Ghost readings in the the oldest complete Hebrew Bible

ALTERATIONS: Israeli Scholars Discover Corrections, Erasures, Revisions in Oldest Biblical Manuscript. Analysis of Leningrad Codex shows that about a millennium ago, there were several different versions of the Bible that evolved over time (Nir Hasson, Haaretz premium).

Scholars from the Academy of the Hebrew Language who have been analyzing the codex discovered that it contains hundreds of corrections meant to bring it into line with the familiar biblical text we know today. The changes were made by erasing, altering or adding letters and vocalization marks.

These changes show that back when the Leningrad Codex was written, roughly a millennium ago, the Jewish bookshelf contained several different versions of the biblical text.

Or at least a long tradition of variant readings.

Other PaleoJudaica posts on the Leningrad Codex of the Hebrew Bible are here, here, here, here, and links.

Visit PaleoJudaica daily for the latest news on ancient Judaism and the biblical world.