The Cochin Hebrew New Testament Manuscripts at Cambridge (MS Oo.1.32, Oo.1.16.1, Oo.1.16.2): Late Copies with Signs of an Early Semitic Tradition
Published in the European Hebrew Journal, this paper presents a plausible new case for taking the Cochin Hebrew New Testament manuscripts seriously as more than late copies. The study examines three Cambridge manuscripts from Cochin, India, and asks whether their Hebrew wording, Aramaic influence, scribal features, and unusual readings may preserve traces of a much older Semitic textual tradition. The paper does not claim the surviving manuscripts themselves are ancient. Instead, it argues that their repeated patterns are too consistent to dismiss as a simple late translation. By comparing selected passages from Matthew, Revelation, Jude, and other books, the study shows why these manuscripts deserve fresh scholarly attention as a layered and historically important witness to Hebrew New Testament transmission.
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