Bible Encyclopedias
Na?danim

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

Punctuators or Masoretic annotators; the successors of the Masorites proper. Their activity consisted in collecting and conserving Masoretic material, revising the consonantal text produced by professional scribes, and furnishing them with vowel-signs and accents as well as with Masoretic glosses. For this purpose each distinguished na?dan provided himself with a copy of the Bible, which was generally written by himself in accordance with Masoretic rules and which became a model codex. They also produced separate Masoretic compilations or Masoretic treatises designed as manuals, and wrote works on the vowel-points and accents as well as explanations of the Masorah itself, which frequently found their way into the body of the old Masorah.

The period of the na?danim properly begins with the introduction of PUNCTUATION. In a narrower sense the name is applied to those na?danim who flourished from the twelfth century to the invention of printing. The following is a list, arranged in alphabetical order, of the na?danim whose names have been handed down:

1. Abraham ha-Levi (see Zunz, "Z. G." p. 114).
2. Abraham Na?dan (ib. p. 115).
3. Asher Na?dan (ib. p. 114).
4. Benjamin b. Joab, called in an epigraph of 1293 (Ginsburg, "Introduction," p. 574) "Degli Mansi."
5. Berechiah b. Na?ronai Krespia ha-Na?dan.
6. Brodmark (Zunz, c. p. 121).
7. 7.Eliakim b. Asher (ib. p. 120).
8. Eliezer b. Isaiah (ib. p. 114).
9. Elijah Na?dan, son or grandson of No. 5 in this list (ib. p. 118).
10. Gershom b. Judah, in epigraph of 1396 (Ginsburg, c. p. 624).
11. ?ayyim b. Isaac, in La Rochelle, 1215-16 (Zunz, c. p. 110).
12. ?ayyim b. Shneor Na?dan, 1292 (ib. p. p. 117).
13. Hezekiah Na?dan, the priest, second half of thirteenth century (Ginsburg, c. p. 480).
14. Isaac b. Menahem Na?dan, 1291 (Zunz, c. p. 117).
15. Isaac Na?dan (ib. p. 113).
16. Isaac b. Solomon Na?dan, 1281 (ib. p. 117).
17. Isaiah, pupil of No. 28 in this list (ib. p. 113).
18. Jacob ha-Levi b. Me�r (ib. p. 114).
19. Jacob b. Me�r Tam (Rabbenu Tam).
20. Jacob Na?dan (ib. p. 113).
21. Jekuthiel b. Isaac, the priest (ib. p. 116).
22. Jekuthiel b. Judah ha-Kohen, the priest, or Zalman ha-Na?dan, author of "En ha-?ore."
23. Joseph, 1338; son of No. 13 in this list (ib. p. 117; Ginsburg, c. p. 480).
24. Joseph ?azzan of Troyes, author of the grammatical work "Sefer Yedidut" (Zunz, c. p. 112).
25. Joseph b. Isaac of Arkiash (?) (ib. p. 114).
26. Joseph b. Jehozadak, author of "Ba'al ha-Lashon" (ib. p. 113).
27. Joseph b. Kalonymus, a German, 1238 (ib. p. 111).
28. Joseph Na?dan, c. 1230-50 (ib. p. 111).
29. Joseph Na?dan b. Menahem (ib. p. 114).
30. Joseph of Xanthen, son of Kalonymus of Neuss, 1294 (ib. p. 117).
31. Judah ben Isaac, or Sir Leon, of Paris, c. 1200 (Ginsburg, c. p. 615).
32. Krespia Na?dan.
33. Liepkind Na?dan (Zunz, c. p. 114).
34. Mordecai Na?dan Amandanti, c. 1300-50 (Ginsburg, c. p. 715).
35. Moses b. Yom-?ob ha-Na?dan, c. 1200 (comp. Zunz, c. p. 114; Frensdorff, Preface to "Kelale ha-Ni??ud weha-Neginot"; J. Jacobs, in "J. Q. R." 1:182).
36. Na?man Na?dan b. Schneor, 1295 (Zunz, c. p. 118).
37. Perigoros Na?dan b. Kalonymus (ib. p. 113).
38. Samson b. Na?man (ib. p. 115).
39. Samson of , 1343 (ib. p. 120).
40. Samson Na?dan, grandfather of No. 30 in this list; author of "?ibbur ha-?onim" or "Shimshoni" (ib. p. 113).
41. Samuel b. Abraham of Muldstadt (?), 1396 (Ginsburg, c. p. 624).
42. Samuel ha-Na?dan (Zunz, c. p. 109).
43. Shemaiah, thirteenth century (ib. p. 115).
44. Solomon Na?dan (ib. p. 113).
45. Zadok Na?dan (ib. p. 110).