# אנחנו חתומי מטה פקידי ק''ק אוקספורד ושלוחי



## camaysar

אנחנו חתומי מטה פקידי ק''ק אוקספורד ושלוחיה מודים הודאה גמורה שקבלנו עלינו יעל

כל הבאים אחרינו את המשמרת הזאת להגן בעד ספרי הקדש האלה לקרוא בהם באימה

ולשלמם לכם פקידי ק''ק קאנטארבירא או לבאים אחריכם כאשר תבקשים ממנו בלי

פיקפוק  ובלי עירעור ומה שהודינו כתבנו וחתמנו היום יום א' בשבוע  יום ו' לחדש

תמוז שנת כ''ב למלכות אדונינו גיורג בן המלך אדגרט עדים בדבר.

Shalom to all,

Above is some writing in ashuri script in ink on parchment. It refers, I believe, to some sort of official policy concerning books in Oxford and Canterbury, England. It is dated 1932 (22nd year of King George son of Edward). Can someone please provide a translation. There are some strange words, such as פיקפוק and עירעור. Thanks so much.


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## tkekte

עירעור means protest, פיקפוק means doubt.
As for the text, it's a bit hard to translate... and I don't know what ק"ק means.


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## camaysar

tkekte said:


> עירעור means protest, פיקפוק means doubt.
> As for the text, it's a bit hard to translate... and I don't know what ק"ק means.



Hi,

Thanks for the definitions... it helps! As for ק''ק it means קהל קדוש "Holy Congregation" or "Holy Community", that is, the particular Jewish community of a certain city (whichever city follows the ab breviation). In this case, the Jewish communities of Oxford and Canterbury. Yes, the text is tough! It seems to be a statement of policy regarding, perhaps, the use of books (?).

It definitely begins "We the undersigned, [officers] of the holy congregation of Oxford, and its agents.."
There is something about showing "respect for these holy books". It is possibly some kind of policy regarding Canterbury's use of Oxford's books????


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## maxl

camaysar said:


> ????? ????? ??? ????? ?''? ???????? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ???
> 
> ?? ????? ?????? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ???? ????? ??? ?????
> 
> ?????? ??? ????? ?''? ?????????? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ???
> 
> ??????  ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ????? ?????? ???? ??? ?' ?????  ??? ?' ????
> 
> ???? ??? ?''? ?????? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ???? ????.



We the undersigned, officers of the holy community of Oxford and its representatives, hereby wholeheartedly testify that we have taken upon ourselves and upon our descendants this custody to preserve these holy books, to read in them with fear and to pay for them to you, officers of the holy community of Cambridge, as much as you will demand for them without any hesitation or argument, and that which we have testified we have written down and signed today, Sunday, 6th of the month of Tammuz, in the 22nd year of the reign of our King Georges son of King Edward, are the witnesses thereto ...


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## camaysar

Thanks! Comparing your translation and the Hebrew is a lesson in idiomatic expressions and syntax, and it all makes perfect sense... Bravo!


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## tFighterPilot

Seems like terrible Hebrew to me. Some sort of Engbrew if you will (in oppose to Hebrish which is the other way around).


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## camaysar

tFighterPilot said:


> Seems like terrible Hebrew to me. Some sort of Engbrew if you will (in oppose to Hebrish which is the other way around).



Haha! Well, it's a good guess that these are not native speakers!! It sounds perhaps like a very formal "composed" Hebrew that stuffy Oxford professors might use.


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## tFighterPilot

It's not formal, just bad.


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## tkekte

Awesome translation, maxl!  You must be a professional translator?
That אימה stumped me, because I wasn't sure what does terror have to do with reading books.  I had an idea to translate it as "awe", because that means both fear and reverance.


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## tFighterPilot

Awe is יראת כבוד.


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## camaysar

tkekte said:


> Awesome translation, maxl!  You must be a professional translator?
> That אימה stumped me, because I wasn't sure what does terror have to do with reading books.  I had an idea to translate it as "awe", because that means both fear and reverance.



It was a bit of a shock to me as well, though it clearly modified לקרוא
I've seen many statements on title pages such as זה הספר הנורא .... (followed by a long string of adjectives) particularly in books on subjects such as קבלה מעשית. 

But I've never seen אימה    referred to with respect to a book, or reading.

אימה in the תנך seems to be used in the sense of horror, or impending doom, as Gen. 15:12, and De. 32:25, but never connotes the reverent awe we expect in the book context. Was this an ill-chosen word by the Oxford officials? Maybe they were afraid they wouldn't be able to pay for them!!


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