H.F. van Rooy, «The Headings of the Psalms in the East Syriac Tradition Reconsidered», Vol. 89 (2008) 505-525
In the first half of the previous century the headings of the Psalms in the East Syriac tradition received a lot of attention, with important contributions by scholars such as Devreesse and Vosté. In 1960 Bloemendaal published an edition of these headings. Since 1960 a number of important new manuscripts became available, as well as a translation of the commentary of Theodore and a translation of the commentary of Diodore on the first fifty Psalms. This paper deals with the light shed on the history of the East Syrian headings particularly by two manuscripts not available to Bloemendaal. The examples discussed lead one to the conclusion that 6t1, used by Bloemendaal, must not be regarded as the paradigmatic witness in all instances.
The Headings of the Psalms 507
this manuscript (6). The other manuscript preserving something of the
headings of the Hebrew Bible is manuscript 12t3, which has the
headings of the Syro-Hexapla, and not the normal East Syrian
headings, as one would expect (7).
It is impossible to present an extensive survey of the research on
these headings, but a few important milestones merit attention.
In 1876 Nestle wrote a review of a book of Prager on the Peshitta(8).
Prager dealt with the Peshitta of the Old Testament as a whole, but he
gave special attention to the headings of the Psalms (9). It is quite
evident that he used the edition of Lee for this study (10). He referred to
the double headings, such as those found in the edition of Lee, with one
set referring to the life of David, while the other set referred to the
dogmata Christiana. The first set was of Jewish origin and the second
from Christian origin, according to Prager (11). The Jewish headings
may have been changed or expanded to bring a Christian colouring to
them, but the Jewish origin is certain (12). The Christian headings are
related to the Pro titulis Psalmorum of Eusebius(13). Nestle pointed out
that the headings used in the printed editions were late and that the
manuscripts either did not have headings at all, or totally different
headings than those in the printed editions. Nestle referred to
manuscripts of the British Museum and pointed out that the headings
were related to the work of Theodore of Mopsuestia (14). Baethgen
(6) Cf. H.F.VAN ROOY, “The ‘Hebrew’ Psalm Headings in the Syriac
Manuscript 12t4†Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages 25 (1999) 225-237.
(7) Cf. H.F. VAN ROOY, “The Syro-Hexaplaric Headings of the Psalms in
Manuscript 12t3â€, Aramaic Studies 3 (2005) 109-126.
(8) E. NESTLE, “Review of Prager, J., De veteris testamenti versione syriaca,
quam Peschitto vocant, quaestiones criticae. Pars I, Göttingen, 1875, Dieterichs
Verlagâ€, ThLZ 1 (1875) 281-284.
(9) T. PRAGER, De veteris Testamenti versione syriaca quam Peschitto
vocant quaestiones criticae (Göttingen 1875) 49-66.
(10) Cf. especially PRAGER, De Veteris Testamenti versione syriaca, 50.
(11) PRAGER, De Veteris Testamenti versione syriaca, 50.
(12) PRAGER, De Veteris Testamenti versione syriaca, 51.
(13) PRAGER, De Veteris Testamenti versione syriaca, 51. These headings of
Eusebius are then presented in an appendix, pp. 71-75.
(14) NESTLE, “Pragerâ€, 281-282. In his discussion of manuscript 6t1 (British
Library, additional manuscript 17110), W. WRIGHT, Catalogue of Syriac MSS in
the British Museum acquired after the year 1838 (London 1870) I, 116-117,
already noted that the headings in this manuscript are different from those in the
editions. This manuscript has a treatise on the headings as well, indicating that
already at the time of its writing, the existence of different headings was well
known. Cf. WRIGHT, Catalogue British Museum I, 118.
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