Syriac Sinaiticus Explained

The Syriac Sinaiticus or Codex Sinaiticus Syriacus (syr^s), known also as the Sinaitic Palimpsest, of Saint Catherine's Monastery (Sinai, Syr. 30), or Old Syriac Gospels is a late-4th- or early-5th-century manuscript of 179 folios, containing a nearly complete translation of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament into Syriac,^[1] which have been overwritten by a vita (biography) of female saints and martyrs with a date corresponding to AD 697.^[2] This palimpsest is the oldest copy of the Gospels in Syriac, one of two surviving manuscripts (the other being the Curetonian Gospels) that are conventionally dated to before the Peshitta, the standard Syriac translation.^[3]

Text

Both the Syriac Sinaiticus (designated syr^s) [Sinai, Syr 30] and the Curetonian Gospels (designated syr^cur) [British Library, Add 14451; Staatsbibliothek, Berlin, Orient Quad 528] known as the Old Syriac version^[4] contain similar renderings of the Gospel text; its conformity with the Greek and the Latin has been debated.^[5] Additional passages of the Old Syriac version were discovered among the New Finds (1975) of Saint Catherine's Monastery (Sinai, Syr. NF 37, 39).^{[6] [7]} Even so, syr^s retains some readings from even earlier lost Syriac Gospels and from the 2nd-century Septuagint manuscripts, which brought the four Gospels into harmony with one another through selective readings and emendations.^[8]

It had been ascertained that the Diatessaron, or Harmony of the Four Gospels, composed by Tatian in the second century, had to be supplanted in the Syrian churches. There was a promulgation by Bishop Rabbula of Edessa in between AD 411 and 435, that four separate Gospels come into being in use in Syriac churches.^[9]

The importance of such early, least conforming texts is emphasized by the revision of the Peshitta that was made about 508, ordered by bishop Philoxenus of Mabbog. His revision, it is said, skilfully moved the Peshitta nearer to the Greek text; "it is very remarkable that his own frequent Gospel quotations preserved in his writings show that he used an Old Syriac set of the four Gospels".^[10]

History

The palimpsest was identified in the library at Saint Catherine's Monastery in February 1892 by Agnes Smith Lewis, who returned with a team of scholars in 1893 that included J. Rendel Harris, F. C. Burkitt, and R. L. Bensly to photograph and transcribe the work in its entirety.^[11] It is still kept by the Saint Catherine’s Monastery (Sinai, Syr. 30).

The German theologian Adalbert Merx devoted much of his later research to the elucidation of the Sinaitic Palimpsest, the results being embodied in (1897–1905).

The Sinaitic Palimpsest immediately became a central document in tracing the history of the New Testament. The palimpsest's importance lies especially in making the Greek New Testament manuscripts understandable to Aramaic speaking communities during that period.

Notable readings

The palimpsest lacks the last 12 verses of Mark, Christ's agony (22:43-44 ), the Pericope Adulteræ (7:53-8:11), and the reconciliation of Pilate with Herod (23:10-12 ).^[12]

In 1:16 , it contains "Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the Virgin, begat Jesus, who is called the Christ"^[13]

In 4:10 , it contains a singular reading reflecting the Greek ('get you behind' or 'get behind you').

12:47 is omitted, as in א*, B, L, Γ, 1009, ℓ 12, ff¹, k, syr^c, cop^sa.^[14]

In 14:12 , it reflects ('corpse') with א B C D L Θ f¹ f¹³ 33 565 700 892 1241 1424 e k ℓ 844 ℓ 2211 syr^{c, p} cop^bo

In 16:12 , it reflects ('leaven') with D, Θ, f¹³, 565, a, b, ff²

21:44 is omitted, as in ¹⁰⁴, D, 33, it^a.b.d.e, ff¹, ff², r¹, Irenaeus^lat, Origen, Eusebius

In 27:9 , text reflecting ('Jeremiah') is omitted, as in Φ 33 it^a it^b syr^p cop^bo

In 27:16 , it reflects ('Jesus the Barabbas') with Θ f¹ 700* arm geo²

In 2:26, the phrase when Abiathar was high priest is omitted, as in D, W, 1009, 1546, it^a.b.d.e.ff2.i.r¹.t

In 10:2, the phrase the Pharisees came is omitted, as in D, it^a.b.d.k.r1, (syr^cur)

In 10:7, the phrase and be joined to his wife is omitted, as in א, B, Ψ, 892*, 2427, ℓ 48, goth.^[15]

In 4:17 , it reflects ('opened') with A, B, L, W, Ξ, 33, 579, 892, 1195, 1241, ℓ 547, syr^{h, pal}, cop^{sa, bo}

In 9:35 , it reflects ('Elect One') with ^{45 75} א B L Ξ 892 1241 it^a.aur.ff2.l vgst cop^mss

In 10:41b-42a , the phrase you are worried and being troubled about many things, but only one thing is needed is omitted, as in it^a.b.d.e.ff2.i.l.r¹ Ambrose

In 23:34 , the phrase And Jesus said: Father forgive them, they know not what they do is omitted, agreeing with ⁷⁵, א¹, B, D*, W, Θ, 0124, 1241, a, Bezae^lat, cop^sa, cop^bo.^[16]

24:40 is omitted, as in D it^a.b.d.e.ff2.l.r¹, syr^cur

In 24:52 , the phrase after worshiping him is omitted, as in D it^a.b.d.e.ff2.geo².l (syr^cur)

In 24:53 , it reflects ('blessing') with ⁷⁵ א B C* L

In 1:34, it reflects ('the Elect One') with ^{5 106vid} א* it^b.e.ff2* syr^cur

In 6:23, the phrase the Lord having given thanks is omitted, as in D 091 it^a.e syr^cur

In 6:42, the phrase and his mother is omitted, as in א* W it^b syr^cur

In 6:46, it contains a singular reading reflecting the Greek ('God the Father').

In 6:47, it reflects ('he who is believing in God has life everlasting') in agreement only with syr^cur.

In 6:51, it reflects ('my bread') with א it^a.e.r1

In 6:64, the text who they are who are not believing, and is omitted, as in ^66* it^e syr^cur

In 7:32, the phrase the chief priests and the Pharisees is omitted, as in 118 it^b.e

In 8:16, text reflecting ('father') is omitted, as in א* D 1655* it^d syr^cur

In 8:53, the phrase our father is omitted, as in D W it^{a.b.c.d.e.ff2}.j.l cop^pbo

In 9:18, the phrase had been blind and had received sight is omitted, as in ^66* f¹ 565 it^mss cop^bo

In 9:35, it reflects ('Son of Man') with ^{66 75} א B D W cop^mss

In 11:25, the phrase and the life is omitted, as in ⁴⁵ it^l Diatessaron^syr Cyprian

In 11:39, the phrase the sister of the deceased is omitted, as in Θ it^{aur.b.c.e.ff2}.l ac²

In 11:51, the phrase of that year is omitted, as in ⁴⁵ it^e

12:8 is omitted, as in D it^d

In 13:32, the phrase If God has been glorified in him is omitted, as in ⁶⁶ א* B C* D L W X 579 it vg^mss syr^h ac² mf co^bomss

In 14:1, the phrase And he said to his disciples starts the passage, as in D it^a.aur.c

14:14 is omitted, as in X Λ* 0141 f¹ 565 it^b vg^ms arm

16:3 is omitted.

In 16:28, the phrase I came forth from the Father is omitted, as in D W it^b.d.ff2 ac² cop^pbo

In 17:14, the phrase just as I am not of the world is omitted, as in ^66* D f¹³ it^b.c.d.e.r1

In 18:5, the phrase the one betraying him is omitted, as in ^66*vid

In 18:13-24, the verse order is 13, 24, 14–15, 19–23, 16–18

In 20:1, the text reads from the opening of the tomb with א W f¹ 22 565 579 it^d.f.r1 vg^ms cop^bo cop^pbo

20:13 contains an interpolation (in bold): Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking? This reading is supported by A* D 579 1424

20:26 contains a singular reading (in bold): And after eight days, on the first day of the Sabbath (week?)

In 21:4, the passage concludes with yet, they knew not as with ⁶⁶ א L Ψ 33 844 lat

In 21:13, it reflects ('upon giving thanks, he gave it to them') as with D it^f.r1 vg^mss

See also

• Aramaic New Testament
• Codex Sinaiticus
• Saint Catherine’s Monastery

Further reading

• Margaret Dunlop Gibson (1893), How the Codex was Found. A Narrative of Two Visits to Sinai from Mrs. Lewis’s Journals. 1892–1893 (Cambridge: Macmillan & Bowes).
• Agnes Smith Lewis (1898), In the Shadow of Sinai. A Story travel and Research from 1895 to 1897 (Cambridge: Macmillan & Bowes).
• Sebastian P. Brock (2016), Two Hitherto Unattested Passages of the Old Syriac Gospels in Palimpsests from St Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai, Δελτίο βιβλικῶν Μελετῶν 31A, pp. 7–18.

External links

• Agnes Smith Lewis Catalogue of the Syriac mss. in the Convent of S. Catharine on Mount Sinai (1894)
• Sebastian P. Brock under Sinai Palimpsest Project
• A translation of the four Gospels, from the Syriac of the Sinaitic palimpsest (1894)
• A translation of the four Gospels from the Syriac of the Sinaitic palimpsest (1896)

Notes and References

1. Bruce M. Metzger (1977), III. The Old Syriac Version, in Bruce M. Metzger (ed.), The Early Versions of the New Testament (Clarendon Press; Oxford), pp. 36–48.
2. Agnes S. Lewis, Select Narratives of Holy Women from the Syro-Antiochene or Sinai Palimpsest as Written Above the Old Syriac Gospels by John the Stylite, or Beth Mari-Qanu in ADD 778 (Studia Sinaitica IX–X; C. J. Clay; London, 1900).
3. Bruce M. Metzger (1977), IV. The Peshitta Syriac Version, in Bruce M. Metzger (ed.), The Early Versions of the New Testament (Clarendon Press; Oxford), pp. 48–63.
4. Synoptic edition George A. Kiraz (1996), Comparative Edition of the Syriac Gospels Aligning the Sinaiticus, Curetonians, Peshitta and Harklean Version, I–IV (Brill: Leiden).
5. Bruce M. Metzger (1977), III. The Old Syriac Version, in Bruce M. Metzger (ed.), The Early Versions of the New Testament (Clarendon Press; Oxford), pp. 36–48.
6. Sebastian P. Brock (2016), Two Hitherto Unattested Passages of the Old Syriac Gospels in Palimpsests from St Catherie’s Monastery, Sinai, Δελτίο Βιβλικῶν Μελετῶν 31A, pp. 7–18.
7. https://sinai.library.ucla.edu Sinai Palimpsest Project
8. See Gospel harmony.
9. Book: Smith Lewis, Agnes. A Translation of the Four Gospels from the Syriac of the Sinaitic Palimpset. Macmillan and Co.. 1894. 9783337283360. New York. xvii.
10. Web site: Syriac New Testament, catalog of versions. Ring. Steven. www.syriac.talktalk.net. 2018-02-26. 2017-11-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20171109151059/http://www.syriac.talktalk.net/syriac_versions.html. dead.
11. Margaret Dunlop Gibson (1893), How the Codex was Found (Cambridge: Macmillan & Bowes), pp. 60–67.
12. H. Schumacher, A Handbook of Scripture Study (B. Herder Book Co.: London 1923), p. 39.
13. Book: Lewis, Agnes Smith. A translation of the four Gospels, from the Syriac of the Sinaitic palimpsest. 1894. London : Macmillan. University of California Libraries.
14. NA26, p. 46.
15. UBS3, p. 164.
16. UBS4, p. 311.