Several modern scholars of the Bible in the Syriac tradition, most notably F. C. Burkitt, argued that Rabbula of Edessa was responsible for the creation of the Peshitta version of the New Testament. Other scholars, however, disagreed with this conclusion. In the present essay, Arthur Vööbus attempts to provide proof that Burkitt’s claims about Rabbula and the Peshitta were incorrect. Vööbus begins by examining New Testament citations found in Rabbula’s translation of Cyril and argues that Rabbula did not translate the Greek text of the citations, but rather inserted the wording of an existing Syriac text. Vööbus proceeds by comparing the texts of these citations with the corresponding texts of the Peshitta and finds that there are significant differences between the citations of Rabbula and the Peshitta text. Next, Vööbus compares Rabbula’s citations with other traditions, such as the Old Syriac version and the ancient Armenian, Coptic, and Arabic translations. Vööbus concludes that Rabbula was relying on the Old Syriac text for his Gospel citations and not the Peshitta. Moreover, Vööbus argues that because this translation of Cyril was completed near the end of Rabbula’s life, Rabbula could not have been responsible for the production of the Peshitta.
ArthurVööbus