the question of their origin, nor weaken the evidence which proves their existence before the time of Ahnan. Sharastani, if I well remember, so calls them and professes to give a brief account of their history, but betrays utter ignorance of the matter which he pretends to treat. Sometimes, however, he is quoted, and therefore the reader should be informed that he is utterly unworthy of credit in anything he says about the Jews, of whom, as on perusal instantly appears, he knew little and gives no coherent information. His tales are often as irrational as an Indian cosmogony. But there is an extract in the Oriental Library of Asseman which may be considered trustworthy as to the name alone. In a note of events during the episcopate of Philoxenus of Nisibis, the learned Maronite collects that at that time the Jews also had a quarrel concerning their primacy. For some of those in Tiberias elected one David, but they in Babylonia chose Daniel, of the sect of the Ahnanites, who set aside the Sabbath, and observe the fourth day of the week instead of the seventh. The case,' he says, 'was brought before the Caliph, who decided that when ten men of any religion of Christians, or Jews, or Magians, agreed together on any arrangement for ordering worship in their own manner, it should be lawful for them." But the Karaites, as we well know, did not so set aside the Sabbath-day, and therefore the persons called Ahnanites could not be of the same persuasion as the Ahnan of whom we speak, or they might have been a degenerate offshoot from a better stock.2 1 Bibliotheca Orientalis, tom. ii. p. 346. 2 While this chapter is passing through the press, I find strong confirmation of this view of Ahnan and the Ahnanites. The reader shall find it in my Preface. 91 CHAPTER X. VOWEL-POINTS AND ACCENTS. A subject for literary research. THE subject of this chapter should be interesting to general readers, but Hebrew scholars will only find enough to stimulate inquiry. I trust the facts are correctly noted, but I do not press the conclusions to which, for the present, I think I can arrive. For the correction of any error I shall be sincerely thankful, but I cannot persuade myself to keep silence on a subject of so great interest, because I am not yet able to treat it in the confidence of historic certainty. I hope to obtain one facsimile, at least, with some typographical illustration, which may serve a student in prosecuting more thorough investigation. In justice to our subject we must notice the part taken by Karaites, or alleged to have been taken by them, in the formation of the system of vowel-pointing in the written Hebrew of the Old Testament. There is a passage to the purpose in the Book of Chozri. That book, it will be remembered, contains the narrative of a discussion that dates in the middle of the eighth century of the Christian era. For a clearer apprehension of the particular passage, the context also shall be quoted, observing only that the colloquial form of the book is purely artificial, and that every statement therein rests on the credit of the author, Rabbi Judah the Levite, who makes his interlocutors speak as follows.1 'Jew. What would you (King of Chozar) say if you found a variety of reading in one, two, or three books? 'Chozri (the King). I would say that we ought to respect the reading found in the majority of books, because an error could not so easily find its way into many as into few; and that we might reject the readings which occur only in single copies, just as we reject the judgment of interpreters, when the minority has to yield to the majority. 'Jew. But what would you say when the variation is only in a letter, as for example, in the Lamentations of Jeremiah (iv. 18) y they hunt our steps, where it seems the first word should be with Resh, y? And in and ,וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא נָשָׂא לַשָׁוְא נַפְשִׁי :4 .the passage of Psalm xxiv who hath not lifted up my soul to vanity, when the last word should be his soul?—and the like in many other places. 'Chozri. If it is left for reason to decide in all such cases, reason will make no end of changes in all the books, changes in letters, words, and whole sentences; then in punctuation and accents, so that the sense of a multitude of passages will be changed, for if one be altered, why not all (if reason should see fit so to determine)? 'Jew. Then how do you suppose that Moses left his law to the Children of Israel? 6 Chozri. There can be no doubt that it was a simple book, or writing, without points and without accents, a as at this day we see the Book of ספר פשוט מאין נקוד וטעמי the Law (in the synagogues), for otherwise, it would be impossible for all to agree, as for example, concerning the unleavened bread, &c. &c. 1 Sepher Chozri, pars iii. capp. 25–34. &c. Jew. There can be no doubt that Patakh, Khametz, the other points and the accents, were kept in the heart of the priests [that is to say, that a knowledge of the correct vocal pronunciation of the words was preserved by continuous use in the solemn recitation of the sentences of Scripture, with the very articulate sounds which are now represented by the vowel-signs] because they would need them for performing sacrifice, [in the appointed services of the Tabernacle and the Temple], and for teaching the children of Israel, and in the heart of kings, inasmuch as the kings also were commanded to read the Book of the Law diligently, as it is said; "He shall read in it all the days of his life;" and in the heart of the Judges, And therefore they [i.e. Ezra, and the other members of the great synagogue] appointed seven kings [the seven vowels being so called by the grammarians], and accents, to be signs of those values and powers which Moses received by tradition for them. And what do you think of those things which serve to lay out the Scriptures in form,-first in sentences, then with vowel-pointing, then with accent-signs, then with Massoroth, or critical observations concerning words which are to be written in full, or defectively, to which end even the letters are numbered and noted, so, for example, that we may know that the in the word n is the middle letter of the Law, and that we may be informed where a Patakh, a Khametz, a Tseré or a Ségol is written out of place? Do you think that these labours of theirs were vain, or that they bestowed care and study on a thing not requisite and necessary?' The Chozarite assents fully to all that can be said in commendation of this very useful work, and the conversation proceeds:1 This account of the completeness of the Masorah may belong to a later date than is assigned to the Book of Chozri, and therefore indicate an 'Jew. If the tradition be such, then we and the Karaites are alike bound to abide by it, and so is every one who acknowledges the Law of Moses. 6 Chozri. Even so say the Karaites, but since they have found the Law perfect, they have no need of any Kabbala beyond it.'1 The least that this can mean is that the Karaites have tested the vowel-and-accent system, and found it satisfactory. But if the framers of the system had been also compilers of the Talmud, or even Talmudists in opinion and principle, a perfect agreement between the two parties, at any date, would have been impossible. The controversy, therefore, which had divided them within the synagogues even before the open schism took place, could not have subsisted between fellow-labourers on this great work. Yet it is difficult to understand how the subject could have found its way into the discussion of the merits of Karaism between Sangari and the King of Chozar, unless the Karaites had been in some way concerned with the first introduction of vowel-points and accents. If the Seven Kings, as vowels are called, originated with Ezra, or if the three, a, i, o, were invented by him, and afterwards increased to five, and yet again to seven, during the time of the great synagogue, that would presuppose a prolonged and united literal study of the Hebrew text before the Mishnaic and Talmudic times, and therefore while learned men not yet so widely differing, could unite with calm deliberation in a critical examination of the text, and pursue it with even greater advantage than if, on every matter of interpretation, they were perfectly unanimous. interpolation, either by the translator from the original Arabic into Hebrew, or by later copyists of the Hebrew. כן אומרים הקראים אבל אחר שמצאו התורה שלימה אינם צריכים אל הקבלה : |