Page 247 - גנזי קדם ז

A Unique and Early Use of Micrographic Carpet Page Format 17*

The inner, micrographic, text of the page seems to have contained at least
28 verses, of which I was able to identify 20; the remainder have been
obliterated by time and abrasion. All are from Psalms save two, one from
Lamentations 3:58 and the other from Daniel 3:8. Primarily petitionary in
nature, but also including some verses of praise, they most often invoke
God by His Tetragrammatic name.11 The main themes appearing in the verses
are the description of God’s glory and wisdom, which benefit all who act in
accordance with His will, and the request that He guide the petitioner in the
ways of uprightness, take note ofHis subjects, discern their righteousness, grant
their requests and save them from their enemies.

Comparison of the text with other micrographic items of this period yields
implications regarding its instrumental significance. Micrography in masoretic
marginal lists or in ketubbot certainly has a decorative function. Additionally,
the texts rendered in micrographic writing in these cases are thematically linked
with their context — masoretic notes in biblical texts and scriptural passages
on love, marriage and fecundity in ketubbot. When these are incorporated in a
masoretic carpet page, the meticulous virtuosity of the designer is even more
manifest. Moreover, a further layer of meaning is attained in the case of a
micrographic carpet page in a biblical codex which musters verses of blessing
for the patron and owner of the manuscript: the carpet page thus unites the
scribe, the codex and the patron/owner under the purview of the divine source
of the Bible and of the selected blessings invoked. Like the decorative verses in
a ketubbah, the generalized text is now singled out and contextualized, whether
in the life ofthe marrying couple or of the patron/owner of the codex. Inert texts
invoked in the ketubbah or the carpet page are, by virtue of this invocation,
infused with vitality. I believe one can see similar factors manifested in the

11 Exceptions to this rule are the verses taken from Daniel 9:19 (Adonai); Psalm 25:2 (Elohai);
and Psalm 17:6 (El). The use of the Tetragrammaton, seconded by other forms of divine
address and tied together by a similar theme, seems to indicate that this selection should
be viewed as a florilegium as well. It should be noted that the florilegia mentioned in
the preceding note also extensively employ the tetragrammation as well as other divine
appellations.