The History of Garshuni as a Writing System: Evidence from the Rabbula Codex

The term “Garshuni” originally refers to Maronite Arabic texts written in (West-)Syriac script, but it has been applied to other languages written in Syriac characters. In this paper a number of methodological approaches — historical, socio-cultural, and typological — are presented for the study of the Garshuni phenomenon. A very early dated sample of Garshuni is published. It is a note of historical content, written in a very famous Syriac manuscript (the Rabbula Codex) and demonstrates that as early as the mid 12th century, a Maronite scribe and his Patriarch perceived West-Syriac Garshuni as convenient enough to be used in recording the patriarchal appointment of an abbot. A fine 6th-century miniature was erased to accommodate the text and ensure it eternal memory. For complete literary texts and manuscripts to be copied in Garshuni, we have to wait until the 14th century.