Geniza Lab

Two folios of this 12-folio manuscript of the Book of the Calendar Controversy, about the disagreement between Jewish leaders of Palestine and Babylonia on how to calculate the calendar year in 921/2. This led the Jews of the entire Near East to celebrate Passover and the other festivals, through two years, on different dates. The controversy was major, but it became forgotten until its late 19th-century rediscovery in the Cairo Genizah. The two folios found are T-S NS 194.92, the second, and T-S 8K4, the fifth. Stern supposes that the manuscript is twelve parts and that extant here are the second and fifth parts because of comparison to parallel manuscripts.

Hebrew poetry

Hebrew literary text, with a few words in Arabic script

Poetry in Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew in the hand of Nāṣir al-Adīb al-ʿIbrī. One of the poems appears to be macaronic (uses both languages).

Four lines in Arabic script, crossed out. Likely poetry (...al-ḥāl... al-wiṣāl). Reused for Hebrew literary text.

Hebrew poetry. There are a few words in Arabic script underneath, including "the heart is in pain due to your separation" and a pious expression involving tawfīq.

Text in Judaeo-Persian. See FGP for numerous joins and further information.

Literary text in Spanish.

New discovery of a copy of the Book of the Calendar Controversy. About the disagreement between Jewish leaders of Palestine and Babylonia on how to calculate the calendar year in 921/2. This led the Jews of the entire Near East to celebrate Passover and the other festivals on different dates over the course of two years. Fragmentary and partially reconstruction by other text witness of the book. See Stern for detailed overview of reconstruction.

Literary text in Judaeo-Arabic. The Shivtiel/Nissen catalog says that there is a marginal note somewhere in Arabic.

Halakhic discussion in Judaeo-Arabic.

tafsir

Halakhic discussion in Judaeo-Arabic, including laws of muktze.

Hebrew poetry.

Literary text in a mixture of Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. Ownership note: this quire (kurrās) belongs to Efrayim b. Shemuel.

Literary text in Judaeo-Arabic, but difficult to identify.

List of ten requirements for a sacrifice, written by Berakhot b. Shemuel (Date: end of 12th-begining of 13th century)

Judaeo-Arabic poetry, probably.

Hebrew literary text. There are annotations in red ink, including some Arabic script in the margins.

Hebrew literary text, apparently retelling a biblical account of a revelation. In the upper left margin there is a note in Arabic script (khāmis al-kitāb?).