Thesis Chapters by Hila Dayfani
This essay examines the variants that were caused by the interchange of letters bearing graphic s... more This essay examines the variants that were caused by the interchange of letters bearing graphic similarity between the Masoretic text and the Samaritan Pentateuch. Through a paleographic analysis of the shapes of the interchanging letters, it aims to carefully propose a paleographic framework for the interchanges. This process reveals that the scribal activity in the transmission of the Pentateuch increased after the middle of the second century BCE, reaching its peak in the middle of the first century BCE. This essay discusses the significance of these findings in light of further material and textual evidence for the role that the Pentateuch played in Second Temple Judaism.
מחקר זה מתמקד בהבדלי נוסח מחמת דמיון גרפי בין נוסח המסורה והחומש השומרוני. מטרתו היא בראש ובראשונ... more מחקר זה מתמקד בהבדלי נוסח מחמת דמיון גרפי בין נוסח המסורה והחומש השומרוני. מטרתו היא בראש ובראשונה ליצור קורפוס מקיף של כל ההבדלים הללו, לחקור כל אחד מהם לחוד ואף לבחון אותם במבט כולל. ניתוח הנתונים במחקר הנוכחי נעשה באמצעות הכלים העומדים לרשותו של כל חוקר נוסח המקרא. יחד עם זאת, הוא משתמש גם בכלים מתחום הפליאוגרפיה, ובתור שכזה הוא מסמן כיוון חדש.
This study focuses on variant readings due to graphic similarity between the Masoretic text and t... more This study focuses on variant readings due to graphic similarity between the Masoretic text and the Samaritan Pentateuch. Its first and foremost aim is to create a comprehensive corpus of all these variants, to study each one independently and to examine them from a broad perspective. Analysis of the findings in the present study was carried out using methods available to all scholars of the biblical text. Yet in addition, the study incorporates methods from the palaeographic realm and in this respect, it marks a new direction. The many researchers who have dealt with variants due to graphic similarity as part of the discussion of the textual history of the bible have made little use of knowledge that has accrued over the past decades on the development of the Hebrew script and the square script to explain specific phenomena or general processes. Therefore, my work will hopefully add to the research of textual criticism in all its dimensions and to biblical research itself. Following an introduction to the study which includes its aims, a review of research on relevant topics and an outline, the second chapter presents the textual findings. This chapter surveys all the variants due to graphic similarity between the Masoretic text and the Samaritan Pentateuch and gathers variants from additional textual witnesses, primarily the Qumran scrolls and the Septuagint. Each difference is examined independently through a philological analysis of the variants, their process of development and an evaluation of which version is superior. Finally, the chapter presents a statistical analysis of the data, including, for example, a survey of the interchanging letters, the frequency of the interchanges, the number of superior readings in each textual witness and the frequency of agreement between the Septuagint and each textual witness. The third chapter treats the paleographic background of the variants and examines the shapes of the interchanging letters during each stage of development of the three relevant scripts-Hebrew script, square script and Samaritan script. Through this process it determines an estimated dating of
This paper deals with the first cycle of speeches in the Book of Job. In following the links betw... more This paper deals with the first cycle of speeches in the Book of Job. In following the links between a speech and its response in the first part of the cycle in its current form, it becomes apparent that it is not possible to point to real thematic and stylistic connections between the speeches of Job and his friends, and that it is difficult to claim that Job responds to the words of those preceding him. This is in contrast to Job's speeches in other areas of the book, in which it is generally possible to identify specific references of Job to the claims voiced by the person who preceded him. With this background in mind I seek to claim that Job's first two speeches in this cycle have been swapped accidentally: Job's original response to Eliphaz is found in Chapters 9-10, and his original response to Bildad is found in Chapters 6-7. Examination of the first cycle according to this proposed reconstruction is much more coherent, and contains clear links between each of Job's speeches and his friends' preceding speeches and direct references to the words voiced by each specific friend. The paper is composed of four chapters. Chapter One examines the question of whether the literary design of the Book of Job includes thematic and formalistic connections between adjacent speeches. This question is important as a basis for my proposed reconstruction, which assumes that the Book of Job is designed such that Job responds to the claims of the preceding speech and that in general he references the claims voiced by the previous and adjoining speaker, and not after a period of time. The chapter examines the speeches by Job and his friends in Chapters 11-21 and points to the clear connections between each of Job's speeches and speech
Papers by Hila Dayfani
The Major Additions in the Samaritan Pentateuch: Editorial Practices and Layers, 2024
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.
DSD, 2023
Four manuscripts from Qumran Cave 4 are identified as manuscripts that constitute a collection of... more Four manuscripts from Qumran Cave 4 are identified as manuscripts that constitute a collection of excerpts from Deuteronomy: 4Q37, 4Q38, 4Q41, and 4Q44. This paper focuses on 4Q37 and its contribution to understanding the larger group of Deuteronomy-excerpted texts. Based on material reconstruction of the scroll, the paper confirms that it originally included excerpts from both Deuteronomy and Exodus. This conclusion establishes the existence of a repertoire of scriptural sections that were selected and cited in special-use-probably liturgical-texts. The broader implications for the reception history of the Pentateuch in Second Temple times is that the Pentateuch was not conceptualized solely as a legal code or intellectual text but also as a text that was used in liturgy.
AABNER, 2023
The second tabernacle account (Exod 35–40) is found in four discrete versions, namely, in the MT,... more The second tabernacle account (Exod 35–40) is found in four discrete versions, namely, in the MT, the SP, the LXX, and the Old Latin translation documented in the Codex Monacensis. This paper seeks to shed light on which version of this account was included in 4Q22. The preserved text in 4Q22 ends at Exodus 37:16. Yet, by material reconstruction of the scroll, it is possible to estimate the amount of the missing text between the extant fragments in the last columns of the scroll (cols. XXXVIII–XLV) and between the last preserved column of 4Q22 and the end of the scroll. Thus, despite the complexity of the textual evidence and the fact that the findings are based on reconstruction, this paper suggests that 4Q22 included a version of the second tabernacle account that is similar to the account found in the SP. Finally, this paper discusses the implications of this suggestion for the textual history of the tabernacle materials in the book of Exodus.
JAJ, 2022
This essay examines the variants that were caused by the interchange of letters bearing graphic s... more This essay examines the variants that were caused by the interchange of letters bearing graphic similarity between the Masoretic text and the Samaritan Pentateuch. Through a paleographic analysis of the shapes of the interchanging letters, it aims to carefully propose a paleographic framework for the interchanges. This process reveals that the scribal activity in the transmission of the Pentateuch increased after the middle of the second century BCE, reaching its peak in the middle of the first century BCE. This essay discusses the significance of these findings in light of further material and textual evidence for the role that the Pentateuch played in Second Temple Judaism.
JBL 2022
This paper establishes the attribution of the Gerizim composition to the pre-Samaritan tradition,... more This paper establishes the attribution of the Gerizim composition to the pre-Samaritan tradition, a textual tradition of the Pentateuch circulated in Israel in the late Second Temple period. The paper undermines the previous assumption that the Gerizim composition was not included in the 4QpaleoExodm, the longest pre-Samaritan scroll found in Qumran. Based on material and textual reconstruction of the relevant columns in 4QpaleoExodm, it demonstrates that this section was indeed included in the scroll. These findings have significant implications on the origin of the pre-Samaritan tradition, the textual development of the Samaritan Pentateuch, and the textual history of the Pentateuch in the Second Temple period.
RevQ, 2021
This paper proposes a new material reconstruction of 4Q415, one of the copies of Instruction from... more This paper proposes a new material reconstruction of 4Q415, one of the copies of Instruction from Qumran. The reconstruction encompasses approximately one quarter of the 32 fragments of the scroll. This reconstruction supports and further develops the suggestion that several fragments of the scroll were wadded in the rolled scroll. It demonstrates the possibility of placing the fragments in seven consecutive layers, and arranges them in a digital canvas. The material evidence supports new joins, and consequently new readings. The reconstruction sheds new light on the arrangement of the text of the scroll. It thus establishes a better understanding of this fragmentary copy of Instruction, and it hopefully will serve as a further milestone in the study of this enigmatic composition. * This study is funded by a grant from the DIP foundation (Deutsche-Israelische Projektkooperation), Grant Number BE 5916/1-1, as part of the project Scripta Qumranica Electronica. I am indebted to Prof. Jonathan Ben-Dov for his close and critical reading of this paper, which significantly improved it. In addition, thanks are due to Prof. Eibert Tigchelaar and Dr. Eshbal Ratzon for their helpful comments. The methodologies implemented in this study were developed by the team of SQE project, especially Jonathan Ben-Dov, Asaf Gayer and Eshbal Ratzon. I am indebted to all SQE team for the general learning process and for the discussions of the issue addressed here. Finally, images in this article are courtesy of the Leon Levi Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library of Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA); Photographer: Shay Halevi (fig. 5: Photographer: Najib Anton Albina). (1) The exact number of copies of Instruction is still being discussed among scholars. Torleif Elgvin, An Analysis of 4QInstruction
This article proposes new identifications of scroll fragments from 4QpaleoGen-Exodl, some of whic... more This article proposes new identifications of scroll fragments from 4QpaleoGen-Exodl, some of which have been included in the official edition and others that have not been associated with the scroll so far. The fragments are transcribed, identified, and in some cases joined with further scroll fragments. The study is accompanied by a discussion on the implications of the new identifications.
Cet article propose de nouvelles identifications de fragments appartenant à 4QpaleoGen-Exodl, certains étaient inclus dans l’édition officielle et d’autres n’étaient pas associés à ce rouleau jusqu’à présent. Les fragments sont transcrits, identifiés, et, dans certains cas, joints à d’autres fragments. Cette étude est accompagnée d’une discussion sur les implications de ces nouvelles identifications.
Textus, 2021
This paper focuses on a fragmentary copy of Exodus from Qumran that has not so far received suffi... more This paper focuses on a fragmentary copy of Exodus from Qumran that has not so far received sufficient attention – 4Q11 (4QpaleoGenExodl). The paper proposes a material reconstruction of the scroll and discusses its contribution to the textual classification of the scroll. Although 4Q11 apparently reflects the short literary form of MT and LXX Exodus, which does not include the major expansions characteristic of the pre-Samaritan tradition, an examination of individual readings reveals that the scroll includes some minor exegetical variants. Thus, 4Q11 demonstrates the necessity of exploring the scribal approach reflected in scriptural Qumran scrolls, in addition to their classification into textual traditions. Only such a holistic investigation can allow for an improved understanding of the text and processes that took place during its transmission.
ZAW 2021
This paper explores the transmission process of SP and the texts from which it developed. It exam... more This paper explores the transmission process of SP and the texts from which it developed. It examines the reliability of the transmission by variants due to graphic similarity between letters attested in MT and SP. The paper shows that if one focuses on variants that originated solely in graphic similarity between letters, SP contains primary readings in an equal number of instances as MT. These findings are consistent with the lack of evidence for scribal errors in the pre-Samaritan scrolls. Both indicate that the texts in the Samaritan and pre-Samaritan traditions were carefully transmitted.
Almost from the inception of the textual analysis of the Hebrew Bible, scholars recognized that c... more Almost from the inception of the textual analysis of the Hebrew Bible, scholars recognized that certain textual variants were caused by the interchange of letters bearing graphic similarity. This paper focuses on a small number of interchanges between the Masoretic Text (MT) and the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP) and studies their possible paleographic context. The central claim of the paper is that it is possible to identify the scripts used in which the changes occurred and in some instances, even the specific stage of development of the script. The paleographic conclusion that arises from the evidence presented is that the Samaritan version developed from earlier versions that were transmitted in Paleo-Hebrew and in square script, or that the Samaritan version was transmitted in its early stages in both of these scripts.
Workshops by Hila Dayfani
Textual Development of the Pentateuch
An Hybrid Workshop (University of Oxford),
May 4th 8:45-5:... more Textual Development of the Pentateuch
An Hybrid Workshop (University of Oxford),
May 4th 8:45-5:45 UK time
Co-Organized by Hila Dayfani (Oxford and Hebrew University), Hindy Najman (Oxford), and Harald Samuel (Oxford).
Held in the Centre for the Study of the Bible in the Humanities (CBH), Oriel College, Oxford.
Speakers: Reinhard Müller, Hila Dayfani, Michael Segal, Emanuel Tov, Innocent Himbaza, and Harald Samuel. Opening Remarks: Hindy Najman.
Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/textual-development-of-the-pentateuch-tickets-619719968107
The Samaritan Pentateuch and Its importance for Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible
The purpose of this study is to utilize advanced digital tools for material reconstruction of fra... more The purpose of this study is to utilize advanced digital tools for material reconstruction of fragmentary scriptural scrolls from Qumran, as a means to classify them according to the textual traditions of the biblical text. The method proposed in the study will be demonstrated by means of the reconstruction of 4QpaleoGen-Exl.
Book Reviews by Hila Dayfani
DSD, 2022
The purpose of this volume is to illustrate the use of the Leviticus material in the Dead Sea Scr... more The purpose of this volume is to illustrate the use of the Leviticus material in the Dead Sea Scrolls and "to show how closely Leviticus influenced the composition of texts in both the Qumran and pre-Qumranic communities or the wider movements of which they were a part" (8-9). Choi effectively achieved this purpose, systematically pointing to quotations, allusions, and interpretations of the text of Leviticus in several late Second Temple period works. He demonstrates how Leviticus, especially the Holiness Code of Lev 16-27, has influenced the structures, theologies, and ideologies of these works. The book is clearly written and well-organized. After a brief introduction in which Choi discusses methodological issues and approaches, the second chapter presents the manuscripts of Leviticus from the Judean Desert. Each manuscript is accompanied by a description of its content, physical characteristics, scribal features, and textual affiliation. Choi correctly considers 4QReworked Pentateuch manuscripts as copies of the Pentateuch, in accordance with the growing scholarly consensus regarding their scriptural status. The Leviticus Scroll from Nahal Arugot and Mur/ḤevLev are not included, following Eibert Tigchelaar, who described them as unprovenanced (10-11). However, the classification of the cryptic texts 4Q249j-l as scriptural manuscripts, as well as the identification of 2Q9 with Lev 23:1-3 rather than with Num 18:8-9, as suggested by Baillet in djd 3 and accepted by Tov, Kugler and Baek, Himbaza, and others, seems doubtful. Choi concludes that "there was probably a single edition of Leviticus in circulation" (47), confirming the claim that the text of Leviticus is relatively stable (Ulrich; Kugler and Baek). As most of the data in Chapter ii are already accessible elsewhere, Choi stresses that its main contribution is to point to the function of the manuscripts (11). He bases this on their material features, such as size, layout, and script, while relying on the principal editions of the various manuscripts. Unfortunately, in certain cases, such as in 4QLevc (24-25), Choi cites the material considerations offered in the respective principal editions without explication or reevaluation. Choi concludes that many of the Leviticus manuscripts can be classified as large or very large scrolls. These scrolls were prestigious copies that were suitable for public cultic settings, indicating that Leviticus was treated as important in Second Temple Judaism. However, Choi does not consider the possibility that large-format manuscripts, notably those that included not only Leviticus but also Exodus or Numbers, may have contained the entire Pentateuch. If so,
Articles by Hila Dayfani
JBL, 2022
This file includes figures from the paper "4QpaleoExodm and the Gerizim Composition" in a larger ... more This file includes figures from the paper "4QpaleoExodm and the Gerizim Composition" in a larger format.
Revue de Qumrân 34, no. 1 (2022): 137–150, 2022
This article proposes new identifications of scroll fragments from 4QpaleoGen-Exodl, some of whic... more This article proposes new identifications of scroll fragments from 4QpaleoGen-Exodl, some of which have been included in the official edition and others that have not been associated with the scroll so far. The fragments are transcribed, identified, and in some cases joined with further scroll fragments. The study is accompanied by a discussion on the implications of the new identifications.New Identifications of 4QpaleoGen-Exodl (4Q11) Fragments
Uploads
Thesis Chapters by Hila Dayfani
Papers by Hila Dayfani
Cet article propose de nouvelles identifications de fragments appartenant à 4QpaleoGen-Exodl, certains étaient inclus dans l’édition officielle et d’autres n’étaient pas associés à ce rouleau jusqu’à présent. Les fragments sont transcrits, identifiés, et, dans certains cas, joints à d’autres fragments. Cette étude est accompagnée d’une discussion sur les implications de ces nouvelles identifications.
Workshops by Hila Dayfani
An Hybrid Workshop (University of Oxford),
May 4th 8:45-5:45 UK time
Co-Organized by Hila Dayfani (Oxford and Hebrew University), Hindy Najman (Oxford), and Harald Samuel (Oxford).
Held in the Centre for the Study of the Bible in the Humanities (CBH), Oriel College, Oxford.
Speakers: Reinhard Müller, Hila Dayfani, Michael Segal, Emanuel Tov, Innocent Himbaza, and Harald Samuel. Opening Remarks: Hindy Najman.
Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/textual-development-of-the-pentateuch-tickets-619719968107
Book Reviews by Hila Dayfani
Articles by Hila Dayfani
Cet article propose de nouvelles identifications de fragments appartenant à 4QpaleoGen-Exodl, certains étaient inclus dans l’édition officielle et d’autres n’étaient pas associés à ce rouleau jusqu’à présent. Les fragments sont transcrits, identifiés, et, dans certains cas, joints à d’autres fragments. Cette étude est accompagnée d’une discussion sur les implications de ces nouvelles identifications.
An Hybrid Workshop (University of Oxford),
May 4th 8:45-5:45 UK time
Co-Organized by Hila Dayfani (Oxford and Hebrew University), Hindy Najman (Oxford), and Harald Samuel (Oxford).
Held in the Centre for the Study of the Bible in the Humanities (CBH), Oriel College, Oxford.
Speakers: Reinhard Müller, Hila Dayfani, Michael Segal, Emanuel Tov, Innocent Himbaza, and Harald Samuel. Opening Remarks: Hindy Najman.
Registration link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/textual-development-of-the-pentateuch-tickets-619719968107
A Hands-On Workshop, February 6-7, 2023
Researchers and graduate students are invited to submit applications for a practical workshop on material reconstruction of the DSS using digital tools.