When, back in 2004, I was finishing my studies in Rome and submitting my doctoral dissertation, one desideratum dominated above all others. My familiarity with the textual tradition of the Psalms in the Syriac version (Peshitta) had brought me closer to the unique readings of manuscript 9a1 (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Ms Or. 58), thus sparking a desire for further study of this manuscript in order to evaluate the nature of those variants that coincided with the Masoretic Text. At that time, there was a suspicion that they might be secondary, the result of a revision to bring the Peshitta closer to the Hebrew text, although authoritative voices already considered them original.
In the years that followed, I had the privilege of combining my teaching at the San Dámaso Ecclesiastical University (Madrid) with research on the Peshitta within the broader field of Textual Criticism of the Bible. I never lost sight of that desideratum, but I was well aware that such research required a long period of meticulous and patient study of the manuscripts, which I did not have at the time.
The opportunity arose when my University granted me a sabbatical year of research between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023. I am very grateful for this opportunity, without which I would have found it difficult to carry out research like this. The book you hold in your hands is its mature fruit.
I spent the first three months of the sabbatical year in Rome. I soon realized that my research needed to narrow its scope to cover it, so I focused on the first three books of codex 9a1, starting with Leviticus, while also opening up to the rest of the manuscripts in that field (something necessary if one wants to know the position of a manuscript within a stemma codicum). In the library of the Pontifical Biblical Institute, I began the patient task of collecting and studying, verse by verse, the most important variants in the Peshitta manuscripts from the critical editions of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, comparing them with digital images of the most important manuscripts. It is only fair to thank the Library of the Biblical Institute for its efforts to provide an unbeatable context for research, through direct access to the entire book collection.
In Rome, I was welcomed as another member of the Pezzi family. I am deeply grateful to Luca and Alessandra for their company during those months. With them, I was able to share my passion for manuscripts, which sometimes included enthusiastic descriptions of my discoveries … which I don’t know to what extent they understood.
During this period, I had the opportunity to visit the Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence on more than one occasion, where the Or. 58 (9a1) codex, one of the key manuscripts for my research, is preserved. I am grateful that this institution has made a magnificent digital edition of the codex available to everyone, which has been a daily companion on my computer screen. However, verification of difficult readings on the parchment remains essential.
I will always remember my visit to the Holy Father, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, at the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City on November 30, 2022, a month before his death. A man of academia, Pope Benedict listened intently to what I told him about my research and encouraged me to continue on the path I had embarked upon. I am grateful to Carmela Galiandro and Georg Gänswein for making this visit possible.
The next stage, from January to March 2023, took me to Oxford, one of the universities that has contributed most to the field of Syriac studies. During the Hilary term of 2023, I was a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies at the University of Oxford. I am grateful to its president, Prof. Judith Olszowy-Schlanger, for welcoming me to this prestigious institution, and to Prof. Alison Salvesen and Dr. John Screnock, who supported my application.
During those unforgettable days in that wonderful university city, I stayed at Campion Hall, which welcomed me into its academic community marked by the warmth and simplicity of shared life. I am particularly grateful to its master, Fr. Nicholas Austin, to the Superior of the Jesuit Community, Fr. Frank Turner, and to the ever-available Trudi Preston, Hall Secretary. Life at Campion gave me the opportunity to meet and share meals or coffee with many scholars. I have fond memories of conversations with a great biblical scholar, John Barton, Senior Research Fellow of the Hall.
At the beginning of this stage, I had the chance to organize a workshop with Sebastian Brock, David Taylor, Alison Salvesen, and John Screnock to present the initial results of my research (which already included building stemmata codicum for the textual traditions of Leviticus and Numbers). I am grateful to these scholars for their comments and observations, which served both to confirm and improve the course of my research.
Given that Oxford is only an hour’s train ride from London, I took the opportunity to make several visits to the British Library, the institution that houses the largest number of Peshitta manuscripts, including some of the oldest and most important ones. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Michael Erdman, Head of the Middle Eastern and Central Asian Collections, for his assistance, including allowing me to photograph those manuscripts that were particularly important for my research.
When studying is intense and prolonged, the company of friends is especially appreciated. In Oxford, I had the opportunity to share experiences and free time with good friends. My gratitude goes to them, especially Miriam Galbiati, Marco Pisa, Maria Chiara Barbanti, and Beppe Pezzini and his family.
During the third stage, from April to June, I moved to Harvard University. There, I was a Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of Divinity. I am grateful for this opportunity to its Dean, Prof. David N. Hempton, and especially to my sponsor, Andrew Teeter, Professor of Hebrew Bible. Thanks to them, I was able to enjoy the resources of the Library, as well as the life and facilities of an exceptional campus. Special thanks go to Prof. Peter Machinist, whom I met in the Bible department and with whom I was able to share conversation and meals.
During those months, I lived at Saint Mary Catholic Parish in Waltham, near Boston and not far from the Harvard campus. I am grateful to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, then Archbishop of Boston, for his generosity in facilitating my integration into such an exemplary priestly community as that parish. I am indebted to the parish priest, Fr. Michael Nolan, as well as the other priests, Fr. Fernando, Fr. Joseph, and Fr. John Bosco. I remember with special gratitude the new friends I made during that period, especially Ming Wilson, Maria Vincenzi, and Giulia Semeghini, who became my daily companions. It was the beginning of a friendship that I have kept to this day.
I spent my last term at Trinity College in Dublin as a Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Biblical Studies. I am grateful to the director of the Centre, Prof. Benjamin Wold, and my sponsor, Prof. David J. Shepherd, for giving me the opportunity to enjoy the resources of a university and a city with a long tradition of Aramaic studies, which are so closely linked to my research. I am deeply grateful to Mauro Biondi and Margaret Murphy for opening their home to me during that period. I fondly remember the life we shared, marked by mutual care and support. I am also grateful to Massimo Camusso and Francesca Rota for their friendship during that time. A heartfelt thank you to Paula Seghers, who, as a fine researcher and an even better friend, accompanied my research in so many ways.
At the end of my sabbatical year, in May 2024, I had the opportunity to visit the Peshitta Institute in Amsterdam, where I presented the results of my research. I am grateful to its director, Bas ter Haar Romeny, who gave me this opportunity, and to the rest of the workshop participants for their comments.
In July 2024, during the final stages of writing this book, I had the opportunity to visit Ferrara (Italy) to meet Prof. Paolo Trovato in person, whose pedagogical work Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Lachmann’s Method had accompanied me in my task of constructing stemmata codicum. I am grateful for the time he devoted to me in his office at the University of Ferrara, where we were able to enrich each other through our shared passion for textual criticism, even though we come from seemingly distant fields, such as the Bible and the works of Dante.
Much of the original text of this book was written in Spanish, the language in which I express myself best and with which I argue most effectively in writing. I am grateful to Paul S. Stevenson, who has translated most of my books and articles into English, for his magnificent work. I have reviewed the final result myself, so any errors are my responsibility.
It is only fair to thank the publisher Brill for their efforts of various kinds in bringing this book to fruition, especially Nitzan Shalev and Alessandra Giliberto. I am also grateful to Bas ter Haar Romeny for his interest in including this book in the prestigious series he directs, Monographs of the Peshitta Institute. Special thanks go to Clara Forcada of San Dámaso University for her assistance with the final editing of the manuscript and to Mercedes Laviña for her technical assistance in generating the figures.
Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents, Francisco and Lourdes, for “doing without” their son’s company for a year. When I began this research, my father had just turned 100. When I returned, I was able to enjoy a few more months in his company until his death in March 2024. This work, which he was unable to see in his earthly lifetime, is dedicated to him.
Ignacio Carbajosa
January 2026