The first part of this review article gives a full summary of Michael Weitzman's The Syriac Version of the Old Testament. It is agreed that this book is a masterpiece. Yet, as it will probably serve as the standard introduction to the Peshitta for many years to come, some critical notes are in order. These concern some methodological questions, the evaluation of the 'three-stages model' for the text history of the Peshitta, the precise role of scribes, Weitzman's multidimensional maps, and the overrated position of translation technique as an explanation of differences between the Peshitta and the Masoretic text.
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The first part of this review article gives a full summary of Michael Weitzman's The Syriac Version of the Old Testament. It is agreed that this book is a masterpiece. Yet, as it will probably serve as the standard introduction to the Peshitta for many years to come, some critical notes are in order. These concern some methodological questions, the evaluation of the 'three-stages model' for the text history of the Peshitta, the precise role of scribes, Weitzman's multidimensional maps, and the overrated position of translation technique as an explanation of differences between the Peshitta and the Masoretic text.