I have started another little project and written to someone to translate a bit of Syriac into English. It’s fragments of Theodore of Mopsuestia on Genesis. I found a PDF of Sachau’s 1869 edition, and uploaded it here.
The Latin translation starts on p.14 of that PDF; the Syriac text on p.94 of the PDF file. There may be some Greek fragments extant of this work also; not sure how these relate to the Syriac. The remains cover most of the first three chapters of Genesis.
I think it’s about 4,000 words (based on 7.8 words / line, 25 lines / page, so 200 words per page, 21 pages, two of them half pages) in length. I’d be prepared to pay 10c a word for a translation (no transcription this time), say $400.
It will be interesting to see if it flies. I’d give this one away as well, I think.
There are chunks and borrowings in John Philopon(os) –
Reichardt’s ed (Greek only) is on Google (+proxy!), and
new (1997) ed with German trans (C.Scholten) in Fontes
Christiani (3vols!). Copious bibliog.
A few pages to add to Sachau were published by
Tonneau (Syriac + French trans.)
Also chunks in the Catenae (CCSG) – not always clear
on attribution to Diodore or Theodore.
An amount can be retrieved from Theodoret, and on
my copy of Procopius I have frequent notes such as
“sounds like Theodore…”
Check bibliography of T. Jansma.
Heaven help anybody attempting to translate Theodore
into any language – even Photius found him tiresome!
Walter.
Thank you very much for these suggestions and references, which I will bear in mind.
The “Fontes Christiani” volumes are usually fantastically expensive, I find.
Thank you for this Roger. I was always frustrated with the lack of first hand references to Theodore and his works in English. This will give new light and insight into the (supposed) charge that he was a heretic.
His works are mostly lost, and all there is are fragments, some of them from dossiers of alarming-sounding phrases compiled by his enemies in order to get him condemned after his death (an unacceptable proceeding, in my view). But since we apparently have his exegesis of the first few chapters of Genesis, I think it might be interesting.
Greetings,
I stumbled across this entry entry while doing a google search on Theodore. Was this commentary ever translated?
Thank you.
-Emmanuel
Not that I am aware of. I wish it was!
Greetings Roger,
Eight years have passed since the first post. Is there any advances in this case? There is still a need in English translation of Theodore’s writings.
Sadly not. I did commission a translation but the translator did nothing.