Major Passages Omitted in Old Syriac Bible (2nd to 4th centuries CE)

When speaking of the "Old Syriac Bible" which written around the 2nd to 4th centuries CE, scholars usually refer to the Old Syriac Gospels (Vetus Syra), represented principally by two surviving manuscripts: the Sinaitic Palimpsest (Syriac Sinaiticus) and the Curetonian Gospels. These manuscripts preserve a text type older than the standard Syriac Bible (the Peshitta).

Because the Old Syriac manuscripts only contain the Gospels, we cannot verify the text of the rest of the New Testament from them directly.

Major Passages Omitted in the Gospels

The Old Syriac Gospels (particularly the Sinaitic manuscript) are famous for omitting several significant passages found in the King James Version (Textus Receptus) and some modern translations.

The "Pericope Adulterae" (The Woman Caught in Adultery)

• Passage: John 7:53–8:11

• Status: Omitted in both the Sinaitic and Curetonian manuscripts. This is consistent with the oldest Greek manuscripts (Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus).

The Long Ending of Mark

• Passage: Mark 16:9–20

• Status: Omitted in the Sinaitic manuscript (the Gospel ends at 16:8 with the women fleeing the tomb in fear).

• Note: The Curetonian manuscript is fragmentary here but contains verses 16:17–20, suggesting it originally included the Long Ending.

The "Sweat of Blood"

• Passage: Luke 22:43–44 ("And there appeared an angel unto him... and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood...")

• Status: Omitted in the Sinaitic manuscript. (Included in the Curetonian).

The Prayer from the Cross

• Passage: Luke 23:34a ("Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.")

• Status: Omitted in the Sinaitic manuscript. (Included in the Curetonian).

Specific Verse Omissions

The Old Syriac manuscripts generally align with the "Alexandrian" text type (like modern critical Bibles) in omitting verses that were likely later scribal additions. These verses are missing from the Old Syriac:

• Matthew 17:21 (Prayer and fasting for exorcism)

• Matthew 18:11 ("For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.")

• Matthew 23:14 (Woe to scribes/Pharisees regarding widows' houses)

• Mark 7:16 ("If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.")

• Mark 9:44 & 9:46 (Repetition of "Where their worm dieth not...")

• Mark 11:26 ("But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father...")

• Mark 15:28 (Fulfillment of "numbered with the transgressors")

• Luke 17:36 ("Two men shall be in the field...")

• Luke 23:17 (Requirement to release a prisoner at the feast)

• John 5:4 (The angel stirring the pool at Bethesda)

Unique Reading: Matthew 1:16

While not an omission, the Sinaitic Syriac is famous for a unique variation in the genealogy of Jesus that differs from the standard Virgin Birth reading:

• Standard: "...Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus..."

• Old Syriac (Sinaiticus): "...Joseph, to whom was betrothed Mary the Virgin, begot Jesus, who is called the Christ."

Passage	Old Syriac (Sinaiticus)	Old Syriac (Curetonian)
John 7:53–8:11	Omitted	Omitted
Mark 16:9–20	Omitted	Included
Luke 22:43–44	Omitted	Included
Luke 23:34a	Omitted	Included
Revelation	Omitted	Omitted