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The Peshitta — An Anonymous 5th-Century Translation with No Known Author, Date, or Origin

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The Peshitta is one of the most important sources Christians rely on to confirm the authenticity and infallibility of the Bible — represented by the symbol sy rp in textual commentaries. But textual critics confirm that the Peshitta is nothing but an anonymous copy of the New Testament in Syriac, dating back to the fifth century AD.

Question 1 — Who Prepared the Peshitta, When, and Where?

The answer to these questions is impossible. Our information about the Peshitta = zero.

— Translation of the Peshitta, p. 490 “Among the Aramaean Christians the tradition is universal, and uniform everywhere, that this version was made at the time when Christianity was first preached, and when Christian churches were first established, in Syria and Mesopotamia: and, of course, that it was made by some one or more of the primitive Apostles and Evangelists, or by persons who were their companions and associates. Some name Mark the Evangelist; others, Thaddeus the reputed Apostle of Mesopotamia; and others, Achaeus or Agkaeus, a pupil and immediate successor of Thaddeus.”

Among Armenian Christians there is an overwhelming tradition that the Peshitta was made at the beginning of Christianity when the first church was founded in Syria and Mesopotamia — and that it was certainly made by one or more of the disciples or their companions. Some say Mark, some say Thaddeus, and others say Achaeus or Agkaeus, a pupil and immediate successor of Thaddeus.

However, James Murdoch also says in his translation of the Syriac Peshitta, p. 495:

— Translation of the Peshitta, p. 495 “It is utterly unaccountable that neither any notice of the time, place, and circumstances of its formation, nor any intimation whatever of its recent origin, can be found in any contemporary, or any subsequent ecclesiastical writer, Syrian, Greek, or Latin.”

It is not debatable at all — there is no indication of the time, place, or circumstances of the Peshitta’s formation, nor any indication of its origin anywhere or in any church writings, whether Syriac, Greek, or Latin.

James Murdoch — Translation of the Peshitta p. 490 — the "tradition" without evidence
James Murdoch — Translation of the Peshitta p. 490 — the "tradition" without evidence

James Murdoch — Translation of the Peshitta p. 495 — "we know nothing about anything about the Peshitta"
James Murdoch — Translation of the Peshitta p. 495 — "we know nothing about anything about the Peshitta"

— The Early Versions of the New Testament, p. 59 “The question who it was that produced the Peshitta version of the New Testament will perhaps never be answered.”

The question of who prepared the Peshitta translation of the New Testament may never be answered.

Bruce Metzger — The Early Versions of the New Testament p. 59 — the question of authorship may never be answered
Bruce Metzger — The Early Versions of the New Testament p. 59 — the question of authorship may never be answered

The origin, place, and author of the Peshitta — all unknown.

Question 2 — Is There Any Evidence of the Antiquity of the Peshitta Manuscripts?

The delay in the date of the Peshitta until the late fourth or fifth century is a matter of agreement since the beginning of the twentieth century — with the discovery of more manuscripts and the development of the science of textual criticism.

George Lamsa, the owner of one of the most famous printed versions of the Peshitta, himself confirms the consensus of scholars that the Peshitta dates back to the fifth century:

— confirming scholarly consensus on the Peshitta’s date “To add insult to injury, scholarly consensus holds that the Peshitta… was translated from the Greek by Rabulla, the bishop of Edessa from 412–435 AD.”

I will add salt to the wound: the scholarly consensus is that the Peshitta was translated from the Greek by Rabulla, the bishop of Edessa, between 412 and 435 AD.

George Lamsa — confirming the Peshitta was translated from Greek by Rabulla bishop of Edessa 412-435 AD
George Lamsa — confirming the Peshitta was translated from Greek by Rabulla bishop of Edessa 412-435 AD

The Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism “The earliest Greek witness to the Byzantine text is the uncial A, of the fifth century. The Peshitta Syriac is also largely (though not overwhelmingly) Byzantine; its date is uncertain though it is usually ascribed to the fourth century (and can hardly be later than this).”

The Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism — Peshitta dated to the fourth or fifth century, no earlier
The Encyclopedia of Textual Criticism — Peshitta dated to the fourth or fifth century, no earlier

Tetraevangelium Sanctum iuxta simplicem Syrorum versionem — the famous critical version of the Peshitta “The Text is based on the evidence of a large number of MSS., of various ages and different localities. They range from copies of the fifth century… to such a distinctly Jacobite copy as Lord Crawford’s MS., written in Tur’abdin in the twelfth century.”

The text is based on a large number of manuscripts from different eras and places, ranging from the fifth century to such a distinctly Jacobite version as Lord Crawford’s MS., written in Tur’abdin in the twelfth century.

Tetraevangelium Sanctum — Peshitta manuscripts range from the fifth century to the twelfth century
Tetraevangelium Sanctum — Peshitta manuscripts range from the fifth century to the twelfth century

— The Bible in Translation: Ancient and English Versions, p. 15 “As for the New Testament, the process of producing the Peshitta version from the Old Syriac probably began before the end of the fourth century and seems to have been completed no later than the time of Rabbula, bishop of Edessa (AD 411–35).”

Regarding the New Testament, the process of producing the Peshitta from the Old Syriac probably began in the late fourth century and seems to have continued at the latest until the time of Rabbula, bishop of Edessa (AD 411–435).

Bruce Metzger — The Bible in Translation p. 15 — Peshitta completed no later than the time of Rabbula AD 411-435
Bruce Metzger — The Bible in Translation p. 15 — Peshitta completed no later than the time of Rabbula AD 411-435

— Introduction to the Bible, p. 55 “During the fourth century, a comprehensive translation of the entire Bible was made into the Syriac language… This translation was called the Peshitta… There are several manuscripts that remain to this day dating back to the fifth century.”

Habib Saeed — Introduction to the Bible p. 55 — Peshitta manuscripts date to the fifth century
Habib Saeed — Introduction to the Bible p. 55 — Peshitta manuscripts date to the fifth century

Two Clear Rational Proofs of the Peshitta’s Late Date

^^First: All the Peshitta manuscripts that have been discovered — numbering more than 300 manuscripts — are all from after the fifth century. There is not a single Peshitta manuscript from before the fifth century.^^

Second: All the fathers and Syriac writers in the first four centuries, when they quoted from the New Testament, their quotes were in agreement with the ancient Syriac manuscripts — and not with the Peshitta. If the Peshitta were early, their quotes would have been in agreement with it.

The Peshitta is nothing but a late translation that appeared in the fifth century and has no value in the science of textual criticism or benefit in trying to retrieve the original text — at all.

Question 3 — Does the Peshitta Canon Agree with the Current Bible Canon?

The Peshitta canon differs from the current Bible canon. It consists of only 22 books of the New Testament and does not include five letters: 2 John, 3 John, 2 Peter, Jude, and the Book of Revelation. It therefore follows the canon of the Gospels according to the Antiochian Church in the fourth and fifth centuries AD.

— Translation of the Peshitta, pp. 501–502 “The manuscripts of the Peshitta New Testament are divided into two classes, the Jacobite and the Nestorian — the former written in Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt; the latter written in Persia and the East Indies — but there is very little difference between the texts of the two. Most of the copies of both omit the 2nd Epistle of Peter, the 2nd and 3rd Epistles of John, the Epistle of Jude, and the Apocalypse. They likewise generally omit the story of the Adulteress, John 7:53 to 8:11; and the disputed text, 1 John 5:7; and also Luke 22:17.”

The Peshitta manuscripts are divided into two parts — the Jacobite manuscripts and the Nestorian manuscripts. The oldest were written in Mesopotamia, in Syria, Palestine, and Egypt; the newest were written in Persia and the East Indies. There are slight differences between them. Most versions of both omit 2 Peter, 2 and 3 John, Jude, and the Book of Revelation. They also omit the story of the adulterous woman from John 7:53 to 8:11, the Johannine Comma (1 John 5:7), and Luke 22:17.

James Murdoch — Translation of the Peshitta pp. 501-502 — Peshitta omits five books and multiple key passages
James Murdoch — Translation of the Peshitta pp. 501-502 — Peshitta omits five books and multiple key passages

Final Assessment

Scholars say that the Peshitta is a Byzantine text in the four Gospels but a Western text in the remaining 22 books of the New Testament — with five books omitted entirely. There have therefore been desperate attempts by Christians to prove that the Byzantine text — from which the Erasmus translation, the King James translation, and the Van Dyck translation came — has ancient origins and original manuscripts. This is especially pressing since there is not a single manuscript containing the Byzantine text before the Alexandrian manuscript in the fifth century.

But it has now become known to scholars and students that the Peshitta — which common Christians claim was written by one of the disciples or a disciple of the disciples — is nothing but a foundling copy and an unknown translation. No one knows who wrote it, when, or where.

It also differs from the current text in five complete books. Those who defend it and cite it as evidence confirm — without realising it — the possibility of deletion, addition, and distortion of the texts of their book.

The Peshitta, which Christians present as one of the most important witnesses to the authenticity of the New Testament, is an anonymous translation of unknown authorship, unknown date, and unknown place of origin. Every scholar consulted — Murdoch, Metzger, Lamsa, Habib Saeed — confirms that the oldest Peshitta manuscripts date to the fifth century, that the question of its authorship may never be answered, and that it was most likely translated from the Greek by Rabbula, bishop of Edessa, between 411 and 435 AD. More than 300 manuscripts have been discovered — not one predates the fifth century. And the Peshitta canon itself omits five complete books of the current New Testament: 2 John, 3 John, 2 Peter, Jude, and Revelation — along with the story of the adulterous woman and the Johannine Comma. Christians who cite the Peshitta as proof of authenticity are citing a late, anonymous, incomplete translation against itself.
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