The Era of Creation in Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts: Cases of Ambiguity

The year reckoning from the Creation of the World was widespread among the Jews through the Middle Ages, and usually it is considered clear and reliable. However in certain medieval manuscripts the year recorded by this era can be ambiguous: sometimes the number given in a colophon is uncertain, and in some cases the era itself could have an unusual variation. Examples of ambiguity are demonstrated and analyzed here, and attempts for clarifying the exact year are provided. As a result a few written sources from the Middle Ages receive a refined date, different from the accepted in the research literature.

As for numeration, the main questionable element is the character designating five: it can be interpreted either as years or as millennia. Rather common conception among the scholars is the assumption of millennia indication almost exclusively in the initial position even within chronograms. The provided now quantitative analysis of the definitely datable chronograms find no confirmation of this view, while different parameters, such as geographical origin and the structure of the chronogram, appear to be of some help in determining the precise year.

As for the variations of the Creation chronology proper, the examination of colophons dated by a few parallel eras reveals that in the easternmost regions, such as Iran and Kurdistan, even in the Late Middle Ages the year reckoning differed in one year from the generally known system. It should be taken into consideration when we deal with Oriental manuscripts dated by the Creation era alone.