The ancient or proper Syriac is believed to be now wholly a dead lan- guage, and is used only in the old liturgies and sacred books. The mod- ern Syriac, which is used almost solely by the Nes- torian Christians of Per- sia, and to some extent by their Koordish neigh- bors, differs considerably from the old Syriac, or that of literature. The principal value of a knowledge of the latter is its use in the elucida- tion of rare words in the Old Test, and the com- parison with the Heb, roots; and it is also of much importance from the fact that the oldest and best version of the New Test, (the Peshito) is in this language. See SvRiAC Vkksions. The principal literature of the Syriac, besides this and the inferior version of the Old Test., consists of certain historical works of the Early and Middle Ages, particularly the writings of Ephrem Syrus (q. v.), and a number of re- ligious poems and hymns (see Select Hymns and Homilies [Lonti. 1853], translated from the Syriac by Rev. H. Burgess).
General treatises on the Sj-riac language and literature, many of them in connection with the Hebrew, but exclusive of those that treat likewise of the Chaldee, are by the fol- lowing: Lj'sius (Kegiom. 1726), Michaelia
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SYPJAC LITERATURE
107
SYRIAC LITERATURE
[J. B.] (Hal. 1756), Michaelis [J. D.] (Gott. 17G8, etc.), Agrell (Upsal, 1791; Lond. 1810), Svaiiborg (Upsal, 1795), Lengerke (Regiom. 1836), Larsow (Berol. 1841). See tlie Join: of Sac. Lit. Oct. 1862; an art. on the Syro- Arabian La>i(/uar/es and Literature, m the Christ. Rev. xvii, 393 sq. ; on Syriac Biblical Literature, in the Church Rev. v, 36 sq. ; on Syriac Philolof/y, in the Bibli- oth. Sacra, viii, 554 sq. ; and the list in Uhlemann's Syr. Grammar, p. 22 sq.
(Jrammars on the Syriac, exclusively, are those of Dilherr (2d ed. Ilal. 1646), Opitius (Leips. 1691), Leus- den ( Ultraj. 1658), Beveridge (Lond. 1658), Michaelis [C. b!] (Hal. 1741), Michaelis [J. D.] (Gott. 1784), Adler (Alton. 1784), Zel (Lemgo, 1788), Tyschen (Eost, 1793), Yates (Lond. 1821 ), Ewald (Erlang. 1826), Hoffmann, (Hal. 1827), Uhlemann (Berl. 1829; N. Y. 1855), TuU- berg (Lond. 1827), Phillips (2d ed. ibid. 1845), Cooper (ibid. 1860), Merx (Halle, 1867). A Grammar of the Modern Syriac Languarje, by Rev, D. T. Stoddard, is printed in the .Jour, of the Amer. Oriental Society (N. Y. 1855), vol. V, No. 1. Lexicons have been executed by Gutbir (Hamb. 1667; new ed. by Henderson, Lond. 1836) and Sehaaf (Lugd. Bat. 1708); the abstract of the Syriac part of Castell's Ueptafjlot Lex. by Michaelis [.J. D".] (Gcitt. 1788); Smith, Thesaurus (Lond. 1858), pt. i. A new and extensive Syriac lexicon is in prepa- ration by Prof. Bernstein of Germany. Syriac chresto- mathies are those of Kirsch (Leips. 1789), Grimm (Lem- go, 1795), Knaes (Gott. 1807), Hahn and Sieffert (Leips. 1825), Oberleitner (Vien. 1826), Diipke (Gott. 1829), Wenig (Innsbr. 1865), and Rodiger (2d ed. Halle, 1868). The most convenient reading-book for beginners is the Syriac New Test., published by Bagster (Lond.), and containing a brief lexicon edited by Dr. Henderson. See Shemitic Languages.
Syriac Literatiire. The Syriac literature is pre- eminently religious. The oldest monument is the Syri- ac version of the Bible, called the Peshitha or Peshito, for which see Syriac Veusions. Like the Jews, the Syrians treated their Bible in Masoretic manner, which may be seen from the superscriptions added to some books. Thus we read at the end of Job, NSTD C?"J
'::d'o NT^^rsj \ nsr-^x xn-^n-j xp'^nij m-^xn, i. e.
" Here ends the book of the just and noble Job ; it con- tains 2553 verses." The result of critical care for the Peshito is contained in a work speaking of the variety of single readings, of the correct reading of difficult words, and in which the pronunciation of proper names according to the (ireek mode is taught. The title of
this collection is N^p-'n:!'! xniipii xn^-c;"! XDniD
Xn^Sip Xn-'STQbO'O -iX Xninil, i. e. " Book of the names and readings of the Old and New Test, according to t-he Karkaphic recension." The latter expression denotes that the work was prepared in the Jacobitic monastery Karkaph, which by a mistake lent the name and idea of a Karkaphic or Karkaphensian recension ( see Jlartin, Tradition Karkaphienne, ou la Massore chez les Syriens [Paris, 1870]). After this, all notices concerning a Karkaphensian version which are found in the introductions to and cyclopaedias and diction- aries of the Bible must disappear once for all. The same French writer also called attention to the fact that, like the Jews, who have an Eastern and Western, a Babylonian and Palestinian, Masorah, so likewise we must distinguish between an Eastern and Western, a Nestorian and Jacobitian, Masorah among the Syrians; and this he laid down in his Syriens Orientuux et Occi- dentuux (ibid. 1872) : " Essai sur les deux principaux dialectes Arameens ;" to which we may add a third essay by the same author : Histoire de la Ponctuation ou de la Massore chez les Syrie7hs (ibid. 1875). These three es- says are very important for the reading and understand- ing of the Syriac version. Passing over the other ver- sions, which will be treated in the art. Syriac Ver- sions, we must state that the deuterocanonical boolcs,