Syriac Manuscript Treasures

The Syriac Manuscript Treasures project describes a preselected number of manuscripts from the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate Library in Atchaneh/Lebanon and carries out an in-depth scolarly analysis. That manuscript collection holds several dozens of very old Syriac manuscripts, libri syriaci vetustissimi, which have not yet been dealt with by the academic community. The oldest manuscript there is dated to the year 666 (sic). Sixty manuscripts considered to be of utmost importance have been selected for this project. Research is focused on codicological and palaeographic description since this is a substantial desideratum in the field of Syriac studies, as has recently been stressed by the Comparative Oriental Manuscript Studies handbook (2015). The project will develop an online catalogue designed according to the international standards, and a palaeographic and codicological in-depth study of the oldest codices from this Patriarchal manuscript collection. Thus, it contributes to the preservation of a highly significant but so far more or less hidden library, a library that mainly consists of objects which have been evacuated in several wars including the wars that are currently still ongoing in the Middle East.

The Syriac Manuscript Treasures-project Summary The project aimed at cataloguing sixty pre-selected Syriac manuscripts which are kept in the Patriarchal Manuscript Library of Atchaneh, Lebanon. The manuscripts are of outstanding importance due to their contents and age, though some of the manuscripts are recent copies of ancient books which have not survived the turmoil of history. The works have been carried out interdisciplinarily comprising (1) a meticulous description of contents with relevant bibliography, (2) a codicological analysis with photographic documentation, and (3) the encoding of all data in TEI to finally feed a database. The project came to be realised in a common scientific effort bringing together partners from Austria, the United States and the Lebanon. Beyond the scientific value we see realised a wonderful ecumenical partnership and a weighthy contribution to safeguarding cultural heritage in written form. All this touches the identity of the most ancient Syriac/Aramaic christianity in the Middle East. The central outcome of this project is a manuscript Catalogue which is widely expected within the research field of Syriac studies. The catalogue - two volumes - will be edited in the fall of the year 2023 (R.-Y. Akhrass / E. A. Ishac / E. Renhart, Catalogue of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate Manuscript Library. 2 vols.).