Digitized Manuscripts: Faceted Search

About This Table

This table searches all collections of Syriac and Garshuni manuscripts that are freely available online by key terms. Click any of the categorized menu items to narrow down your search. If you would like to sort the manuscripts by shelf-mark or date, or search by general keyword, see our other table here, which includes all the same manuscript data.

*The Approximate Date column is derived from the best available information for the manuscript. This is not asserted as a scholarly position on the dating of the manuscript. Instead, it is merely used here for the convenience of being able to sort all manuscripts by numerical date. The user should keep in mind that there may be considerable debate over the precise dating of the manuscript and should consult the manuscript repository and relevant scholarly literature for details.

Manuscript Name / Shelf Mark / Project Number Approximate Date Language The main body text Link to Digitized Manuscript
Vat. sir. 596 1,917 CE Arabic, Syriac
  • Binding
  • f. 1r-53v Jacob of Edessa, Commentary on the Old Testament
    • f. 1r-20r Genesis
    • f. 20v-32r Exodus
    • f. 32r-39v Leviticus
    • f. 39v-42v Numbers (f. 41rv lacuna)
    • f. 42v-47r Deuteronomy
    • f. 47v-50v Job
    • f. 51r-52r Joshua
    • f. 52v-53v Judges
  • f. 53v-66r Exlanation of difficult Old Testament passages (Ephrem, Jacob, and others) 
  • f. 66r Colophon
  • f. 66v-79r Explanations of various subjects attributed to different authors
  • f. 79v-81v Teaching of the Twelve Apostles
  • f. 81v-83v The Doctrine of Addai
  • f. 83v-84r Twenty Canons of the Apostles
  • f. 84r-85r Six questions and answers of Jacob of Edessa
  • f. 85v-90r Hypomnemata of our Lord
  • f. 90v-99v Two letters of Theodore bar Wahbun
  • f. 99v-105r Prophecies of pagan philosophers
  • f. 105r-111r Chosen words of philosophers teaching wisdom
  • f. 111r Colophon
  • f. 111v-112v Eulogy of Abraham of Nathpar
  • f. 113r Anecdote of Moses bar Kepha by Mar Sawira
  • f. 113v-115r Profession of Faith by Mar Michael
  • f. 115v-116v Questions and answers on ousia
  • f. 117r-120v Legend of Mar Eli al-Hira in Arabic
  • f. 121r-130r History of Yareth the Alexandrian
  • f. 130r Colophon (other colophons found at 66r and 111r)
  • Binding
Saint Mark's Monastery, Jerusalem MS 184 (SMMJ 00184) 1,600 CE Garshuni, Syriac

See entry at CPART and in Macomber (St. Mark's Convent, Jerusalem 3-6; SMC 3-6). Filoksinos Yohanna Dolabany, Catalogue of Syriac Manuscripts in St. Mark’s Monastery (1994).

  • f. 1r-4r Patriarch Cyril Ibn Laqlaq, Confession
  • f. 4v-22r St. John Chrysostom, Homily on repentance and on the reception of the divine mysteries
  • f. 22r-34r Mar Jacob of Sarug, Homily on the benefit of the Eucharist for the dead in the next world
  • f. 34r-39v St. John Chrysostom, Homily on the illustrious feastday of Palm Sunday
  • f. 39v-43r St. John Chrysostom, Homily on the Supper of the Mysteries and on the washing of the feet of the disciples
  • f. 43r-50v An exposition of the reason for the fast of Wednesday and Friday, its obligations and its benefit
  • f. 50v-54r Especially concerning the true faith, concerning the Unity and the Trinity, and concerning the [one] interior Church
  • f. 54r-57v
  • f. 57v-62r Sedro for the feast of the Ascension
  • f. 62r-69v Homily of Jacob of Sarug on the dispute of Satan with our Lord
  • f. 69v-75v Mar Jacob of Sarug, Homily the entry of Christ into the Temple on the arm of Simeon, the Old Man
  • f. 75v-78v Mar Ephrem, On the birth of John the Baptist
  • f. 79r-87v Mar Ephrem, On Mary and Joseph and the reproach they received from the Jews (Syriac and Garshuni in parallel columns)
  • f. 87v-92r Mar Jacob of Sarug, Homily on the resurrection of the dead (Syriac and Garshuni)
  • f. 92r-107v The story of Gabriel of the Monastery of Qartmin
  • f. 108r-197v Patriarch Cyrillus Ibn Laqlaq, The book of the master and the disciples, consisting of 22 articles
  • f. 198r-204v Mar Isaac, On the feast of the Annunciation
Mardin, Turkey Chaldean Cathedral (CCM 00398) 1,583 CE Arabic, Latin, Persian, Syriac

See Scher's note on Diyarbakir 95

  • f. 1v-5v Homily for the blessed brethren (Syriac)
  • f. 5v-13v Homily on Repentance (Syriac)
  • f. 15v Story about a monk from Najran (Arabic)
  • f. 16v-53r Gregory bar Hebraeus, On Perfection with additions and commentaries by Khamis bar Qardahe and Īsho'yahb bar Mqaddam (Syriac)
  • f. 53v-55v Ode on the soul, with commentary by Khamis bar Qardahe (Syriac)
  • f. 56r-75r Khamis bar Qardahe, Homilies (Syriac)
  • f. 76v-77r Isho'yahb bar Malkon, Book of Instruction (Syriac) 
  • f. 78v-144v Homily on Rabban Hormizd (Syriac)
  • f. 147v-160v 'Onitha: Pearl of Knowledge (Syriac)
  • f. 172v-182v 'Onitha for the commemoration of Yuliṭa and her son (Syriac)
  • f. 183v-197v 'Abdishō' of Gazarta, Homily on the homonyms (Syriac)
  • f. 198r-203v Riddles (Syriac)
  • f. 204r-204v 'Abdisho' of Gazarta, Turgama of Cyriacus (Syriac)
  • f. 205r-208v Homily of Rogation (Syriac)
  • f. 208v-212v 'Abdisho' of Gazarta, Dismissal prayers in strophes  (Syriac)
  • f. 212v-216v 'Abdisho' of Gazarta, Poems (Syriac)
  • f. 216v-217v Homily about bad time (Syriac)
  • f. 218r-222r Ephrem Syrus, Sermon on Reprehension V (Syriac)
  • f. 223r-227r Jacob of Sarug, Homily on the mysteries of our Lord in the Old Testament (Syriac)
  • f. 227v-232v Credo of the true Orthodox (Syriac)
  • f. 232v-233v Credo of Isho'panaḥ, who was accused of drinking the poison of paganism (Syriac)
  • f. 234v-243r Excerprs from various canonical texts on the election of a patriarch and his rights (Syriac)
  • f. 243v-245r Khamis bar Qardahe, Brief note on heresies and on the pagan gods that were abolished through the coming of Christ (Latin, Persian, Syriac)
  • f. 245v-246v Homily that awakens and exhorts and incites penitents (Syriac)
  • f. 247r-248r Homily about a Syrian Orthodox Patriarch (Syriac)
  • f. 248r-256r 'Abdisho' of Gazarta, Poems (Syriac)
  • f. 256r-258r Riddles (Syriac)
  • f. 258r-266v Poems (Syriac)
  • f. 267r-274v Disputation between a monk of Bet Ḥale and an Arab notable (Syriac)
  • f. 274v-277v On the Trinity (in questions and answers) and other liturgical matters (Syriac)
  • f. 278r-280r Names of the prophets (Syriac)
  • f. 280r-281r On the cities of pagan kingdoms (Syriac)
  • f. 281v-299r Isho'dad of Merv, Excerpts from the Commentary on the New Testament (Syriac)
  • f. 299r-310v Questions on the Pentateuch (Syriac)
  • f. 310v-312v On the barbarious nations that do not know writing and god (Syriac)
  • f. 313r-334v Computus and other astronomical and historical reckonings (Syriac)
  • f. 335v-344v Rite of reception of an ordained bishop
Diyarbakir, Turkey Meryem Ana Kilisesi 135; 241 (DIYR 00241) 1,907 CE Garshuni, Syriac
  • Readings from the Gospels and Pauline Epistles
  • Jacob of Sarug, on the Destruction of Amid
  • The Life of Ephrem
  • Book of the Fox
  • Summary of the Garden of the Monks
  • Testimonies on behalf of the old Syrians concerning the faith in Christ
Harvard MS Syr 36 1,500 CE Syriac

Catalog Entry

  • 1. Part of the story of Bar Sauma (ff. 1-9, 82-117, the leaves being disordered)
  • 2. 1 Thes. 4:12-18 and John 5:24-9, from a lectionary (f. 11)
  • 3. Part of the History of the Virgin (10, 12-61r; disordered, and with one leaf missing)
  • 4. Memra of Jacob on the passing, that is the obsequies, of the Virgin (61v-69r)
  • 5. Another memra on Mary and Joseph and the envy of the Jews, in the meter of Mar Ephrem (69r-78v)
  • 6. A wonder done by the Virgin Mary (78v-81; breaking off before the end).
  • 7. F. 10v has a geometric design incorporating a prayer
Vat. sir. 199 1,545 CE Garshuni

Catalog entry in Assemani

  • Life of St. Maron
  • Homily on Penitence
  • Story of the three holy Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
  • Death of Isaac the patriarch
  • Death of Jacob the patriarch
  • Jacob of Sarug, Homily on the thief
  • Life of St. Alexei
  • History of St. Abdulmasih
  • Lives of Ss. Sergius and Bacchus
  • Life of St. Marina
  • Life of St. Susanna
  • On Isaac, the son of Abraham the Patriarch
  • Life of St. John
  • Life of Paul
  • On St. Abba Ammon
  • On the Seven children of Ephesus
  • Life of St. Cyril
  • Life of St. Martinianus the Anchorite
  • Life of St. Archelidos
  • History of the Holy Apostles, Peter and Paul
  • Homily on Penitence
  • Life of St. Dionysius the Aereopagite
  • Jacob of Sarug, Homily on Constantine the great
  • Life of St. Simon
  • Life of Ahiqar the sage
  • Fables of Shaddad, son of 'Addi and Solomon, son of David
  • Letter from heaven given by Athanasius Patriarch of Alexandria
  • History of the conception and nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary by her mother Anna
  • Narration of bribery
  • Fable of a certain prince
  • Homily of St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria
  • Questions and answers
  • History of Pontius Pilate
  • Apostolic Constitutions
  • Homily of St. John Chrysostom
  • Ephrem Syrus, On wrestling with the Devil
  • Prayer for the sick and penitential
Sinai Syr. 27 1,300 CE Syriac

See entry in Lewis

  • Troparion followed by a few leaves of St. Ephrem and a life of St. Barbara
Mosul, Iraq, Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of Mosul MS 60 (ASOM 00060) 1,724 CE Garshuni, Syriac
  • fol. 3v-30v Jacob of Edessa, Memra on Alexander the Great, Gog and Magog, and the end-times (Syriac)
  • fol. 31r-41r Ephrem of Nisibis, Memra on the end-times, Gog and Magog, and the Antichrist (Syriac)
  • fol. 41v-79r Burial Rite (Garshuni, Syriac)
  • fol. 79v-81v Lamentation for Gehenna (Syriac)
  • fol. 81v-100r Story of Mar Bassus (Syriac)
  • fol. 100r-131r Story of Mar Gabriel of Qartmin (Syriac)