Masora

The Masora, or Masorah, served as an index for the first millennium of the Christian era in textual traditions of the Hebrew Scripture. It was compiled by groups of Jewish scribes, the most notable being Masoretes, who worked to preserve the Old Testament and develop notes based on their traditions. The Masora is also referred to as the Masoretic Texts and was most likely completed in the 10th century AD even though there were many disputes about the date it was compiled. “The assumption that one single Masora was transmitted orally until it was written down in lists and later added in the margins of the manuscripts in a single act of copying has deterred scholars from investigating and exploring the copious evidence of later additions made by various hands that can be seen with the naked eye in the annotations contained in the most medieval Hebrew Bible manuscripts” (Martin-Contreras 36-37).

The Torah and Hebrew Bible

The biggest difference between the Torah and Hebrew Bible have to deal with punctuation and vowel notations in the texts. Robinson writes, “These notations were regularized by scribes in eight- and ninth-century Palestine who specialized in copying biblical texts, the Masoretes. According to historian Leila Avrin, the Masoretes wanted to ensure that not a single word of the scripture was lost. When tenth- and eleventh-century masoretic books, such as the Leningrad Codex or the Aleppo Codex, are compared with similar texts from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the consonant shapes and placement are extraordinarily close” (Robinson 56) and “When copying Hebrew Bibles, for example, one scribe would typically copy the consonantal text, another would add the vowel and punctuation marks, and a third would add the Masora, additional word lists and counts that served as a kind of index, to the margins” (Robinson 57). There are considered to be three different types of notes in the Masora which are Masora Parva, Masora Magna, and Masora Finalis.

Masora Parva

The annotations found in Masora Parva are brief notes next to the Biblical texts. They’re found in the side margins and often point out repeated words and phrases as well as cross-references to other texts found in the Bible. Scholars often reference and utilize these annotations when looking at other translations or versions of the Bible.

Masora Magna

The annotations found in Masora Magna are longer notes above and below the Biblical texts. They’re found in the top and bottom margins, often pointing out deeper meanings in the text and giving an analysis for the text as well as sometimes pointing out repeated words or phrases. Scholars often look to these annotations for a deeper understanding of the text and the Bible as a whole.

Masora Finalis

The annotations found in Masora Finalis are usually summaries of the text and found at the end of the Biblical texts. They often summarize the text itself as well as the number of books, verses, or even words found in the text. Scholars often look to these annotations for inaccuracies and clarification to correct any errors.