Syriac Editions and Translations in Progress

 

**To submit information on Syriac editions and translations in preparation, please go to our online submission form.**

 

A Note to Readers

It is an axiom that the original sources constitute the foundation of any research in Humanities and thus without editions the field cannot develop successfully. Nevertheless, as is well known, undeservedly little is being done with respect to the editions of the Syriac texts and translations (see, for example the lamentable remarks of Luk van Rompay here). The yearly listings of the publications on Syriac topics in Hugoye easily prove that statement. One can also check the number of editions that appeared in CSCO recently (between 1995 and 2001: zero; 2002: 2; 2003: 1; 2004: 1; 2005: 1; 2006-2010: zero; 2011: 4; 2012: 1; 2013: 1; 2014: 1). An edition of a Syriac text appeared in Patrologia Orientalis for the last time in 1995.

The publication of Syriac editions and translations is not moving on a positive trajectory, and certainly much more can be done if we cooperate and aim to help one another. It goes without saying that the task of preparing a critical edition is painstaking and surrounded by a range of problems of different kinds. Despite not being able to change the situation radically, we may coordinate our efforts in making the information about ongoing projects more easily available. This practice is widespread in other fields, such as Byzantine Studies and Classics, and has indeed proven to be useful there.

Following an initial call, the first version of this list was distributed by Grigory Kessel in February, 2015, through the Hugoye email listserv. A few updates were made to that version as information came in. Following upon the advice of many of the editors represented here, it was decided to put the “List of Syriac Editions & Translations in Progress” online so that it could be easily found and used by as wide a community of scholars as possible. This site syri.ac, with its emphasis on providing auxiliary tools for Syriac studies, offers a very suitable platform.

Grigory Kessel will continue to oversee and edit the “List of Syriac Editions & Translations in Progress,” and anybody involved in an edition or translation project is warmly invited to share information with him via email or through the automated form on this site. Additionally, feel free to send corrections to the editions and translations listed below, and please don’t forget to inform us when your project is completed and the book is published. Any contribution is deeply appreciated!

In his capacity as editor, Grigory Kessel would like to thank Scott Johnson and Jack Tannous for their consent to host the List and Morgan Reed for his technical assistance.

Editions in Progress Table