Abdallah ibn Salam
(1) The abbreviation of the name of God (see § (5) (above).
(2) As mnemonic signs, for a help to the factory in
oral study. This latter kind of abbreviation was especially called (
Hebrew characters) (see Terminology, above). Instead
of these (Hebrew characters) representing words, they sometimes
represent numbers (Mishnah, Men. xi. 4; see also
R. Judah in Pesah Haggadali and Sifre,(Hebrew characters), 301).
For the menmonic signs of the Talmud, compare D.
Panio. "La Menazvah le Davil." Salonica, 1765 or
1795. l'inner's introduction to his German translation
of lerakot, p. 22; J. Brüll. "Doresh le-Zion" (Mnemotechnik of the Talmud), Vienna. 1864; F. Lebrecht
in "Hebr. Bib1," vii. 99-102; also Rapoport in "Kerem
Hemed." vi. 252.
Especially numerous is this kind of Abbreviations in the Masoras and in grammatical literature. On the menmonic signs in the Masoras, compare Frens- dorff's glossary in his "Die Masora Magna"; on some of the memonic signs in grammur compare D. Rosin in Jew. Quart. Rev." vi. 475-701. A complete list, both of Masoretical and grammatical mnemoniecsigns, will be found in the appendix to the writer's "Dictionary of Philological Terminology in Hebrew and Aramnic," now in preparation. Mnemonic signs are also commonly used in calendars,
(3) In vituperative language Abreviations are
used for the purpose of euphemy (compare Meg.
25b; (Hebrew characters) or (Hebrew characters) "the lewd woman" ).
In later literature we find the frequent and habitual use of Abbreviations in the following cases:
(4) In the standing formulas for blessing, wishing. praying, and imprecation, and in standing phrases concluding a composition, which formulas frequently consist of Biblical verses or phrases. This kind of sigla. having developed different charecteristics according to various times and countries, since it was employed in epigraphis, documents, on tombstones, etc., has become an important part of Hebrew pale- ography. On this see Zunz, i.e.; Steinschneider în the "Jahresberichte der Geschichtswissenschaft," i. 43, ii. 5, v. 86; and the same, "Zur Literatur der He- bräischen Paläographie" in Centralblatt für Biblio- thekswissenschaft," 1887. pp. 158 it seg.
(5) In the quotation of names and titles of authors and especially in the books or treatises and chapters of the Talmud titles. The titles of Hebrew books are, in a sense, proper names, usually consisting of a Biblical phrase of two words, whose initial letters are used in quoting them, even without mention of the author (see TITLES).
The names of authors consist mainly of their first
names with the addition of (Hebrew characters) "son of" followed by
the name of their father. In the Middle Ages it be-
came the custom to add to the name of every author
the title, abbreviated to and from this have
arisen Abbreviations of the names of famous and
popular authors; (Hebrew characters) Moses Maimonides, (Hebrew characters)
Solomon ben Isaac, etc. In some cases real family
names have grown out of such or similar Abbrevia-
tions, especially in more modern times when the Jews
were required by the various states to adopt them.
Thus, the name "Brill" or "Brüll" is (Hebrew characters) Ben
Rabbi Judah Loch ha-Levi: Katz" is (Hebrew characters) ;
"Sack" is (Hebrew characters) "Segal" is = (Hebrew characters).
In Germauy and in France it was customary in
the Middle Ages to abbrevinte maines so as to form
a word denoting some personal quality; as, (Hebrew characters)
"head" for (Hebrew characters) "Lack of knowledge in such
matters has produced some very ridiculous mis-
understandings. A list of such names is given by
Steinschneider in the introduction to his "Catalogus
Librorum Hebræorum in Bibliotheca Bodleiana" and
in his Hebräische Bibliographie,“ xvi. 6, xxi, 103,
On the titles of Hebrew books compare Sehechter,
"Sundies in Judaism," pp. 328-312.
(6) in the technical expressions of various disci- plines Abbreviations are frequently used according to the needs of the particular subject. They are, however, invariably made on one or other of the principles indicated above.
Bibliography: The older literature en Abbreviations will be
found enumerated in Wolf, Bibl. Hebr. I. 54-59) iv. 250-
267: H. J. Köcher. Nova Bibl. Hebr. ii. 136, et seq. Jena,
1782; Zunz, Z. G. p. 48: Steinschneider, Gab es Eine Hebr. Kurzschrift p. 8 (this is a reprint from Archiv für Stemogrpahic, 1887. Nos. 466 and 467);. Perrau, 1700 Abbreviature e Sigle Ebraicke, Chaldiche, Rabbiniche, Talmudiche... Autografia Edizione di 60 Emplari, Parma. 1882,
augmented under the title Ocaeno delle Abbreviature e Sigle Ebraiche, 1883, Autogr. 2a Edizione di 60 Emplari Notevolmente Accrisriuta; and an appendix to this, Appendice all' Oceano delle Abbrevature, 1884. Autogr. Ed. di 60 Esempluri (an exhaustive review of the last two works was published by D. Kaufmann in the Göttinger Gelehrte Anzeigen, 1884, pp. 749-755); Joseph Ezekiel, (Hebrew characters) A. Handbook of Hebrew Abbreviations with their Explanations in Hebrew and English. etc. Bombay. 1887: Philip Lederer. Hebräische und Chaladische Abbreviaturen... ins Deutsche Übersetzt und Erläutert. Frankfort-on-the-Main. 1804; C. R. Händler, (Hebrew characters) Lexion der Abbreviaturen. Anhang zum Aramäisch-Neuh brischen Wörterbuch von Gustaf H. Dalman, Frankfurt-on-the-Main, 1897 (of which
the author is now preparing a revised, separate edition: A.
Bernstein, Sefer dish Tebot. London, 1896.
C.L.
—In Biblical Manuscripts: The fragments
of two Bible manuscripts of Egyptian origin, which
were discovered by Neubauer and deciphered by
Friedländer, show a manner of writing in an abbre-
viated form hitherto unknown: another example
was exhibited at the Oriental Congress at Rome,
October, 1899, by Dr. C. D. Ginsburg. Only the
first world of each verse is written out in full: of
the remaining words only one letter (not necessarily
the initial letter) is given. This method of abbrovi-
ation seems to be what the Talmud designates by the
term (Hebrew characters)} (Yoma. 38a; Giṭ. 60a; according to the
interpretation of Rashi), Abbreviations of the ordinary character are rarely found in Bible manuscripts.
There are none, of course, in the Scrolls. In view
of the Abbreviations to be found on Jewish coins ((Hebrew characters) for (Hebrew characters), etc.), the question arises whether words
were abbreviated in pre-Masoretic Bible manuscripts.
As positive information is obviously wanting, recourse must he had to conjecture, on the basis of variants gleaned from the ancient versions (particularly
from the Septuagint) or of evident errors in the Masoretic text, which are satisfactorily explained if it is
assumed that Abbreviations were customary in the
manuscripus antedating the Septuagint. Thus, when
the Septuagint les in Jonah. i. 9, in the place of (Hebrew characters) "the servant of the Lord" (that is, (Hebrew characters)), it may be
assumed that the (Hebrew characters) was taken by the translator as an
abbreviation of the divine name. In Isa. xlii. 2 (Hebrew characters)
may originally have been an abbreviated (Hebrew characters). In
his brilliant dissertation ("Analekten zur Textkritik
des Alten Testaments"; see chap. i. Munich, 1895)
F. Perles makes an extensive use of the assumed pre-
Masoretic habit of abbreviating words. He even interprets the accentual signs (Hebrew characters) and (Hebrew characters) (see Accents in Hebrew) in 1 Sam. ix. 12 (where he reads with Lagarde (Hebrew characters), in the place of our (Hebrew characters)),
and in Ps. Ixxxix. 51 (where (Hebrew characters) should replace the meaningless (Hebrew characters)) as remnants of the signs of abbreviation customary in rabbinical writings. While some
of the emendations proposed by Perles and his predecessors are ingenious and plausible, the thesis that
words were abbreviated in pre-Masoretic Bible manuscripts may perhaps still he said to be unproved.
The omission of parts of words may not be due to a
