Constructed Rivalry: The Aleppo and Leningrad Codices as Oppositional Artefacts

The majority of contemporary critical editions of the text of Hebrew Bible are based on one of two mediaeval manuscripts: the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex. Various claims have been made on the relative merits of each of these two codices. While these claims are often grounded in the language of textual criticism, there is a good deal more at play. The two codices have come to be constructed by some as oppositional artefacts. This article seeks to better understand this constructed rivalry by utilizing Watts’ conception of the relic text. It is proposed that the status of the Aleppo Codex as just such as relic text has been enhanced by diminishing the status of the Leningrad Codex. This oppositional relationship has been utilized by the state of Israel which currently houses the Aleppo Codex in the Israel Museum to enhance its status as the custodian of Jewish material culture.