Early Gospel translation revealed on palimpsest

[guy]

 

Investigation of a 6th century manuscript fragment revealed an earlier 3rd century Syriac translation of the Gospel. This is one of the earliest translations known.

There have been other discussions of investigating palimpsests, finding interesting works (see below).

[Palimpsest: a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain.]

 

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This gospel, which has traditionally been attributed to the apostle Matthew, was likely written sometime in the second half of the first century. So the newly discovered text is probably about 200 years younger than the bulk of the gospel.

The small manuscript fragment, which can now be considered as the fourth textual witness, was identified by Grigory Kessel using ultraviolet photography as the third layer of text, i.e., double palimpsest, in the Vatican Library manuscript. The fragment is so far the only known remnant of the fourth manuscript that attests to the Old Syriac version – and offers a unique gateway to the very early phase in the history of the textual transmission of the Gospels.

For example, while the original Greek of Matthew chapter 12, verse 1 says: "At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and his disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat," the Syriac translation says: "[...] began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them."

 

https://www.oeaw.ac.at/en/news/new-testament-fragment-of-1750-year-old-translation-discovered

 

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/uv-light-reveals-hidden-never-before-seen-version-of-the-gospel-of-matthew-on-ancient-parchment

 

 

 

 

Edited April 17, 2023 by guy