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. 37 1,627 CE Garshuni, Syriac

See entry in Assemani and the entry completed by CPART

  • Binding
  • f. 1v-57r Burial service, Garshuni and Syriac
  • f. 57r-69v Jacob of Edessa, Tractate on the restrictions in marriage (on the different kinds of marriages that are not lawful)
  • f. 69v-106 History of St. Jacob of Egypt, the hermit, and his associates, Garshuni
  • f. 106v-128r History of King Hermianus, and of his wife and sons, Garshuni
  • f. 128r-133v Office of the resurrection of the Lord, for Vespers, Matins and Terce
  • f. 133v-139v Shorter anaphora of St. James, the Lord's brother
  • f. 139v-141r Various canons pertaining to the sacraments of Baptism, Penance, the Eucharist, and Holy Orders, in Garshuni
  • f. 141r-152v Anaphora of the Holy Fathers, by John the Patriarch (Theodore b. Wahbun)
  • f. 152v-153r Copy of a note from a Gospel book
  • f. 153r-155v Life of John, Bishop of Mardin
  • f. 155v-156v Copy of a note from a Gospel book
  • f. 156v-168v Life of St. Abhai, Bishop of Nicea
  • f. 168v-173r Account of the death of Constantine II
  • f. 173r-176r Life of Jacob of Serugh, Bishop of Batnae, Flute of the Holy Spirit and Harp of the Church
  • f. 176r-192r Life of Acha
  • f. 192r Catalog of the works fo Dionysius bar Salibi
  • f. 192r-192v Coptic, Syriac, and Ethiopic calendars
  • f. 192v-201r Festal calendar attributed to Jacob of Edessa
  • f. 201r-201v Catalog of Eastern saints
  • f. 201v-201v Life of Moshe bar Kepha
  • Binding

St. Mark's Convent, Jerusalem 2-11 1,554 CE Syriac

See entry at CPART and in Macomber

  • Church of the East (Chaldean) Pontifical Ritual
    • f. 1v-137v Pontifical Ritual
      • f. 1v-2r Gospel lection for the ordination of a bishop or of a catholicos
      • f. 3r Instruction concerning the wood from the which the tablitha is made
      • f. 3v-26r Catholicos Mar Isho'yahb of Adiabene, Consecration of the altar place with oil
      • f. 26v-28r Consecration of the altar place without oil
      • f. 28v Signing of the chalice before it goes up to the altar, when they are compelled to consecrate an additional chalice) on a day of great concourse.
      • f. 29rv Instruction concerning ordinations
      • f. 29v-38r Ordinations of lectors, subdeacons, and deacons
      • f. 38v-44v Rite of the ordination of priests
      • f. 44v-46v Rite of the clothing of monks
      • f. 46v-66v Rite of the tonsure of monks
      • f. 66v-77r Rite of the tonsure of women who are nuns
      • f. 77r-78v Rite of the institution of abbots
      • f. 79v-89v Rite of the ordination of bishops
      • f. 90r-93r The rite of the perfection of bishops by catholicoi. In the Church of the East (Nestorian), a bishop could be ordained by a metropolitan, but he could not exercise his full powers until he had gone to the catholicos and been perfected
      • f. 93r-106r Rite of the ordination of catholicoi
      • f. 106r-107r Rite of the ordination of the archdeacon
      • f. 107r-108r Rite when a chorbishop is appointed for a district to act like the archdeacon, who is the visitor of the villages
      • f. 108r-109v Rite of the ordination of women deaconesses
      • f. 110r-111r Rite of the ordination of a Shaharā priest
      • f. 111r-113r Mar 'Abdisho', Catholicos, Prayer that is recited, likewise a prayer of inclination, over a bishop that is translated from one see to another see
      • f. 113rv Summary of the contents of the manuscript
      • f. 115v-137r Mar Isho'yahb of Nisibis, also known as Bar Malkon, Canons of ordination
      • f. 137rv Four prayers for the reconciliation of penitent excommunicated persons: 1) For a bishop who has been degraded, 2) for seculars, 3 and 4) For anyone

Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana: Orientali 47 1,600 CE Syriac

See entry for Assemani 8; [Bibliographic Record]; [Data Record]

  • f. Iv-IIr Eusebius of Cesarea, Epistle to Carpianus, I
  • f. 1v-2r Eusebius of Cesarea, Genealogy of Christ I
  • f. 2v Eusebius of Cesarea, Genealogy of Christ II
  • f. 3v-4v Eusebius of Cesarea, Epistle to Carpianus II
  • f. 5v-14v Eusebian Canons
  • f. 15r-16r The doctrine which the blessed Theophilus, the virtuous child, received, which was written before the acts of the apostles

Harvard Ms Syr 151 Unknown Syriac

Catalog entry

  • Canon law and admonition (3 vellum leaves, 29 cm., probably from the same ms. of the ca. 11th cent.), in 2 columns, ca. 40 lines per column, written in an old serto
  • Acrostic hymn of Elia Abuḥalim (8 paper leaves in 1 quire, written in a good E. Syriac hand, ca. 17th cent.)
  • End of a memra on the love of poverty, letter of Abgar to Jesus, beginning of the reply of Jesus (1 vellum leaf, estrangela, ca. 9th century)
  • Lectionary containing Mt 18.17-20, Lk 14.1-6, Lk 16.19-24, with a quire signature decorated in color (1 leaf, 38 cm., large bold estrangela, ca. 13th cent.)
  • W. Syriac qale for festivals, including a rubric for the evening service of Palm Sunday (2 vellum leaves in 1 bifolium, 40 cm. written in a very large estrangela script in 1 column, ca. 12th cent.)
  • Fenqitho, part of the services for a group of priests (1 vellum leaf, estrangela in 2 columns, 37 cm., ca. 13th cent.)
  • A homiliary, with a rubric for Mar Yuannis [Chrysostom] for the Monday of the Passion and the "entry into port" (part of 1 vellum leaf in 3 columns, estrangela, 37 cm. wide, ca. 12th cent.)
  • Anaphora (2 paper leaves, serto, ca. 18th cent.)
  • Hymns (2 paper leaves in 1 bifoium, poor serto, ca. 18th cent.)
  • Service book naming a number of saints (part of 1 paper leaf, good late serto)

Saint Mark's Monastery, Jerusalem MS 290 (SMMJ 00290) 1,477 CE Garshuni, Syriac

Filoksinos Yohanna Dolabany, Catalogue of Syriac Manuscripts in St. Mark’s Monastery (1994).

  • fol. 1r-90v Psalter (Syriac Rite, Western; Syriac)
  • fol. 91r-100r Prayers (Syriac)
  • fol. 100r-101v Ephrem of Nisibis, Homily on humility and love of learning (Syriac)
  • fol. 102r-198r Treatises and letters (Syriac)
  • fol. 198r-200r Monastic and ascetic selections (Syriac)
  • fol. 200v-209v Canons (Garshuni)
  • fol. 210r-210v Homily (Garshuni)
  • fol. 211r-220v Homily for Sunday (Garshuni)
  • fol. 221r-235v Dionysius bar Ṣalibi, Letter on the canons (Syriac)
  • fol. 235v-236v Questions and answers between a teacher and student (Syriac)
  • fol. 237r-243v John of Ephesus, Homily on repentance, death and the judgment (Garshuni)