The Commentaries of Isho-dad of Merv, Bishop of Hadatha (c. 850 A.D.)

Book excerpt: The twin sisters Agnes Lewis (1843–1926) and Margaret Gibson (1843–1920) were pioneering biblical scholars who became experts in a number of ancient languages. Travelling widely in the Middle East, they made several significant discoveries, including one of the earliest manuscripts of the four gospels in Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, the language probably spoken by Jesus himself. Originally published in the Horae Semitica series, this fascicule contains the text of an Assyrian bishop's biblical commentary. Considered by some to be the father of the Eastern Church, Isho'dad of Merv produced detailed discussions of most books of the Bible in the ninth century. This two-part volume, first published in 1916, is a detailed discussion of the Epistles of Paul drawn from many ancient sources. Translated into English and edited by Margaret Gibson, this is a valuable resource for theologians by a key figure in Eastern Christianity.