The Israel Museum in Jerusalem has announced on the 27th of May 2007 a premiere : the unveiling of a rare and never seen before fragment of a Hebrew scroll, dating from what is known as the "Silent Era", a period of six centuries, from the 3rd to the 8th, from which virtually no Hebrew manuscripts have stood the test of time. According to researchers, who have carefully reconstructed the piece, the manuscript dates from the 7th - 8th century, and it most likely a part of the Cairo Genizah, a famous depository of medieval Jewish manuscripts, an unmatched collection of it's kind, discovered at the end of the 19th century in Ben Ezra Synagogue, Cairo.
After careful translation, the scientists discovered that this manuscript is actually a fragment of a Torah scroll, from the Book of Exodus, including the Song of the Sea, which is considered to be one of the best examples of poetry in the Old Testament, praising the Almighty after the crossing of the Red Sea, approaching the Promised Land. The opportunity of presenting this fragment to the public at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem is viewed by many as a splendid chance of discovering a forgotten moment in Jewish history.
Jewish writings and the Silent Era
This single piece of manuscript is an important historical piece of evidence, providing a link between two important pahses in Ancient Jewish culture. It was by all means written some centuries after the last of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls (2 century CE) and it is impressive with it's delicate lettering, reminding of the caligraphy used for the scrolls. On the other hand, the hand-writing used is closely similar to the much later Biblical codices of the 11th century, marking thus a tradition in the filed. So this continuity is symbolic for the fidelity with which the Masoretic version of the Old Testament had been transmited over the centuries, from scholar to scholar, without much altering not only of the meanings and text, but also of the graphical aspect.
The Silent Era in the history of Jewish culture is one of the most enigmatic and dramatic. Due to the continued persecution of the Jews and the neverending destruction of Jewsih manuscripts, few (mainly pieces and fragments) have survived from that era. Although there are many biblical manuscripts from that time frame, these are written in Greek, Latin and other languages of the time. Only after the 9th century Jewish manuscripts reappeared.
After careful restauration and conservation, the scroll is being presented at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, for all to see and understand how Jewish thought and writing survived many centuries ago.
June 2007
