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use of OS by ancient Aramaic-speaking Christians
#1
Shlama, akhay,

Now I would like to present some evidence that the Old Syriac gospels were used by the Syriac Fathers of the Church, and especially by the monks, well into the 7th century and later.

It seems to me that those who really respect the history of the ancient Aramaic speaking Christians should also show some respect for these Old Syriac gospels.

All this material comes from the webpage of Steven Ring, who is a very fine Aramaic scholar in England. I've adapted his presentation a bit for this summary.

In this article, I've stopped at 604 AD. There is a lot more such material for the later centuries as well. Ring's references are at,

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(According to Ring, it seems like the Syrian monks preferred the OS, whereas the secular clergy preferred the Peshitta.)

________________

USE OF THE OLD SYRIAC GOSPELS BY ANCIENT ARAMAIC-SPEAKING CHRISTIANS.

History of Syriac texts and Syrian Christianity - Table 6
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449 AD Second Council of Ephesus

The acts of this synod are preserved in Syriac. This Syriac text contains many gospel quotations which cannot be explained from the Greek original text and can only be explained from the Old Syriac gospel witnesses. Therefore, we have an official Monophysite church document which shows that an Old Syriac gospel text was the officially sanctioned gospel text in AD 449.

460 AD
Shem`on Estonaya, (Simon Stylites) a Monophysite aesthetic of Qal'at-Sem'an cites his gospel quotations from an Old Syriac manuscript.

485 AD
Philoxenus... his gospel quotations show that the separate gospel codex he was using was an Old Syriac codex with some accommodations to the Peshitta, but certainly not the Peshitta itself.

520 AD
Was written the Syriac, 'History of Paul the bishop' in Edessa. The gospels are quoted in this history from the Old Syriac Evangelion daMepharreshe.

544 AD
A synod was held presided over by Catholicos Mar Abha. The acts of this synod contain a few gospel quotations taken from an Old Syriac gospel manuscript.

Also, one of Mar Abha's disciples, a priest called Ishai, used an Old Syriac gospel manuscript in his work.

550 AD
Johannan of Dalyatha (or John Sabha) an East (?) Syrian anchorite monk, gathered some monks together and erected the monastery of Dalyatha at Qardu. He wrote a treatise on the monastic life and a collection of epistles. According to [38 = Voobus] these works contain much gospel text quoted from an Old Syriac text, though some have been vulgarized in transmission.

This was part of a reaction by the monks to the severe harm done by the East Syrian clergy towards them over the preceding 70 years or so. In general, the reaction of the monks was largely to go their own way.

554 AD
An East Syrian synod was held under Catholicos Jauseph. The persecution of the monks by the clergy resulted in a permanent rift between the two sides. From a gospel text point of view, the monks continued to use the Old Syriac texts they preferred, whereas from this time onwards the East Syrian clergy slowly migrated towards the Peshitta.

566 AD
Yohannan (John) of Ephesus wrote his 'History of Oriental Saints'... some Old Syriac influences.

576 AD
A synod was held presided over by Catholicos Mar Hazqiel. The acts of this synod contain eight gospel quotations. Of these eight, seven are taken from an Old Syriac gospel manuscript.

585 AD
A synod was held presided over by the East Syrian catholicos Isho`yabh I of Arzon. The acts of this synod contain sixteen gospel quotations. Of these, a quarter reflect the tenacity of the Old Syriac text type.

588 AD
Died Abraham of Kashkar, an East Syrian monastic reformer who created a new monastic centre based on the mount Izla monastery (also called the Great Convent). Again, the Izla movement was a reaction to the suppression of the monks by the East Syrian clergy.

His successor, Dadisho` of Beth Qatraya, composed a number of treatises, which reflect Old Syriac gospel readings. Official use of Old Syriac at the Mount Izla monastery demonstrates that the Old Syriac gospels were preferred by the East Syrian monks and anchorites.

593 AD
Died Simon Stylites the Younger. Simon corresponded with the famous East Syrian writer Isaac of Nineveh. Isaac was a monk of the convent of Mar Matthew in Mosul, then an anchorite who roamed the mountains of Susiana and later he was bishop of Mosul or Nineveh. However, he soon resigned his see and went to the desert of Scete in NW Egypt where he wrote his aesthetic works. These are very rich in gospel quotations taken from an Old Syriac manuscript.

596 AD
Lived Hnana or Henana of Hedhaiyabhe (i.e. of Adiabene) a theologian and the director of the East Syrian School of Nisibis... As can be seen from his surviving theological treatise, Hnana used an Old Syriac manuscript of the gospels.

600 AD
Lived Abraham Nethperaya and anchorite monk from Nethpar near Arbela... Abraham quotes from an Old Syriac gospel manuscript.

600 AD
Lived Barhadbeshabba who was an Eastern Syriac author and Head Doctor of the school at Nisibis. He wrote, 'The cause of the foundation of the schools'... The gospel text used was originally Old Syriac.

604 AD
Died Dadh-isho` the director of the Izla monastic movement. Dadisho` was succeeded as director by Babai the Great or 'the Archimandrite' or 'the Elder' (he lived AD 569-629). Babai wrote 'The Book of Union' a major statement of East Syrian theology. There are many gospel quotations in this book which he quoted from an Old Syriac gospel manuscript

[Stop here. There's a lot more such material further on.]

Shlama,

Yuri.
Yuri Kuchinsky | Toronto | <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.trends.ca/~yuku/bbl/bbl.htm">http://www.trends.ca/~yuku/bbl/bbl.htm</a><!-- m -->
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Messages In This Thread
use of OS by ancient Aramaic-speaking Christians - by yuku - 05-06-2004, 06:06 PM
[No subject] - by Paul Younan - 05-06-2004, 11:02 PM
[No subject] - by Dave - 05-07-2004, 07:54 AM
[No subject] - by abudar2000 - 05-07-2004, 03:17 PM
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[No subject] - by Paul Younan - 05-12-2004, 11:47 PM
The final nail... - by Andrew Gabriel Roth - 05-13-2004, 12:14 AM
[No subject] - by Paul Younan - 05-13-2004, 12:34 AM
[No subject] - by Dave - 05-13-2004, 02:29 AM
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[No subject] - by Dean Dana - 05-13-2004, 09:59 PM
[No subject] - by Paul Younan - 05-13-2004, 11:40 PM
I'm with Paul here - by Andrew Gabriel Roth - 05-14-2004, 12:45 AM
[No subject] - by Dave - 05-14-2004, 07:52 AM
[No subject] - by Dave - 05-14-2004, 11:34 AM
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[No subject] - by yuku - 05-14-2004, 06:00 PM
[No subject] - by Paul Younan - 05-14-2004, 06:00 PM
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[No subject] - by Paul Younan - 05-14-2004, 06:11 PM
[No subject] - by Dave - 05-14-2004, 06:14 PM
[No subject] - by abudar2000 - 05-14-2004, 06:26 PM
[No subject] - by Paul Younan - 05-14-2004, 06:27 PM
[No subject] - by Dave - 05-14-2004, 06:39 PM
[No subject] - by yuku - 05-14-2004, 06:45 PM
[No subject] - by Dave - 05-14-2004, 06:48 PM
[No subject] - by abudar2000 - 05-14-2004, 06:54 PM
[No subject] - by Dave - 05-14-2004, 07:14 PM
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