School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses
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ItemNo Preview AvailableThe Hexaemeron of Moses Bar Kepha : a critical analysis and translation of the second memra(University of Melbourne, 1974)
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ItemThe Harklean version of St. Luke 1-11: a critical introduction and edition( 2002)The Syriac version of the NT completed in A.D. 615/16 by Thomas of Harkel is a revision of the Philoxenian version issued in A.D. 507/8. Thomas used the Philoxenian version (PHIL) as the Grundtext of his revision and, for the Gospels, collated PHIL with three Greek copies. This dissertation comprises the critical introduction to an edition of the Harklean version of Lk. 1-11, collated from the testimony of twenty-six witnesses. This edition has provided the critical tool which generally informs our findings and conclusions. It is our thesis that H comprises both a philological and textual revision of PHIL. Using what has been described as a mirror translation technique, Thomas revised the translation of the PHIL textline so as to make the revised version a virtual calque of the Greek original. But he also textually revised PHIL so as to conform it to the reading of his Greek standard. We will argue that his aim was to have the H textline model an ideal and authoritative Greek standard. It is our opinion that this Greek standard was determined, as far as was possible, upon the textual consensus of the collated Greek witnesses. In order to establish the extent to which Thomas revised the PHIL textIine we will adduce and evaluate the comparative evidence of several PHIL quotations extant in Philoxenus' Commentary on the Prologue of John. Thomas' textual revision occasioned the retention in the H textline of readings from PHIL not supported by the Greek standard and which are denoted by the obeli, and the addition of readings to the H textline which were not supported by the Greek standard, and which are denoted by the asterisks. We have argued that Thomas' use of these signs and the states denoted by them approximates the use that Origen made of the same signs in the Hexapla. Another result of Thomas' collation was the exhibition of Syriac marginal readings. A considerable part of our discussion is devoted to establishing the purposes of such readings and their probable sources. Many marginal variant readings were derived from Thomas' Greek copies. Other instances appear to comprise rejected PHIL readings. Further, we have attempted to establish that several of the marginal readings were derived from the margins of Thomas' Greek copies and the margin of Thomas' exemplar of PHIL. In particular, we have developed the theory that several glosses, which we call currency annotations, comprise critical notices derived, in whole or in part, from the margins of Thomas' witnesses. We will demonstrate that in some instances the marginal 'readings' function as philological or lexical aids or that they were exhibited for expository purposes. In addition to the critical problems mentioned, we describe the manuscripts collated for the edition, discuss the history of the making of H, briefly treat the transmission of the H text, remark on the transmission of the marginalia, discuss the critical role of PHIL, and make numerous observations on individual readings and the textual character of Thomas' Greek copies.
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ItemA translation and critical discussion of the Commentary of Dionysius Bar Salibi on the Book of Isaiah( 1970)This thesis arises from a keen awareness of the important place of the Old Testament evidenced by the New Testament's frequent recognition of its authority together with extensive quotation, particularly of' the books of Psalms and Isaiah. We note also the statement in Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy (p 32) that there are no greater prophets than Moses and Isaiah, and John Chrysostom's view that Isaiah's is "the fullest voice of all". The commentary of Dionysius Bar Salibi on Isaiah is part of his commentary on the whole Bible. It belongs to the twelfth century but embodies a variety of earlier hermeneutics from both Syrian and Greek sources. It has not been published so is available only from Syriac Manuscripts and an Arabic translation. My purpose is to put the commentary in a more convenient form for further study, and comparison with other works. The foundation of this thesis is a close study of the five Mss of the commentary which have become available to me. At this point I am particularly indebted to Professor A. Voobus of Chicago who kindly made available photographed copies of the Deir Za'faran, Mosul and Sarfeh Mss. Photographed copies of the Paris and Mingana Mss were made available through the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Melbourne. The study of these five Mss shows that that of Deir Za’faran is the primary one. Though mistakes are evident in this Ms, the later Mss appear to be quite dependent upon this one. The thesis includes some introductory work on the derivation of the commentary and its characteristics. Writers like Rendel Harris and G. Diettrich have indicated that Bar Salibi’s Biblical commentaries are compilations rather than original works. However there could be original elements, and in any case the selection of some parts of earlier works and the rejection of others means that a degree of initiative has been used. In the case of Isaiah and certain other books, the commentaries from which Bar Salibi copies are not extant. This enhances the importance of Bar Salibi’s commentary on these books but greatly reduces the opportunity of assessing what is original to Bar Salibi. The bibliography shows what works of Bar Salibi have been published. It has not been possible within the scope of this thesis to make the kind of close study of these works that would be significant enough to contribute to conclusions on what sources may have been available to Bar Salibi. I believe the reproduction of the Deir Za'faran Ms together with exhaustive comparison with the four other Mss, to be original. Further, conclusions with regard to the relationship of the five Mss to each other are probably original because of the inaccessibility of some of the Mss. I also believe that the translation of this commentary into English has not previously been accomplished in full.
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ItemThe Psalm-commentary of Dionysius bar Salibi( 1974)The present dissertation consists of a detailed investigation of the commentary of Dionysius bar Salibi on Psalms 1-72. To begin with, the commentary is considered in its historical setting. Dionysius bar Salibi was a bishop in the Syrian Jacobite Church of the mid-twelfth century A.D. In a period marked by natural calamities and political and religious conflict, bar Salibi was an upright and strong leader of his people. His concern for integrity and moral rectitude among his parishioners and disciples is evident throughout the commentary. This strong ethical emphasis is combined with pastoral encouragement and comfort for those in need. An investigation of the liturgical setting of the Psalm-commentary has shown that the words of the Psalms provided a ready source for the composition of the prayers in the Jacobite liturgy. They also have an important place in the Daily Offices of the Church. The use of the Psalms in the Church's liturgies has strongly influenced the exposition of the Psalms in bar Salibi's commentary. Although a wider community no doubt shared in the Eucharistic Liturgy, the Hours of Prayer were largely celebrated by the monks and those seeking to join monastic communities. It was in the monasteries and schools that the Psalms gained a position of considerable importance, forming a basic part of the curriculum, and the fundamental ingredient of private devotions. It is suggested that Dionysius bar Salibi had people such as these monks in view as he wrote the Psalm-commentary. Dionysius did not claim originality for the ideas presented in his commentary. He saw his task as that of distilling from the works of previous writers the best teaching for the benefit of the people of his own day. Some of his sources he named, others he did not, but there is no simple formula to describe the origins of his work. The version of Scripture most frequently used in bar Salibi’s commentary is the Peshitta, though the Syro-Hexaplar is also quoted, as well as several other forms of the text. The Psalm-commentary, like all of bar Salibi's Old Testament comrnentaries, consists of two parts. In the "literal” commentary, the shorter of the two, the author generally interprets the Psalms in a historical sense, applying them to David, or some other person or occasion in Israel's history. The "spiritual" commentary has a much fuller, more homiletic character, and usually provides a Christological explanation of the Psalms. In fact, Christ is seen as the major subject of the Psalms which are used as a vehicle to convey the Church's doctrines about Man and God, and in particular about Jesus Christ. Finally an analysis of the extant MSS of this commentary was undertaken by the construction of a sample critical text, and the results evaluated. As a result of this investigation, the Sitz im Leben of the Psalm-commentary of Dionysius bar Salibi has been recognised in broad outline, and hence its general significance can be more clearly defined.