Masora (Noun)
Meaning
A vast body of textual criticism of the Hebrew Scriptures including notes on features of writing and on the occurrence of certain words and on variant sources and instructions for pronunciation and other comments that were written between AD 600 and 900 by Jewish scribes in the margins or at the end of texts.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The masora played a crucial role in the preservation and transmission of the Hebrew Scriptures throughout history.
- The additions composed by the masoretes were essential in maintaining the accuracy and consistency of the texts during copying processes.
- One primary purpose of the masora was to resolve differences in readings between various sources of manuscripts.
- Over several centuries, the compilation of masora developed from generation to generation as the scholars of the day added their own insights.
- These collected notes in the masora are valuable today as they allow scholars to examine the history of the development of the texts and account for different interpretations of the scriptures.