The Syriac Sinaiticus or Codex Sinaiticus Syriacus (syr), 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, which have been overwritten by a vita (biography) of female saints and martyrs with a date corresponding to AD 697. 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.
Text
Both the Syriac Sinaiticus (designated syr) and the Curetonian Gospels (designated syr) known as the Old Syriac version contain similar renderings of the Gospel text; its conformity with the Greek and the Latin has been debated. Additional passages of the Old Syriac version were discovered among the New Finds (1975) of Saint Catherine's Monastery (Sinai, Syr. NF 37, 39). Even so, syr 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.
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.
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".
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. 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 Die vier kanonischen Evangelien nach dem ältesten bekannten Texte (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
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The palimpsest lacks the last 12 verses of Mark, Christ's agony (Luke 22:43–44), the Pericope Adulteræ (John 7:53–8:11), and the reconciliation of Pilate with Herod (Luke 23:10–12).
In Matthew 1:16, it contains "Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the Virgin, begat Jesus, who is called the Christ"
In Matthew 4:10, it contains a singular reading reflecting the Greek ὕπαγε ὀπίσω σου ('get you behind' or 'get behind you').
Matthew 12:47 is omitted, as in א*, B, L, Γ, 1009, ℓ 12, ff, k, syr, cop.
In Matthew 14:12, it reflects πτωμα ('corpse') with א B C D L Θ f f 33 565 700 892 1241 1424 e k ℓ 844 ℓ 2211 syr cop
In Matthew 16:12, it reflects της ζυμης ('leaven') with D, Θ, f, 565, a, b, ff
Matthew 21:44 is omitted, as in 𝔓, D, 33, it, ff, ff, r, Irenaeus, Origen, Eusebius
In Matthew 27:9, text reflecting Ιερεμιου ('Jeremiah') is omitted, as in Φ 33 it it syr cop
In Matthew 27:16, it reflects Ἰησοῦν τὸν Βαραββᾶν ('Jesus the Barabbas') with Θ f 700* arm geo
In Mark 2:26, the phrase when Abiathar was high priest is omitted, as in D, W, 1009, 1546, it
In Mark 10:2, the phrase the Pharisees came is omitted, as in D, it, (syr)
In Mark 10:7, the phrase and be joined to his wife is omitted, as in א, B, Ψ, 892*, 2427, ℓ 48, goth.
In Luke 4:17, it reflects ἀνοίξας ('opened') with A, B, L, W, Ξ, 33, 579, 892, 1195, 1241, ℓ 547, syr, cop
In Luke 9:35, it reflects ἐκλελεγμένος ('Elect One') with 𝔓 𝔓 א B L Ξ 892 1241 it vgst cop
In Luke 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 Ambrose
In Luke 23:34, the phrase And Jesus said: Father forgive them, they know not what they do is omitted, agreeing with 𝔓, א, B, D*, W, Θ, 0124, 1241, a, Bezae, cop, cop.
Luke 24:40 is omitted, as in D it, syr
In Luke 24:52, the phrase after worshiping him is omitted, as in D it (syr)
In Luke 24:53, it reflects εὐλογοῦντες ('blessing') with 𝔓 א B C* L
In John 1:34, it reflects ὁ ἐκλεκτός ('the Elect One') with 𝔓 𝔓 א* it syr
In John 6:23, the phrase the Lord having given thanks is omitted, as in D 091 it syr
In John 6:42, the phrase and his mother is omitted, as in א* W it syr
In John 6:46, it contains a singular reading reflecting the Greek θεον πατερα ('God the Father').
In John 6:47, it reflects ὁ πιστεύων εις θεον ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον ('he who is believing in God has life everlasting') in agreement only with syr.
In John 6:51, it reflects του εμου ἄρτου ('my bread') with א it
In John 6:64, the text who they are who are not believing, and is omitted, as in 𝔓 it syr
In John 7:32, the phrase the chief priests and the Pharisees is omitted, as in 118 it
In John 8:16, text reflecting πατήρ ('father') is omitted, as in א* D 1655* it syr
In John 8:53, the phrase our father is omitted, as in D W it cop
In John 9:18, the phrase had been blind and had received sight is omitted, as in 𝔓 f 565 it cop
In John 9:35, it reflects υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ('Son of Man') with 𝔓 𝔓 א B D W cop
In John 11:25, the phrase and the life is omitted, as in 𝔓 it Diatessaron Cyprian
In John 11:39, the phrase the sister of the deceased is omitted, as in Θ it ac
In John 11:51, the phrase of that year is omitted, as in 𝔓 it
John 12:8 is omitted, as in D it
In John 13:32, the phrase If God has been glorified in him is omitted, as in 𝔓 א* B C* D L W X 579 it vg syr ac mf co
In John 14:1, the phrase And he said to his disciples starts the passage, as in D it
John 14:14 is omitted, as in X Λ* 0141 f 565 it vg arm
John 16:3 is omitted.
In John 16:28, the phrase I came forth from the Father is omitted, as in D W it ac cop
In John 17:14, the phrase just as I am not of the world is omitted, as in 𝔓 D f it
In John 18:5, the phrase the one betraying him is omitted, as in 𝔓
In John 18:13–24, the verse order is 13, 24, 14–15, 19–23, 16–18
In John 20:1, the text reads from the opening of the tomb with א W f 22 565 579 it vg cop cop
John 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
John 20:26 contains a singular reading (in bold): And after eight days, on the first day of the Sabbath (week?)
In John 21:4, the passage concludes with yet, they knew not as with 𝔓 א L Ψ 33 844 lat
In John 21:13, it reflects ευχαριστησας εδωκεν αὐτοῖς ('upon giving thanks, he gave it to them') as with D it vg
See also
References
- 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- Synoptic edition George A. Kiraz (1996), Comparative Edition of the Syriac Gospels Aligning the Sinaiticus, Curetonians, Peshitta and Harklean Version, I–IV (Brill: Leiden).
- 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.
- 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.
- Sinai Palimpsest Project.
- See Gospel harmony.
- Smith Lewis, Agnes (1894). A Translation of the Four Gospels from the Syriac of the Sinaitic Palimpset. New York: Macmillan and Co. pp. xvii. ISBN 9783337283360.
- Ring, Steven. "Syriac New Testament, catalog of versions". www.syriac.talktalk.net. Archived from the original on 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- Margaret Dunlop Gibson (1893), How the Codex was Found (Cambridge: Macmillan & Bowes), pp. 60–67.
- H. Schumacher, A Handbook of Scripture Study (B. Herder Book Co.: London 1923), p. 39.
- Lewis, Agnes Smith (1894). A translation of the four Gospels, from the Syriac of the Sinaitic palimpsest. University of California Libraries. London : Macmillan.
- NA26, p. 46.
- UBS3, p. 164.
- UBS4, p. 311.
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)