Haftarot-Collections in Medieval Ashkenaz

Though the term ‘Ashkenazic rite’ appears frequently in catalogue descriptions in connection with the haftarot given in biblical and liturgical books (usually humashim) from medieval northern Europe, it is well known that the haftarot-collections in these manuscripts exhibit minor but nonetheless significant variations from one another: in the specific passages chosen from the prophetic books, in their lengths, and in the way in which separate passages are combined in the same lection. These differences, since they are heavily dependent upon local customs, have the potential of helping to identify manuscripts from the same region or community.

It is all the more surprising that no systematic attempt has yet been made to record the selection of the haftarot in each individual manuscript. In my paper, I present my preliminary findings based on my compilation of haftarot-lists for all medieval Ashkenazic haftarot-collections that I have been able to access.

I will begin by sorting the haftarot-collections into groups and subgroups. Drawing on explicit localisation in colophons as well as palaeographical and codicological evidence, I will then map these groups and subgroups to their most likely places of origin. A few case studies will follow; these include both instances where the common origin of two previously-unconnected manuscripts, as attested by their shared choice of haftarot, is corroborated by additional evidence elsewhere, and instances where subsequent layers of alteration to the haftarot elucidate a manuscript’s post-production history. From this, it may become possible to give more precise geographical attributions to a significant portion of the vast number of unlocalised biblical manuscripts that, so far, have been described simply as originating from ‘Ashkenaz’.