PM> install-package AvalonEdit

<Window x:Class="SyntaxHighlighter.MainWindow"
   xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
   xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
   xmlns:avalonEdit="http://icsharpcode.net/sharpdevelop/avalonedit"
   Title="MainWindow" Height="401" Width="617">
  <Grid>
<avalonEdit:TextEditor  
    Name="txtCode"
    SyntaxHighlighting="C#"
  FontFamily="Consolas"
  FontSize="10pt"/>   
  </Grid>
</Window>

using System;
using System.Collections.Concurrent;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Windows;
using System.Xml;
using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit;
using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.Highlighting;
using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.Highlighting.Xshd;

namespace AvalonEditWpfTest.Controls
{
    public class BindableAvalonTextEditor : TextEditor
    {
        public static readonly DependencyProperty BoundTextProperty =
            DependencyProperty.Register("BoundText",
                typeof(string),
                typeof(BindableAvalonTextEditor),
                new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(default(string), propertyChangedCallback));
 
        public static string GetBoundText(DependencyObject obj)
        {
            return (string)obj.GetValue(BoundTextProperty);
        }

        public static void SetBoundText(DependencyObject obj, string value)
        {
            obj.SetValue(BoundTextProperty, value);
        }

        protected override void OnTextChanged(EventArgs e)
        {
            SetCurrentValue(BoundTextProperty, Text);
            base.OnTextChanged(e);
        }

        private static void propertyChangedCallback(DependencyObject obj,
                                    DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs args)
        {
            var target = (BindableAvalonTextEditor)obj;
            var value = args.NewValue;
            if (value == null)
                return;

            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(target.Text) ||
                !target.Text.Equals(args.NewValue.ToString()))
            {
                target.Text = args.NewValue.ToString();
            }
        }
    }
}

<Window x:Class="AvalonEditWpfTest.MainWindow"
        xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml/presentation"
        xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2006/xaml"
        xmlns:viewModels="clr-namespace:AvalonEditTests.ViewModels"
        xmlns:controls="clr-namespace:AvalonEditWpfTest.Controls"
        Title="MainWindow" Height="350" Width="525">
    <Window.Resources>
        <viewModels:MainWindowViewModel x:Key="MainWindowViewModel"/>
    </Window.Resources>
    <Grid DataContext="{Binding Source={StaticResource MainWindowViewModel}}">
        <controls:BindableAvalonTextEditor
                BoundText="{Binding SourceCode, Mode=TwoWay, UpdateSourceTrigger=PropertyChanged}"
                        WordWrap="True"
                        ShowLineNumbers="True"
                        LineNumbersForeground="MediumSlateBlue"
                        FontFamily="Consolas"
                        VerticalScrollBarVisibility="Auto"
                        Margin="3"          
                        HorizontalScrollBarVisibility="Auto"
                        FontSize="10pt"/>
    </Grid>
</Window>

        private static IHighlightingDefinition getHighlightingDefinition(string resourceName)
        {
            if (string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(resourceName))
                throw new NullReferenceException("Please specify SyntaxHighlightingResourceName.");

            using (var stream = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream(resourceName))
            {
                if (stream == null)
                    throw new NullReferenceException(string.Format("{0} resource is null.", resourceName));

                using (var reader = new XmlTextReader(stream))
                {
                    return HighlightingLoader.Load(reader, HighlightingManager.Instance);
                }
            }
        }

 txtCode.SyntaxHighlighting = getHighlightingDefinition(resourceName);

using System;
using System.Collections.Concurrent;
using System.Reflection;
using System.Windows;
using System.Xml;
using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit;
using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.Highlighting;
using ICSharpCode.AvalonEdit.Highlighting.Xshd;

namespace AvalonEditWpfTest.Controls
{
    public class BindableAvalonTextEditor : TextEditor
    {
         public static readonly DependencyProperty SyntaxHighlightingResourceNameProperty =
           DependencyProperty.Register("SyntaxHighlightingResourceName",
               typeof(string),
               typeof(BindableAvalonTextEditor),
               new FrameworkPropertyMetadata(default(string), resourceNamePropertyChangedCallback));
 
        public static string GetSyntaxHighlightingResourceName(DependencyObject obj)
        {
            return (string)obj.GetValue(SyntaxHighlightingResourceNameProperty);
        }

        public static void SetSyntaxHighlightingResourceName(DependencyObject obj, string value)
        {
            obj.SetValue(SyntaxHighlightingResourceNameProperty, value);
        }

        private static void loadHighlighter(TextEditor @this, string resourceName)
        {
            if (@this.SyntaxHighlighting != null)
                return;

            @this.SyntaxHighlighting = getHighlightingDefinition(resourceName);
        }

        private static void resourceNamePropertyChangedCallback(DependencyObject obj,
                                            DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs args)
        {
            var target = (BindableAvalonTextEditor)obj;
            var value = args.NewValue;
            if (value == null)
                return;

            loadHighlighter(target, value.ToString());
        }
    }
}

   <controls:BindableAvalonTextEditor
SyntaxHighlightingResourceName = "AvalonEditWpfTest.Controls.sql-ce.xshd"
/>