PESHITTA Meaning and
Definition
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The term "Peshitta" refers to a specific version of the Bible used by Syriac-speaking Christians. The word "Peshitta" itself means "simple" or "straightforward" in Syriac, which reflects its claim to be a pure and unadulterated translation of the Scriptures. The Peshitta is written in Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic which was widely spoken in the Near East during the early centuries of the Christian era.
The Peshitta text primarily consists of the Old and New Testaments, although it does not include the deuterocanonical books found in other biblical traditions. Considered one of the oldest and most reliable textual witnesses to the Bible, it is believed to have been translated from Hebrew and Aramaic sources. The original translation is attributed to the Christian community in Edessa (modern-day Urfa, Turkey), making it a significant text for Syriac Christianity.
The Peshitta has been highly regarded by various Christian communities, most notably the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Chaldean Catholic Church. Its influence extended beyond Syriac-speaking Christians, as it was also utilized by early Arabic-speaking Christian communities. Over the years, the text has undergone revisions and updates, resulting in different manuscript versions and translations.
Today, scholars and theologians continue to study and utilize the Peshitta in their research and biblical studies due to its unique linguistic and textual characteristics, shedding light on the ancient Near Eastern context in which the Bible was written.
Etymology of PESHITTA
The word "Peshitta" has its origins in the Aramaic language. It comes from the Aramaic term "Peshittā" (ܦܫܝܛܬܐ), which means "simple" or "straightforward". The term was used to emphasize that the Peshitta, a classical Syriac translation of the Bible, was a simple and accurate translation of the original texts. The Peshitta is still used by various Syriac Christian communities today.
