11-20-2013, 10:21 PM
I am a big fan of Rotherham's Emphasized Bible, which is a translation of the Hebrew Old Testament and Greek New Testament. Joseph Bryant Rotherham (the translator) makes mention of Aramaic primacy in his introduction:
"With regard to the New Testament, the only question that could arise would be whether some parts of it were not first written in Syriac, and then translated into Greek. But this is probably a pure academical inquiry, and inasmuch as the assumption of a Greek original for the whole of the New Testament does not exclude Syriac sources from contributing their quota towards evidence of genuineness and aids to textual purity..."
Here is what he says of the Peshitta Old Testament:
"Syriac Version: made from the Hebrew, and was old enough in the days of Ephrem (4th cent. A.D.) to need explanation of obscure terms. First Version from the Hebrew original made for Christian use; and indeed, the only version of that kind before Jerome, which was made subsequent to the time when Ephrem wrote. (Dr. S.P. Tregelles in Smith's Bible Dict. Amer. ed. 3883, ff.)"
While this isn't talking specifically about the Peshitta New Testament, this does add to our belief that the Peshitta is an ancient version that was made in Apostolic times. It also stands to reason that if they had an Old Testament translated, the Apostles themselves must have given them the New Testament. Whether they translated it or not is something we all are trying to figure out. I personally hold that the Peshitta is the closest we have to the original New Testament, if not the original New Testament itself, as it shows signs of independence from the Greek, poetry, wordplay, and the style of an original with it not having such a rigid and stiff reading style.
"With regard to the New Testament, the only question that could arise would be whether some parts of it were not first written in Syriac, and then translated into Greek. But this is probably a pure academical inquiry, and inasmuch as the assumption of a Greek original for the whole of the New Testament does not exclude Syriac sources from contributing their quota towards evidence of genuineness and aids to textual purity..."
Here is what he says of the Peshitta Old Testament:
"Syriac Version: made from the Hebrew, and was old enough in the days of Ephrem (4th cent. A.D.) to need explanation of obscure terms. First Version from the Hebrew original made for Christian use; and indeed, the only version of that kind before Jerome, which was made subsequent to the time when Ephrem wrote. (Dr. S.P. Tregelles in Smith's Bible Dict. Amer. ed. 3883, ff.)"
While this isn't talking specifically about the Peshitta New Testament, this does add to our belief that the Peshitta is an ancient version that was made in Apostolic times. It also stands to reason that if they had an Old Testament translated, the Apostles themselves must have given them the New Testament. Whether they translated it or not is something we all are trying to figure out. I personally hold that the Peshitta is the closest we have to the original New Testament, if not the original New Testament itself, as it shows signs of independence from the Greek, poetry, wordplay, and the style of an original with it not having such a rigid and stiff reading style.