Geniza Lab

Letter from a Jewish notable who had previously been minister of finance in Egypt, seeking assistance from the Jewish community in Constantinople. This very long letter begins with many lines of poetry and greetings to the Constantinople community, after which the writer describes his fall from favour and how he has now been supplanted by a new Christian minister of finance. The recently deceased Nagid Mevorakh b. Saadya's elevation by the Vizier al-Afḍal is described, and the very high regard in which he was held at court. The Nagid's death had presumably left the writer and other Jews in high positions exposed to court intrigue. Dated to soon after 1111 CE (when the Nagid died). Information from CUDL. The writer spells out Greek words in vocalized Hebrew script: "το πατριαρχη" (the patriarch) and "εἰστό Ταμίαθι" (in Tamiathi = Damietta = Kaftor).

Letter from a woman named Archondou, in Alexandria, to her son Fuḍayl, in Fustat. Her main purpose in writing emerges at the end: she wants her son to come and fetch her, as she wants to go to Fustat. The woman's name, the use of a Greek word (τυλάριν, ?mattress, r12, 19), and the spelling of the proper names 'Archondou' (ארכודו) and 'Alexandria' (אלכסדריאן) all indicate a Greek-speaking milieu. Archondou expresses her sympathy for her son's eye disease, "from the day I heard that my eye has flowed and I have wept day and night without case" (r9–12). She too has an eye disease: "My eyes hurt very badly and I give three zuz every week to the doctor, and I cannot move from this place. If God is good to you, do me a favour and come quickly to fetch me out of here so that I do not die" (v10–14). Information from de Lange's edition. ASE.

There are 32 folios sharing this shelfmark. See individual PGPIDs for more information. Most of it consists of a notebook, probably belonging to a Byzantine merchant, filled with records of various transactions. The language is primarily Hebrew but the months are Julian (אפריל ,דסמבר etc.). Many business partners are named, at least some of whom have Greek names (e.g. Manolis on folio 5). There is a calendar for the year 1430/31 CE (folio 26), written in an interesting ink that has faded to pale silver; the page now looks blank at a glance, but much of the text is legible. There are accounts (folios 1 and 15) with a Hebrew grammatical structure (X של Y) but in which nearly all of the nouns are in a different language, presumably Greek in Hebrew characters, but needs examination by an expert. There are several letters, including folios 2, 9, 11, 16, 17, 21, and 23. The letter on folio 11 is a join with DK 371. The letters on folios 16 and 23 are both addressed to an Avraham b. Yosef ha-Levi. The former at least is signed by a Shabbetay who also gives the name of his city (קרישטו = Karystos, probably). Shabbetay says that he does not spend much time in אגריפון (Negroponte/Chalcis, the capital of Euboea). Another letter (folio 17) mentions "קדיאה," probably =קנדיאה, which would be Crete. Underneath the letter on folio 2 are two lines of Greek in Greek characters.This page, incidentally, is a palimpsest, with a Hebrew-looking subtext. Folio 29 may contain very faded Greek text (in Greek characters) as well. Additionally, there are leaves from the Talmud apparently in a 14th-century Byzantine hand (e.g. folios 6 and 32) and leaves from a book of seliḥot (e.g. folio 31). Information partly from FGP. Merits deeper examination. ASE

Recto: Letter fragment in Hebrew script. Underneath are two lines of Greek script. Needs examination. Verso: Hebrew script. Very faded. Mentions R. Yosef. See folio 26 for the probable dating.

Document in Greek script. Very faded. Needs examination. See folio 26 for the probable dating.

Letter from Shemarya to his brother Yaʿaqov. Written in non-fluent Hebrew (e.g. uses אהיה as a copulative when there is no need; and more). The writer excuses not having written before, because he had suffered a five month illness of נפלות (perhaps to be read נפילות and understood as epilepsy). But God sent him health. He is worried about his brother because he hasn't heard from him in a year and a half. The brother had sent with the wife of Yona a גלילי כיפוכניכו garment (? perhaps this is Greek, and Shemarya is Byzantine. It is vocalized in the document). Shemarya heard that the 3 dinars he had sent his brother never arrived. He mentions R. Mikha'el. Needs further examination.

Literary text, probably. Bifolium filled with Greek script, presumably either Greek or Coptic. Needs examination.

Palimpsest. Hebrew Midrash with Greek undertext.

Palimpsest. Undertext: Unidentified text in Greek. Identification may be possible even without multispectral imaging. Some phrases may include: εν τω ιερω (in the Temple) and (β?)ασανω(ν?) (sufferings?) (suggestions kindly provided by Sergey Kim). Overtext: Three letters in Hebrew. Sent from Crete to Egypt. Dating: Perhaps 15th century. Edited by Avraham David.

Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, in Greek language but in medieval Latin Beneventan script. Published by H. Omont in 1921: https://www.persee.fr/doc/bec_0373-6237_1921_num_82_1_460704.

Letter to Mar Shabbetai Ravilon from his brother, Mar Yaqub, dealing with the trade of hides, including a shipment to Crete and business concerning Moshe the Dyer and Mar Haggai. Written in Hebrew, the letter contains many Greek words, including expressions and technical terms of the trade. (Nicholas de Lange, Greek Jewish Texts from the Cairo Genizah, 1996, 7-21) EMS

Christian liturgical fragment in Greek.

Query from Nadiv b. Yiṣḥaq, “the son of the brother of Umm Nadiv,” asking whether a woman who was deserted by her husband with whom she had lived for ten years, but had not received a bill of repudiation from him, may marry another man. (S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society,1:591; 3:264, 485.) EMS. The remainder of the fragment is also filled with text. Apart from difficult Arabic text on verso, there is what Goitein calls an Arabic/medieval Greek/Romanesque (laʿaz) glossary, partially in Arabic script on recto and partially in Hebrew script on verso. There is some overlap between the Arabic script glossary and the Hebrew script glossary. Examples: khubz --> אבסומי (= Ψωμί), mawlāy --> senyor. Merits further examination

Bilingual hymn in Greek and (Bohairic?) Coptic, modified to serve as healing text (recto). On verso there are a few lines of illegible (Coptic?) text. Some phrases: λύχνος της αληθείας; ⲕⲉ ⲇⲏⲕⲉⲟⲥ (for καὶ δίκαιος); ⲓⲉⲣⲁⲣⲭⲁ (= ἱεράρχης); μεγηστοσ θ[εο]υ κε [λοτε??] [λυχηος??] της αληθηασ κε δηκειοσ ωσ ηωβ ιεραρχα (=Greatest one of God and [..?] the truth and righteous, like Job the hierarch); ⲑⲉⲣⲁⲡⲉⲩⲥⲏⲥ ⲡⲁⲥⲁⲛ Θεραπευσης p-a-san (= "May you heal my brother”). Information from Matthew Boutilier, Peter Toth, Doug Henning, and https://www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/manuscript/kyp-m736/.

Christian liturgical fragment in Greek.