Bo Holmberg - The Syriac Collection of Apophtegmata Patrum in MS Sin. syr. 46

The Apophtegmata Patrum, or the sayings of the desert fathers, have been preserved in several versions in addition to the Greek alphabetic and systematic collections, which are considered to be the source of these other versions, such as the Latin, Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Georgian, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions. The Syriac version is one of the least studied. The textual editions by Paul Bedjan (1897) and by A. W. Budge (1904) are neither critical editions nor based on the earliest extant manuscripts, but rather reflect later compilations of monastic texts made by the monk Enanisho in the 8^th century. Several Syriac manuscripts containing collections of Apophtegmata Patrum and dated to the 6^th century have come down to us. As part of a research project on early monasticism and Greek paideia, the Syriac collection of Apophtegmata Patrum in MS Sin. syr. 46 (A.D. 534) has been prepared for critical edition. In this short communication some preliminary remarks on the outline and order of almost 500 sayings preserved in this collection will be offered.