An introduction to the Syrian version of the Old Testament examining historical and philological origins.

This is a literal word for word interlinear translation of the 1900+ year old Aramaic Old Testament called the Peshitta. Aramaic was the native language of Jesus and of Israel in the 1st century AD. This volume contains the Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel. The text translated is the 6th-7th century Codex Ambrosianus- the oldest complete Semitic Old Testament extant. The Peshitta Old Testament was very likely translated from the Hebrew Bible in the 1st century AD in Israel by Christian coverts from Judaism, or possibly Syrian Christians from across Israel's border. Either way, the Peshitta Old and New Testaments together constitute the first Christian Bible. The author has translated and published interlinears of the Aramaic Peshitta Torah, Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, as well as the entire Aramaic Peshitta New Testament and plain English translations of the NT, the Torah, the Psalms & Proverbs. Paperback 6x9" 395 pages in B&W.

This handsome new edition of the authoritative English translation of the Aramaic (Syriac) Old and New Testaments--the language of Jesus--clarifies difficult passages and offers fresh insight on the Bible's message.

Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation is a translation of the New Testament into English that is based on the Gwilliam text. This translation includes explanatory footnotes marking variant readings from the Old Syriac, Eastern text, and other Peshitta manuscripts. Other footnotes provide cultural understanding and a system of abbreviations that mark idioms and figures of speech so that they are easily recognizable. The translation is as literal as possible, but with readable English, giving the flavor and rhythm of Eastern language. Aramaic is the language of the first century and the Peshitta is the earliest complete manuscript of the New Testament.

In this volume—the first complete history of Aramaic from its origins to the present day—Holger Gzella provides an accessible overview of the language perhaps most well known for being spoken by Jesus of Nazareth. Gzella, one of the world’s foremost Aramaicists, begins with the earliest evidence of Aramaic in inscriptions from the beginning of the first millennium BCE, then traces its emergence as the first world language when it became the administrative tongue of the great ancient Near Eastern empires. He also pays due diligence to the sacred role of Aramaic within Judaism, its place in the Islamic world, and its contact with other regional languages, before concluding with a glimpse into modern uses of Aramaic. Although Aramaic never had a unified political or cultural context in which to gain traction, it nevertheless flourished in the Middle East for an extensive period, allowing for widespread cultural exchange between diverse groups of people. In tracing the historical thread of the Aramaic language, readers can also gain a stronger understanding of the rise and fall of civilizations, religions, and cultures in that region over the course of three millennia. Aramaic: A History of the First World Language is visually supplemented by maps, charts, and other images for an immersive reading experience, providing scholars and casual readers alike with an engaging overview of one of the most consequential world languages in history.