A second version of the Syriac Psalm 151

Abstract

All studies on the Syriac Psalm 151 up to the present accept that all the Syriac witnesses reflect the same basic tradition. This tradition can be traced back to the version of this Psalm in a longer version in Syriac of the commentary on the Psalms by Athanasius. This manuscript (6h22) dates from the late sixth century. This paper proposes that a second Syriac version can be identified in three Melkite manuscripts. The variants between the two versions are discussed. The majority of these variants can be regarded as major variants, pointing to the existence of a second translation of this Psalm in Syriac from the Greek.