New Syriac Digital Corpus

A new Syriac Digital Corpus was just announced (25 May 2018). James Walters, the General Editor, wrote:

On behalf of the editorial board, I am delighted to announce the publication of a new open-access resource for digitized Syriac texts: the Digital Syriac Corpus: https://syriaccorpus.org
This project is the fruit of much labor over the past few years. In particular, credit is due to Kristian Heal and David Taylor, who have been collecting these texts in transcribed form. Having now built the infrastructure for display and searching, we will be adding many more texts to the collection in the coming months.

I would also like to draw your attention to the Submissions page, where we are asking for people to contribute to the project in various ways, including a call for new digital editions of Syriac texts to be published in the Corpus.

In the coming weeks, we will also be adding more training resources, both on how to use the Corpus and how to contribute.

The full NT Peshitta is there (Based on the 1905 The New Testament in Syriac edited by G. H. Gwilliam, J. Pinkerton and John Gwynn) along with a number of other Syriac works. The OT Peshitta is not available at this time.

The notable and excellent aspect of this corpus is that the words of the text are hyperlinked to the Sedra resource which means that each word is analyzed and glosses are provided in English and French, all just a click away.
Thanks to those who created and are sharing this resource!

Best Resources for Original Language Bible Study

I've been trying to compile a list of resources that I think my seminary students--but it would apply to anyone serious about Bible study--need most if they want to study the Bible using the original languages but whose native language is English.

My assumptions here are that people need a variety of resources to conduct Bible study for preaching, teaching, self-edification, reflection, and devotion. At the seminary where I teach (LTSG), about a year's worth of Greek is required. Hebrew is not required but is encouraged as an elective. I am assuming some facility with Greek, therefore, but I am not assuming that people will be 'fluent' in Hebrew or even Greek. I do assume that with the proper resources they will be able to make use of both. I am also assuming here that English is the primary, native language, and so the secondary resources and translations I highlight are English ones.

Interested in seeing my list? Well, I'm interested in hearing what you think of it. Please note that I am not angling for a theological fight here. You can probably guess from my list that I am some flavor of moderate Protestant (ELCA Lutheran to be precise with a Missouri Synod Lutheran background). That is, I don't think that any of the primary resources I list have any theological bias, but my inclinations are probably indicated by my preference for the NRSV as the 'neutral' English translation with which I make comparisons. Okay, so I am open to suggestions, and I am also hoping for a show of charitableness. (BTW, anyone is welcome to take my list and adapt it to their particular interests. Just give some acknowledgement.)

Here it is: Best Resources for Original Language Bible Study

Syriac Tools and Resources

UPDATE 2008.07.03 - Instead of trying to keep this blog entry current, I have an updated version of these resources listed HERE. Please consult this page which supercedes the info below.

A compilation of stuff you need to work with the Syriac biblical texts.

FONTS
Some old TrueType fonts are still available at the SBL site (SPEdessa) and at Peshitta.org (Estrangelo). What you really want, however, are the Unicode Syriac fonts such as TITUS Cyberbit or the wonderful collection of Meltho OpenType, Syriac scripts at Beth Mardutho. If you want to see what the fonts look like, go to this gallery page. (This page indicates that Syriac is not supported by TITUS Cyberbit, but the latest version I have linked above does indeed include it.)

TYPING IN SYRIAC
Here's your best guide to getting your system set up for Syriac and registering the keyboards. For biblical text work, I recommend that you install the Syriac Phonetic keyboard. Do you forget where all the accent and such are located on the keyboard? Then try the free UniqTitus Keyboard layout addin for MS Word. It's Unicode compliant and works well for Greek, Hebrew, and transliteration.


TEXTS
The Peshitta is the primary text of interest for biblical scholars. (The linked Wikipedia article looks quite accurate and is worth checking.)
Old Testament

• A digital version of the Old Testament is available at the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon project (CAL). If you start at this page, you can invoke the Masoretic text, Targumim, and the Peshitta (be sure to check the "display Peshitta" box) all in parallel. Very nice! (Note, however, that for the Syriac to appear in a Syriac font, you need to be using IE7 or at least Firefox using an IE rendering.) Alternatively, you can start at this page and get the full Peshitta OT text (after a quick and free acceptance of terms). An outstanding feature of this display is that you can click on the verse number to get a full analysis of every word in the text. Be sure to select the viewing font (in the upper left corner; the Meltho-Unicode is recommended if you've installed the Meltho fonts listed above) before you select the text.
• Images of the Ceriani edition of Codex Ambrosiano of the Syriac Peshitta OT are available here.

New Testament

• For texts of the Peshitta NT, you can get them here or here (under Tools > Word Docs) as MS Word DOCS using the Estrangelo font from Peshitta.org listed above. (The files appear to be the same at both sites.) There are beautiful PDFs of the Peshitta NT available for download at the Beth Sapra project. Also a part of the Beth Sapra Library, you can download PDFs of Tetraeuangelium Sanctum (The Four Holy Gospels) by Philip Edward Pusey and George Henry Gwilliam, 1901. Read the notes on the page about this critical edition.
• The Four Gospels in Syriac Transcribed from the Sinaitic Palimpsest by Bensly, Harris, and Burkitt is available here.
• This page of Syriac NT resources has four versions of the Peshitta NT: ones using Serto, Estrangella, Unicode (Serto Batnan, but any of the Unicode Meltho fonts can be used), and a Romanized text version.
  
• Want some images of actual manuscripts? Try here or here (PDFs with image, transcription, translation) or here.

Other Syriac Texts

• [UPDATE: 2007.09.28] For other Syriac texts outside the Bible, be sure to check the Syriac Studies Reference Library sponsored by BYU and CUA. Also check the Thoughts on Antiquity blog, especially this listing of Catalogues of Syriac manuscripts online.
• [UPDATE 2007.11.30] There is now a Syriac wiki online: WikiSyr. The site is only in French, and there is not yet very much content, but it's structured for lots of well-organized entries.
  

ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS and INTERLINEARS
For English translations of the Peshitta, you have a number of options in the public domain.

• (George) Lamsa Bible Online - English Peshitta Translation (OT)
• (George) Lamsa Bible Online - English Peshitta Translation (NT)
• John Wesley Etheridge Translation of the Western Peshitto (NT) 1846-1849
  
• James Murdock Translation of the Western Peshitto (NT) 1852 (It is also available as download here and here.)
• The Bible Tool site offers an excellent parallel layout of the Murdock NT Translation and the NT Peshitta.
  
• An excellent tool for the Peshitta NT is at the Dukhrana site. Choose a text, choose a font, decide whether you want the vowels or not, and choose whether to include Etheridge's, Murdock's, and/or the KJV translation to appear alongside the Syriac text.
  
• Aramaic / English Peshitta Interlinear with translation by Paul Younan (Gospels and part of Acts completed) 2004 (Also available at the Peshitta.org site under Interlinear NT.)
  
• A modern translation of the "Aramaic Bible" by Vic Alexander
• The Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation by Janet M. Magiera (2006) - Selections online, but it comes complete with BibleWorks7.

LEXICONS and GRAMMARS

• Of course the standard lexicon for the Syriac is the Payne Smith Compendious Syriac Dictionary. It is available online for free here, and it is broken down by initial letter, but it is basically a collection of image files which makes it rather cumbersome to find a desired entry. You can, however, buy a "Syriac Lexicons" CD of the book as a PDF scan for only $18. I'm not sure if it is the same PDF collection, but an explicitly "searchable and bookmarked" edition of it is available for download for $45 here. If you want the original Latin volumes, the Internet Archive has it here for free. (BTW, if you do want a hardcopy, I want to commend Wipf & Stock for producing a paperback version priced at a mere $36. )
  
• An excellent online lexicon is available at the Dukhrana site. Lots of options for searching (English, Syriac, Lexeme, Root, Word ID), choice of fonts, and results allow for further research such as showing all inflected forms with analysis.
• Similarly, the Peshitta.org site (under Tools > Lexicon) offers a nice Lexicon / Concordance searchable by English, Word Number, Aramaic, Lexeme, or Root.
• There is a free, downloadable "Syriac Lexicon and Parser for the NT" based on the Kiraz' Sedra 3 data available on this page.
  
• The CAL site provides a lexicon, but it is somewhat more awkward to use.
• For a downloadable Syriac dictionary you can run independent of the web, use the Beth Mardutho one based on the SEDRA database.
• For a free, online grammar of "Assyrian Aramaic," this appears to be a very nice site.
• At the Beth Sapra Online Library, you can download PDFs of a bibliography, the 1906 The Elements of Syriac, and Eberhard Nestle's 1900 Syriac Grammar.
  

SYRIAC TEXTS in BIBLE SOFTWARE

• BibleWorks7 comes with the Aramaic New Testament (Peshitta), with the Etheridge (1849), Lewis (1896), Murdock (1851), Norton (1881), and Magiera (2005) English translations. The OT is not included, and the Syriac text is not analyzed or linked to any lexicon.
• Logos3 includes the Syriac Peshitta NT with Morphology along with editions of Codices Curetonianus and Sinaiticus in their Original Language, Silver, and Gold libraries. (The Peshitta NT can also be purchased separately for a list price of $19.95.) The Silver and Gold libraries (why not the Original Languages one??) also include the Analytical Lexicon of the Syriac NT. (Also available separately.) In Logos3, therefore, one can double click on any word in the Syriac text, and it will invoke the correct lexicon entry. There are not, however, any English translations available unless you buy the rather expensive ($179.95 list on pre-pub) Gorgias Press Syriac Collection which includes the Murdock translation along with 8 other books.
  
• Accordance for the MAC, like Logos3, offers the Syriac Peshitta NT with Morphology along with editions of Codices Curetonianus and Sinaiticus. (But unlike Logos3, it will cost you $100.) Murdock's translation is also included, but I can't find that any Syriac lexicon is.
• The NT Peshitta in Hebrew letters is available in the Online Bible.
  
• The Murdoch translation of Peshitta NT is available for e-Sword.
  

For Further Study

• The Aramaic Peshitta Bible Repository offers quite a bit of information and access to tools for studying the Aramaic NT.
  
• There are numerous resources at Peshitta.org Under the Introduction heading is background information and links to fonts. There are a number of articles, tools (links to a grammar [cached page], lexicon, font encoding, Word DOCS), an interlinear NT (Matthew-Acts), a forum, music, and more links.
  
• Also check out the Beith Morounoye site which provides a history of the Syriac language and lessons in Syriac along with other devotional resources.
• The Syriac Orthodox Church has helpful background information on the Syriac Bible and various editions and commentaries.
  
• Additionally, use this Google Books search link to find all the books with full views with Syriac in their titles. (The 29 hits that were returned on 2007.10.04 are mostly old grammars and catalogue listings, but there are some interesting texts and other reference works in the mix.)