The Serugin, Te’amim, and Meturgeman in Christian Perspective-part 15

The Serugin, Te’amim, and Meturgeman in Christian Perspective-part 15

            The Ga’on [leader] of one of the Babylonian academies at Soura who lived in the second part of the ninth century [he was contemporary with the scholars at Tiberius] is quoted as saying, “We are forbidden to deliberately add [to the text] anything at all for fear of transgressing the Law:  ‘You shall not add anything to it…’ This is why we do not vocalize the scrolls of the Law. Neither may we add the cantillation signs, even though these latter signs were revealed at Sinai.” Haik-Vantoura TMotBR, p. 178.  The partial quote given above is from Deuteronomy 12:32 “You are to keep with care all the words I give you, making no addition to them and taking nothing from them.” Bible in Basic English  This quote from the Ga’on attests to the belief of some authors that the cantilation signs are as ancient as the Ten Commandments.  It is worth noting that this quote alludes to the possibility that there was, at this time, such imperfect understanding the cantillation signs that, at least at this school in Soura, the scribes were afraid that if they sang the Tanakh they would be guilty of either adding or taking away from the meaning of the Holy Writ. On the other hand, it could indicate that although they sang Scripture, because of rabbinical law, they did not add the graphic signs to the complete scrolls.

                As was stated earlier, the Jewish Encyclopedia explains that in the history of ancient Israel, the Levites were charged with the responsibility of intoning the Tanakh.  There is disagreement among authors as to the time in Israel’s history when the responsibility for sacred musicing became a predominant part [or all of some of the Levite’s responsibility].  Certainly from the time of King David the Levite musicians were exceedingly important musical functionaries.  So, it is possible that the notation of the entire OT was reserved exclusively for Levite musician’s use—so much so that the cantilation signs hidden away from all others.  Again, this hypothesis is far from proven fact.