The Leningrad Codex is one of the most important manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible available for scholars today. After the partial destruction of the Aleppo Codex in 1947, the Leningrad Codex became the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible still in existence.
The Leningrad Codex has served an important place in modern critical editions of the Bible. It was the primary manuscript for the production of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS). It is also being used in the current production of Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ).
History of the Leningrad Codex
According to its colophon, the Leningrad Codex was completed in Egypt at the beginning of the 11th century. However, unlike the Aleppo Codex, little is known of its undoubtedly rich history.
During the 19th century, the Leningrad Codex came into the hands of the Russian Government. Because it was housed in a museum in Leningrad, it came to be known as the Leningrad codex. Even after the city of Leningrad became known once again as St. Petersberg, the codex has remained known as the Leningrad Codex.
Features of the Leningrad Codex
The Leningrad Codex was created according to the Masoretic tradition. It includes Tiberian vocalization and cantillation marks. It also includes the Masora, Masoretic notations on the biblical text.
The Leningrad Codex is a very reliable manuscript. However, almost every text of its size has the occasional error. Many of these errors can be detected within the Leningrad codex because the text contradicts its own Masoretic notations.
Although the Leningrad Codex is a very reliable manuscript, it is often not considered as accurate or authoritative as the Aleppo Codex. Nevertheless, especially after the partial destruction of the Aleppo Codex, the Leningrad Codex remains an invaluable resource for scholars wanting to study the history of the text of the Hebrew Bible.
The Leningrad Codex in Modern Scholarship
The Leningrad Codex has been used in the creation of the last 3 critical editions of the Bible:
- The codex was first used in 1937 in the third edition of Biblia Hebraica (BHK).
- The codex was used in the creation of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), the complete standard critical edition of the bible available today.
- The codex is currently being used in the creation of Biblia Hebraica Quinta (BHQ). Some biblical books of BHQ have already been published. Others are still in progress.
Although BHQ is meant to replace BHS, in fact both versions are still very important as they are slightly different from one another. BHS is an eclectic edition of the Leningrad Codex, whereas BHQ is a diplomatic edition. Being an eclectic edition, BHS will “correct” the text of Leningrad Codex when it thinks there is an obvious error. It will use alternative readings, whether from other manuscripts or probable texts reconstructed from ancient translations.
BHQ is a diplomatic edition of the Leningrad Codex. It presents the text of the Leningrad Codex in its original form, even if that text is obviously incorrect. Alternative readings will be noted below the text itself. In reality, some of these alternative readings are likely more “correct” than the text of the Leningrad Codex itself.
Final Thoughts
As the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible still in existence, the Leningrad Codex is an invaluable resource for modern biblical scholarship.