Etheridge Translation of the Western Peshitto: An English translation of the Aramaic Peshitta

This translation of the Four Gospels has been made directly from the Syriac. The text chiefly followed is that of Gutbir, 1664, compared with the editions of Paris, G. F. Boderiani, 1584, Walton in the London Polyglot, and Schaaf’s of 1709. The rubrics for the lessons are from Walton. The object of the translator having been to offer in English an accurate representation of these venerable eastern scriptures, the version is as literal as the structure of the two languages seems to admit.

From a desire to preserve the air and manner, as well as meaning, of the original, he has retained the Syrian orthography of the proper names, and has left some of the peculiar denominatives of the gospel narrative untranslated. Such are the titles of Pharishee, the Pharisees, Zadukoyee, the Sadducees, Sophree, the Scribes, Malphona, Doctor, &c. The name of the Divine Being, ALOHA, (the ALOHA of the Hebrew revelation,) is also left unaltered. In the expression of these names the method of the Nestorians has been followed rather than that used by the Western Syrians, because in the former the pronunciation more fully accords with the orthography.