Isho’dad of Merw. Commentary on the Gospel of John

By (author) J.D. Hofstra

Book cover: Isho’dad of Merw. Commentary on the Gospel of John

Extent: 228 pages

Publisher: Peeters Publishers

Subjects: Biblical Studies, Religious Studies

Series: Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium

Series volume number: 671, 259

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(June 2019)

ISBN: 9789042937796

Price: $144.00

In stock

PDF (Published)

(June 2019)

ISBN: 9789042937819

Price: $180.00

Isho’dad of Merw, Bishop of the East Syrian Church in ?edatta, wrote his commentaries on the books of the Old and New Testament around 850 AD. His work constitutes one of the most important and extensive exegetical collections within the East Syrian Church. Volume 671 (Textus) offers a Syriac text edition based on 15 manuscripts. In the Introduction these manuscripts and their mutual relationship are described. Volume 672 (Versio) contains a description of Isho’dad’s life, a study of the sources used by him, and a translation.


Isho’dad of Merw, Bishop of the East Syrian Church in Ḥedatta, wrote his commentaries on the books of the Old and New Testament around 850 A.D. His work constitutes one of the most important and extensive exegetical collections within the East Syrian Church. From 1911 to 1916 Margaret D. Gibson published a text edition and an English translation of the New Testament Part. Developments in the area of manuscript tradition, the discovery of new sources and the many deficiencies in Gibson’s work, made a new text edition and translation necessary. The starting point has been taken in Isho’dad’s commentary on the Gospel of St. John. This gave the opportunity to trace in Isho’dad’s commentary the influences of the work of Theodore of Mopsuestia, whose commentary on the Gospel of St. John has survived in the Syriac language. Volume 671 (Textus) offers a Syriac text edition based on 15 manuscripts. In the Introduction these manuscripts and their mutual relationship are described. Volume 672 (Versio) contains a description of Isho’dad’s life, a study of the sources used by him, and a translation. The volumes include a survey of Gibson’s errata, an orthographical index and an index of biblical citations and Greek terms quoted.

  • By (author) J.D. Hofstra