Following her discovery of the Sinaitic Palimpsest, the oldest Syriac manuscript of the New Testament, Agnes Lewis presented its translation to the public. Introducing the text by describing how the manuscript was discovered and transcribed and its relationship to other Syriac manuscripts, she gives an account of the physical description of the palimpsest and its main features. The main body of the book is an English translation of the four Gospels. To this translation are appended two tables, one listing the words and phrases of the Textus Receptus which are omitted in the Syriac version, and one listing interpolations into the received text. An historic step on the way toward understanding the textual history of the Syriac New Testament, this book should be of interest to all New Testament scholars.

Agnes Smith Lewis (1843-1926) was a truly remarkable scholar. A woman well versed in ancient languages, she traveled intrepidly during the "age of men." In addition to discovering the Sinaitic Palimpsest, she also translated it for the general public.