James Murdock (scholar)
James Murdock (1776–1856) was an American biblical scholar, born in Westbrook, Connecticut.
James Murdock | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait of Murdock, from his 1851 translation of the Syriac New Testament | |
| Born | February 16, 1776 Westbrook, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | August 10, 1856 (aged 80) Columbus, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Biblical scholar, translator |
| Known for | One of the first English translations of the New Testament from the Syriac Peshitta |
He made the first translation of the New Testament from the Syriac Peshitta into English in 1851.[1]
Life and career
Murdock was born in Westbrook, Connecticut, on February 16, 1776, the son of Captain James Murdock (1731–1799) and Abigail Bushnell.[2] He was of Scottish descent, tracing his ancestry to Robert Murdock of Roxbury, Massachusetts, who emigrated from Scotland in the seventeenth century.[2]
At the age of seventeen he entered Yale College, where he graduated in 1797 (A.B.), ranking second in his class.[3] He later taught at Yale as a tutor and pursued studies in theology and the biblical languages.
Though familiar with Syriac earlier in life, Murdock began intensive study of the language in his seventies. He undertook a translation of the New Testament directly from the Syriac Peshitta, which he published in 1851 under the title The Syriac New Testament Translated into English from the Peshitto Version.[4] A second edition appeared posthumously in 1858. His work was the first complete English translation of the Syriac Peshitta.
Murdock died in Columbus, Mississippi, on August 10, 1856, at the age of 80.[2]
Works
- The Syriac New Testament Translated into English from the Peshitto Version, First Edition, 1851 — Preserves Murdock’s original phrasing, including his assertion that the Peshitta is generally believed to be the oldest New Testament text and references to contemporary scholars who supported this view.
- The Syriac New Testament Translated into English from the Peshitto Version, Ninth Edition, 1915 (source) — Later edition with revisions that softened or removed some of Murdock’s original claims and scholarly references.
References
- ^ William E. Paul English Language Bible Translators 1476610231 2009 Page 170 "Murdock,. James. (1776–1856) [NT] James Murdock was born in Westbrook, Connecticut, of Scotch-Irish descent. He entered Yale College, New Haven, at the age of 17, and graduated in 1797 (A.B.), second in his class ... Having been somewhat familiar with the Syriac language, Murdock says that, when he was nearly 70 years old, he began reading the Peshitta Syriac Version of the New Testament “to extend (my) own long cherished but scanty knowledge of the Syriac language."
- ^ a b c Murdock, Joseph B. (1925). Murdock Genealogy: Robert Murdock of Roxbury, Massachusetts and Some of His Descendants. Boston: C. E. Goodspeed & Co.
- ^ William E. Paul, English Language Bible Translators, McFarland, 2009, p. 170 online
- ^ Murdock, James (1851). The New Testament : or, The book of the holy gospel of our Lord and our God, Jesus the Messiah a literal translation from the Syriac Peschito version. Princeton Theological Seminary Library. N.Y. : Stanford and Swords.
External links
- James Murdock's English Peshitta translation (Dukhrana Biblical Research)