The earliest Hebrew citation indexes

Abstract

The invention of the citation index was credited to Shepard (1873) until Shapiro described a legal citation index published in 1743. A similar index was embedded in the Talmud two centuries earlier (1546). The first Hebrew citation index to a printed book is dated 1511. The earliest Hebrew manuscript citation index, ascribed to Maimonides, dates from the 12th century. Considerable knowledge was assumed for users of these tools. The substantial knowledge of their compilers contrasts with the semi-automatic production of modern citation indexes. The terms citation, quotation, reference, cross-reference, locator, and concordance are employed inconsistently in publications about Hebrew indexes. There is a lack of citation links between the secondary literature on Hebrew indexes and that of citation analysis. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.