The Peshi?ta version of the Syriac translation of the Old Testament was made during the first centuries of the Christian era and has been used ever since in the non-western churches of Semitic signature. Much like the Greek translations of the Old Testament, this ancient version is an important source for our knowledge of the text of the Old Testament. In contrast to the manuscripts of most Hebrew traditions, which date from the beginning of the Middle Ages, the extant manuscripts date from the fifth century.