The Syriac Peshitta - A Window on the World of Early Bible Translations

 For nine days in 1892, the twin sisters Agnes Smith Lewis and Margaret Dunlop Gibson journeyed by camel through the desert to St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai. Why would these two women in their later 40's undertake such a journey at a time when travel in what was called the Orient was so dangerous? The answer may help strengthen your belief in the accuracy of the Bible.

JUST before returning to heaven, Jesus commissioned his disciples to bear witness about him "in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the most distant part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) This the disciples did with zeal and courage. Their ministry in Jerusalem, however, soon stirred up strong opposition, result in the martyrdom of Stephen. Many of Jesus' disciples found refuge in Antioch, Syria, one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire, some 350 miles (550 km) north of Jerusalem. - ACTS 11:19. 

In Antioch, the disciples continued to preach "the good new" about Jesus, and many non-Jews became believers. (Acts 11:20, 21) Though Greek was the common language within the walls of Antioch, outside its gates and in the province, the language of the people of Syriac.

Next time: THE GOOD NEWS TRANSLATED INTO SYRIAC

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