 Ben Yahya 4 white, from Halfon... A grass-coloured The acquaintance of the man handkerchief with a blackish colour In the name of God, Friday the 8th from Damietta 6 from Abu l-Husayn b. Abu l-Bayan. of the month of Av, may its mourning The daughter of al-Thulayth 2 A very old siqlatun handkerchief, be turned into joy. The daughter of al-Jady 2 black with white... and old... and Dispensed to the poor, may God in his The sister of Ishaq 2 a small white handkerchief made of mercy make them rich, 4 and a half Ben Saada 2 fine sticky material and a piece of red qintars of bread.