The Commentaries of Isho’dad of Merv, Bishop of Hadatha (c. 850 A.D.)

A commentary in Syriac on the gospels of Matthew and Mark, written by an Assyrian bishop in the ninth century.

A commentary in Syriac on the gospels of Matthew and Mark, written by the revered Assyrian bishop Isho'dad of Merv, an influential figure in the Eastern Church in the ninth century. First published in 1911 by pioneering scholar Margaret Gibson, this is a detailed interpretation of the first two gospels.The twin sisters Agnes Lewis (1843–1926) and Margaret Gibson (1843–1920) were pioneering biblical scholars who became experts in a number of ancient languages. Travelling widely in the Middle East, they made several significant discoveries, including one of the earliest manuscripts of the four gospels in Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic, the language probably spoken by Jesus himself. Originally published in the Horae Semitica series, this fascicule contains the Syriac text of an Assyrian bishop's biblical commentary. Considered by some to be the father of the Eastern Church, Isho'dad of Merv produced detailed discussions of most books of the Bible for his congregation in the ninth century. This volume, first published in 1911, is a detailed interpretation of the gospels of Matthew and Mark, drawing from many ancient sources. Translated and edited by Margaret Gibson, this is a valuable and informative resource for theologians by a key figure in Eastern Christianity.