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Photo by Bruce and Kenneth Zuckerman, West Semitic Research, in collaboration with the Ancient Biblical Manuscript Center, courtesy Russian National Library
Working in Cairo in about 1010 C.E., the scribe Samuel prepared what has become the base text of the Biblia Hebraica, the critical edition of the Hebrew Bible. (see the bound codex) But until recently, scholars had limited access to the actual manuscript, owned by the Russian National Library, in St. Petersburg. Since the end of the Cold War, however, Russia’s first public library (founded by Catherine the Great in 1795) has opened its door to scholars who wish to examine what may be the largest collection of Hebrew manuscripts in the world and to prepare a facsimile edition of the Leningrad Codex.