From the Archaeological Turn to ‘Codicologie Structurale’: The Concept of Codicology and the Material Description of Hebrew Manuscripts

Abstract

This article explores the concept of codicology adopted by generations of scholars who have studied mediaeval manuscripts since the mid-20th century. Several different methodological approaches are outlined – from the ‘archaeological turn’ to comparative and structural codicology, including quantitative and historical approaches. The study of Hebrew manuscripts is seen in the context of the development of these methodological approaches. Different views on how a Hebrew manuscript should be described and what a catalogue of Hebrew manuscripts should look like are outlined, including the approach that is currently being followed in a project involving the creation of new catalogues of Hebrew manuscripts kept at the Bibliothèque nationale de France launched in 2007. The article also analyses two specific examples of Hebrew manuscripts where all these questions are relevant.