24 Rev. Isaac Herzog on 



of the minuteness of the dye-secretion in that species its employ- 

 ment for dyeing was unlikely. His omission of Purpui^a lapillus 

 is probably due to the fact that this species is not found in the 

 Mediterranean. 



The identification adopted by Dedekind, be it carefully 

 noted, is based solely on the tradition of the tekelet nuance: it 

 does not take into account the description of the tekelet species 

 as given in the Talmud, and as reproduced by Maimonides, the 

 greatest authority of Post-Talmudic Judaism. And if we are to 

 choose between the three species known to have been employed 

 in Phoenician purple-dyeing (M. trunculus, M. brandaris, and 

 P. hcemastoma) there can be little hesitation so far as tekelet is 

 concerned. Murex truncuhis is the likeliest of the three; but 

 there is the possibility that tekelet was produced from an 

 altogether different species. 



The description given in the Talmud of the tekelet species 

 runs as follows : — 



(a) Its body (i.e., the colour of its body or shell) is like unto 

 the sea ; (6) its shape is like unto a fish ; and (c) it comes up 

 once in seventy years, and with its blood tekelet is dyed, and 

 therefore it is very dear." (Menahet, 44a). Another ancient text 

 (Baraita a'Sisit) offers a variant reading : "' What is Hilazon* like 

 unto'? Its shape is like unto that of a fish, and its body (i.e., the 

 colour of body or shell) is like unto the sky, and it only comes up 

 once in seven years ; therefore it is very dear." 



Which species of marine snail satisfies the description thus 

 recorded in the Talmud and the Baraita a'Sisit ? 



Before we attempt to answer the question it is essential to 

 ascertain the import of the three elements constituting the 

 description in the Talmud. 



(a) This presents no difficulty. It refers to a deep blue or 

 deep violet blue resembling the colour of the Mediterranean or 

 of the clear cloudless Palestinian sky in bright sunshine. 



*Hilazon in genei-al means a shell-snail. In this instance it means the 

 particular species furnishing the tekelet dye. 



