Geniza Book Lists as Indirect Sources of Medieval Jewish Book History in the Near East

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Title	Geniza Book Lists as Indirect Sources of Medieval Jewish Book History in the Near East
Contributor	Ronny Vollandt(author)
DOI	https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0464.06
Landing page	https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0464/chapters/10.11647/obp.0464.06
License	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Copyright	Ronny Vollandt;
Publisher	Open Book Publishers
Published on	2025-03-07
Long abstract	The article explores book lists from the Cairo Geniza as indirect evidence of medieval Jewish book history in the Near East, focusing on their content, format, and cultural significance. These lists provide insights into private and public libraries, book trade, and the broader intellectual environment, including details about the physical characteristics of books, such as codices, scrolls, and rotuli. They also reveal the diversity of manuscripts, ranging from biblical texts to scientific and philosophical works, including medical treatises and translations of Greek classics. The lists highlight the interaction between Jewish, Islamic, and Christian traditions, documenting books in Hebrew, Arabic, and bilingual formats. The study sheds light on the role of scribes, booksellers, and scholars in preserving and disseminating knowledge, while also detailing the physical features, dimensions, and formats of manuscripts that reflect the book economy of the time.
Page range	pp. 177–216
Print length	40 pages
Language	English (Original)

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PDF	https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0464/chapters/10.11647/obp.0464.06	Landing page	https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0464.06.pdf	Full text URL

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Contributors

Ronny Vollandt

(author)

Professor of Judaic Studies at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3701-9429

https://lmu-munich.academia.edu/RonnyVollandt

Ronny Vollandt (PhD, University of Cambridge) is Professor of Judaic Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich. His teaching focuses on rabbinic Judaism and on the intellectual history of Jews in the Islamicate world. He researches Arabic versions of the Bible, Judaeo-Arabic literature, and Jewish cultural heritage, and, above all manuscripts, in the Near East.

The article explores book lists from the Cairo Geniza as indirect evidence of medieval Jewish book history in the Near East, focusing on their content, format, and cultural significance. These lists provide insights into private and public libraries, book trade, and the broader intellectual environment, including details about the physical characteristics of books, such as codices, scrolls, and rotuli. They also reveal the diversity of manuscripts, ranging from biblical texts to scientific and philosophical works, including medical treatises and translations of Greek classics. The lists highlight the interaction between Jewish, Islamic, and Christian traditions, documenting books in Hebrew, Arabic, and bilingual formats. The study sheds light on the role of scribes, booksellers, and scholars in preserving and disseminating knowledge, while also detailing the physical features, dimensions, and formats of manuscripts that reflect the book economy of the time.