AUTHOR: UNKNOWN

LANGUAGE: HEBREW

DATE: 1000

PAGE #: 466

REPRODUCTION DIMENSIONS: 11.75 X 8.75 IN

HISTORY/DESCRIPTION: THE DAMASCUS PENTATEUCH, FROM AROUND THE YEAR 1000, IS ONE OF THE OLDEST EXTANT HEBREW BIBLICAL MANUSCRIPTS. IT INCLUDES FULL VOCALIZATION, ACCENTUATION, AND MASORETIC ANNOTATION. THE MANUSCRIPT IS DEFECTIVE IN ITS BEGINNING, AS IT STARTS WITH GENESIS 9:26; EXODUS 18:1-23 IS ALSO MISSING. WRITTEN ON PARCHMENT IN ORIENTAL SQUARE SCRIPT, THE TEXT IS IN THREE COLUMNS PER PAGE, TWENTY LINES PER COLUMN. THE MANUSCRIPT BELONGED TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF DAMASCUS (HENCE ITS NAME) UNTIL 1915, WHEN IT WAS ACQUIRED BY THE COLLECTOR AND BIBLIOPHILE D.S. SASSOON. IN 1975 IT WAS ACQUIRED BY THE JEWISH NATIONAL AND UNIVERSITY LIBRARY (WHAT LATER BECAME THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF ISRAEL). PENTATEUCH IS A TERM FOR THE FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE HEBREW BIBLE: GENESIS, EXODUS, LEVITICUS, NUMBERS, AND DEUTERONOMY. THE MASORETIC ANNOTATIONS ARE THE COLLECTION OF CRITICAL NOTES, COMPILED IN THE SEVENTH TO TENTH CENTURIES BY JEWISH SCRIBES AND SCHOLARS KNOWN AS THE MASORETES AND ACCEPTED AS THE AUTHORITATIVE REGULATOR OF THE WRITTEN AND VOCALIZED TRANSMISSION OF THE HEBREW BIBLE.

REPRODUCTION DETAILS: OUR HARDCOVER BOOKS ARE MADE WITH REAL WOOD FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS AS WELL AS THE SPINE. THE LEATHER IS A 4 OZ COWHIDE, FROM A SMALL SUPPLIER IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LEATHER IS ADHERED TO THE COVERS WITH GLUE AND MOLDED INTO THE SHAPE AT THE HAND OF OUR LOCAL ARTISANS. THE SIGNATURES/PAGES ARE HANDSEWN USING A LIBRARY BINDING METHOD. THE SEWN BOOK IS BOUND WITH A STRONG ADHESIVE GLUE THAT MAKES THE BINDINGS LAST, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LARGER BOOKS. WE ALSO ADD A THICK MULL CLOTH TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE BINDING, DRYING IN BETWEEN EACH LAYER, A TRADITIONAL WAY TO MAKE THE BINDING STIFF, STRONG, AND RESILIENT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

NOTE: ALL OF OUR FACSIMILES ARE MADE TO ORDER. PLEASE ALLOW 4-6 WEEKS FOR NOTIFICATION OF SHIPMENT.