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orion thanks; Tov; scribes
A) I'd like to thank Stephen Pfann for providing much valuable information
to the list.
B) F. Cryer quoted one sentence from the newly-published article "Scribal
Practices and Physical Aspects of the Dead Sea Scrolls" (p. 10). For the
benefit of list members who haven't seen this yet--it happens at Duke
because the editor Prof. Sharpe is at Duke--allow me to requote that
sentence, along with the following sentence, which provides some context:
"Many of the documents found in the Judaean Desert had been copied
elsewhere in Israel, so that the documents and scribal practices reflected
in them are representative not only of the persons who lived and wrote in
the Judaean Desert but, to any even greater extent, of the scribes of
Palestine as a whole. At the present stage of research this is a mere
assumption, which may be supported in the future by research into either
the content of the documents or their physical components, that is the
parchment, sinews, and ink."
Would a Jewish religious movement, drawing members from various
places, members who donated property, both develop some characteristic
practices and own some mss from outside those new practices? Of course,
this is consistent with the Essene identification of the manuscript
collection. Certainly, differing opinions will be expressed. They would be
more useful, I feel, if they neither deny or misrepresent evidence.
C) Has anyone information to share about a possible transition from writing
with stiff rush brushes (and palettes) to writing with split reed pens (and
inkwells), which may be relevant to Judaea? This has been studied in Egypt.
See, e.g., Willy Clarysse, "Egyptian Scribes Writing Greek," Chronique
d'Egypte 68 (1993) 186-201. Was such a change relevant to Palestine? Is
there a relation to change in writing surfaces? Scripts? How do Elephantine
mss fit in? If there was such a change in Israel, would it also involve
changes in posture of scribes?
best wishes,
Stephen Goranson
goranson@duke.edu