This is a basic introduction to the various Syriac translations of the Bible and the ways in which they were used in the Syriac tradition. Originally written for an MA Course in Syriac Studies at the St Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute (SEERI), in Kottayam, India, this new edition has been brought up to date and the bibliography expanded.
The first chapter, besides giving an initial overview of the Syriac Bible, also explores how the Bible comes down to us, and problems of biblical translation in general.
Chaper 2 gives an outline of the various different Syriac translations that have survived, while Chapter 3 looks at how the books of the Syriac Bible have reached us: in biblical manuscripts, lectionaires, printed editions, and translations.
The remaining chapters are devoted to the reception history of the Syriac Bible: the ways in which it has been interpreted, the commentary tradition, its use in preaching, in the liturgy, and in spirituality. An appendix offers some comparative samples (in translation) to illustrate some of the differences between the different Syriac translations.
Finally, a classified bibliography provides convenient guidance to the most important editions, tools, and secondary literature.
Sebastian Brock was born in 1938 and studied Classics (Greek and Latin) and Oriental Studies (Hebrew and Aramaic) at Cambridge University before doing a DPhil. at Oxford University on the text of the Septuagint. He has taught at the Universities of Birmingham, Cambridge, and (from 1974 until his retirement in 2003) Oxford, where he was Reader in Syriac Studies. He has published extensively in the field of Syriac, and has edited a number of new texts. Among his publications are: The Luminous Eye: the Spiritual World Vision of St Ephrem; Hymns on Paradise, Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian): the 'Second Part,' ch. IV-XLI, An Outline of Syriac Literature, and three volumes in the Variorum Reprint series. He was also the editor and main contributor to the three-volume The Hidden Pearl: The Syrian Orthodox Church and its Ancient Aramaic Heritage.
