Subject: Re: Syr Peshitta

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 11:05:55 -7000

Robert Waltz wrote:
> On Tue, 28 Jan 1997, "David G.K. Taylor" <[email-masked]> wrote:
> 
> >The first date given, 175, is an approximate date for the completion of 
> >the OT Peshitta (although different books / groups of books were 
> >translated by different people at different dates) and 425 is an 
> >approximate date for the completion of the NT Peshitta. 
> 
> Just to play devil's advocate here, I think we need to take this as
> slightly less than certain. I'd like to ask a few questions, since
> the date of the Peshitta could affect our assessment of the Byzantine
> text.
[snip]

It's my understanding from reading Metzger and several others that 
the Byzantine character of the Peshitta is the main reason eclectics 
concluded it couldn't be second century (I know this is grossly 
oversimplified).  As I recall, and somebody correct me if necessary, 
during the WH age Burgon and others pointed to the Peshitta as 
evidence that the "Syrian" text couldn't be as late and secondary as 
WH said it was, and within about 20 years the Peshitta had been 
redated to the 5th century.  That has always kinda made me wonder...

Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur/home.html
"One of the things I've learned during my short
sojourn on this planet is that I am underqualified
to stay serious very long."  -Phil Callaway

---

From: Jim West <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 15:22:49 -0500 (EST)

At 02:04 PM 1/28/97 -0700, you wrote:

>
>So I would ask again: Is there any evidence available which actually
>fixes the date of the Peshitta, other than the date of the earliest
>manuscripts?
>
>                            Robert B. Waltz
>                         [email-masked]

The obvious answer is no.  But this is true of any manuscript and any
reading; the earliest evidence is the manuscript or the reading itself.
What lay behind it or from whence it sprang is always and only hypothetical.

Jim
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West

[email-masked]