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Language Studies
Aramaic Thoughts
Aramaic Texts of the New Testament
A number of Aramaic (or more properly, Syriac) manuscripts and fragments of all or parts of the New Testament exist. These are usually categorized into five different Syriac versions that came into existence over the years, based on considerations of style, script, location, etc. The first of these is the Old Syriac version, which is attested primarily for the gospels, and even those with large gaps. Acts and the letters of Paul remain primarily through citation made of this version by the Eastern church fathers. The two primary manuscripts testifying to this version date to the fourth and fifth centuries, though the form of the text may date back to the late second or early third century.
Following the Old Syriac is the Peshitta (which means “simple”) version. This is the most widely known of the Syriac versions, and the complete New Testament of it contains only twenty-two books, omitting 2 Peter, 2,3 John, Jude, and Revelation. As a version, it was probably prepared about the beginning of the fifth century, and some of the manuscripts of it date back almost to that time, though most are later.
The Palestinian Syriac version is the latest of the Syriac versions, and is known from lectionary manuscripts of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. (A lectionary is a collection of texts used for the readings of Scripture in public worship. As such, it may or may not contain the complete text of any particular book of the Bible, because the readings are divided up week by week. The mainline Protestant churches, as well as the Roman Catholic church, publish lectionaries for the use of their congregation even today.)
The most disputed of the Syriac versions are the Philoxonian/Harclean versions. It is generally accepted that these are two separate Syriac versions, but the exact relation between them is uncertain, and some scholars dispute that they are two distinct versions. They originated in the sixth or seventh centuries. The oldest of the manuscripts attesting to these versions date back to the seventh or eighth centuries.
As is evident, the origin of most of these versions is fairly late, and the characteristics of the texts are such that they are pretty certainly translation Syriac, that is they are dependent on a Greek original, rather than an earlier Aramaic or other Semitic version. This is not to deny that some parts of the New Testament may have been composed in Aramaic/Syriac, but it is to say that, if that is the case, there is no remaining manuscript evidence to support the contention.
There are two standard reference works for those interested in pursuing these issues further, both written by Bruce Metzger. The first is The Text of the New Testament. The fourth edition, done by Bart Ehrman, was just published in April of this year. The second work is The Early Versions of the New Testament. This deals much more extensively with the characteristics and distinctives of the various versions than does the former work. It devotes approximately one hundred pages to the Syriac versions. Both of these works include additional bibliography that will help the serious student.Copyright Statement
'Aramaic Thoughts' Copyright 2024© Benjamin Shaw. 'Aramaic Thoughts' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/aramaic-thoughts.html 2) 'Aramaic Thoughts' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
He did two year of doctoral-level course work in Semitic languages (Akkadian, Arabic, Ethiopic, Middle Egyptian, and Syriac) at Duke University. He received the Ph.D. in Old Testament Interpretation at Bob Jones University in 2005.
Since 1991, he has taught Hebrew and Old Testament at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a school which serves primarily the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, where he holds the rank of Associate Professor.
