A study has shown that scribes and editors of Syriac Christian manuscripts played a significant role in shaping literary culture. Research conducted by Noam Maeir analyzed nearly 1,000 manuscripts from the British Library using digital tools, revealing that excerpting—selecting and rearranging text passages—was a powerful editorial technique. This work introduced the measure 'Excerpts Per Manuscript (EPM)' to quantify such interventions. The findings highlight that these scribes were not merely transmitters but curators who adapted texts for new audiences, especially in manuscripts with high EPM, showcasing a vibrant literary practice in Syriac history.
"Rather than viewing these manuscripts solely as vessels for preserving ancient texts, this study treats them as cultural objects in their own right-ones that reflect editorial choices, intellectual trends, and changing modes of organizing knowledge."
"The findings show that while most manuscripts contain only a handful of excerpts (fewer than 20), a small but significant group-created mostly between the 6th and 9th centuries CE-includes hundreds or even over a thousand excerpts."
"These 'high-EPM' manuscripts span multiple genres, including theology, liturgy, and historiography, and demonstrate how widespread and culturally important excerpting became in Syriac literary production."
"Maeir likens these manuscripts to 'mountain peaks' in the topography of Syriac literature, describing them as 'rich repositories of non-authorial literary practices' that may serve as 'major sites or intersections of Syriac literary culture.'
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