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 523
In Psalm 131, the majority of the manuscripts have l( )BNtM
at the beginning of the heading. 12t4 has pwcrP oM rYM) (He
prophesies about the people in Babylon when they reminded God of
the love of David for him and they asked mercy from him on account
of his promises to him).
At the end of the heading of Psalm 136, 12t4 adds oYKBw, with
17t3, U, UP and M (He prophesies about the people in Babylon when
they narrated their adversities).
In Psalm 122, 18>8dt1 has a different word order for the phrase
“in faith from Godâ€, namely “from God in faith†(How the people
asked patiently in faith from God to return them from Babylon).
18>8dt1 and 12t4 have a number of additions, in some instances
unique. In Psalm 3, 12t4 adds “his son†to “Absalomâ€. In Psalm 55,
12t4 adds dYwdL after rYM), with the majority of the younger
manuscripts. In Psalm 86, 12t4 has a unique reading, inserting
)BBdL(B before )Yr*wt) (Prayer of Hezekiah when the Assyrians
*
surrounded him and he asked from God deliverance from them).
III. Discussion and conclusions
It is quite clear from the examples discussed that in many
instances 6t1, supported by 18>8dt1 and 12t4, has a longer reading
than some of the younger manuscripts, and especially 13t3, M428
and M. It is this kind of heading that lead Vosté to conclude that the
main variants in the headings are shortened versions of the original
heading. Because these shorter headings occur in only a few of the
manuscripts, one must not use this phenomenon to make conclusions
about a general trend.
There are a number of examples where 6t1 (supported by one or
two younger manuscripts) has a slightly longer heading than most of
the other manuscripts, such as in Psalm 10, 16 and 104. The longer
heading in these instances have just one word more than the more
general heading. This may reflect a change from the original heading
in 6t1, with 18>8dt1 and 12t4 reflecting the more original heading.
The same is probably true of those instances where the heading in
6t1 has the same information as the other manuscripts, but phrased in
a slightly different way. Psalm 11 is a good example in this regard.
In three instances 6t1 has a different heading than the other
manuscripts, with a slightly different setting. The heading of Psalm
20 is as follows:
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