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Shlama l'Kulkhon,

I run into unexplainable mysteries from the 'Western 5' (books not in the 22-book Peshitta canon but are in the 27-book Peshitto canon).
John Gill doesn't show any match for this additional phrase in any of the other ancient copies. It seems to stand alone among texts now extant. I'll highlight in bold red the extra phrase that the Peshitto rendering of 3rd John verse 12 has that all of the other ancient versions have left out---

Of Demetrius, there is good testimony from every one, and from the church, and from the truth itself: and we also bear [him] testimony, and ye know that our testimony is true. (Murdock's translation)

Any clues as to how this got there? It's remarkable that not one single Greek text now extant contains this phrase!! It doesn't look like an extrapolation, interpolation or anything like that...hmmm...rather curious! <!-- s:lookround: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/lookround.gif" alt=":lookround:" title="Look Round" /><!-- s:lookround: -->

Shlama w'Burkate, Larry Kelsey
3 John 12 :

djmjtriw memarturjtai upo pantwn kai up autjs tjs aljqeias kai jmeis de marturoumen kai oidate oti j marturia jmwn aljqjs estin

* You need to install SIL Galatia font in order to read the Greek text above and below.

p74(Papyrus 74, 7th century A.D.) and Codex Alexandrinus (5th century A.D.) have ekkljsias (church) in this verse. However, the reading attested by these manuscripts cannot be determined with absolute certainty due to the original reading that are no longer clearly legible and could only be guessed from some surviving letters or parts of letters.

The Greek Codex C (5th century A.D.) follows the Peshitto by having ekkljsias kai tjs aljqeias (church and the truth). This reading is also supported by the marginal reading of the Harklean Syriac which is based on a Greek reading which differs from the one translated in the Harklean text.

Anyone here did a study on Syriac manuscripts of the NT before?
I can't wait for the whole volume of Das Neue Testament in syrischer ??berlieferung edited by Barbara Aland & Andreas Juckel to be published. It is very expensive to someone who is earning Singapore currency like me as the whole works cost around US$1000. <!-- sSad --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/sad.gif" alt="Sad" title="Sad" /><!-- sSad --> <!-- s:nervous: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/nervous.gif" alt=":nervous:" title="Nervous" /><!-- s:nervous: -->
Thanks Dan Gan,

Do you have any material on the wide divergence we see in Jude 26? I'll show you this 'Western 5' example below....

And when they repent, have mercy on them with compassion; despise even a garment which is spotted with the things of the flesh. (Lamsa Bible)

...and some in fear save ye, out of the fire snatching, hating even the coat from the flesh spotted. (Young's Literal Translation)

Any clues where these differences came from?

Shlama w'Burkate, Larry Kelsey
There is no Jude 26. I guess it must be your typo error since number 6 is above number 3.

I don't have Lamsa's translation on my table to read the whole epistle at the moment. It is packed inside one of the boxes somewhere in my room. So, I guess Lamsa's translation must have "and some in fear save ye, out of the fire snatching" (Young's Literal Translation) in verse 22.

Let's take a look at James Murdock's translation:

22 And some of them, snatch ye from the fire.
23 And when they repent, have compassion on them, with fear, hating even the tunic that is defiled by the flesh.


In my "The New Covenant Peshitta Aramaic Text with a Hebrew Translation" that verse 22 is together with verse 23 like my Greek NT which I think must be in verse 22 in Lamsa's.

John Wesley Etheridge's translation:
And some of them snatch from the fire. But when they repent, have compassion on them, with fear, hating even the tunic which by the flesh is contaminated.

Young's translation is from the Greek not Syriac. So, it is hard to make a fair comparison between two different English translations made from different languages as the translators could use different English words having the same/similar meaning (e.g. coat & garment, despise & hating). Furthermore, the text of Jude could be Greek/Syriac translation of Syriac/Greek. The translation of Greek/Syriac into Syriac/Greek might be accurate but could render different meaning if both were translated into another language. I hope you will understand what I mean.

So, it is better to compare the Greek text of Jude 23 with the text in Syriac instead of comparing English translations. I am not well versed in Aramaic because I am relying on Hebrew translation to understand the Aramaic text. Pardon me for any mistake made.


This is the reading of the majority text of Jude 23:
ous de en fobw swzete ek puros arpazontes misountes kai ton apo tjs sarkos espilwmenon citwna


This is the reading of Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Alexandrinus (the so-called Alexandrian text):
ous de swzete ek puros arpazontes ous de eleate en fobw misountes kai ton apo tjs sarkos espilwmenon citwna

Other Greek codices that support the above reading are y (9th century A.D.) , 33, 81, 323, 1739, and some other manuscripts. The Bohairic dialect of Coptic version and the Latin Vulgate also support the above reading as the Latin Vulgate text reads:

illos vero salvate de igne rapientes aliis autem miseremini in timore odientes et eam quae carnalis est maculatam tunicam

Jude 23 in Syriac :
ܟ݁ܰܕ݂ ܕ݁ܶܝܢ ܡܶܬ݁ܬ݁ܘܶܝܢ ܐܶܬ݂ܪܰܚܰܡܘ ܥܠܰܝܗܽܘܢ ܒ݁ܕ݂ܶܚܠܬ݂ܳܐ ܟ݁ܰܕ݂ ܣܳܢܶܝܢ ܐܢ݈ܬ݁ܽܘܢ ܐܳܦ݂ ܠܟ݂ܽܘܬ݁ܺܝܢܳܐ ܕ݁ܡܶܢ ܒ݁ܶܣܪܳܐ ܕ݁ܰܡܟ݂ܰܬ݁ܡܳܐ

The above Syriac reading is supported by p72 (Papyrus Bodmer 72, dated 3rd/4th century A.D.) as p72 reads: ek puros arpasate diakrinomenous de eleeite en fobw misountes kai ton apo tjs sarkos espilwmenon citwna and also early 3rd century A.D. church father Clement of Alexandria. The Sahidic dialect of Coptic version also supports this reading. Interestingly, there is one Latin manuscript designated t (dated around 7th-11th century A.D.) that supports the Syriac reading.

Now back to comparison between Young's Literal Translation with Lamsa's Syriac translation. Young followed the majority text cited above while Lamsa followed Syriac text of Jude. If Young translated from the Greek reading that is similar to the Syriac text then I think his reading would have been similar to Lamsa's translation.

And when they repent, have mercy on them with compassion; despise even a garment which is spotted with the things of the flesh. (Lamsa Bible)

...and some in fear save ye, out of the fire snatching, hating even the coat from the flesh spotted. (Young's Literal Translation)

Assuming that:
despise (Lamsa) = hating (Young)
garment(Lamsa) = coat (Young)

I hope this might help.