H.F. van Rooy, «The Headings of the Psalms in the East Syriac Tradition Reconsidered» biblica, Vol. 89 (2008) 505-525 page 517

Vol 89 (2008)

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.

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The Headings of the Psalms 517 In these instances, where the shorter heading is found in 12t4 and 18>8dt1, the shorter heading can not be regarded as a late variant, but must be evaluated in its own right. In these instances, the shorter heading may be more original than the heading of 6t1. 4. 6t1 has the same information as the other manuscripts, but with a different construction In some instances 6t1 has a unique reading, with the same basic information as the other headings, but phrased in a different way. Psalm 11 is a good example, where 6t1 has: hM(d hL wwh oYKLMw lw)$ oM dYwd pdrt) dK yhwMdQ oM qr(ML When David was pursued by Saul and those who were with him counselled him to flee before him. 18>8dt1, 12t4 and the majority of the manuscripts have: oYLY) hL wwh oYKLMw lw)$ oM pdrt) dK dYwdL rYM) yhwMdQ oM qr(ML hM(d Spoken by David when David was pursued by Saul and those who were with him counselled him to flee before him. 13t3, M428 and M have a much shorter reading than the majority, while only 6t1 of the majority omits the dYwdL rYM) at the beginning. Psalm 42 has two examples where 6t1 had a different construction with the same content as the other manuscripts. It has dYwd rM) for dYwdL rYM) in the other manuscripts, and rM)ML for nwrM)Nd (In the person of the people in Babylon spoken by David, the things that were fit for them to say in the time of the exile). The heading of Psalm 51 in 6t1 begins with L(d )twNYtrM (admonition about), while the others start with L( )BNtM (he prophesies about). At the end of Psalm 55, 6t1 has nwhtwLYKN (their fraud) for the nwhtwN(Y (their greed) in the other manuscripts (Spoken in the person of Onias, who admitted to God the treason of his kinsmen towards him and the evil that was done by the people on account of their greed). In Psalm 74, 6t1 has the verb oYNtd for oYNtMd in the other witnesses (He points to the greatness of the calamities of the Maccabees when they narrated the evil that surrounded them and they asked from God deliverance from them).