MASORA, a term in the Jewish theology, signifying a work on the Bible, performed by several learned rabbins, to secure it from any alterations which might otherwise happen. Their work regards merely the letter of the Hebrew text, in which they have, first, fixed the true reading by vowels and accents: they have, secondly, numbered not only the chapters and sections, but the verses, words, and letters of the text: and they find in the Pentateuch 5245 verses, and in the whole Bible 23,206. The masora is called, by the Jews, the hedge or fence of the law, because this enumeration of the verses, &c. is a means of preserving it from being corrupted and altered. They have, thirdly, marked whatever irregularities occur in any of the letters of the Hebrew text; such as the different size of the letters, their various positions and inversions, &c. and they have been fruitful in finding out reasons for these irregularities and mysteries in them. They are, fourthly, supposed to be the authors of the Keri and Chetibh, or the marginal corrections of the text in our Hebrew Bibles. The text of the sacred books, it is to be observed, M A S was originally written without any breaks or divisions into chapters or verses, or even into words; so that a whole book, in the ancient manner, was but one continued word; of this kind we have still several ancient manuscripts, both Greek and Latin. In regard, therefore, the sacred writings had undergone an infinite number of alterations, whence various readings had arisen, and the original was become much mangled and disguised, the Jews had recourse to a canon, which they judged infallible, to fix and ascertain the reading of the Hebrew text; and this rule they call masora, "tradition," from מסר, tradidit, as if this critique were nothing but a tradition which they had received from their forefathers. Accordingly they say, that when God gave the law to Moses at Mount Sinai, he taught him, first, the true reading of it; and, secondly, its true interpretation; and that both these were handed down by oral tradition, from generation to generation, till at length they were committed to writing. The former of these, viz. the true reading, is the subject of the masora; the latter, or true interpretation, that of the mishna and gemara. (A) Dr Render's Tour through Germany, Introduction to vol. i. p. 30. and 33. Dr Render maintains, that free masonry has greatly improved the manners and disposition of the Germans. See vol. ii. p. 200. Note.