Some basic background information about the Peshitta or Syriac Vulgate bible and assistance with learning the ancient Syriac alphabet and language can be found using these third party links and books:
There is an on-line edition of the Peshitta, the mainstream or Vulgate version of the ancient Syriac bibleavailable with an interlinear English translation. This site also has many other useful Syriac studies links.
More details about Bible versions of the ancient Syriac surviving today are also available on-line.
The Learn Assyrian website. This is an excellent website where you can find out how to write the Syriac alphabet using the artistic East Syriac and Estrangela scripts yourself!! (Tip: buy a calligraphy pen!). The Learn Assyrian website also has audio media concerning the phonetics of the modern language.
The interesting and useful website of the Church of the East, (includes liturgical texts and Syriac scriptures in the East Syriac script as well as audio versions of the Lord's Prayer spoken in Syriac).
If you live in the UK, the following two books can be bought from the Bible Society in Swindon, UK Tel: 01793 418 100 (or the books can be obtained from your local Bible Society or the United Bible Society if you live outside the UK):
1. "Syriac NT and Psalms"
363 UBS-EPF 1994-2M ISBN 056 409 6725
Hardback
binding. This text uses an ancient Syriac Peshitta version prepared
by the Society between 1905 and 1920 collated from 42 ancient Syriac
manuscripts. The ancient Syriac text is printed in the Western or
Jacobite Syriac script. The cost is about £7.
2. "Syriac Bible" 63DC
copyright United Bible Societies 1979 UBS-EPF 1996-2M ISBN 056 400
0892
Hardback binding. This
has the whole bible in the ancient Syriac Peshitta version including
the Old Testament, the Apocrypha and the New Testament, (the NT has
the same text and script as 1. but the OT has no vowel points. The
Apocrypha however, does have vowel points). The cost is about £15.
The following Syriac language tools are highly recommended Syriac language learning tools in addition to the 'Learn Assyrian' website used as an alphabet learning aid, (see link given above):
3. "First studies in Syriac"
Healey, J. F. Publ. 1986, 1994. University of Birmingham, Dept. of
Theology
Spiral bound, A4
size. This book is a very readable and helpful introduction to
classical Syriac. A more recent revision of this book is now
available in hardback
from Gorgias
Press. Gorgias Press stock many books of interest to
Syriac scholars and enthusiasts.
4. "A compendious Syriac dictionary" Payne Smith R. and J. ISBN 1-57910-227-1 Reprint Published by Wipf and Stock 1999 Eugene OR, USA in paperback, (this is a reprint from a hardback book published by Oxford University Press in 1902). This classical Syriac dictionary is available for about $45 plus shipping.
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