A History of the Study of Grammar among the Syrians: An English translation of Historia artis grammaticae apud Syros

This book is a translation of a monograph about the Syriac grammatical tradition, the Historia artis grammaticae apud Syros, by the 19th-century German theologian and linguist, Adalbert Merx. The book traces the ways in which Syriac scholars in Late Antiquity learned to analyse their own language and to adapt the techniques of Greek grammar to their own Semitic language. Starting with early translations of Greek works, Merx traces the innovations introduced by Jacob of Edessa and the development of accentuation and pointing. He also covers the contributions of Eastern and Western Syriac scholars such as Ḥunayn ibn Ishaq, Joseph bar Malkon, and John bar Zuʿbi, taking the story up to the time of Barhebraeus. The relationships of Syriac with Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic traditions are all carefully considered. The current edition has been extensively annotated in order to bring the reader up-to-date with research carried out since Merx published his ground-breaking work. The texts that were included in the original have also been re-published afresh, including the fragments of Jacob of Edessa’s famous Grammar. TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION I. Adalbert Merx, his Life and Works II. Select Bibliography of Merx’s writings III. The Historia artis grammaticae in subsequent research IV. Texts of the Syriac Grammatical Tradition V. Bibliography of subsequent research VI. Summary of the Historia artis grammaticae VII. Abbreviations used in the footnotes and endnotes VIII. Note on translating the Historia artis grammaticae PREFACE 1. PROLEGOMENA 2. TRANSLATION OF AN ANCIENT SYRIAC GRAMMAR (DIONYSIUS THRAX) 3. ORTHOEPY, OR ACCURATE RECITATION 4. THE LIFE AND WORK OF JACOB OF EDESSA 5. THE SYRIAC GRAMMAR OF JACOB OF EDESSA 6. JACOB’S IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SYRIAC ACCENTS AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN GREEK, SYRIAC, AND HEBREW PUNCTUATION 7. THE EAST SYRIAN GRAMMARIANS ʿENANIŠOʿ AND ḤUNAIN 8. ELIAS OF NISIBIS, JOSEPH BAR MALKON, AND THE MASORETIC MANUSCRIPTS 9. ELIAS OF ṬIRHAN AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE ARABISING SCHOOL 10. JOHN BAR ZUʿBI 11. JACOB OF TAGRIT, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SEVERUS BAR ŠAKKO 12. THE GRAMMAR OF BARHEBRAEUS CONCLUSION APPENDED TEXTS—NOTES TO THE NEW EDITION SYRIAC TEXTS INDICES