The Syriac Sinaiticus or Codex Sinaiticus Syriacus (syr
s), known also as the Sinaitic Palimpsest, of
Saint Catherine's Monastery
Saint Catherine's Monastery ( ar, دير القدّيسة كاترين; grc-gre, Μονὴ τῆς Ἁγίας Αἰκατερίνης), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Katherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, ...
(Sinai, Syr. 30), or Old Syriac Gospels is a late-4th- or early-5th-century
manuscript
A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced i ...
of 179 folios, containing a nearly complete translation of the four canonical
Gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
s of the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...
into
Syriac, which have been overwritten by a ''vita'' (biography) of female
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...
s and
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
s 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
The Curetonian Gospels, designated by the ''siglum'' syrcur, are contained in a manuscript of the four gospels of the New Testament in Old Syriac. Together with the Sinaiticus Palimpsest the Curetonian Gospels form the Old Syriac Version, and a ...
) that are conventionally dated to before the
Peshitta
The Peshitta ( syc, ܦܫܺܝܛܬܳܐ ''or'' ') is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition, including the Maronite Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, ...
, the standard Syriac translation.
Text
Both the Syriac Sinaiticus (designated syr
s)
inai, Syr 30and the Curetonian Gospels (designated syr
cur)
ritish Library, Add 14451; Staatsbibliothek, Berlin, Orient Quad 528known 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
Saint Catherine's Monastery ( ar, دير القدّيسة كاترين; grc-gre, Μονὴ τῆς Ἁγίας Αἰκατερίνης), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Katherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, ...
(Sinai, Syr. NF 37, 39). 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.
It had been ascertained that the
Diatessaron
The ''Diatessaron'' ( syr, ܐܘܢܓܠܝܘܢ ܕܡܚܠܛܐ, Ewangeliyôn Damhalltê; c. 160–175 AD) is the most prominent early gospel harmony, and was created by Tatian, an Assyrian early Christian apologist and ascetic. Tatian sought to com ...
, or
Harmony of the Four Gospels, composed by
Tatian
Tatian of Adiabene, or Tatian the Syrian or Tatian the Assyrian, (; la, Tatianus; grc, Τατιανός; syc, ܛܛܝܢܘܣ; c. 120 – c. 180 AD) was an Assyrian Christian writer and theologian of the 2nd century.
Tatian's most influential w ...
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
James Rendel Harris (Plymouth, Devon, 27 January 1852 – 1 March 1941) was an English biblical scholar and curator of manuscripts, who was instrumental in bringing back to light many Syriac Scriptures and other early documents. His contacts at th ...
,
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 (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
The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated i ...
speaking communities during that period.
Notable readings
The palimpsest lacks the
last 12 verses of Mark,
Christ's agony (), the
Pericope Adulteræ (), and the reconciliation of Pilate with Herod ().
In , it contains "Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the Virgin, begat Jesus, who is called the Christ"
In , it contains a singular reading reflecting the Greek ('get you behind' or 'get behind you').
is omitted, as in א*, B,
L,
Γ, 1009,
ℓ ''12'', ff
1, k, syr
c, cop
sa.
In , it reflects ('corpse') with א B C D L
Θ ''f''1 ''f''
13 33 565 700 892 1241 1424 e k ℓ ''844'' ℓ ''2211'' syr
c, p cop
bo
In , it reflects ('leaven') with D, Θ, ''f''
13, 565, a, b, ff
2
is omitted, as in
𝔓104, D, 33, it
a.b.d.e, ff
1, ff
2, r
1,
Irenaeus
Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the de ...
lat,
Origen
Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and the ...
,
Eusebius
Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Chris ...
In , text reflecting ('Jeremiah') is omitted, as in
Φ 33 it
a it
b syr
p cop
bo
In , it reflects ('Jesus the Barabbas') with
Θ ''f''
1 700* arm geo
2
In , the phrase ''when
Abiathar
Abiathar ( ''ʾEḇyāṯār'', "father (of) abundance"/"abundant father"), in the Hebrew Bible, is a son of Ahimelech or Ahijah, High Priest at Nob, the fourth in descent from Eli and the last of Eli's House to be a High Priest.
Bible accou ...
was
high priest
The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste.
Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rev ...
'' is omitted, as in D, W, 1009, 1546, it
a.b.d.e.ff2.i.r1.t
In , the phrase ''the Pharisees came'' is omitted, as in D, it
a.b.d.k.r1, (syr
cur)
In , the phrase ''and be joined to his wife'' is omitted, as in
א,
B,
Ψ,
892
Year 892 ( DCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* Summer – Poppo II, duke of Thuringia (Central Germany), is deposed by King Arnu ...
*,
2427,
ℓ ''48'', goth.
In , it reflects ('opened') with A, B, L, W, Ξ, 33, 579, 892, 1195, 1241,
ℓ ''547'', syr
h, pal, cop
sa, bo
In , it reflects ('Elect One') with
𝔓45 𝔓75 א B L Ξ 892 1241 it
a.aur.ff2.l vgst cop
mss
In , 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
Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promot ...
In , the phrase ''And Jesus said: Father forgive them, they know not what they do'' is omitted, agreeing with
𝔓75,
א1,
B,
D*,
W,
Θ,
0124, 1241,
a, Bezae
lat, cop
sa, cop
bo.
[UBS4, p. 311.]
is omitted, as in D it
a.b.d.e.ff2.l.r1, syr
cur
In , the phrase ''after worshiping him'' is omitted, as in D it
a.b.d.e.ff2.geo2.l (syr
cur)
In , it reflects ('blessing') with 𝔓
75 א B C* L
In , it reflects ('the Elect One') with
𝔓5 𝔓106vid א* it
b.e.ff2* syr
cur
In , the phrase ''the Lord having given thanks'' is omitted, as in D
091 it
a.e syr
cur
In , the phrase ''and his mother'' is omitted, as in א* W it
b syr
cur
In , it contains a singular reading reflecting the Greek ('God the Father').
In , it reflects ('he who is believing in God has life everlasting') in agreement only with syr
cur.
In , it reflects ('my bread') with א it
a.e.r1
In , the text ''who they are who are not believing, and'' is omitted, as in
𝔓66* it
e syr
cur
In , the phrase ''the chief priests and the Pharisees'' is omitted, as in
118 118 may refer to:
*118 (number)
*AD 118
*118 BC
*118 (TV series)
*118 (film)
*118 (Tees) Corps Engineer Regiment
*118 (Tees) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
See also
*11/8 (disambiguation)
*Oganesson
Oganesson is a synthetic chemical element wi ...
it
b.e
In , text reflecting ('father') is omitted, as in א* D 1655* it
d syr
cur
In , the phrase ''our father'' is omitted, as in D W it
a.b.c.d.e.ff2.j.l cop
pbo
In , the phrase ''had been blind and had received sight'' is omitted, as in 𝔓
66* ''f''
1 565 it
mss cop
bo
In , it reflects ('Son of Man') with 𝔓
66 𝔓
75 א B D W cop
mss
In , the phrase ''and the life'' is omitted, as in 𝔓
45 it
l Diatessaron
The ''Diatessaron'' ( syr, ܐܘܢܓܠܝܘܢ ܕܡܚܠܛܐ, Ewangeliyôn Damhalltê; c. 160–175 AD) is the most prominent early gospel harmony, and was created by Tatian, an Assyrian early Christian apologist and ascetic. Tatian sought to com ...
syr Cyprian
Cyprian (; la, Thaschus Caecilius Cyprianus; 210 – 14 September 258 AD''The Liturgy of the Hours according to the Roman Rite: Vol. IV.'' New York: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 1975. p. 1406.) was a bishop of Carthage and an early Christ ...
In , the phrase ''the sister of the deceased'' is omitted, as in
Θ it
aur.b.c.e.ff2.l ac
2
In , the phrase ''of that year'' is omitted, as in 𝔓
45 it
e
is omitted, as in D it
d
In , the phrase ''If God has been glorified in him'' is omitted, as in 𝔓
66 א* B C* D L W X 579 it vg
mss syr
h ac
2 mf co
bomss
In , the phrase ''And he said to his disciples'' starts the passage, as in D it
a.aur.c
is omitted, as in X
Λ*
0141 ''f''
1 565 it
b vg
ms arm
is omitted.
In , the phrase ''I came forth from the Father'' is omitted, as in D W it
b.d.ff2 ac
2 cop
pbo
In , the phrase ''just as I am not of the world'' is omitted, as in 𝔓
66* D ''f''
13 it
b.c.d.e.r1
In , the phrase ''the one betraying him'' is omitted, as in 𝔓
66*vid
In John , the verse order is 13, 24, 14–15, 19–23, 16–18
In , the text reads ''from the opening of the tomb'' with א W ''f''
1 22 565 579 it
d.f.r1 vg
ms cop
bo cop
pbo
contains an interpolation (in bold): ''Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?'' This reading is supported by A* D 579 1424
contains a singular reading (in bold): ''And after eight days, on the first day of the Sabbath (week?)''
In , the passage concludes with ''yet, they knew not'' as with 𝔓
66 א L Ψ 33 844 lat
In , it reflects ('upon giving thanks, he gave it to them') as with D it
f.r1 vg
mss
See also
*
Aramaic New Testament
The Peshitta ( syc, ܦܫܺܝܛܬܳܐ ''or'' ') is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition, including the Maronite Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the ...
*
Codex Sinaiticus
The Codex Sinaiticus ( Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscript ...
*
Saint Catherine’s Monastery
References
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)
(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
{{Commons category
* Agnes Smith Lewi
''Catalogue of the Syriac mss. in the Convent of S. Catharine on Mount Sinai''(1894)
* Sebastian P. Brock unde
Sinai Palimpsest Project
4th-century biblical manuscripts
Syriac manuscripts
Saint Catherine's Monastery