Study of the OT basically is the study of different religious and social aspects of the ‘inhabited world’ as a ‘whole’, and this study should be conducted not in an isolated manner keeping the Jews at the forefront in the closed pocket of a defined geographical region which anciently was shared by all the 12-tribes.
Origin of the Hebrew Bible should be seen primarily through the textual evidence of the pre-Christian times, and this stands in the context of the ‘Law, the Prophets, and the Books’, ‘Foreword to ‘Sir’.
The ‘origin’ of the word ‘Sir’ is very significant, and this clearly points to its other forms like, ‘Sheez’(also Shiz) of the Avesta and ‘Sri’ of the Indian purans. Scholars of both the Avesta and the Indian puranas like their Christian counterparts sit on the same prison of their own understanding of the meaning of these two words and they never have tried to ‘connect’ the ‘Sir’, with ‘Sri’ and ‘Sheez’ as they represent one and the same meaning which identifies the ‘Heaven’, and that is the ‘Seat of the Worship of Indra’, or Sage Mogha, father of Sage Kasyapa whose birthplace was at Troy or Tyre, and hermitage at Cyprus, or Kamboj, again the same as ancient Campa..
This is the only word, or the place of the ‘inhabited world’ in which ‘evidence’ of the origin of the OT Books is kept alive.
Meaning of this ‘Sir’ is very wide open in the Greek term ‘Septuagint’ which clarifies what this ‘Sir’ is, and how to ‘identify’ this, and ‘where’. ‘Sir’ and Septua-gint thus cannot be treated at different space as they are well connected to represent the ‘whole’. Greek Septuagint is as same as the ‘Saptagrama’ of the Periplus, and this term stands to collectively identify a group of ‘Sapta’, means ‘Seven’ cluster villages among which are : Midian, Sri, Ganga, Radha, Persum, Adulis(Aulis), and Arnon.
Homer’s Iliad takes this name ‘Sir’ only once; biblical scholarships did not view this ‘Sir’ as ‘Seat’ of the ‘Heaven’ at the ‘right-hand’ of the birthplace of Jesus Christ which makes a real description of the geographical situation of the ‘Heaven’ on earth, then.
Original ms, it is said, believed and admitted, is extant; from both the oral and written tradition of the Jewish alone, which according to scholars, faithful transmission of the written materials have taken place at all periods, it is inferred that no specific copy of the original ms is ever felt necessary. Sacred texts are always kept for worshipping purposes, and thus are away from public use. Worshipping style at times becomes the cause of wears and tears of the original texts. Its continuity must have demanded the later days scribes to take up its writing at a certain chosen place with sacred intention of not altering the original contents. This chosen place again must have been a seat of worship of a deity, and a common place of meting of those who were than well conversant with the tradition of not only the Jews but also of other tribes.
Cairo Geniza scholarship which finds Syria as responsible to add symbols for writings of the Semitic languages was not at all accidental. Syria is as same as ancient Seir. This identifies the ‘lions’ settlements between Jerusalem and ‘Sir’ ; and this is one symbol like the ‘scorpion’ which represents the Bacchus tribal settlements; then we find the ‘elephants’ , the ‘horse’, the ‘tigers’, and the ‘birds’. And this should not be seen as an accidental design from scribes’ side, rather it must have been used after a deep consultation with the leaders who were then ‘Judges’ representing ‘all’ tribes for awarding punishment to ‘sinners’. It was then felt to keep the sacred texts within the traditional fold of different tribes without rendering a personal touch to it. Symbols were thus most favourable and every symbol identifies a place with its geographical and tribal importance, not Jewish alone as scholars see through it.
Cairo Geniza refers to geographical situation of Cairo or Cyrus or Kuru, or Ottorrokorah, on the bank of the river Geniza, same as Geiza or Gaga same as Ganga, But elsewhere geniza has been seen by scholars as a place to ‘store’.
The symbols were first applied to the Syr Bible. Here Syr refers to Sir, or ‘Sri’ of Indian puranic tradition. The most important thing to notice in this connection is that the Jewish scholars are called Masoretes who were considered as a ‘group’ living both in Babylon and also in Palestine. Masoretes becomes name of a system. And they are identified through Hebr massoret, means ‘tradition’. This ‘massoret’ tradition again is related to Sir and its place of worship which was then under the control of the Meghas or the Moghas, a most powerful priest class people of the ancient world.
Cairo Geniza Mss is attached to the name of Sirach, or Sir-ach; the first Hebr leaf of Sir has less number of lines than the LXX. Scholars are more divided on the contents of the Qumran and Masada texts which are considered as pre-Christian in nature, thus acceptance of Cairo Geniza prevails over other as it found to be more ancient.
How the texts are named and from where they were transported to Cairo is no one’s concern