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Paris, BnF MS. Hébreu 680: Main text scribe 3 - Non-square (Beinoni)

Details
Graphic Elements (33)

Details

Item

Paris, BnF MS. Hébreu 680

Collection

Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris, France)

Name

Paris, BnF MS. Hébreu 680: Main text scribe 3 - Non-square (Beinoni)

Scribe

Scribe Identifications

Scribe not identified

Scribe Roles

Main text scribe

Scribe Role (Other)

S3: fols 26r – 288v unknown Byzantine scribe – defective manuscript

Scribe Role Observations

The CU was completed at different stages by the same scribe - there are variations in the size of the text, mainly due to the different instruments used; a number of folios (see Sefer ha-Bahir starting fol. 156v) have a higher density and a larger number of lines. This palaeographic analysis is based on fol. 202r (see annotations)

Script Definition

Script Type

Byzantine

Script Mode

Non-square (Beinoni)

Script Quality

Current

Script Function

Bookhand

Global Aspect of the Script

Position of Written Line

In the middle
Ascenders go above the headline
Descenders descend below the baseline

Text Density

Stable

Number of Vertical Lines

6-7

Number of Horizontal Lines

20-22

Spaces Between Lines

Stable
Equal to the height of the line of writing

Spaces Between Words

Stable
Smaller than the width of an average he

Spaces Between Letters in a Word

Variable
No space (letters touch each other)
Smaller than the width of an average vav

Text Rapidity

Quick

Letters in a Word

Regular spacing

Approximate Size of Average Letters

Aleph Dimensions

6 x 3 mm

He Dimensions

4 x 3 mm

Shin Dimensions

4 x 3 mm

Proportions of Average Letters

Regular size

Proportions of Ascenders and Descenders

Ascenders are equal to the height of the average letter
Descenders are equal to the height of the average letter

Parallelism Between Strokes

Downstrokes are not parallel
Horizontal strokes are not parallel
Ascenders are not parallel to the downstrokes
Descenders are not parallel to the downstrokes
Ascenders are parallel among them
Descenders are not parallel among them

Width of the Stroke

Thick, traced with the full width of the flat nib

Created: 13 Feb 2026, 1:23 p.m. by Miruna-Ștefana Belea

How to cite this page: 'Paris, BnF MS. Hébreu 680: Main text scribe 3 - Non-square (Beinoni)', in: Hebrew Palaeography Album, General Editors: Judith Olszowy-Schlanger. Consulted online at https://www.hebrewpalaeography.com/data/specimens/1746/ on 2026-04-25.