BYU ScholarsArchive

Article Title

Sacred Books: The Canon of the Hebrew Bible at the End of the First Century

Authors

Robert L. Maxwell

Keywords

Mormon studies, Hebrew Bible, Masada, Masoretic Text, apocryphal text

Abstract

A number of fragmentary manuscripts in Hebrew and Aramaic have been found at Masada, including seven from the Hebrew Bible. These are Mas1a (Lev. 4:3-9), Mas1b (Lev. 8:31-11:40), Mas1c (Deut. 33:17-21, 34:2-6), Mas1d (Ezek. 31:11-37:15), Mas1e (Ps. 81:6-85:6), Mas1f (Ps. 150:1-6), and Mas1g (Ps. 18:26-29). Aside from minor orthographic differences, these are, in all cases, the same as the Masoretic text (MT) of the Hebrew Bible we have today. There are, in addition, a number of extrabiblical fragments, including a fragment of a Ben Sira (Ecclesiasticus) (Mas1h) and a fragment apparently of the book of Jubilees (Mas1i).

Recommended Citation

Maxwell, Robert L. (1996) "Sacred Books: The Canon of the Hebrew Bible at the End of the First Century," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 36: Iss. 3, Article 22.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol36/iss3/22