11-17-2003, 10:11 PM
Shlama Akhay,
The "Life of Rabbula," a biography of the Monophysite Tyrant of Edessa composed shortly after his death by a colleague of his, contains the following quote:
Here we have historical evidence that Rabbula made his own translation, or revision, of some version of the Greek New Testament into Syriac. After the completion of Rabbula's version, he sought to extinguish any other version of the scriptures from his episcopal territory:
This title, Evangelion de Mepharreshe is a combination of Greek and Aramaic and means "Separate Gospels." This name was intended to distinguish it from the Diatesseron (or Gospel Harmony) of Tatian, which was very popular at the time in the area of Edessa, his diocese. So Rabbula, in one of his numerous tirades, began to suppress the Diatesseron in favor of his own translation.
Some modern idiots, headed by none other than F.C. Burkitt, in the early part of the 20th century theorized that this version which Rabbula made, the Evangelion de Mepharreshe, is today known to us as the Peshitta.
We have already written about the researches of Arthur Voobus and Bruce Metzger, who have thoroughly disproved this theory. The primary evidence against Burkitt's theory is the quotations of the Gospels by Rabbula himself - they do not match the Peshitta. In fact, Arthur Voobus proved that Rabbula did not even use the Peshitta.
The second reason why it is impossible to suppose that Rabbula created the Peshitta is the acceptance of it as the official New Testament of the Church of the East. It is unrealistic to imagine that the Church of the East would have accepted as its official version a text produced by its chief opponent and persecuter.
The question remains, then - what version did Rabbula create? What is this Evangelion de Mepharreshe ?
If you study the history of the Old Scratch manuscripts, you will come to the conclusion that they were the product of Rabbula's translation effort. In fact, the ending to the Gospel of John in the Old Scratch manuscripts reads this way:
Rabbula created Old Scratch, not the Peshitta - which was never known by the name of "Evangelion de Mepharreshe."
This is the reason why the Old Scratch was not used by the Church of the East, and why it eventually fell out of use in every other Church of the middle east (including Rabbula's own Syriac Orthodox Church, which eventually reverted back to the Peshitta) - only to find it's way to a dusty shelf in a Greek Orthodox monastery of Egypt.
The "Life of Rabbula," a biography of the Monophysite Tyrant of Edessa composed shortly after his death by a colleague of his, contains the following quote:
Quote:By the wisdom of God that was in him he translated the New Testament from Greek into Syriac because of its variations, exactly as it was.' (Rabul episcopi Edesseni, Baleei, aliorumque opera selecta, Oxford 1865, ed. J. J. Overbeck)
Here we have historical evidence that Rabbula made his own translation, or revision, of some version of the Greek New Testament into Syriac. After the completion of Rabbula's version, he sought to extinguish any other version of the scriptures from his episcopal territory:
Rabbula Wrote:'The presbyters and deacons shall see to it that in all the churches a copy of the Evangelion de Mepharreshe shall be available and read'. (Th. Zahn, Forschungen zur Geschichte des neutestamentlichen Kanons, i. (1881), p. 105.)
This title, Evangelion de Mepharreshe is a combination of Greek and Aramaic and means "Separate Gospels." This name was intended to distinguish it from the Diatesseron (or Gospel Harmony) of Tatian, which was very popular at the time in the area of Edessa, his diocese. So Rabbula, in one of his numerous tirades, began to suppress the Diatesseron in favor of his own translation.
Some modern idiots, headed by none other than F.C. Burkitt, in the early part of the 20th century theorized that this version which Rabbula made, the Evangelion de Mepharreshe, is today known to us as the Peshitta.
We have already written about the researches of Arthur Voobus and Bruce Metzger, who have thoroughly disproved this theory. The primary evidence against Burkitt's theory is the quotations of the Gospels by Rabbula himself - they do not match the Peshitta. In fact, Arthur Voobus proved that Rabbula did not even use the Peshitta.
The second reason why it is impossible to suppose that Rabbula created the Peshitta is the acceptance of it as the official New Testament of the Church of the East. It is unrealistic to imagine that the Church of the East would have accepted as its official version a text produced by its chief opponent and persecuter.
The question remains, then - what version did Rabbula create? What is this Evangelion de Mepharreshe ?
If you study the history of the Old Scratch manuscripts, you will come to the conclusion that they were the product of Rabbula's translation effort. In fact, the ending to the Gospel of John in the Old Scratch manuscripts reads this way:
Old Scratch Wrote:[font=Estrangelo (V1.1)]04rpmd Jwylgnw0 Ml4[/font]
"Shlam Evangelion de Mepharreshe"
"Here ends the Evangelion de Mepharreshe"
(c.f., Syriac Text at the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon)
Rabbula created Old Scratch, not the Peshitta - which was never known by the name of "Evangelion de Mepharreshe."
This is the reason why the Old Scratch was not used by the Church of the East, and why it eventually fell out of use in every other Church of the middle east (including Rabbula's own Syriac Orthodox Church, which eventually reverted back to the Peshitta) - only to find it's way to a dusty shelf in a Greek Orthodox monastery of Egypt.
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