The Syriac Language of the Peshitta and Old Syriac Versions of Matthew: Syntactic Structure, Inner-Syriac Developments and Translation Technique 9004100369, 9789004100367

Citation preview

THE SYRIAC LANGUAGE OF THE PESHITIA AND OLD SYRIAC VERSIONS OF MATTHEW

STUDIES IN SEMITIC LANGUAGES AND LINGUISTICS EDITED BY

T. MURAOKA AND C.H.M. VERSTEEGH

XXII THE SYRIAC LANGUAGE OF THE PESHITTA AND OLD SYRIAC VERSIONS OF MATTHEW

THE SYRIAC LANGUAGE OF THE PESHIT TA AND OLD SYRIAC VERSIONS OF MATTH EW Syntactic Structure, Inner-Syriac Developments and Translation Technique BY

JAN JOOSTEN

EJ. BRILL

LEIDEN· NEW YORK· KOLN 1996

The paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Joosten,Jan. The Syriac language of the Peshitta and old Syriac versions of Matthew : syntactic structure, inner-Syriac developments and translation technique / by Jan Joosten. p. cm. - (Studies in Semitic languages and linguistics, ISSN 0081-8461 : 22) Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN 9004100369 (cloth: alk. paper) l. Syriac language-Grammar. 2. Bible. N.T. Matthew. SyriacI. Title. II. Series. -Versions. PJ5421J66 1995 492'.35-dc20 95-16571 CIP

Die Deutsche Bibliothek-CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Joosten,Jan: The Syriac language of the Peshitta and old Syriac versions of Matthew/ by JanJoosten. - Leiden; New York; Koln: Brill, 1996 (Studies in Semitic languages and linguistics ; 22) ISBN 90-04--10036-9 NE:GT

ISSN 0081-8461 ISBN 90 04 l 0036 9

© Col!Jright 1996 by EJ. Brill, Leiden, TkeNetherl.ands

All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced, translaJed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, el.ectrunic, mechanical, plwtocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior writttn permission from the publish.er. Authorization to plwtocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by E.J. Brill proui.ded that the appropriate fees are paid di.rectfy to The Copyright Cl.earance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910 Danvers MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS

CONTENTS

Abbreviations and other conventions ............................................................. xi Preface ........................................................................................................... xii Introduction .................................•................................................................... 1 I The Old Syriac and Peshitta versions of Matthew........................................ 5 0. Introduction ...................................................................................... 5 1. The Old Syriac ................................................................................. 6 l. l. The relationship between C and S ......................................... 6 1.2. The dependence of the OS on the Diatessaron ...................... 10 1.3. Characterization of the OS version of Mt... ........................... 16 2. The Peshitta .................................................................................... 17 2.1. The relationship between P and the OS ..................... 17 2.2. Characterization of the P version of Mt... .............................. 21 3. The Diatessaron ........................................................................... 22 3.1. Elements of a West Aramaic Gospel tradition ....................... 22 3.2. OTP text in the OT quotations .............................................. 25 4. Conclusion ...................................................................................... 27 II Syntax of the nominal phrase .................................................................... .31 0. Introduction .................................................................................... 31 1. Determination of an NP by means of a pronoun ......................... 31 1.1. Demonstrative pronoun ......................................................... 31 1.2. Personal pronoun ................................................................... 36 2. The constructions of the direct object... ........................................ .37 2.1. Sequence: verb - object.. ....................................................... 38 2.1.1. Otal

x ............................................................................38

2.1.2. Ota! I-X ........................................................................ .39 2.1.3. Oatleh I-X .................................................................... .40 2.1.4. Oatleh X ...... ................................................................. .41 2.2. Sequence: object - verb ... ,.................................................... .42 2.2.1. X gtal ........................................................................... .43 2.2.2. 1-X gtal ..........................................................................43 2.2.3. (I-) X gatleh .................................................................. .44 2.2.4. I-suffix 1-X qtal .............................................................. 44 3. The use of an anticipating pronoun with prepositions ................... .45 3.1. l ............................................................................................ .45 3.2. ~ ........................................................................................... .46 3.3. ~ ~ ;,::a,,... ••.•..•••••••••...••••••••••••.•..••.•••.•.•••••....•...•..•••.••.•.•••••••.• 47

vi

CONTENTS

3.4. Prep.-suff. d-X ...................................................................... .47 4. The 'genitive' constructions .......................................................... .47 4.1. Bayta d-X ............................................................................. .47 4.2. Bayteh d-X ............................................................................. 50 4.3. Bet X ..................................................................................... 51 4.4. The use of prepositions to render a Greek genitive ............... 56 5. The use of l.:t ................................................................................. 57 5 .1. Independently ........................................................................ 57 5.2. Adnominally .......................................................................... 57 6. The syntax of the numeral... .......................................................... .59 6.1. 'One' ...................................................................................... 59 6.1.1. X hd(') .......................................................................... 59 6.1.2. hd=>~ (P '6::1li ~:, ra

Lk 6:28 ro11.oyEiTE TOU~ KampwµEVOU~

Since C and S do not contain this plus, P did not take it from the OS text. Now it is probable that P was made on the basis of a Greek manuscript which added these words from Lk 6:28 (the harmonistic reading is indeed found in 40 It is safe to date the Peshitta before the schism in the Syriac speaking Church in the 5th Century. since both Nestorians and Jacobites accepted it as their NT. The Diatessaron was evicted systematically for the first time by Rabulla (bishop in Edessa 412-435 AD). 41 These readings (and the readings listed under c) could be explained also by a different model: C and S derive from a corrected OS (OSI > OS2 > C, S), whereas P derives by a different way from the original OS (OSI > P). However, the hypothetical OS2 presupposes a more or less systematic revision of the original OS, and it is difficult to explain how such a revision would not have corrected so many singular variants (such as are listed in section 2.1.1.). Also it is methodologically better to adopt the more simple model, until new evidence proves it wronf 4 The words im' auToii have been omitted, probably because it was clear that the baptist was John. Compare also chapter VII 2.1.

THE OS AND PESHITTA VERSIONS OF MATTHEW

19

many Greek manuscripts): otherwise such an important deviation from the Greek would not have been tolerated. But P's text is not a translation of the Greek plus, there is an important variation sg/pl. An exact translation of the Greek would be ~ ~:\ ~,Or:toim:t m:U.. lr...:, raAtoetjvat)

s r