Peshitta

The Peshitta (Classical Syriac: ܦܫܺܝܛܬܳܐ or ܦܫܝܼܛܬܵܐ pšīṭta) is the standard Syriac edition of the Bible for the Syriac churches and traditions that follow the liturgy of the Syriac rites.

The Peshitta is originally and traditionally written in the Classical Syriac dialect of the Aramaic language, although editions of the Peshitta can be translated and/or written in different languages.

The general consensus within Peshitta scholarship is that the Old Testament was translated into Syriac, largely from Hebrew with some supplementation from the Septuagint and Targums, by Jews (at least the Torah, Chronicles and Proverbs) and Jewish-Christians conversant with Jewish exegetical traditions, by or before the 2nd century CE, and the New Testament was translated from Koine Greek, probably in the early 5th century. This New Testament, originally excluding certain disputed books (2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation), had become a standard by the early 5th century. The five excluded books were added in the Harklean Version (616 CE) of Thomas of Harqel. The New Testament of the Peshitta often reflects the Byzantine text-type, although with some variations.