Subject: MT 28 in Sinai Arabic 28

From: "Jean Valentin" <[email-masked]>
Date: 2 May 97 23:31:16 +0200

Dear TC-ers, 

Here I am again with my dear Arabic manuscript from the Xth century.
Today, another sample: the whole chapter 28 from Matthew. I give you
an English translation together with a few annotations. I add a word
about another manuscript that apparently has the same version, though
in a revised form: the lectionary Sinai arabic 133 (dated 1102), which
might be precious as Sin arb 71 is fragmentary (has only Mt23-Lk8).
As you will see, this version has most of its affinities with the
"cesarean" group of Greek mss and versions, though it reserves us also
some surprises.
I'd be delighted to have your comments!

TEXT

1 And in the evening of the sabbath, morning ot the first of the week,
came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to look at the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord
descended from heaven, and approached from the sepulchre and rolled
the stone from the mouth of the sepulchre, and sat upon it.
3 And his appearance was like the lightning, and his raiment white as
the snow.
4 And of his fear the keepers trembled, and became like the dead.
5 And the angel answered and said to the women: You, and fear not. I
have known that for Jesus who was crucified you are searching.
6 He is not here. He is risen, like he said. Come in and look at the
place where he was.
7 Go, and say to his disciples that he is risen from among the dead.
And he, he preceds you to Galilee. There you will see him. Here I am,
I have said to you.
8 And they departed from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, to
announce to his disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them, and said: Peace to you. And they
approached him and took his feet, and worshipped him.
10 After that, Jesus said to them: Fear not, but go and announce my
brothers that they depart to Galilee. There they shall see me.
11 And when they went, behold, some of the guards came to the city,
and announced to the elders all that had been.
12 And they, they took counsel, and took much money and gave to those
soldiers,
13 and said to them: Say that his disciples came by the night, and
stole him, and we (were) asleep.
14 And if the governor hears that, we, we will dissimulate, and you
without trouble we will put.
15 And when they took the money, they did as they were [taught]: and
this saying spread itself in the Jews to this day.
16 And as to the eleven disciples, they departed to Galilee, to the
mountain that Jesus had commanded them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him. And of them someone
stumbled.
18 And the Lord Jesus came and spoke to them, and said: I was given
all the power of the heaven and the earth.
19 Go now, and disciple all the nations, and baptize them in the name
of the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit of holiness.
20 And teach them (that) they keep all that I have commanded you: and
here I am with you all the days, and to the end of the world. Amen.

NOTES
- v.2: Sin. arb. 71 adds a complement ("from the sepulchre") to the
verb "approached". I found the same in another Arabic version found in
lectionaries (the oldest one being Sin. Arb. 138, dated AD 1117).
- v.2: "from the mouth of the sepulchre". A free ("mouth" for "door"
translation of the longuest text extant in Greek, with Theta, fam1
fam13 and several versions (sypal, bo, mae, geo-Tbeth-Opiza). As a
comparison, Byz has "from the sepulchre", Aleph-B have nothing.
- v.5: "You, don't fear": the order is the same as in sy.s, sy.p as
against all greek and syropalestinian witnesses.
- v.5: The Greek mss have "OIDA GAR". Sin. Arb omit GAR, with the
georgian versions, armenian-vulgate (that's how we call Zohrab), the
persian harmony and many Arabic versions (including the oldest ones,
that of Sin. arb. 72 and 74, IXth century).
- v.6: The Greek mss have "HGERQH GAR". Here again, the omission of
the GAR is attested by Sin. arb. 71 with sy.s, the old latin ff2 and
many Arabic versions.
- v.6: omission of "O KYRIOS" with Aleph-B, Theta, sy.s, old-latin e,
geo-Tbeth-Opiza, armenian-vulgate.
- v.7: omission of the KAI at the beginning of the verse, with sy.s
and several Arabic versions.
- v.7: "from among the dead" is an aramaism. We find it also in sy.s,
sypal and several other Arabic versions. It's not obligatory to
conclude that it reveals an aramaic/syriac vorlage though, as this
version is in a dialectal Arabic quite influenced by aramaic.

note: after this verse, we have no more old syriac witness.

- v.9: Sin. Arb. 71 doesn't have the byzantine addition at the
beginning of the verse (ws de eporeuonto apaggeilai tois maqhtais
autou). In this respect, it goes with Aleph-B, D, Theta, fam 13 in
greek, and several versions (sy.p latin sypal geo-Adysh-Tbeth-Opiza
and armenian-vulgate).
- v. 11: strangely, the "elders" have replaced the high priests.
Probably one of the many blunders of the translator.
- v.13: "and said TO THEM" : addition of "to them" with sy.p only. I
wouldn't make too much of it, since I have noticed that in such
formulae of speech introduction the translator is very often free.
- v.14: omission of AUTON with Aleph-B, Theta, sypal and
geo-Tbeth-Opiza.
- v.17: prosekunhsan: adds AUTW with Theta Byz fam1 fam13
geo-Adysh-Tbeth-Opiza armenian-vulgate.
- v.18: THE LORD Jesus. This is a recurrent trait of the
syropalestinian version. It need not be taken directly from it though,
as this version is melkite and probably palestinian. Liturgical
influnece of the syropalestinian lectionary is enough to explain this
addition (and many other passages show that when the translator
doesn't understand his Greek text, he doesn't even look at syriac or
syropalestinian texts that would have helped him).
- v.18 "all the power of the heaven and the earth". Free rendition? We
should note that it corresponds to many syriac and arabic quotations
that were inventoried by A. Voobus (Studies in the History of the
Gospel Text in Syriac, vol. 1, CSCO 128, Louvain 1951, p.198) and L.
Leloir (L'Evangile d'Ephrem d'apres les oeuvres editees, CSCO 180, Louvain 1958, p.59 n° 378). If the parallel is correct, we would be
going back to the time of Ephrem.
- v.18 Sin. arb. 71 doesn't have the harmonization from Jn 21.20 found
in Theta, syp, geo-Adysh and armenian-vulgate.
- v.20: "AND to the end of the world": the addition of "and" isn't
found in Greek, but we have it also in sypal geo-Tbeth-Opiza and in
many other Arabic versions.

A LITTLE SUPPLEMENT
There is another ms that seems quite close to Sin Arb 71. It is a
lectionary, Sin arb. 133, dated from 1102. It has many common
readings, even it keeps many of the liberties in translation or
blunders that are so typical of Sin arb 71. But it shows also traces
of revision according to a text close to Byz or sy.p (I favor the
second one for the moment, but I haven't studied its text enough to be
too categorical).
This lectionary has been signalled by J. Nasrallah (Histoire du
mouvement litteraire dans l'Eglise melkite..., vol. III, tome 1,
Louvain 1983) p. 377 as the ONLY Arabic sinaitic lectionary that has
the pericope sequence of the old hyerosolymitan liturgy - all the
others have a later, Byzantinized, system. It might be a clue to the
early date of this version.
For Mt 28, we only have verses 16-20. Here they follow:

16 In that time, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, that Jesus had
commanded them to go there.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him. And of them someone
stumbled in him.
18 And the Lord Jesus came and spoke to them, and said this: I was
given all the power of the heaven and the earth.
19 Go now, and disciple the nations, and baptize them in the name of
the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit of holiness.
20 And teach them that they keep all that I have commanded you: and
here I am with you all the days, to the end of the century. Amen.

There are divergences, but there are also coincidences. A few notes:
- v.16: omission of "to the mountain" is probably a graphical incident
in Arabic: ila al-Jalil [ila al-Jabal] - don't forget that the vowels
are not written in arabic, and the long i of Jalil and the b of Jabal
look quite the same (the first has two points under it, the second has
one).
- v.16: "to go there" precizes the meaning of the preceding verb. In
fact, this verb is ambiguous, it can mean "to command" or "to ordain
(in a function)".
- v.18: the lectionary has kept the syropalestinian influence shown in
adding the "the LORD". By the way, there _are_ annotations in the
syropalestinian alphabet (but in arabic language) in this lectionary,
which is why I think the version was used and probably produced by
palestinian melkites.
- v.19: "teach the nations" with omission of ALL. I see no graphical
reason in Arabic for the omission. is there a theological bias in the
mind of the scribe? The "ALL" seems to put more emphasis on the
globality, its omission has, as a result, a little anti-judaistic
tone: the Apostles are sent to the nations instead of being sent to
Israel. Who knows, may be here it's the lectionary that has the
original reading of the version, as it is attested nowhere else. I
just don't know...
- v.20: the lectionary has omitted the "AND" before "to the end..."
and is aligned on the greek and syriac texts. And, it renders
differently (perhaps more literal, but also more difficult) the AIWNOS
of the greek / (olmo of the syriac. It's interesting that the revisor
has changed such a little thing, but didn't change larger variants
like the "all the power of heaven and earth" in verse 18.

Salaam (alaykum!

---------------------------------------------------------
Jean Valentin - Brussels - Belgium
---------------------------------------------------------
email : [email-masked] /// netmail : 2:291/780.103
---------------------------------------------------------
"Ce qui est trop simple est faux, ce qui est trop complique est
inutilisable"
"What's too simple is wrong, what's too complicated is unusable"
---------------------------------------------------------

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From: Jim West <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 02 May 1997 17:52:18 -0500 (EST)

Jean,
At 11:31 PM 5/2/97 +0200, you wrote:

(translation snipped)- 

>geo-Tbeth-Opiza, armenian-vulgate.

I am fascinated by this one.  That translators of the 10th c. would leave
out such a phrase if they had it in their mss seems extremely unlikely.
That it appears in Byz. mss seems to me to be another indication that the
Byz. tradents were busy redactors.

>version is in a dialectal Arabic quite influenced by aramaic.

would not the fact that Arabic and Aramaic are semitic languages also have a
bearing on this apparent semitism quite apart from any putative Vorlage?

>note: after this verse, we have no more old syriac witness.

Is this because there are no Syriac texts which contain the rest?  Or just
no more old ones?

>greek, and several versions (sy.p latin sypal geo-Adysh-Tbeth-Opiza

Again, the Byz redactors at work?

>Probably one of the many blunders of the translator.

Unless the terms are synonymous?

>in Theta, syp, geo-Adysh and armenian-vulgate.

Jean, does this Arabic ms have a great number of harmonizations?

>many other Arabic versions.

Could this simply be because of a desire for a "smooth" translation?

>Jean Valentin - Brussels - Belgium

Jean,

excellent work!  thanks.

Jim

+++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West, ThD
Pastor, Petros Baptist Church
[email-masked]

---

From: "Jean Valentin" <[email-masked]>
Date: 3 May 97 00:22:53 +0200

Woops, my subject line doesn't show the correct number for the manuscript!!
So sorry! Of course, it was in Sin arb 71 and not 28 (probably an internal
harmonization - we learn about Tc from our own mistakes... :-)

> bearing on this apparent semitism quite apart from any putative Vorlage?
In fact, many Arabic versions tranlsate simply "from the dead". I don not
think this might come from tranlsating too litterally from Greek. The
general level of correction of a version is indicative. For example, the
so-called "alexandrian vulgate" which is in a very correct literary Arabic
has "from the dead" (min al-amwaat).
Arabic is a semitic language indeed. Nevertheless, it is a south-western
semitic language.By that I mean this: Hebrew and Aramaic are north-west
semitic languages, and learning one when knowing already the other is quite
easy as they are close to each other in their means of expression. But then
if you want to learn Arabic, it takes much more effort. It has a much more
elaborated and subtle grammar than its northern sisters. For example, greek
LEGWN cannot be translated by a participle in nhebrew or syriac. We should
use wayyomer in hebrew, or wa-amar in syriac. In Arabic, it is perfectly
correct to use a participle in the accusative-adverbial qaa'ilan (though
wa-qaala, equivalent to the hebrew and syriac forms, would be correct too).
You see, Arabic has quite a much richer vocabulary and syntax. A very
souple and complex language, compared to which hebrew and aramaic are quite
rigid.

> Is this because there are no Syriac texts which contain the rest?  Or
just
I mean by this that sy.s, the only vetus syra ms for this chapter, stops
here.

> Again, the Byz redactors at work?
This is a question that people who work on the greek mss should answer...

> Unless the terms are synonymous?
Normally, the presbuteroi of the greek are rendered by this word
(mashaa'ikh), while the high priest have another one (rusa al-kahunna).
This is really a deviation from the usual vocabulary of the translator.

> Jean, does this Arabic ms have a great number of harmonizations?
There are quite a lot, specially those we find in Theta and, surprisingly,
the middle-egyptian version (mae). I work very few in the coptic area, so I
don't know what this is suposed to mean.

> Could this simply be because of a desire for a "smooth" translation?
Possibly indeed. I don't want to rush on the possibility of variants when I
know that my translator is rather free in his renderings. But the alliance
of georgian and arabic versions is usual, that's why I don't want to
exclude totally that there might have been a 'kai' in some lost greek ms.

> Jim

Thank you for this encouragement!