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Several years ago I bought this copy of the P'shitta New Testament;

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.aramaicbooks.com/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=31">http://www.aramaicbooks.com/product_inf ... ucts_id=31</a><!-- m -->

From Aramaic Books.com, Dean Dana's bookstore.

This Syriac N.T. is in the Swadaya script though, and not in the Estrangela script.

It has 27 Books, NOT 22 Books, like the Eastern Syriac P'shitta.

Never-the-less, I understand that it follows the word order of the Eastern Syriac P'shitta exactly (EXCEPT for Acts 20:28, and Hebrews 2:9, which follow the Monophysite Peshitto) in the 22 original Books of the P'shitta N.T.

The Swadaya script was used for this N.T. instead of the Estrangela, or the Serto script, because of some mis-understandings between the Monophysites and the Assyrian Church of the East.

Also, the other five (later) chapters were added to this New Testament, as well as the story of the woman caught in adultery (which the P'shitta lacks), so both 'sides' were appeased, in how it was put together.

And hence, it ended up having 27 Books, instead of 22 Books, like the Eastern P'shitta.

It's hard to find a place online to learn to read the Swadaya script.

I CAN read a bit of Hebrew that's already transliterated, and there is a distinct sort of 'alikeness' to some Hebrew and some Syriac words.

Would you know of any Syriac websites where the Swadaya script is taught?

Any attempt by me at reading Hebrew or Syriac that's untransliterated, comes to pretty much zip.

Thanks again for answering my questions.

Shlama, Albion



P.S. One last thought here. The Syriac (Swadaya) New Testament mentioned above is a 1982 reprint of an anonymously translated 1929 edition, published by The Church of the East, in Chicago, Illinois.

It has NO COPYRIGHT. So, if someone really wanted to, there is nothing to stop them from translating this N.T. INTO ENGLISH.

This would be my greatest wish come true. To have an authentic, and a well translated P'shitta N.T., that we know is 'theologically sound'.

I view this as almost an invitation from Alaha for someone who is fluent in translating Syriac to take this little N.T. and translate it well, and bring it into our English language.

Maybe......just maybe.........
Shlama albion,

You mentioned learning Swadaya script in your post. Here's a good webpage from <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.omniglot.com">http://www.omniglot.com</a><!-- m -->
The full URL is <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.omniglot.com/writing/syriac.htm">http://www.omniglot.com/writing/syriac.htm</a><!-- m --> It's called "Eastern or Nestorian script" at this site but it's the same script as Swadaya from everything I can see.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.assyrianlanguage.com">http://www.assyrianlanguage.com</a><!-- m --> was temporarily down last time I checked. This is another great site!

Shlama oo'Burkate, Larry Kelsey
I love this little snippet from the Omniglot site:

Quote:"Glory to Him who has glorified and exalted the Syriac language in His holy mouth, and [who] entrusted and handed over His life-giving teachings to His blessed apostles in Syriac; and the renowned forefathers and the skilled teachers of His Church have constituted and composed her beautiful liturgies in Aramaic, and explained and translated the living words of His salvation-bringing Gospel in the same [language]."