The Samuel Manuscript of Jacob of Edessa: A Study in Its Underlying Textual Traditions

This volume strives to uncover the sources utilized by Jacob of Edessa in his Syriac revision of the biblical books of Samuel around 705 CE.
Noting that a colophon states that these sources derived from both the Syrians and the Greeks, the first part of the book deals with the relationship of the Peshitta, the Syro-Hexapla and Greek (Septuagint) texts in Jacob's manuscript. This leads naturally into the heart of the volume which is a careful examination of the relative presence of the major Greek textual families within the manuscript. A final section treats the extent and nature of readings outside the major Syriac and Greek traditions.
The findings should be of particular interest to scholars working in Old Testament textual criticism and Syriac literature.

Richard J. Saley, Ph.D. (1981) in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, is a Visiting Lecturer on Hebrew Bible at the Divinity School and a Research Associate at the Semitic Museum, Harvard University.