Neglected until the close of the 19th century because it was misidentified, Vatican 30 constitutes an 13th century manuscript of midrash Bereshit Rabbah. Used by Theodor and Albeck in their research on the manuscript tradition of Bereshit Rabbah and considered it the preferred manuscript, lacking additions and deletions. Lewis M. Barth offers a thorough treatment of this manuscript, which is important not only for the history of midrashic traditions but also linguistically, given its closeness to the Aramaic of the Talmud Yerushalmi. He describes the manuscript, discusses its scribes, its relationship to other early witnesses, and offers sample chapters illustrating the work of four scribes.



by Lewis M. Barth