In The Theological Profile of the Peshitta of Isaiah, Attila Bodor explores theological elements in the Peshitta version of Isaiah through a close study of its interpretative renderings.
Building on previous holistic readings of the Book of Isaiah, this collection approaches Isaiah through the concept of unity. Contributors outline research that point to new directions in the unity movement and, in the process, bring it under a critical gaze, considering the perennial challenges to unity reading and thus problematizing the very concept of unity. Divided into four parts, the book provides methodological reflections on reading Isaiah as a unity, and examines historical and redactional readings, literary readings and contextual or reader-orientated readings. Topics include how the figure of Jacob functions as a unifying motif in the final form of the book, Isaiah 1 as an example of the relevance of local structure for global coherence and how woman as a root metaphor of Zion not only bears revelatory significance but also serves as a theological linchpin for a more holistic reading of the book. Overall, the book highlights the continued promise of holistic readings for diverse methods and varied approaches to the Book of Isaiah.
The first thorough commentary on the Old Greek and Peshitta of Isaiah Ronald L. Troxel’s new textual commentary on Isaiah focuses on the book’s Greek and Syriac translations and seeks to recover, as much as possible, the Hebrew texts on which these early translations relied. Troxel treats the Greek and Syriac together in order to present a detailed analysis of their relationship, devoting particular attention to whether the Syriac was directly or indirectly influenced by the Greek. This comparison sheds light on both the shared and distinct approaches that the translators took in rendering lexemes, phrases, verses, and even passages. In addition Troxel presents observations about the literary structures the translators created that differ from those implicit in their source texts (as we understand them), to produce coherent discourse in the target language. Features: Textual commentary on the life of the text of Isaiah 1–25 Use of the Dead Sea Scrolls to shed light on particular issues Detailed comparison of the Masoretic Text, the Old Greek, and the Peshitta
This handsome new edition of the authoritative English translation of the Aramaic (Syriac) Old and New Testaments--the language of Jesus--clarifies difficult passages and offers fresh insight on the Bible's message.
This volume, containing papers read at the Third Peshitta Symposium, brings together biblical studies and Syriac liturgy and patristic literature. It discusses the patristic and liturgical evidence for the Syriac versions, as well as their reception in the Syriac churches.
The Book of Isaiah is considered one of the greatest prophetic works in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament. The complex history of the book's composition, over several time periods, can often perplex and enthrall. The editors to this volume encourage readers to engage deeply with the text in order to get a grasp of the traces and signs within it that can be seen to point to the book's process of composition and ongoing reinterpretation over time. The contributions discuss suggested segments of composition and levels of interpretation, both within the book of Isaiah and its history of reception. The book is divided into two sections: in the first part certain motifs that have come to Isaiah from a distant past are traced through to their origins. Arguments for a suggested 'Josianic edition' are carefully evaluated, and the relationship between the second part of Isaiah and the Book of Psalms is discussed, as are the motifs of election and the themes of Zion theology and the temple. The second part of the book focuses on the history of reception and looks at Paul's use of the book of Isaiah, and how the book is used, and perhaps misused in a contemporary setting in the growing churches in Africa. With a range of international specialists, including Hugh Williamson, Tommy Wasserman, and Knut Holter, this is an excellent resource for scholars seeking to understand Isaiah in a greater depth.
This is a literal word for word interlinear translation of the 1900+ year old Aramaic Old Testament called the Peshitta. Aramaic was the native language of Jesus and of Israel in the 1st century AD. This volume contains the Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel. The text translated is the 6th-7th century Codex Ambrosianus- the oldest complete Semitic Old Testament extant. The Peshitta Old Testament was very likely translated from the Hebrew Bible in the 1st century AD in Israel by Christian coverts from Judaism, or possibly Syrian Christians from across Israel's border. Either way, the Peshitta Old and New Testaments together constitute the first Christian Bible. The author has translated and published interlinears of the Aramaic Peshitta Torah, Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, as well as the entire Aramaic Peshitta New Testament and plain English translations of the NT, the Torah, the Psalms & Proverbs. Paperback 6x9" 395 pages in B&W.
This book presents an analysis of translation technique, defining and measuring areas of literalness and of freedom, and discussing the evident acceptability of a non-literal approach, in both the original translation and later editorial work, to relevant communities. Because the Book of Jeremiah is so long, a quantitative analysis was valuable, showing: preservation of the sense of the Vorlage; freedom in selection of lexical equivalents even for important words such as "sin" and in making numerous additions in pursuit of precision; and a similar approach by later editors. Passages which are not represented in the translation despite their presence in the Hebrew Bible, and sometimes also in the Septuagint, are analysed, showing their value in illumination both the development of the Hebrew Bible itself from a number of earlier texts, and the precise wording of the text from which the Syriac translator worked. The strategies adopted to cope with the translation of particulary difficult Hebrew are analysed: these include taking guidance from the Septuagint, from other parts of the Hebrew Bible, and guesswork. Apart from its value to Peshitta scholars and Syriac specialists, the book is useful to biblical scholars and textual critics in general.
The Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage (GEDSH) is the first major encyclopedia-type reference work devoted exclusively to Syriac Christianity, both as a field of scholarly inquiry and as the inheritance of Syriac Christians today. In more than 600 entries it covers the Syriac heritage from its beginnings in the first centuries of the Common Era up to the present day. Special attention is given to authors, literary works, scholars, and locations that are associated with the Classical Syriac tradition. Within this tradition, the diversity of Syriac Christianity is highlighted as well as Syriac Christianity's broader literary and historical contexts, with major entries devoted to Greek and Arabic authors and more general themes, such as Syriac Christianity's contacts with Judaism and Islam, and with Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, and Georgian Christianities.