Method in unit delimitation
Since 1999, the Pericope Group of scholars, interested in the way texts were subdivided in antiquity, has met regularly to discuss new findings and projects (see www.pericope.net). The papers from these regular discussions are published in the Pericope series. In this volume selected papers from the meetings in Goningen (2004), Edinburgh (2006) and Vienna (2007) have been combined into a thematic volume, dealing with the method of unit delimitation. De Moor and Korpel describe a hitherto unnoticed Tibero-Palestinian manuscript from Paris, showing that in many cases its paragraphing deviates from the Leningrad Codex, but is often supported by other Masoretic and Pre-Masoretic witnesses. Kristin de Troyer investigates the text divisions in the Leviticus and Joshua Codices from the Schoyen collection and concludes that these ancient texts do not contain any text division. Stanley Porter studies a fifth-century lectionary, showing that at that time the lectionary units had not yet been firmly established, even if they were in use in various forms in early churches. Other topics discussed are the graphic devices used by the editors of ancient and medieval manuscripts (Silviu Tatu), and the chapter divisions of Stephan Langton on which the chapter divisions in modern Bibles are based (Joop van Banning). Wilfred Watson offers a succinct appraisal of work hitherto done on unit delimitation in the Old Testament. The volume closes with a proposal for a new polyglot Bible, containing data with regard to unit delimitation from four traditions: Hebrew, Greek, Syriac and Latin. The proposal was presented by Raymond de Hoop at the Vienna meeting in the summer of 2007. Readers are invited to react to this proposal in order to establish its viability.
