The Function of the Masora Figurata in Western European Bible Manuscripts

In her work, Ästhetik des Performativen, Erika Fischer-Lichte discusses the question of how the material and the symbolic stand in relation to one another. She insists on the fact that every deliberate act of awareness generates meanings which are not to be equated with a purely linguistic meaning. With regard to the Masorah figurata a variety of questions remain unresolved: Can we perceive a reason why mythical animals (dragons) or clearly unclean animals (dogs, rabbits/hares) are often depicted in decorative micrography, or is the decoration employed purely arbitrary? Which elements in the micrographic figures are likely to trigger one (or more) attribution(s) of meaning. This paper presents masora figurata in different manuscripts from the 12th and 13th centuries and focuses on the following topics: In which social circles circulated these bibles, what function did they have, and in which relation stands the Masoretic material presented here to that of the older oriental codices.