最古のトーラー

“'World's oldest Torah' scroll found at Italy university” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22697098

伊太利のボローニャ大学*1の図書館から最古のトーラー（モーゼ五書）*2の巻物が発見された。放射性炭素年代測定法によると、この巻物は850年以上前のものであるという。さらに、

The university's Professor of Hebrew Mauro Perani says this would make it the oldest complete text of the Torah known to exist, and an object of extraordinary worth.

The university says that in 1889 one of its librarians, Leonello Modona, had examined the scroll and dated it to the 17th Century.

However, when Mr Perani recently re-examined the scroll, he realised the script used was that of the oriental Babylonian tradition, meaning that the scroll must be extremely old.

Another reason for the dating is that the text has many features forbidden in later copies under rules laid down by the scholar Maimonides in the 12th Century, the university says.

「最古」とはいっても850年前って、新しすぎじゃない？　と一瞬思ってしまったのだが、そういうものだろうか。
因みに、ボローニャ大学はヨーロッパ最古の大学。
トーラーというものの生成を巡っては、加藤隆『一神教の誕生』*3を再びマークしておく。