Between Imagination and Exegesis: The Masorah Figurata Illustrations of the Two Menorot in Vatican ebr. 14

Abstract This article will deal with two folios from Ms. Vatican ebr. 14, a Pentateuch (with haftarot and megillot) written by Elijah ben Berekhiah ha-Nakdan in 1239. Both folios display a seven-branched candelabrum (menorah). The one on folio 104r is depicted lying on its side, while the one on folio 155v is standing upright. Both lampstands consist of masoretic material in micrographic script. The article will address both the form and content of the masorah figurata illustrations and relate them to Elijah’s overall pedagogical concept of teaching the Bible with a special emphasis on Hebrew language, grammar, and masorah. In addition, it will address the relationship between biblical text and its visualization, and it will ask whether the concept of peshaṭ exegesis was a necessary tool for visualizing biblical objects.