The Aramaic Bible: Targums in their Historical Context

DIEZ MERINO Targum Manuscripts and Critical Editions 79
the same Polyglot, where they had no place because of their paraphrastic
character. We also know another MS from the same tradition
namely MS 110 from the Paris National Library, where the
Fragmentary Targum is transmitted, but also the books of the
Hagiographa in Aramaic.
The existence of the Sephardic tradition, which I have analysed in
books and in articles, has been admitted by other researchers: A Diez
Macho studied the Sephardic tradition for Job 65 and it is now quoted
in the critical editions of the Targums (Job, Canticles). 66
The Oldest Complete Aramaic Bible
The oldest complete Aramaic Bible we have today in a homogeneous
tradition, although certainly not in an ideal way, is a Bible kept in the
Vatican Library; it is the biggest volume in the library (the smallest is
a 'Siddur'). It is very difficult to find a complete Aramaic Bible from
the beginning to the end (Genesis to Chronicles). The oldest exemplar
we know (written, according to colophons, in the year 1294 CE) is
Codex Urbinati 1. For some parts of the Bible we have exemplars,
sometimes older and sometimes more recent. For example, for the
Prophets we have Codex Reuchlinianus (1105 CE), and for Five
Megillot 67 some others are quoted: Budapest Kaufman 13 (13th-14th
cent.), Bibliotheque Nationale 96, Paris (14th cent.), New York,
Columbia c731 (16th cent.), Salonika, University 1 (1532 CE),
London 139 (16th cent.), London, Brit. Museum Or. 1474 (16th
cent.), London 4048 (16th cent.). This Vatican MS has received special
attention, and many parts of it have been already published. 68
65. A. Diez Macho, 'Le Targum de Job dans la tradition sephardie', in De la
Torah au Messie (ed. M. Carrez, J. Dore and P. Grelot; Toumai, 1981), pp. 545-46.
66. FJ. Fernandez Vallina, El Targum de Job (Edici6n critica) (doctoral thesis,
Madrid, Universidad Complutense, 1980); C. Alonso Fontela, El Targum al Cantar
de los Cantares (Edici6n critical) (doctoral thesis, Madrid, Universidad Complutense,
1986); J. Ferrer I Costa, El Targum d'Osees en tradicio iemenita (Barcelona:
Universidad Central, 1989).
67. E. Levine, in The Targum to the Five Megillot: Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Canticles,
Lamentations, Esther. Codex Vatican Urbinati I, Introductory Note, Translations and
Indices (Jerusalem: Makor, 1977), translates Ruth (p. 39-44), Qohelet (p. 47-65:
Ginsburg's translat.), Song of Songs (p. 72-91: Gollancz's translat.), Lamentations
(p. 103-12), Esther (Sheni, without translat.), and gives facsimiles of the five
Megillot from Codex Vatican Urbinati 1.
68. Latter Prophets: E. Levine, The Aramaic Version of Jonah (Jerusalem: