Peshitta

The Peshitta is the standard Syriac translation of the Bible used by most Syriac Christian communities, including the Syriac Orthodox, Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic, and Maronite churches. The term derives from Syriac pšīṭā meaning "simple" or "common," reflecting its role as the everyday Bible.

The translation likely began in the 2nd century in the Syriac-speaking world, with major completion by the 5th century. The New Testament portion is generally aligned with Greek manuscripts, while the Old Testament draws on Hebrew scriptures in Syriac.

The traditional Syriac canon comprises 49 books: 22 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. East and West Syriac communities may have minor textual variations, but the Peshitta serves as the standard liturgical Bible.

Early manuscript witnesses include the Curetonian Gospels (5th century), the Sinaitic Palimpsest, and the Philoxenian/Harklean revision (6th–7th centuries), with later standard editions forming the basis for most modern Peshitta texts.

In contemporary use, the Peshitta remains central to Syriac biblical scholarship and liturgy, and has influenced translations into Arabic and other languages within the Syriac-speaking world.