Tibåt Mårqe: A New Edition with English Translation

This contribution presents a short introduction to the new edition of Tibåt Mårqe. The oldest manuscript of Tibåt Mårqe dates from the 14th century but only fragments of it are preserved. Previous editors of Tibåt Mårqe included those fragments in their editions which, by necessity, were based on a later, less reliable version of this collection of Samaritan midrashim. The recent discovery of large portions of the 14th century manuscript of Tibåt Mårqe in the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg made it possible for me to fill most of the gaps. The new edition presented here is therefore based on an improved instrument of research in the domain of Samaritan culture.

This article is a shortened version of the Introduction to a new edition and translation of Tibåt Mårqe. Its aim is to bring the main points of the new edition to the attention of a wider readership. As the following list of previous editions and translations shows, the work was first edited in 1888 and last edited in 1988: H. Baneth, Des Samaritaners Marqah an die 22 Buchstaben, den Grundstock der hebräischen Sprache anknüpfende Abhandlung (Baneth 1888); L. Emmrich, Das Siegeslied (Exodus 15)-Eine Schrifterklärung des Samaritaners Marqah (Emmrich 1897); M. Heidenheim, Des Samaritaners Marqah Buch der Wunder (Heidenheim 1898); D. Rettig, Memar Marqa, ein samaritanischer Midrasch zum Pentateuch untersucht (Rettig 1934); J. Macdonald, Memar Marqah, the Teaching of Marqah (Macdonald 1963); Z. Ben-ayyīm; ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ (Tibåt Mårqe), a Collection of Samaritan Midrashim (Ben-Ḥayyīm 1988, Hebrew). I am happy to say that thirty-one years after Ben-ayyīm's outstanding edition, it was possible for me to complete the work he envisioned and present an edition of Tibåt Mårqe that is based on the oldest known manuscript.
Tibåt Mårqe 1 is a collection of midrashic compositions, considered the most important literary piece of the Samaritans. In the main, Tibåt Mårqe rewrites the Pentateuch, expanding the presentation 1 Also known as Memar Marqah since Rettig's publication (Rettig 1934). The name "Tibåt Mårqe" ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ was adopted by Ben-ayyīm, following the notes of the copyists of both MSS S and K (see below) ‫חראה‬ ‫דן‬ ‫מרקה‬ ‫בתיבת‬ ‫כתוב‬ ‫קמי‬ ‫דשקחת‬ "this is the end of what I found before me written in the ark of Mårqe" ‫ﻣﺮﻗﻪ(‬ ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ in the Arabic column). ‫תיבה‬ is polysemic. Apart from its meaning "ark" (Gen. 6:14, Exod. 2:3; Mishna Nedarim 5:5, etc.) it also means "(written) word" in Rabbinic Hebrew (Yerushalmi Talmud, Pesahim 31b). Benayyīm assumed a semantic shift from "word" to "treatise" similar to ‫מא‬ ‫מר‬ originally "word" (Esther 1:15, Ben-Sira 3:8), which became "treatise" in medieval Hebrew (Ben Yehuda, 2762), in parallel with ‫ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ‬ (Ben-Ḥayyīm 1983, p. 121). Later, in the introduction to TM he opted for the position that the ‫תיבה‬ in question refers to a case in which several compositions were deposited and later copied into one manuscript by an ancient scribe (TM,p. 15). Indeed, the 16th century Ismāʾ īl ar-Rumay˙i used in his Arabic Molad Moshe the term ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ originally "boat", when he referred to Mårqe's work (Miller 1949, pp. 110-11). Recently, Florentin called attention to the Arabic term ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ which designates books, anthologies, etc., as shown by E. Rödiger in ZDMG 16 (1862), 216-17, 229 (Florentin 1995, pp. 209-12). Cf. (Dozy 1927, p. 660). I translated the title of the present book as "The Ark of Mårqe", having in mind both meanings of ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ/תיבה‬ This article is a shortened version of the Introduction to a new edition and translation of Tibåt Mårqe. Its aim is to bring the main points of the new edition to the attention of a wider readership. As the following list of previous editions and translations shows, the work was first edited in 1888 and last edited in 1988: H. Baneth, Des Samaritaners Marqah an die 22 Buchstaben, den Grundstock der hebräischen Sprache anknüpfende Abhandlung (Baneth 1888); L. Emmrich, Das Siegeslied (Exodus 15)-Eine Schrifterklärung des Samaritaners Marqah (Emmrich 1897); M. Heidenheim, Des Samaritaners Marqah Buch der Wunder (Heidenheim 1898); D. Rettig, Memar Marqa, ein samaritanischer Midrasch zum Pentateuch untersucht (Rettig 1934); J. Macdonald, Memar Marqah, the Teaching of Marqah (Macdonald 1963); Z. Ben-ayyīm; ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ (Tibåt Mårqe), a Collection of Samaritan Midrashim (Ben-Ḥayyīm 1988, Hebrew). I am happy to say that thirty-one years after Ben-ayyīm's outstanding edition, it was possible for me to complete the work he envisioned and present an edition of Tibåt Mårqe that is based on the oldest known manuscript.
Tibåt Mårqe 1 is a collection of midrashic compositions, considered the most important literary piece of the Samaritans. In the main, Tibåt Mårqe rewrites the Pentateuch, expanding the presentation 1 Also known as Memar Marqah since Rettig's publication (Rettig 1934). The name "Tibåt Mårqe" ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ was adopted by Ben-ayyīm, following the notes of the copyists of both MSS S and K (see below) ‫חראה‬ ‫דן‬ ‫מרקה‬ ‫בתיבת‬ ‫כתוב‬ ‫קמי‬ ‫דשקחת‬ "this is the end of what I found before me written in the ark of Mårqe" ‫ﻣﺮﻗﻪ(‬ ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ in the Arabic column). ‫תיבה‬ is polysemic. Apart from its meaning "ark" (Gen. 6:14, Exod. 2:3; Mishna Nedarim 5:5, etc.) it also means "(written) word" in Rabbinic Hebrew (Yerushalmi Talmud, Pesahim 31b). Benayyīm assumed a semantic shift from "word" to "treatise" similar to ‫מא‬ ‫מר‬ originally "word" (Esther 1:15, Ben-Sira 3:8), which became "treatise" in medieval Hebrew (Ben Yehuda, 2762), in parallel with ‫ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ‬ (Ben-Ḥayyīm 1983, p. 121). Later, in the introduction to TM he opted for the position that the ‫תיבה‬ in question refers to a case in which several compositions were deposited and later copied into one manuscript by an ancient scribe (TM,p. 15). Indeed, the 16th century Ismāʾ īl ar-Rumay˙i used in his Arabic Molad Moshe the term ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ originally "boat", when he referred to Mårqe's work (Miller 1949, pp. 110-11). Recently, Florentin called attention to the Arabic term ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ which designates books, anthologies, etc., as shown by E. Rödiger in ZDMG 16 (1862), 216-17, 229 (Florentin 1995, pp. 209-12). Cf. (Dozy 1927, p. 660). I translated the title of the present book as "The Ark of Mårqe", having in mind both meanings of ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ/תיבה‬ is polysemic. Apart from its meaning "ark" (Gen. 6:14, Exod. 2:3; Mishna Nedarim 5:5, etc.) it also means "(written) word" in Rabbinic Hebrew (Yerushalmi Talmud, Pesahim 31b). Ben-H . ayyīm assumed a semantic shift from "word" to "treatise" similar to  (Ben-Ḥayyīm 1988, to say that thirty-one years after Ben-ayyīm's outstanding edition, it was mplete the work he envisioned and present an edition of Tibåt Mårqe that is own manuscript. collection of midrashic compositions, considered the most important literary s. In the main, Tibåt Mårqe rewrites the Pentateuch, expanding the presentation ar Marqah since Rettig's publication (Rettig 1934). The name "Tibåt Mårqe" ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ -ayyīm, following the notes of the copyists of both MSS S and K (see below) ‫חראה‬ ‫דן‬ ‫דשקחת‬ "this is the end of what I found before me written in the ark of Mårqe" ‫ﻣﺮﻗﻪ(‬ ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ n). ‫תיבה‬ is polysemic. Apart from its meaning "ark" (Gen. 6:14, Exod. 2:3; Mishna so means "(written) word" in Rabbinic Hebrew (Yerushalmi Talmud, Pesahim 31b). Benemantic shift from "word" to "treatise" similar to ‫מא‬ ‫מר‬ originally "word" (Esther 1:15, became "treatise" in medieval Hebrew (Ben Yehuda, 2762), in parallel with ‫ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ‬ (Ben-). Later, in the introduction to TM he opted for the position that the ‫תיבה‬ in question hich several compositions were deposited and later copied into one manuscript by an . 15). Indeed, the 16th century Ismāʾ īl ar-Rumay˙i used in his Arabic Molad Moshe the "boat", when he referred to Mårqe's work (Miller 1949, pp. 110-11). Recently, Florentin e Arabic term ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ which designates books, anthologies, etc., as shown by E. Rödiger in -17, 229 (Florentin 1995, pp. 209-12). Cf. (Dozy 1927, p. 660). I translated the title of the e Ark of Mårqe", having in mind both meanings of ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ/תיבה‬ originally "word" (Esther 1:15, Ben-Sira 3:8), which became "treatise" in medieval Hebrew (Ben Yehuda, 2762), in parallel with (Ben-H . ayyīm 1983, p. 121 (Rettig 1934). The name "Tibåt Mårqe" ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ of the copyists of both MSS S and K (see below) ‫חראה‬ ‫דן‬ at I found before me written in the ark of Mårqe" ‫ﻣﺮﻗﻪ(‬ ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ t from its meaning "ark" (Gen. 6:14, Exod. 2:3; Mishna Rabbinic Hebrew (Yerushalmi Talmud, Pesahim 31b). Ben-"treatise" similar to ‫מא‬ ‫מר‬ originally "word" (Esther 1:15, l Hebrew (Ben Yehuda, 2762), in parallel with ‫ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ‬ (Beno TM he opted for the position that the ‫תיבה‬ in question re deposited and later copied into one manuscript by an y Ismāʾ īl ar-Rumay˙i used in his Arabic Molad Moshe the årqe's work (Miller 1949, pp. 110-11). Recently, Florentin ignates books, anthologies, etc., as shown by E. Rödiger in 209-12). Cf. (Dozy 1927, p. 660). I translated the title of the ind both meanings of ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ/תיבה‬ in question refers to a case in which several compositions were deposited and later copied into one manuscript by an ancient scribe (TM,p. 15). Indeed, the 16th century Ismā'īl ar-Rumay . i used in his Arabic Molad Moshe the term , originally "boat", when he referred to Mårqe's work (Miller 1949, pp. 110-11 (Florentin 1995, pp. 209-12). Cf. (Dozy 1927, p. 660 (Ben-Ḥayyīm 1988, happy to say that thirty-one years after Ben-ayyīm's outstanding edition, it was e to complete the work he envisioned and present an edition of Tibåt Mårqe that is ldest known manuscript. rqe 1 is a collection of midrashic compositions, considered the most important literary maritans. In the main, Tibåt Mårqe rewrites the Pentateuch, expanding the presentation as Memar Marqah since Rettig's publication (Rettig 1934). The name "Tibåt Mårqe" ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ d by Ben-ayyīm, following the notes of the copyists of both MSS S and K (see below) ‫חראה‬ ‫דן‬ ‫כתוב‬ ‫קמי‬ ‫דשקחת‬ "this is the end of what I found before me written in the ark of Mårqe" ‫ﻣﺮﻗﻪ(‬ ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ ic column). ‫תיבה‬ is polysemic. Apart from its meaning "ark" (Gen. 6:14, Exod. 2:3; Mishna , etc.) it also means "(written) word" in Rabbinic Hebrew (Yerushalmi Talmud, Pesahim 31b). Benmed a semantic shift from "word" to "treatise" similar to ‫מא‬ ‫מר‬ originally "word" (Esther 1:15, ), which became "treatise" in medieval Hebrew (Ben Yehuda, 2762), in parallel with ‫ﻣﻘﺎﻟﻪ‬ p. 121). Later, in the introduction to TM he opted for the position that the ‫תיבה‬ in question ase in which several compositions were deposited and later copied into one manuscript by an be (TM, p. 15). Indeed, the 16th century Ismāʾ īl ar-Rumay˙i used in his Arabic Molad Moshe the riginally "boat", when he referred to Mårqe's work (Miller 1949, pp. 110-11). Recently, Florentin tion to the Arabic term ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ‬ which designates books, anthologies, etc., as shown by E. Rödiger in 862), 216-17, 229 (Florentin 1995, pp. 209-12). Cf. (Dozy 1927, p. 660). I translated the title of the k as "The Ark of Mårqe", having in mind both meanings of ‫ﺳﻔﻴﻨﺔ/תיבה‬ . The work is attributed to the foremost scholar, philosopher, and poet, Mårqe, who lived in the second half of the fourth century C.E., the epoch of great cultural blossoming within the Samaritan community under the rule of the great leader Baba Rabba. Tulida, the oldest Samaritan chronicle, characterizes Mårqe by the epithet Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 8 of events and precepts, very similar to the Jewish midrash. Most of it aims to provide the reader with theological, didactic, and philosophical teachings associated with the portions of the Torah discussed. The work is attributed to the foremost scholar, philosopher, and poet, Mårqe, who lived in the second half of the fourth century C.E., the epoch of great cultural blossoming within the Samaritan community under the rule of the great leader Baba Rabba. Tulida, the oldest Samaritan chronicle, characterizes Mårqe by the epithet ‫דחכמתה‬ ‫בדואה‬ "the founder of wisdom", which reveals how respected he was among members of the community.
Tibåt Mårqe (TM) consists of six independent books (see below). The first five contain homilies on certain portions of the Pentateuch, especially on Exod. 15, Deut. 27:9-26 and Deut. 32 as well as expanded narratives of the main events related in the story of the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings in the desert, until Moses' death, just before the conquest of Canaan. The sixth book has a different content, taking as its theme a conversation between Moses and some of the letters of the Torah.
As far as authorship is concerned, there is little doubt about the assertion that only the first book was penned by Mårqe himself, since its language, style, and shape present obvious affinities with the liturgical pieces ascribed to him. Its language may be defined as fourth century Aramaic, the same as the language of most poems that bear Mårqe's name in the common prayer books; it is also manifest in the old recensions of the Samaritan Aramaic Targum (ST III, 104, Tal 1980-1983Stadel 2013, passim). Moreover, its language displays the characteristics of the adjacent dialects in the pre-Islamic land of Israel. However, this cannot be said about the five other books of TM, whose language and style exhibit a much later period (TM, pp. 16-24).
The first book, ‫פליהתה‬ ‫ספר‬ The Book of Wonders, is an expanded version of the story of the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It starts with God's revelation to Moses in the wilderness (Exod. 3), followed by the description of Moses' arguments with Pharaoh and of the plagues administered to Egypt, and ends with the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14). Its language is uniform and belongs, by and large, to the period when Aramaic was the Samaritan vernacular. 2 The second book, ‫עדן‬ ‫מעין‬ ‫תהומי‬ ‫על‬ By the Depths of the Spring of Eden, has as its main topic the "The Song of the Sea" (Exod. 15). The book starts with the creation of animals destined to serve humans. God created humans in His spiritual image and implanted in their body His wisdom in order to enable them to receive the Torah. For this purpose, Moses was sent to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt ( § § 1-3). Several portions of Book II are written in Aramaic, in similarity with Book I, others in the late Hebraized Aramaic (i.e., in the hybrid language which developed from the eleventh century onwards). 3 Portions written in Neo Samaritan Hebrew (NSH) penetrate the text. The subjects treated are very varied. Although the main topic is "The Song of the Sea", a multitude of inserted portions and their diversity have considerably altered the original form. Arguably, the ancient parts of this book originally formed a single unit with the first book. Later additions caused their separation into two distinct books (Kippenberg 1971, pp. 5, 216-17).
The third book, ‫הלוים‬ ‫והכהנים‬ ‫משה‬ ‫וידבר‬ Moses and the Levitical Priests Spoke, is a midrash on the pericope of the "curses" (Deut 27: 9-27) (i.e., verses start with ‫ארור‬ 'cursed be'). It contains teachings drawn from the imprecations said by the Levites against the transgressions enumerated in that pericope. Its language is mostly the late Hebraized Aramaic, into which segments composed in NSH quite often pervade. This is true for the rest of TM as well.
The fourth book, ‫רבתה‬ ‫שירתה‬ ‫על‬ ‫מימרה‬ The Treatise about The Great Song, consists of a collection of homilies on Deut 32, which is considered by the Samaritans as a compendium of the whole Torah. 4 2 Nine paragraphs, namely 9-17, intercalated in Book II of many manuscripts of the type S, actually belong structurally to Book I. Since they are absent from MS K, they are reproduced in the present edition as its appendix. 3 Coined ‫שומרונית‬ ("Samaritan") in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1939, p. 333), and further, in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1969, p. 29), it is characterized as an amalgam of Hebrew and Aramaic derived from literary texts, deeply influenced by Arabic. "Samaritan" served exclusively as the community's written means of expression, mainly in liturgy and other literary pieces (see below). 4 MS K is deficient in the fourth book; 45 of the 110 paragraphs existing in MS S are missing beyond recovery.
, "the founder of wisdom", which reveals how respected he was among members of the community.
Tibåt Mårqe (TM) consists of six independent books (see below). The first five contain homilies on certain portions of the Pentateuch, especially on Exod. 15, Deut. 27:9-26 and Deut. 32 as well as expanded narratives of the main events related in the story of the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings in the desert, until Moses' death, just before the conquest of Canaan. The sixth book has a different content, taking as its theme a conversation between Moses and some of the letters of the Torah.
As far as authorship is concerned, there is little doubt about the assertion that only the first book was penned by Mårqe himself, since its language, style, and shape present obvious affinities with the liturgical pieces ascribed to him. Its language may be defined as fourth century Aramaic, the same as the language of most poems that bear Mårqe's name in the common prayer books; it is also manifest in the old recensions of the Samaritan Aramaic Targum (ST III, 104, Tal 1980-1983Stadel 2013, passim). Moreover, its language displays the characteristics of the adjacent dialects in the pre-Islamic land of Israel. However, this cannot be said about the five other books of TM, whose language and style exhibit a much later period (TM, pp. 16-24).

The first book,
Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 8 of events and precepts, very similar to the Jewish midrash. Most of it aims to provide the reader with theological, didactic, and philosophical teachings associated with the portions of the Torah discussed. The work is attributed to the foremost scholar, philosopher, and poet, Mårqe, who lived in the second half of the fourth century C.E., the epoch of great cultural blossoming within the Samaritan community under the rule of the great leader Baba Rabba. Tulida, the oldest Samaritan chronicle, characterizes Mårqe by the epithet ‫דחכמתה‬ ‫בדואה‬ "the founder of wisdom", which reveals how respected he was among members of the community.
Tibåt Mårqe (TM) consists of six independent books (see below). The first five contain homilies on certain portions of the Pentateuch, especially on Exod. 15, Deut. 27:9-26 and Deut. 32 as well as expanded narratives of the main events related in the story of the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings in the desert, until Moses' death, just before the conquest of Canaan. The sixth book has a different content, taking as its theme a conversation between Moses and some of the letters of the Torah.
As far as authorship is concerned, there is little doubt about the assertion that only the first book was penned by Mårqe himself, since its language, style, and shape present obvious affinities with the liturgical pieces ascribed to him. Its language may be defined as fourth century Aramaic, the same as the language of most poems that bear Mårqe's name in the common prayer books; it is also manifest in the old recensions of the Samaritan Aramaic Targum (ST III, 104, Tal 1980-1983Stadel 2013, passim). Moreover, its language displays the characteristics of the adjacent dialects in the pre-Islamic land of Israel. However, this cannot be said about the five other books of TM, whose language and style exhibit a much later period (TM, pp. 16-24).
The first book, ‫פליהתה‬ ‫ספר‬ The Book of Wonders, is an expanded version of the story of the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It starts with God's revelation to Moses in the wilderness (Exod. 3), followed by the description of Moses' arguments with Pharaoh and of the plagues administered to Egypt, and ends with the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14). Its language is uniform and belongs, by and large, to the period when Aramaic was the Samaritan vernacular. 2 The second book, ‫עדן‬ ‫מעין‬ ‫תהומי‬ ‫על‬ By the Depths of the Spring of Eden, has as its main topic the "The Song of the Sea" (Exod. 15). The book starts with the creation of animals destined to serve humans. God created humans in His spiritual image and implanted in their body His wisdom in order to enable them to receive the Torah. For this purpose, Moses was sent to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt ( § § 1-3). Several portions of Book II are written in Aramaic, in similarity with Book I, others in the late Hebraized Aramaic (i.e., in the hybrid language which developed from the eleventh century onwards). 3 Portions written in Neo Samaritan Hebrew (NSH) penetrate the text. The subjects treated are very varied. Although the main topic is "The Song of the Sea", a multitude of inserted portions and their diversity have considerably altered the original form. Arguably, the ancient parts of this book originally formed a single unit with the first book. Later additions caused their separation into two distinct books (Kippenberg 1971, pp. 5, 216-17).
The third book, ‫הלוים‬ ‫והכהנים‬ ‫משה‬ ‫וידבר‬ Moses and the Levitical Priests Spoke, is a midrash on the pericope of the "curses" (Deut 27: 9-27) (i.e., verses start with ‫ארור‬ 'cursed be'). It contains teachings drawn from the imprecations said by the Levites against the transgressions enumerated in that pericope. Its language is mostly the late Hebraized Aramaic, into which segments composed in NSH quite often pervade. This is true for the rest of TM as well.
The fourth book, ‫רבתה‬ ‫שירתה‬ ‫על‬ ‫מימרה‬ The Treatise about The Great Song, consists of a collection of homilies on Deut 32, which is considered by the Samaritans as a compendium of the whole Torah. 4 2 Nine paragraphs, namely 9-17, intercalated in Book II of many manuscripts of the type S, actually belong structurally to Book I. Since they are absent from MS K, they are reproduced in the present edition as its appendix. 3 Coined ‫שומרונית‬ ("Samaritan") in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1939, p. 333), and further, in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1969, p. 29), it is characterized as an amalgam of Hebrew and Aramaic derived from literary texts, deeply influenced by Arabic. "Samaritan" served exclusively as the community's written means of expression, mainly in liturgy and other literary pieces (see below). 4 MS K is deficient in the fourth book; 45 of the 110 paragraphs existing in MS S are missing beyond recovery.
, The Book of Wonders, is an expanded version of the story of the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It starts with God's revelation to Moses in the wilderness (Exod. 3), followed by the description of Moses' arguments with Pharaoh and of the plagues administered to Egypt, and ends with the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14). Its language is uniform and belongs, by and large, to the period when Aramaic was the Samaritan vernacular. 2 The second book, Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 8 of events and precepts, very similar to the Jewish midrash. Most of it aims to provide the reader with theological, didactic, and philosophical teachings associated with the portions of the Torah discussed. The work is attributed to the foremost scholar, philosopher, and poet, Mårqe, who lived in the second half of the fourth century C.E., the epoch of great cultural blossoming within the Samaritan community under the rule of the great leader Baba Rabba. Tulida, the oldest Samaritan chronicle, characterizes Mårqe by the epithet ‫דחכמתה‬ ‫בדואה‬ "the founder of wisdom", which reveals how respected he was among members of the community.
Tibåt Mårqe (TM) consists of six independent books (see below). The first five contain homilies on certain portions of the Pentateuch, especially on Exod. 15, Deut. 27:9-26 and Deut. 32 as well as expanded narratives of the main events related in the story of the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings in the desert, until Moses' death, just before the conquest of Canaan. The sixth book has a different content, taking as its theme a conversation between Moses and some of the letters of the Torah.
As far as authorship is concerned, there is little doubt about the assertion that only the first book was penned by Mårqe himself, since its language, style, and shape present obvious affinities with the liturgical pieces ascribed to him. Its language may be defined as fourth century Aramaic, the same as the language of most poems that bear Mårqe's name in the common prayer books; it is also manifest in the old recensions of the Samaritan Aramaic Targum (ST III, 104, Tal 1980-1983Stadel 2013, passim). Moreover, its language displays the characteristics of the adjacent dialects in the pre-Islamic land of Israel. However, this cannot be said about the five other books of TM, whose language and style exhibit a much later period (TM, pp. 16-24).
The first book, ‫פליהתה‬ ‫ספר‬ The Book of Wonders, is an expanded version of the story of the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It starts with God's revelation to Moses in the wilderness (Exod. 3), followed by the description of Moses' arguments with Pharaoh and of the plagues administered to Egypt, and ends with the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14). Its language is uniform and belongs, by and large, to the period when Aramaic was the Samaritan vernacular. 2 The second book, ‫עדן‬ ‫מעין‬ ‫תהומי‬ ‫על‬ By the Depths of the Spring of Eden, has as its main topic the "The Song of the Sea" (Exod. 15). The book starts with the creation of animals destined to serve humans. God created humans in His spiritual image and implanted in their body His wisdom in order to enable them to receive the Torah. For this purpose, Moses was sent to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt ( § § 1-3). Several portions of Book II are written in Aramaic, in similarity with Book I, others in the late Hebraized Aramaic (i.e., in the hybrid language which developed from the eleventh century onwards). 3 Portions written in Neo Samaritan Hebrew (NSH) penetrate the text. The subjects treated are very varied. Although the main topic is "The Song of the Sea", a multitude of inserted portions and their diversity have considerably altered the original form. Arguably, the ancient parts of this book originally formed a single unit with the first book. Later additions caused their separation into two distinct books (Kippenberg 1971, pp. 5, 216-17).
The third book, ‫הלוים‬ ‫והכהנים‬ ‫משה‬ ‫וידבר‬ Moses and the Levitical Priests Spoke, is a midrash on the pericope of the "curses" (Deut 27: 9-27) (i.e., verses start with ‫ארור‬ 'cursed be'). It contains teachings drawn from the imprecations said by the Levites against the transgressions enumerated in that pericope. Its language is mostly the late Hebraized Aramaic, into which segments composed in NSH quite often pervade. This is true for the rest of TM as well.
The fourth book, ‫רבתה‬ ‫שירתה‬ ‫על‬ ‫מימרה‬ The Treatise about The Great Song, consists of a collection of homilies on Deut 32, which is considered by the Samaritans as a compendium of the whole Torah. 4 2 Nine paragraphs, namely 9-17, intercalated in Book II of many manuscripts of the type S, actually belong structurally to Book I. Since they are absent from MS K, they are reproduced in the present edition as its appendix. 3 Coined ‫שומרונית‬ ("Samaritan") in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1939, p. 333), and further, in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1969, p. 29), it is characterized as an amalgam of Hebrew and Aramaic derived from literary texts, deeply influenced by Arabic. "Samaritan" served exclusively as the community's written means of expression, mainly in liturgy and other literary pieces (see below). 4 MS K is deficient in the fourth book; 45 of the 110 paragraphs existing in MS S are missing beyond recovery.
, By the Depths of the Spring of Eden, has as its main topic the "The Song of the Sea" (Exod. 15). The book starts with the creation of animals destined to serve humans. God created humans in His spiritual image and implanted in their body His wisdom in order to enable them to receive the Torah. For this purpose, Moses was sent to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt ( § § 1-3). Several portions of Book II are written in Aramaic, in similarity with Book I, others in the late Hebraized Aramaic (i.e., in the hybrid language which developed from the eleventh century onwards). 3 Portions written in Neo Samaritan Hebrew (NSH) penetrate the text. The subjects treated are very varied. Although the main topic is "The Song of the Sea", a multitude of inserted portions and their diversity have considerably altered the original form. Arguably, the ancient parts of this book originally formed a single unit with the first book. Later additions caused their separation into two distinct books (Kippenberg 1971, pp. 5, 216-17).

The third book,
Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 8 of events and precepts, very similar to the Jewish midrash. Most of it aims to provide the reader with theological, didactic, and philosophical teachings associated with the portions of the Torah discussed. The work is attributed to the foremost scholar, philosopher, and poet, Mårqe, who lived in the second half of the fourth century C.E., the epoch of great cultural blossoming within the Samaritan community under the rule of the great leader Baba Rabba. Tulida, the oldest Samaritan chronicle, characterizes Mårqe by the epithet ‫דחכמתה‬ ‫בדואה‬ "the founder of wisdom", which reveals how respected he was among members of the community.
Tibåt Mårqe (TM) consists of six independent books (see below). The first five contain homilies on certain portions of the Pentateuch, especially on Exod. 15, Deut. 27:9-26 and Deut. 32 as well as expanded narratives of the main events related in the story of the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings in the desert, until Moses' death, just before the conquest of Canaan. The sixth book has a different content, taking as its theme a conversation between Moses and some of the letters of the Torah.
As far as authorship is concerned, there is little doubt about the assertion that only the first book was penned by Mårqe himself, since its language, style, and shape present obvious affinities with the liturgical pieces ascribed to him. Its language may be defined as fourth century Aramaic, the same as the language of most poems that bear Mårqe's name in the common prayer books; it is also manifest in the old recensions of the Samaritan Aramaic Targum (ST III, 104, Tal 1980-1983Stadel 2013, passim). Moreover, its language displays the characteristics of the adjacent dialects in the pre-Islamic land of Israel. However, this cannot be said about the five other books of TM, whose language and style exhibit a much later period (TM, pp. 16-24).
The first book, ‫פליהתה‬ ‫ספר‬ The Book of Wonders, is an expanded version of the story of the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It starts with God's revelation to Moses in the wilderness (Exod. 3), followed by the description of Moses' arguments with Pharaoh and of the plagues administered to Egypt, and ends with the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14). Its language is uniform and belongs, by and large, to the period when Aramaic was the Samaritan vernacular. 2 The second book, ‫עדן‬ ‫מעין‬ ‫תהומי‬ ‫על‬ By the Depths of the Spring of Eden, has as its main topic the "The Song of the Sea" (Exod. 15). The book starts with the creation of animals destined to serve humans. God created humans in His spiritual image and implanted in their body His wisdom in order to enable them to receive the Torah. For this purpose, Moses was sent to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt ( § § 1-3). Several portions of Book II are written in Aramaic, in similarity with Book I, others in the late Hebraized Aramaic (i.e., in the hybrid language which developed from the eleventh century onwards). 3 Portions written in Neo Samaritan Hebrew (NSH) penetrate the text. The subjects treated are very varied. Although the main topic is "The Song of the Sea", a multitude of inserted portions and their diversity have considerably altered the original form. Arguably, the ancient parts of this book originally formed a single unit with the first book. Later additions caused their separation into two distinct books (Kippenberg 1971, pp. 5, 216-17).
The third book, ‫הלוים‬ ‫והכהנים‬ ‫משה‬ ‫וידבר‬ Moses and the Levitical Priests Spoke, is a midrash on the pericope of the "curses" (Deut 27: 9-27) (i.e., verses start with ‫ארור‬ 'cursed be'). It contains teachings drawn from the imprecations said by the Levites against the transgressions enumerated in that pericope. Its language is mostly the late Hebraized Aramaic, into which segments composed in NSH quite often pervade. This is true for the rest of TM as well.
The fourth book, ‫רבתה‬ ‫שירתה‬ ‫על‬ ‫מימרה‬ The Treatise about The Great Song, consists of a collection of homilies on Deut 32, which is considered by the Samaritans as a compendium of the whole Torah. 4 2 Nine paragraphs, namely 9-17, intercalated in Book II of many manuscripts of the type S, actually belong structurally to Book I. Since they are absent from MS K, they are reproduced in the present edition as its appendix. 3 Coined ‫שומרונית‬ ("Samaritan") in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1939, p. 333), and further, in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1969, p. 29), it is characterized as an amalgam of Hebrew and Aramaic derived from literary texts, deeply influenced by Arabic. "Samaritan" served exclusively as the community's written means of expression, mainly in liturgy and other literary pieces (see below). 4 MS K is deficient in the fourth book; 45 of the 110 paragraphs existing in MS S are missing beyond recovery.
, Moses and the Levitical Priests Spoke, is a midrash on the pericope of the "curses" (Deut 27:9-27) (i.e., verses start with Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 8 of events and precepts, very similar to the Jewish midrash. Most of it aims to provide the reader with theological, didactic, and philosophical teachings associated with the portions of the Torah discussed. The work is attributed to the foremost scholar, philosopher, and poet, Mårqe, who lived in the second half of the fourth century C.E., the epoch of great cultural blossoming within the Samaritan community under the rule of the great leader Baba Rabba. Tulida, the oldest Samaritan chronicle, characterizes Mårqe by the epithet ‫דחכמתה‬ ‫בדואה‬ "the founder of wisdom", which reveals how respected he was among members of the community. Tibåt Mårqe (TM) consists of six independent books (see below). The first five contain homilies on certain portions of the Pentateuch, especially on Exod. 15, Deut. 27:9-26 and Deut. 32 as well as expanded narratives of the main events related in the story of the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings in the desert, until Moses' death, just before the conquest of Canaan. The sixth book has a different content, taking as its theme a conversation between Moses and some of the letters of the Torah.
As far as authorship is concerned, there is little doubt about the assertion that only the first book was penned by Mårqe himself, since its language, style, and shape present obvious affinities with the liturgical pieces ascribed to him. Its language may be defined as fourth century Aramaic, the same as the language of most poems that bear Mårqe's name in the common prayer books; it is also manifest in the old recensions of the Samaritan Aramaic Targum (ST III, 104, Tal 1980-1983Stadel 2013, passim). Moreover, its language displays the characteristics of the adjacent dialects in the pre-Islamic land of Israel. However, this cannot be said about the five other books of TM, whose language and style exhibit a much later period (TM, pp. 16-24).
The first book, ‫פליהתה‬ ‫ספר‬ The Book of Wonders, is an expanded version of the story of the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It starts with God's revelation to Moses in the wilderness (Exod. 3), followed by the description of Moses' arguments with Pharaoh and of the plagues administered to Egypt, and ends with the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14). Its language is uniform and belongs, by and large, to the period when Aramaic was the Samaritan vernacular. 2 The second book, ‫עדן‬ ‫מעין‬ ‫תהומי‬ ‫על‬ By the Depths of the Spring of Eden, has as its main topic the "The Song of the Sea" (Exod. 15). The book starts with the creation of animals destined to serve humans. God created humans in His spiritual image and implanted in their body His wisdom in order to enable them to receive the Torah. For this purpose, Moses was sent to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt ( § § 1-3). Several portions of Book II are written in Aramaic, in similarity with Book I, others in the late Hebraized Aramaic (i.e., in the hybrid language which developed from the eleventh century onwards). 3 Portions written in Neo Samaritan Hebrew (NSH) penetrate the text. The subjects treated are very varied. Although the main topic is "The Song of the Sea", a multitude of inserted portions and their diversity have considerably altered the original form. Arguably, the ancient parts of this book originally formed a single unit with the first book. Later additions caused their separation into two distinct books (Kippenberg 1971, pp. 5, 216-17).
The third book, ‫הלוים‬ ‫והכהנים‬ ‫משה‬ ‫וידבר‬ Moses and the Levitical Priests Spoke, is a midrash on the pericope of the "curses" (Deut 27: 9-27) (i.e., verses start with ‫ארור‬ 'cursed be'). It contains teachings drawn from the imprecations said by the Levites against the transgressions enumerated in that pericope. Its language is mostly the late Hebraized Aramaic, into which segments composed in NSH quite often pervade. This is true for the rest of TM as well.
The fourth book, ‫רבתה‬ ‫שירתה‬ ‫על‬ ‫מימרה‬ The Treatise about The Great Song, consists of a collection of homilies on Deut 32, which is considered by the Samaritans as a compendium of the whole Torah. 4 2 Nine paragraphs, namely 9-17, intercalated in Book II of many manuscripts of the type S, actually belong structurally to Book I. Since they are absent from MS K, they are reproduced in the present edition as its appendix. 3 Coined ‫שומרונית‬ ("Samaritan") in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1939, p. 333), and further, in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1969, p. 29), it is characterized as an amalgam of Hebrew and Aramaic derived from literary texts, deeply influenced by Arabic. "Samaritan" served exclusively as the community's written means of expression, mainly in liturgy and other literary pieces (see below). 4 MS K is deficient in the fourth book; 45 of the 110 paragraphs existing in MS S are missing beyond recovery.
, 'cursed be'). It contains teachings drawn from the imprecations said by the Levites against the transgressions enumerated in that pericope. Its language is mostly the late Hebraized Aramaic, into which segments composed in NSH quite often pervade. This is true for the rest of TM as well.
The fourth book, Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 8 of events and precepts, very similar to the Jewish midrash. Most of it aims to provide the reader with theological, didactic, and philosophical teachings associated with the portions of the Torah discussed. The work is attributed to the foremost scholar, philosopher, and poet, Mårqe, who lived in the second half of the fourth century C.E., the epoch of great cultural blossoming within the Samaritan community under the rule of the great leader Baba Rabba. Tulida, the oldest Samaritan chronicle, characterizes Mårqe by the epithet ‫דחכמתה‬ ‫בדואה‬ "the founder of wisdom", which reveals how respected he was among members of the community.
Tibåt Mårqe (TM) consists of six independent books (see below). The first five contain homilies on certain portions of the Pentateuch, especially on Exod. 15, Deut. 27:9-26 and Deut. 32 as well as expanded narratives of the main events related in the story of the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings in the desert, until Moses' death, just before the conquest of Canaan. The sixth book has a different content, taking as its theme a conversation between Moses and some of the letters of the Torah.
As far as authorship is concerned, there is little doubt about the assertion that only the first book was penned by Mårqe himself, since its language, style, and shape present obvious affinities with the liturgical pieces ascribed to him. Its language may be defined as fourth century Aramaic, the same as the language of most poems that bear Mårqe's name in the common prayer books; it is also manifest in the old recensions of the Samaritan Aramaic Targum (ST III, 104, Tal 1980Tal -1983Stadel 2013, passim). Moreover, its language displays the characteristics of the adjacent dialects in the pre-Islamic land of Israel. However, this cannot be said about the five other books of TM, whose language and style exhibit a much later period (TM, pp. 16-24).
The first book, ‫פליהתה‬ ‫ספר‬ The Book of Wonders, is an expanded version of the story of the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It starts with God's revelation to Moses in the wilderness (Exod. 3), followed by the description of Moses' arguments with Pharaoh and of the plagues administered to Egypt, and ends with the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14). Its language is uniform and belongs, by and large, to the period when Aramaic was the Samaritan vernacular. 2 The second book, ‫עדן‬ ‫מעין‬ ‫תהומי‬ ‫על‬ By the Depths of the Spring of Eden, has as its main topic the "The Song of the Sea" (Exod. 15). The book starts with the creation of animals destined to serve humans. God created humans in His spiritual image and implanted in their body His wisdom in order to enable them to receive the Torah. For this purpose, Moses was sent to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt ( § § 1-3). Several portions of Book II are written in Aramaic, in similarity with Book I, others in the late Hebraized Aramaic (i.e., in the hybrid language which developed from the eleventh century onwards). 3 Portions written in Neo Samaritan Hebrew (NSH) penetrate the text. The subjects treated are very varied. Although the main topic is "The Song of the Sea", a multitude of inserted portions and their diversity have considerably altered the original form. Arguably, the ancient parts of this book originally formed a single unit with the first book. Later additions caused their separation into two distinct books (Kippenberg 1971, pp. 5, 216-17).
The third book, ‫הלוים‬ ‫והכהנים‬ ‫משה‬ ‫וידבר‬ Moses and the Levitical Priests Spoke, is a midrash on the pericope of the "curses" (Deut 27: 9-27) (i.e., verses start with ‫ארור‬ 'cursed be'). It contains teachings drawn from the imprecations said by the Levites against the transgressions enumerated in that pericope. Its language is mostly the late Hebraized Aramaic, into which segments composed in NSH quite often pervade. This is true for the rest of TM as well.
The fourth book, ‫רבתה‬ ‫שירתה‬ ‫על‬ ‫מימרה‬ The Treatise about The Great Song, consists of a collection of homilies on Deut 32, which is considered by the Samaritans as a compendium of the whole Torah. 4 2 Nine paragraphs, namely 9-17, intercalated in Book II of many manuscripts of the type S, actually belong structurally to Book I. Since they are absent from MS K, they are reproduced in the present edition as its appendix. 3 Coined ‫שומרונית‬ ("Samaritan") in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1939, p. 333), and further, in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1969, p. 29), it is characterized as an amalgam of Hebrew and Aramaic derived from literary texts, deeply influenced by Arabic. "Samaritan" served exclusively as the community's written means of expression, mainly in liturgy and other literary pieces (see below). 4 MS K is deficient in the fourth book; 45 of the 110 paragraphs existing in MS S are missing beyond recovery.
, The Treatise about The Great Song, consists of a collection of homilies on Deut 32, which is considered by the Samaritans as a compendium of the whole Torah. 4 2 Nine paragraphs, namely 9-17, intercalated in Book II of many manuscripts of the type S, actually belong structurally to Book I. Since they are absent from MS K, they are reproduced in the present edition as its appendix.

Coined
Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 8 of events and precepts, very similar to the Jewish midrash. Most of it aims to provide the reader with theological, didactic, and philosophical teachings associated with the portions of the Torah discussed. The work is attributed to the foremost scholar, philosopher, and poet, Mårqe, who lived in the second half of the fourth century C.E., the epoch of great cultural blossoming within the Samaritan community under the rule of the great leader Baba Rabba. Tulida, the oldest Samaritan chronicle, characterizes Mårqe by the epithet ‫דחכמתה‬ ‫בדואה‬ "the founder of wisdom", which reveals how respected he was among members of the community.
Tibåt Mårqe (TM) consists of six independent books (see below). The first five contain homilies on certain portions of the Pentateuch, especially on Exod. 15, Deut. 27:9-26 and Deut. 32 as well as expanded narratives of the main events related in the story of the Exodus and the subsequent wanderings in the desert, until Moses' death, just before the conquest of Canaan. The sixth book has a different content, taking as its theme a conversation between Moses and some of the letters of the Torah.
As far as authorship is concerned, there is little doubt about the assertion that only the first book was penned by Mårqe himself, since its language, style, and shape present obvious affinities with the liturgical pieces ascribed to him. Its language may be defined as fourth century Aramaic, the same as the language of most poems that bear Mårqe's name in the common prayer books; it is also manifest in the old recensions of the Samaritan Aramaic Targum (ST III, 104, Tal 1980Tal -1983Stadel 2013, passim). Moreover, its language displays the characteristics of the adjacent dialects in the pre-Islamic land of Israel. However, this cannot be said about the five other books of TM, whose language and style exhibit a much later period (TM, pp. 16-24).
The first book, ‫פליהתה‬ ‫ספר‬ The Book of Wonders, is an expanded version of the story of the deliverance from Egyptian slavery. It starts with God's revelation to Moses in the wilderness (Exod. 3), followed by the description of Moses' arguments with Pharaoh and of the plagues administered to Egypt, and ends with the crossing of the Red Sea (Exod. 14). Its language is uniform and belongs, by and large, to the period when Aramaic was the Samaritan vernacular. 2 The second book, ‫עדן‬ ‫מעין‬ ‫תהומי‬ ‫על‬ By the Depths of the Spring of Eden, has as its main topic the "The Song of the Sea" (Exod. 15). The book starts with the creation of animals destined to serve humans. God created humans in His spiritual image and implanted in their body His wisdom in order to enable them to receive the Torah. For this purpose, Moses was sent to redeem the people of Israel from Egypt ( § § 1-3). Several portions of Book II are written in Aramaic, in similarity with Book I, others in the late Hebraized Aramaic (i.e., in the hybrid language which developed from the eleventh century onwards). 3 Portions written in Neo Samaritan Hebrew (NSH) penetrate the text. The subjects treated are very varied. Although the main topic is "The Song of the Sea", a multitude of inserted portions and their diversity have considerably altered the original form. Arguably, the ancient parts of this book originally formed a single unit with the first book. Later additions caused their separation into two distinct books (Kippenberg 1971, pp. 5, 216-17).
The third book, ‫הלוים‬ ‫והכהנים‬ ‫משה‬ ‫וידבר‬ Moses and the Levitical Priests Spoke, is a midrash on the pericope of the "curses" (Deut 27: 9-27) (i.e., verses start with ‫ארור‬ 'cursed be'). It contains teachings drawn from the imprecations said by the Levites against the transgressions enumerated in that pericope. Its language is mostly the late Hebraized Aramaic, into which segments composed in NSH quite often pervade. This is true for the rest of TM as well.
The fourth book, ‫רבתה‬ ‫שירתה‬ ‫על‬ ‫מימרה‬ The Treatise about The Great Song, consists of a collection of homilies on Deut 32, which is considered by the Samaritans as a compendium of the whole Torah. 4 2 Nine paragraphs, namely 9-17, intercalated in Book II of many manuscripts of the type S, actually belong structurally to Book I. Since they are absent from MS K, they are reproduced in the present edition as its appendix. 3 Coined ‫שומרונית‬ ("Samaritan") in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1939, p. 333), and further, in Ben-Ḥayyīm (1969, p. 29), it is characterized as an amalgam of Hebrew and Aramaic derived from literary texts, deeply influenced by Arabic. "Samaritan" served exclusively as the community's written means of expression, mainly in liturgy and other literary pieces (see below). 4 MS K is deficient in the fourth book; 45 of the 110 paragraphs existing in MS S are missing beyond recovery.
("Samaritan") in Ben-H . ayyīm (1939, p. 333), and further, in Ben-H . ayyīm (1969, p. 29), it is characterized as an amalgam of Hebrew and Aramaic derived from literary texts, deeply influenced by Arabic. "Samaritan" served exclusively as the community's written means of expression, mainly in liturgy and other literary pieces (see below). The sixth book, ‫אות‬ ‫ושנים‬ ‫בעשרים‬ ‫מדבק‬ ‫מימר‬ A Treatise Composed of the Ttwenty-Two Letters of the alphabet, is arranged in two sections: (1) a long discourse on the Creation, and (2) a dialogue between Moses and the letters, which spells out the role of the letters in the history and life of Israel, and their spiritual meaning. As handed down to us, only twelve letters are present in the conversation, which begs the question-Was a part of this composition lost?

The New Edition
The new edition is a supplement to the monumental ‫יוצאת‬ ‫שומרוניים‬ ‫מדרשים‬ ‫אסופת‬ ‫והיא‬ ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ ‫בן‬ ‫זאב‬ ‫ידי‬ ‫על‬ ‫ופירוש‬ ‫תרגום‬ ‫מקור‬ ‫לאור‬ -‫תשמ״ח‬ ‫ירושלים‬ ‫חיים,‬ . Tibåt Mårqe, a Collection of Samaritan Midrashim, edited, translated, and annotated in Hebrew by the Nestor of Samaritan studies, Ze'ev  His edition is based on a 16th century manuscript in possession of the priestly family in Shechem, a photocopy of which is housed in the National and University Library in Jerusalem (S in the following). Though he recognized the precedence of a much earlier manuscript, dated to the 14th century (K), Ben-ayyīm was compelled to give preference to the former, given the fragmentary state of K at that time. He therefore printed K, when available, in parallel with S. His rich annotations and discussions naturally pertained chiefly to S, while K was taken into consideration occasionally, mainly when its readings were able to clarify the readings of S or presented an independent tradition. This choice was dictated by the fact that the older version covered roughly 45 percent of the text of the composition as given in S.
Matters changed considerably at the turn of the century when the late Samaritan sage, Israel b. Gamaliel Tsedaqa returned from a trip to St. Petersburg and reported about some previously unknown fragments of Tibåt Mårqe. He also showed to Ben-ayyīm photocopied samples of a manuscript, which the latter identified as belonging to the fragments located in the Torino Library (the bigger fragment of K known to date). Encouraged by Ben-ayyīm, in April 2003 I undertook a trip to the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg where I had the opportunity to study a large fragment, namely Sam III, 51. From the comparison of the St. Petersburg fragments with the photographs collected by Ben-ayyīm for K, it was clear to me that Sam III, 51 and the fragments he published in his edition belonged to each other. I also examined two other smaller fragments, written by other hands that bear distinct features of MS K: Sam III, 52 (4 folios) and Sam IX, 46 (42 folios).

The Language of Tibåt Mårqe
As already mentioned, TM is linguistically anything but homogenous. Every period of the linguistic evolution of the Samaritan community left its traces on this Sammlung. Scholars have identified differences in the language of its six books, as Kippenberg put it: "Der Sammelcharakter of MM [Memar Marqa] wirft die Frage auf, ob nicht vielleicht Spätere diesem Werk weitere Überlieferungen einverleibt haben. Dieser Verdacht wird dadurch verstärkt, daß im MM ganze Passagen nicht aram., sondern hebr. abgefaßt sind" (Kippenberg 1971, p. 169). Kippenberg refers to Montgomery's statement: "Aramaic composition lasted as late as the XIth Century, when Hebrew began to supersede it" (Montgomery 1907, p. 271). Montgomery's assertion was closely followed by Cowley's inquiries into the Samaritan liturgy. In a detailed description Cowley put forward his conclusion that Aramaic reigned supreme in the fourth century. Then (after a period of poor literary activity), in the 10th and 11th centuries an artificial Aramaic mixed with Hebraisms was used for The sixth book, ‫אות‬ ‫ושנים‬ ‫בעשרים‬ ‫מדבק‬ ‫מימר‬ A Treatise Composed of the Ttwenty-Two Letters of the alphabet, is arranged in two sections: (1) a long discourse on the Creation, and (2) a dialogue between Moses and the letters, which spells out the role of the letters in the history and life of Israel, and their spiritual meaning. As handed down to us, only twelve letters are present in the conversation, which begs the question-Was a part of this composition lost?

The New Edition
The new edition is a supplement to the monumental ‫יוצאת‬ ‫שומרוניים‬ ‫מדרשים‬ ‫אסופת‬ ‫והיא‬ ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ ‫בן‬ ‫זאב‬ ‫ידי‬ ‫על‬ ‫ופירוש‬ ‫תרגום‬ ‫מקור‬ ‫לאור‬ -‫תשמ״ח‬ ‫ירושלים‬ ‫חיים,‬ . Tibåt Mårqe, a Collection of Samaritan Midrashim, edited, translated, and annotated in Hebrew by the Nestor of Samaritan studies, Ze'ev  His edition is based on a 16th century manuscript in possession of the priestly family in Shechem, a photocopy of which is housed in the National and University Library in Jerusalem (S in the following). Though he recognized the precedence of a much earlier manuscript, dated to the 14th century (K), Ben-ayyīm was compelled to give preference to the former, given the fragmentary state of K at that time. He therefore printed K, when available, in parallel with S. His rich annotations and discussions naturally pertained chiefly to S, while K was taken into consideration occasionally, mainly when its readings were able to clarify the readings of S or presented an independent tradition. This choice was dictated by the fact that the older version covered roughly 45 percent of the text of the composition as given in S.
Matters changed considerably at the turn of the century when the late Samaritan sage, Israel b. Gamaliel Tsedaqa returned from a trip to St. Petersburg and reported about some previously unknown fragments of Tibåt Mårqe. He also showed to Ben-ayyīm photocopied samples of a manuscript, which the latter identified as belonging to the fragments located in the Torino Library (the bigger fragment of K known to date). Encouraged by Ben-ayyīm, in April 2003 I undertook a trip to the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg where I had the opportunity to study a large fragment, namely Sam III, 51. From the comparison of the St. Petersburg fragments with the photographs collected by Ben-ayyīm for K, it was clear to me that Sam III, 51 and the fragments he published in his edition belonged to each other. I also examined two other smaller fragments, written by other hands that bear distinct features of MS K: Sam III, 52 (4 folios) and Sam IX, 46 (42 folios).

The Language of Tibåt Mårqe
As already mentioned, TM is linguistically anything but homogenous. Every period of the linguistic evolution of the Samaritan community left its traces on this Sammlung. Scholars have identified differences in the language of its six books, as Kippenberg put it: "Der Sammelcharakter of MM [Memar Marqa] wirft die Frage auf, ob nicht vielleicht Spätere diesem Werk weitere Überlieferungen einverleibt haben. Dieser Verdacht wird dadurch verstärkt, daß im MM ganze Passagen nicht aram., sondern hebr. abgefaßt sind" (Kippenberg 1971, p. 169). Kippenberg refers to Montgomery's statement: "Aramaic composition lasted as late as the XIth Century, when Hebrew began to supersede it" (Montgomery 1907, p. 271). Montgomery's assertion was closely followed by Cowley's inquiries into the Samaritan liturgy. In a detailed description Cowley put forward his conclusion that Aramaic reigned supreme in the fourth century. Then (after a period of poor literary activity), in the 10th and 11th centuries an artificial Aramaic mixed with Hebraisms was used for , A Treatise Composed of the Ttwenty-Two Letters of the alphabet, is arranged in two sections: (1) a long discourse on the Creation, and (2) a dialogue between Moses and the letters, which spells out the role of the letters in the history and life of Israel, and their spiritual meaning. As handed down to us, only twelve letters are present in the conversation, which begs the question-Was a part of this composition lost?

The New Edition
The new edition is a supplement to the monumental Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 8 The fifth book, ‫משה‬ ‫שם‬ ‫וימת‬ ‫על‬ ‫,מימר‬ Treatise about "Moses died there" (Deut. 34:5), describes the events preceding the death of Moses. He departs for Mount Nebo accompanied by the lamenting Children of Israel. There he is welcomed by the hosts of heavenly angels. From the top of Mount Nebo Moses is shown the four quarters of the world and then he enters a cave, where a great sleep falls upon him. The book ends with praises of Moses and Aaron, and also of Joshua.
The sixth book, ‫אות‬ ‫ושנים‬ ‫בעשרים‬ ‫מדבק‬ ‫,מימר‬ A Treatise Composed of the Ttwenty-Two Letters of the alphabet, is arranged in two sections: (1) a long discourse on the Creation, and (2) a dialogue between Moses and the letters, which spells out the role of the letters in the history and life of Israel, and their spiritual meaning. As handed down to us, only twelve letters are present in the conversation, which begs the question-Was a part of this composition lost?

The New Edition
The new edition is a supplement to the monumental ‫יוצאת‬ ‫שומרוניים‬ ‫מדרשים‬ ‫אסופת‬ ‫והיא‬ ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ ‫בן‬ ‫זאב‬ ‫ידי‬ ‫על‬ ‫ופירוש‬ ‫תרגום‬ ‫מקור‬ ‫לאור‬ -‫תשמ״ח‬ ‫ירושלים‬ ‫חיים,‬ Tibåt Mårqe, a Collection of Samaritan Midrashim, edited, translated, and annotated in Hebrew by the Nestor of Samaritan studies, Ze'ev  His edition is based on a 16th century manuscript in possession of the priestly family in Shechem, a photocopy of which is housed in the National and University Library in Jerusalem (S in the following). Though he recognized the precedence of a much earlier manuscript, dated to the 14th century (K), Ben-ayyīm was compelled to give preference to the former, given the fragmentary state of K at that time. He therefore printed K, when available, in parallel with S. His rich annotations and discussions naturally pertained chiefly to S, while K was taken into consideration occasionally, mainly when its readings were able to clarify the readings of S or presented an independent tradition. This choice was dictated by the fact that the older version covered roughly 45 percent of the text of the composition as given in S.
Matters changed considerably at the turn of the century when the late Samaritan sage, Israel b. Gamaliel Tsedaqa returned from a trip to St. Petersburg and reported about some previously unknown fragments of Tibåt Mårqe. He also showed to Ben-ayyīm photocopied samples of a manuscript, which the latter identified as belonging to the fragments located in the Torino Library (the bigger fragment of K known to date). Encouraged by Ben-ayyīm, in April 2003 I undertook a trip to the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg where I had the opportunity to study a large fragment, namely Sam III, 51. From the comparison of the St. Petersburg fragments with the photographs collected by Ben-ayyīm for K, it was clear to me that Sam III, 51 and the fragments he published in his edition belonged to each other. I also examined two other smaller fragments, written by other hands that bear distinct features of MS K: Sam III, 52 (4 folios) and Sam IX, 46 (42 folios).

The Language of Tibåt Mårqe
As already mentioned, TM is linguistically anything but homogenous. Every period of the linguistic evolution of the Samaritan community left its traces on this Sammlung. Scholars have identified differences in the language of its six books, as Kippenberg put it: "Der Sammelcharakter of MM [Memar Marqa] wirft die Frage auf, ob nicht vielleicht Spätere diesem Werk weitere Überlieferungen einverleibt haben. Dieser Verdacht wird dadurch verstärkt, daß im MM ganze Passagen nicht aram., sondern hebr. abgefaßt sind" (Kippenberg 1971, p. 169). Kippenberg refers to Montgomery's statement: "Aramaic composition lasted as late as the XIth Century, when Hebrew began to supersede it" (Montgomery 1907, p. 271). Montgomery's assertion was closely followed by Cowley's inquiries into the Samaritan liturgy. In a detailed description Cowley put forward his conclusion that Aramaic reigned supreme in the fourth century. Then (after a period of poor literary activity), in the 10th and 11th centuries an artificial Aramaic mixed with Hebraisms was used for 5 The first full publication of TM (with English) translation was John Macdonald's, Memar Marqah, I-II, Berlin: Verlag Alfred Töpelmann, 1963. For his unhappy choice of base text see Ben-ayyīm's critique in BO 23 (1966), pp. 185-91. The sixth book, ‫אות‬ ‫ושנים‬ ‫בעשרים‬ ‫מדבק‬ ‫,מימר‬ A Treatise Composed of the Ttwenty-Two Letters of the alphabet, is arranged in two sections: (1) a long discourse on the Creation, and (2) a dialogue between Moses and the letters, which spells out the role of the letters in the history and life of Israel, and their spiritual meaning. As handed down to us, only twelve letters are present in the conversation, which begs the question-Was a part of this composition lost?

The New Edition
The new edition is a supplement to the monumental ‫יוצאת‬ ‫שומרוניים‬ ‫מדרשים‬ ‫אסופת‬ ‫והיא‬ ‫מרקה‬ ‫תיבת‬ ‫בן‬ ‫זאב‬ ‫ידי‬ ‫על‬ ‫ופירוש‬ ‫תרגום‬ ‫מקור‬ ‫לאור‬ -‫תשמ״ח‬ ‫ירושלים‬ ‫חיים,‬ Tibåt Mårqe, a Collection of Samaritan Midrashim, edited, translated, and annotated in Hebrew by the Nestor of Samaritan studies, Ze'ev  His edition is based on a 16th century manuscript in possession of the priestly family in Shechem, a photocopy of which is housed in the National and University Library in Jerusalem (S in the following). Though he recognized the precedence of a much earlier manuscript, dated to the 14th century (K), Ben-ayyīm was compelled to give preference to the former, given the fragmentary state of K at that time. He therefore printed K, when available, in parallel with S. His rich annotations and discussions naturally pertained chiefly to S, while K was taken into consideration occasionally, mainly when its readings were able to clarify the readings of S or presented an independent tradition. This choice was dictated by the fact that the older version covered roughly 45 percent of the text of the composition as given in S.
Matters changed considerably at the turn of the century when the late Samaritan sage, Israel b. Gamaliel Tsedaqa returned from a trip to St. Petersburg and reported about some previously unknown fragments of Tibåt Mårqe. He also showed to Ben-ayyīm photocopied samples of a manuscript, which the latter identified as belonging to the fragments located in the Torino Library (the bigger fragment of K known to date). Encouraged by Ben-ayyīm, in April 2003 I undertook a trip to the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg where I had the opportunity to study a large fragment, namely Sam III, 51. From the comparison of the St. Petersburg fragments with the photographs collected by Ben-ayyīm for K, it was clear to me that Sam III, 51 and the fragments he published in his edition belonged to each other. I also examined two other smaller fragments, written by other hands that bear distinct features of MS K: Sam III, 52 (4 folios) and Sam IX, 46 (42 folios).

The Language of Tibåt Mårqe
As already mentioned, TM is linguistically anything but homogenous. Every period of the linguistic evolution of the Samaritan community left its traces on this Sammlung. Scholars have identified differences in the language of its six books, as Kippenberg put it: "Der Sammelcharakter of MM [Memar Marqa] wirft die Frage auf, ob nicht vielleicht Spätere diesem Werk weitere Überlieferungen einverleibt haben. Dieser Verdacht wird dadurch verstärkt, daß im MM ganze Passagen nicht aram., sondern hebr. abgefaßt sind" (Kippenberg 1971, p. 169). Kippenberg refers to Montgomery's statement: "Aramaic composition lasted as late as the XIth Century, when Hebrew began to supersede it" (Montgomery 1907, p. 271). Montgomery's assertion was closely followed by Cowley's inquiries into the Samaritan liturgy. In a detailed description Cowley put forward his conclusion that Aramaic reigned supreme in the fourth century. Then (after a period of poor literary activity), in the 10th and 11th centuries an artificial Aramaic mixed with Hebraisms was used for 5 The first full publication of TM (with English) translation was John Macdonald's, Memar Marqah, I-II, Berlin: Verlag Alfred Töpelmann, 1963. For his unhappy choice of base text see Ben-ayyīm's critique in BO 23 (1966), pp. 185-91.
Tibåt Mårqe, a Collection of Samaritan Midrashim, edited, translated, and annotated in Hebrew by the Nestor of Samaritan studies, Ze'ev  His edition is based on a 16th century manuscript in possession of the priestly family in Shechem, a photocopy of which is housed in the National and University Library in Jerusalem (S in the following). Though he recognized the precedence of a much earlier manuscript, dated to the 14th century (K), Ben-H . ayyīm was compelled to give preference to the former, given the fragmentary state of K at that time. He therefore printed K, when available, in parallel with S. His rich annotations and discussions naturally pertained chiefly to S, while K was taken into consideration occasionally, mainly when its readings were able to clarify the readings of S or presented an independent tradition. This choice was dictated by the fact that the older version covered roughly 45 percent of the text of the composition as given in S.
Matters changed considerably at the turn of the century when the late Samaritan sage, Israel b. Gamaliel Tsedaqa returned from a trip to St. Petersburg and reported about some previously unknown fragments of Tibåt Mårqe. He also showed to Ben-H . ayyīm photocopied samples of a manuscript, which the latter identified as belonging to the fragments located in the Torino Library (the bigger fragment of K known to date). Encouraged by Ben-H . ayyīm, in April 2003 I undertook a trip to the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg where I had the opportunity to study a large fragment, namely Sam III, 51. From the comparison of the St. Petersburg fragments with the photographs collected by Ben-H . ayyīm for K, it was clear to me that Sam III, 51 and the fragments he published in his edition belonged to each other. I also examined two other smaller fragments, written by other hands that bear distinct features of MS K: Sam III, 52 (4 folios) and Sam IX, 46 (42 folios).

The Language of Tibåt Mårqe
As already mentioned, TM is linguistically anything but homogenous. Every period of the linguistic evolution of the Samaritan community left its traces on this Sammlung. Scholars have identified differences in the language of its six books, as Kippenberg put it: "Der Sammelcharakter of MM [Memar Marqa] wirft die Frage auf, ob nicht vielleicht Spätere diesem Werk weitere Überlieferungen einverleibt haben. Dieser Verdacht wird dadurch verstärkt, daß im MM ganze Passagen nicht aram., sondern hebr. abgefaßt sind" (Kippenberg 1971, p. 169). Kippenberg refers to Montgomery's statement: "Aramaic composition lasted as late as the XIth Century, when Hebrew began to supersede it" (Montgomery 1907, p. 271). Montgomery's assertion was closely followed by Cowley's inquiries into the Samaritan liturgy. In a detailed description Cowley put forward his conclusion that Aramaic Religions 2020, 11, 52 4 of 8 reigned supreme in the fourth century. Then (after a period of poor literary activity), in the 10th and 11th centuries an artificial Aramaic mixed with Hebraisms was used for literary purposes. It developed steadily under growing Hebrew influence and reached its apogee in the 13th to 14th century, the epoch of the Samaritan Rennaissance, when Hebrew mixed with Aramaisms became the liturgical, as well as literary, language (Cowley 1909, p. xxxiv). This is the "Samaritan" as baptized by  In an enlightening study, Late Samaritan Hebrew (Florentin 2005), Florentin described in detail this amalgamated argot, which he coined "Hybrid Samaritan Hebrew" (HSH): 7 "a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic (p. xxvii)." One of the characteristics of HSH is the mingling of Hebrew and Aramaic elements, both morphological and lexical, resulting from "a poetic decision taken by an elite group of intellectuals" (p. 69). Obviously, Arabic, the Samaritan vernacular, as well as the language of exegesis and halakha, had a serious impact on this linguistic blend, mainly on vocabulary and syntax (pp. 128-56). Moreover, the long process of transmission by Arabic speaking scribes "Arabized" much of the older parts of TM.
On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of its various grammatical and lexical manifestations Ben-H . ayyīm divided TM into two parts: Book I is mainly Aramaic. It bears the characteristics of the language of the poems and hymns penned by Mårqe and by his contemporaries, namely Amram Dare and Ninna (Ben-H . ayyīm 1957, pp. 12-16;TM, pp. 15-24). Therefore, there is good reason to attribute it to Mårqe himself, even though its long and concealed process of transmission deeply influenced its final shape.
As for Book II, Ben-H . ayyīm demonstrated that the paragraphs 1-8, 18-19, 36-38, and 50-54 do not belong to their environment, being imported from a much younger composition. Accordingly, he initially assumed that Books I and II were one unit, which started with Moses' commission and ended with the departure from Egypt. It was augmented by later interpolations and finally divided into two. 8 Ben-H . ayyīm dealt with TM as manifested in MS S. As a matter of fact, a part of these interpolations is absent from MS K, namely § § 9-17, 20-35 and 52 to the end. This suggests that actually Book II was at a certain stage of development an independent unit, into which older (Aramaic) elements were inserted in the recension represented by MS S.
The deep linguistic discrepancy between Book I and the rest of TM is faithfully illustrated by the inroad of Hebrew elements in Books II-VI, which substituted Aramaic. They represent a remarkable later stage of development of Samaritan Aramaic, when in the process of succumbing to the surrounding Arabic it became increasingly mingled with Hebrew, the language of the holy writ. 9 This Aramaic sprinkled with Hebrew was also the dominant language in the composition of the 10th to 11th century poets Ildustan, Ab Isda, Tabya ibn Darta, and others (Tal 2009, pp. 163-88).
There is a third stage in Samaritan literature, whose expression is mainly Hebrew. Though fused with Aramaic, Hebrew remains dominant. In this it corresponds to the poetry that crystalized around the 14th century.
Even in their quotations from the Torah, the preference manifested in various parts of TM for original Hebrew or Aramaic Targum constitutes a significant factor in the linguistic evaluation of TM. As given in MS K according to the present edition, Book I differs considerably from the rest of TM, being inclined mainly towards Aramaic quotations taken from ST. 127 direct quotations stem from the Aramaic Targum, while the Hebrew SP is quoted only six times in Book I. Three quotations are a mix between Hebrew and Aramaic. 10 By contrast, Book II displays 105 quotations from the Hebrew SP and only four from the Aramaic ST. Book III has 81 Hebrew quotations, 57 Aramaic, and seven mixed 6 See above, n. 3. 7 I prefer the term Neo-Samaritan Hebrew (NSH). 8 First suggested in his review of Macdonald's edition (Ben-H . ayyīm 1966, p. 190), and later discussed in TM, p. 108. See also Kippenberg (1971, pp. 216-22).
Religions 2020, 11, 52 5 of 8 quotations. Book IV quotes the Hebrew SP 225 times, and the Aramaic ST 96 times; it also has 21 mixed quotations. In Book V there are 70 quotations, 55 from SP, 13 from ST, and two mixed. Finally, Book VI, has 23 Hebrew quotations from SP, 12 Aramaic quotations from ST, and three of mixed character. Obviously, this is a convincing argument in favor of approaching Book I as a separate literary unit, composed during the historical period when the Samaritan Targum was en vogue within the community and undoubtedly well understood. The rest of TM is clearly far removed from this period. As Aramaic lost ground to the growing Arabic influence, and Hebrew gained a stronger position in literature (see above), the Targum became less popular and was largely abandoned.

Manuscripts and Transmission
The extant manuscripts of Tibåt Mårqe differ from each other not only in scribal variations but also in language, content, and structure. One may identify two principal recensions, well defined: one represented by MS K, the other by MS S. 11 last folio (8b) has the custos , which reappears on the header of Sam III, 51, fol. 52a. The text pertains to Book II, § § 44-50.
4. British Library, London, Or. 12296 (Gaster Collection no. 883) 12 is a collection of 14 folios bearing the physical characteristics of the above-mentioned fragments that belong to TM. The first group of folios, 1a-4b, continues the text of Torino H1 in Book III, § 16, having as header the custos , which is also at the footer of Torino H1, f. 55b. The second group, folios 5a-13b, with the custos as header of fol. 5a, follows Torino H1, fol. 114b, which has the same custos as footer (Book VI, § 18). The last folio, 14ab, follows Torino H1, fol. 115b, which is damaged at its lower end, and therefore no custos survived (Book VI, § 39).
The following fragments are copies made at undetermined times by various scribes, all different in script from the former fragments, but still bearing the distinct linguistic characteristics of K.
5. Saint Petersburg, National Library of Russia, Sam III, 51 (*) contains four folios, numbered 24-27, being copies of K or its prototype, bound together with Sam III, 51. (I marked them with an asterisk). The text is different from S, corresponding in language and structure to BL Or. 7923, whose folios 1-37 represent the K tradition (see below). They cover Book I, § § 3-10 in the following order: *26, *24, *25, *27.
6. The fragment Sam III, 52 from Saint Petersburg, National Library of Russia contains four folios copied from K or from its prototype. In this edition it was used as an auxiliary source to restore the text of mutilated folios of Sam III, 51 in Book IV, § § 69-71.
7. The fragment Sam IX, 46 from Saint Petersburg, National Library of Russia consists of 42 folios, the first 16 of which were copied from K or its prototype. The rest are copies of various prayers. Many of its folios are badly damaged. I used it for the restoration of K where no other text was available in the Books I, § § 10-11; 39-40; 52; II, § 3-4 and IV, § § 55-59; 93.
8. The fragment, now lost, published by S. Kohn under the title "Aus einer Pessach-Haggadah der Samaritaner" in his Zur Sprache, Literatur und Dogmatik der Samaritaner, (Kohn 1876, pp. 1-95), Kohn was unaware of it being part and parcel of TM, a fact later recognized by Baneth and others (Baneth 1888, p. 16;Emmrich 1897, p. 16;TM, pp. 11, 312-32). Its close affinity with MS Torino H1 was proven by Ben-H . ayyīm's analysis (Ben-H . ayyīm 1983, p. 124). Notably, the first word of the fragment, Religions 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 6 of 8 4. British Library, London, Or. 12296 (Gaster Collection no. 883) 12 is a collection of 14 folios bearing the physical characteristics of the above-mentioned fragments that belong to TM. The first group of folios, 1a-4b, continues the text of Torino H1 in Book III, § 16, having as header the custos ‫,اﻧظﺮ‬ which is also at the footer of Torino H1, f. 55b. The second group, folios 5a-13b, with the custos ‫ﺗﺑﺘت‬ as header of fol. 5a, follows Torino H1, fol. 114b, which has the same custos as footer (Book VI, § 18). The last folio, 14ab, follows Torino H1, fol. 115b, which is damaged at its lower end, and therefore no custos survived (Book VI, § 39).
The following fragments are copies made at undetermined times by various scribes, all different in script from the former fragments, but still bearing the distinct linguistic characteristics of K.
5. Saint Petersburg, National Library of Russia, Sam III, 51 (*) contains four folios, numbered 24-27, being copies of K or its prototype, bound together with Sam III, 51. (I marked them with an asterisk). The text is different from S, corresponding in language and structure to BL Or. 7923, whose folios 1-37 represent the K tradition (see below). They cover Book I, § § 3-10 in the following order: *26, *24, *25, *27.
6. The fragment Sam III, 52 from Saint Petersburg, National Library of Russia contains four folios copied from K or from its prototype. In this edition it was used as an auxiliary source to restore the text of mutilated folios of Sam III, 51 in Book IV, § § 69-71.
7. The fragment Sam IX, 46 from Saint Petersburg, National Library of Russia consists of 42 folios, the first 16 of which were copied from K or its prototype. The rest are copies of various prayers. Many of its folios are badly damaged. I used it for the restoration of K where no other text was available in the Books I, § § 10-11; 39-40; 52; II, § 3-4 and IV, § § 55-59; 93.
8. The fragment, now lost, published by S. Kohn under the title "Aus einer Pessach-Haggadah der Samaritaner" in his Zur Sprache, Literatur und Dogmatik der Samaritaner, (Kohn 1876, pp. 1-95), Kohn was unaware of it being part and parcel of TM, a fact later recognized by Baneth and others (Baneth 1888, p. 16;Emmrich 1897, p. 16;TM, pp. 11, 312-32). Its close affinity with MS Torino H1 was proven by Ben-ayyīm's analysis (Ben-ayyīm 1983, p. 124). Notably, the first word of the fragment, ‫כספה‬ corresponds to the custos ‫اﻟﻔﺿﺔ‬ (i.e., ‫ﺔ‬ ‫ِﺿ‬ ‫)اﻟﻔ‬ at the footer of Torino H1, fol. 16b (Book I, § 66). 9. British Library, London, Or. 7923 (L) is a late copy of K (1738-1741 C.E.) as far as its first 37 folios are concerned. The rest are copied from MS S. It was used for restoration of damaged text in the first 12 paragraphs of Book I as well as in paragraph 77. 13

The Translation
Rendering an Aramaic document into English is certainly not a simple task. The significant diversity in structure, semantics, etc., between these two languages is a great obstacle to surmount, especially because Tibåt Mårqe with its mixture of Aramaic, Hebraized Aramaic, and even late Neo-Samaritan Hebrew, was transmitted by scribes who no longer spoke the language of the composition they copied. Moreover, it is very doubtful whether it was understood in every detail at the time the extant copies were made. All this creates an entangled fabric which contributes considerably to the difficulties of translation.
In my attempt to produce a translation that represents the composition and its ways of expression as faithfully as possible, I adopted a more or less literal rendition, without infringing too much on the laws of the English language. When the tension between the source language and the target language became too great, I opted for Tibåt Mårqe rather than departing from it for the sake of "good" English. 12 I gratefully used the microfilm located at the Israel National Library in Jerusalem and the digital images accessible at the website of the British Library. 13 See Ben-ayyīm's discussion about the eclectic character of this copy in TM, p. 32. Unfortunately, Macdonald did not realize this fact. He took the whole manuscript as uniform and made it the basic text of his edition (Macdonald 1963, p. XXXIII). See Ben-ayyīm (1966).
9. British Library, London, Or. 7923 (L) is a late copy of K (1738-1741 C.E.) as far as its first 37 folios are concerned. The rest are copied from MS S. It was used for restoration of damaged text in the first 12 paragraphs of Book I as well as in paragraph 77. 13

The Translation
Rendering an Aramaic document into English is certainly not a simple task. The significant diversity in structure, semantics, etc., between these two languages is a great obstacle to surmount, especially because Tibåt Mårqe with its mixture of Aramaic, Hebraized Aramaic, and even late Neo-Samaritan Hebrew, was transmitted by scribes who no longer spoke the language of the composition they copied. Moreover, it is very doubtful whether it was understood in every detail at the time the extant copies were made. All this creates an entangled fabric which contributes considerably to the difficulties of translation.
In my attempt to produce a translation that represents the composition and its ways of expression as faithfully as possible, I adopted a more or less literal rendition, without infringing too much on the