The Hebrew text and Judeo-Persian translation of the 'Book of Qohelet' - Examining textual variants in MS.116 and MS.117 from the Bibliotheque-Nationale-de-France

Two objectives have been pursued in this article. The first is to examine t he variants between the Hebrew version of the book of Qohelet in Manuscript s 116 and 117 of the Bibliotheque nationale de France and the Hebrew codex of Leningrad B19a. The second is to analyse the choices made by the Judeo-P ersian translators of Manuscripts 116 and 117, as compared to those made by the translators of Manuscripts 2 and 3 of the Persian Supplement. Four cat egories of differences may be identified: 1) the Ketiv and Qere, 2) differe nces in vocalization, 3) consonantic modifications and 4) full and defectiv e writing. Following an investigation of the various divergences between th ese texts and an examination of the quality of the Judeo-Persian translatio n (both of which provide insight into the understanding which Judeo-Persian communities of XIII and XIVth had of the book of Qohelet), the authors sug gest the possibility that the Judeo-Persian translation of Manuscripts 116 and 117 exhibits qaraite influence.