TO THE READER #

I prefer to imitate the diligence of Santes Pagninus and Arias Montanus, or of Malvenda and Mercier These 16th and 17th-century scholars were famous for their literal, word-for-word translations of the Bible, prioritizing accuracy over elegant prose.. I said I would delay you here only briefly; therefore, if you desire to know more, consult that great master of this art, Tully Marcus Tullius Cicero, in his work The Orator, and read carefully where he treats this very point at length and, as is his custom, most elegantly. Because some interpreters have been unwilling or unable to follow the method proposed by him, they have been forced to recut the works of others more skilled in the art, and to repair the versions they made with new care. You may consult Denis Pétau’s introduction to his translation of Saint Epiphanius on this matter. I will add one thing that Tully least noticed—indeed, he could not even have suspected it—that Syriac is much further removed from Latin than Greek is. Cicero himself mentions that Greek stories, when expressed word-for-word in Latin, are the same, and he affirms that he translated a long letter using as many words as the original; and, as is right to think of such a translator, he did so most elegantly. However, in Syriac and its related languages, no translator, no matter how eloquent, should trust that he can achieve this without simultaneously falling into a pedestrian, common, and sometimes even foul style of speaking. Furthermore, in any language, but most especially in the Oriental languages, words occur that can never be translated into another speech without a paraphrase. Saint Basil cleverly noted this regarding that first word in Genesis, מרחפת original: "Merahephet", whose meaning the Greek and Latin translators tear apart when they attempt to explain it with a single word The Hebrew term suggests a bird hovering, brooding, or vibrating over its eggs, which is difficult to capture with one Latin or Greek verb.. And Blessed EPHREM, regarding the word Reg. 25. Nabal original: "Nabal"; a name meaning "fool" or "senseless", writes that the various translators of his time struggled because of the poverty of their own respective languages; conversely, the Syrian, through the richness of his own tongue, perfectly declares the mind of Saint Paul Cor. 10. in those words: The spiritual body shall rise. He translated this by adding the word ܪܘܚܢܐ original: "Ruhonojo", which signifies a thing that is spiritual not by nature, but by a certain attribution or in an improper sense.

Accept these things I have said, not because I presume that I have committed no error in this part thus far, but so that, wherever you find I have erred, you may understand that the fault is shared with

The Father granted one thing, but denied the other.

Homer.

the most learned translators, and that nothing is blessed in every part; for "The Father granted one thing, and denied the other" original Greek: "Ε῞τερον μεν ε῎δωκε πατηρ ε῎τερον δὲ α῎νευευσεν"; a quote from Homer's Iliad regarding the gods granting only partial success to human prayers..

Finally, lest I seem to sin twice—once by neglecting those excellent men who have deserved well of me in preparing this work, and again by letting the memory of their merit perish—I will testify to the benefit that I cannot repay. Surely a poor man, if he is a good man, even if he cannot return a favor, can at least hold it in his heart; and if he holds it there, he is believed to have returned it. I confess that I owe the primary parts of this duty to the Most Illustrious and Reverend Lord Stephen Evodius Assemani, Archbishop of Apamea, who facilitated my use of the Vatican codices mentioned above, and deigned to transcribe with his own hand what was necessary. Moreover, through his exceptional skill in Oriental letters and his sacred and profane erudition, he greatly assisted the present edition. Next, to the very Reverend Father Julius Vitellius of the Society of Jesus, the most deserving Rector of the Maronite College in the City Rome, who most kindly gave me the use of several codices of the highest quality from the library of the same college. Finally, to the Most Reverend Father Dom Emmanuel Alipius, the most worthy Abbot of the Monastery of Saints Marcellinus and Peter in the City, from whom I received the Arabic Acts of Saint EPHREM (relegated to the third volume), as well as a most rich Syriac Lexicon, and a Syriac version of both Testaments transcribed from a Vatican codex.

You should not wonder at the omission of Joseph Simon Assemani from this list, since the efforts of this most celebrated man in promoting Oriental letters and his labors for the edition of Ephrem’s works—not to mention his famous deeds in the double legation entrusted to him by the Sovereign Pontiffs to the Egyptians and the Maronite Syrians—have already flown over the Alps and crossed the seas with such great fame. His published volumes, to the great benefit of the Republic of Letters, have filled Egypt and both Syrias, so that in the presence of such a lion, his footsteps need not be sought in this small place.