Scribes who copied the Old Testament (specifically the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh) went to extraordinary lengths to ensure accuracy. Their methods, honed over centuries, involved a complex system of safeguards:
1. Strict Materials and Procedures:
* Specific Materials: They used specific types of parchment (carefully prepared animal skins) and ink made according to a precise formula. Inferior materials were forbidden.
* Ritual Purity: Scribes often had to be in a state of ritual purity (sometimes involving ritual bathing) before they could begin copying.
* Writing Rules: They had strict rules for how each letter was formed. Even the slightest deviation could render the entire scroll unfit for use.
* New Quill for the Divine Name: Some scribes would use a fresh quill to write the divine name (YHWH), demonstrating reverence and preventing errors born from a worn-out writing instrument.
* Speaking Aloud: Scribes were required to pronounce each word aloud as they wrote it. This helped to catch errors that might arise from simple visual misinterpretations.
* Constant Monitoring: Another scribe, usually a more senior and experienced individual, would watch the scribe writing and cross-reference the copy with the original manuscript to ensure that the copyist was writing correctly.
2. Counting and Verification:
* Letter Counting: After completing a page, a scribe would meticulously count the number of letters in each line and compare it to the original. Discrepancies meant the entire page had to be rewritten.
* Word Counting: They also counted the number of words on each page and compared it to the original.
* Middle Letter/Word Check: They would often identify the middle letter and the middle word of a text and verify their placement in the new scroll.
* Column and Page Verification: They compared the number of lines per column and columns per page with the original manuscript.
3. Stringent Rules Regarding Errors:
* No Memorization: Scribes were forbidden from copying from memory. They had to have the original text in front of them at all times.
* Immediate Correction: If an error was discovered during the copying process, it had to be corrected immediately.
* Complete Rewriting: If the errors were too numerous, the entire scroll had to be discarded and rewritten from scratch. Sometimes, even a single significant error would necessitate this.
* Sacred Disposal: Defective scrolls were not simply thrown away. They were treated with reverence and often buried or stored in a special container called a *genizah* (a storage room for worn-out sacred texts).
4. The Masoretes (Later Safeguards):
* The Masoretes (around the 6th-10th centuries CE) were groups of Jewish scholars who further standardized the text and added vowel markings, punctuation, and detailed notes (the Masorah) to the Hebrew Bible. These notes served as a complex system of checks and balances, recording the number of times specific words or phrases appeared in the text, listing unusual spellings, and providing variant readings.
* Masoretic Text: The resulting standardized text, known as the Masoretic Text, became the basis for almost all subsequent printed editions of the Hebrew Bible. It represents a remarkable achievement in textual preservation.
* Concordances and Dictionaries: The Masoretes created concordances and dictionaries to help scribes quickly verify words and phrases and identify potential errors.
5. Training and Oversight:
* Rigorous Training: Becoming a scribe was a long and arduous process, requiring years of dedicated study and apprenticeship.
* Oversight and Certification: Scribes were often certified by rabbinical authorities, who ensured they had the necessary knowledge and skills.
* Community Responsibility: The preservation of the sacred texts was seen as a communal responsibility, and the community would hold scribes accountable for their work.
Impact of these Safeguards:
These safeguards resulted in a remarkable degree of textual stability over centuries. While minor variations inevitably crept in (as with any hand-copied text), the overall consistency of the Hebrew Bible, particularly the Masoretic Text, is truly impressive. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which predate the Masoretic Text by several centuries, provides further evidence of the accuracy and reliability of the scribal tradition. While the Dead Sea Scrolls contain some variations, they also confirm the essential faithfulness of the Masoretic Text to earlier textual traditions.