Spanish Bible with Masorah

This early, complete copy of the Bible was produced in Soria, which, along with Burgos and Toledo, was the center of a distinctive school of Hebrew manuscript illumination in the 13th century. The biblical text is accompanied by a collection of comments – called the Masorah – relating to its correct reading, spelling, vocalization, and accentuation, along with textual variants. Using tiny script, the Masorate (the scribe who added the Masorah) shaped the text into different micrographic patterns – a form of manuscript decoration that is unique to Jewish art.

Credit: Permanent loan to The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, from the State of Israel, through the Foreign Ministry of Israel