Syriac Studies

The Afflictions of Exile. A Syriac Memra by David Puniqaya

by Aaron Butts

The Etymology and Derivation of the Syriac Adverbial Ending-ɔʾiθ

by Aaron Butts

The Biography of the Lexicographer Isho bar Ali (Isa b. Ali)

by Aaron Butts

Assyrian Christians

by Aaron Butts

Aphrahat’s “Resurrection Asceticism” and its journey across the Mediterranean

by John D'Alton

Possibly being submitted to a journal

When John Cassian traveled to Marseille in 415 he brought from the Orient a perspective on  monasticism as being... more When John Cassian traveled to Marseille in 415 he brought from the Orient a perspective on  monasticism as being an “angelic life” which emphasised virginity. These concepts, along with a “resurrection asceticism” had previously been enunciated by Syriac bishop Aphrahat in 337 as the foundation for spirituality. Cassian may also have built on the views of Chrysostom and similar ideas already known in the West in Augustine’s De Virginitate. Yet in their journey West, key elements of Aphrahat’s asceticism did not translate or were lost, especially his “resurrection asceticism”. Aphrahat’s emphasis on an inaugurated eschatology as a motivation for virginity has not been explored and his focus on the “sons of the resurrection” has been either misunderstood or ignored. The differences between Aphrahat visavis Cassian and Augustine on these points has also not been treated. This paper explores these themes in Aphrahat through an analysis of the structure and central arguments of his “Demonstrations”, and compares his emphases with the related views of Cassian, Augustine, Chrysostom, and Gaudentius of Brescia. Whereas Augustine and Chrysostom emphasise Mary as a model of virginity and Paul’s focus on marriage as a distraction from pure devotion, Aphrahat concentrates on a present experience of the resurrection life, a life like the angels. His use of Luke 20:36 is unique and his approach is more  hope-oriented than Augustine.

Sons of the Resurrection: Inaugurated eschatology as a structural key to Aphrahat’s Demonstrations.

by John D'Alton

for a conference and journal soon

The rationale for the structure of Aphrahat’s 23 Demonstrations continues to elude scholars, but a close reading of... more The rationale for the structure of Aphrahat’s 23 Demonstrations continues to elude scholars, but a close reading of Demonstration 6 and its emphasis on the resurrection provides a way to understand the place of many other of the unexplained inclusions. Discussions of the bnay qyama have tended to sideline the relevance of the qyamtha. This paper uses metaphor analysis and close reading techniques to elucidate the core themes and rationale of Demonstration 6 and its links to the chapters on war, virginity, penitence, and death and the last things etc. Rather than being “out of place” (Lehto 2010:25), “On the Resurrection” and “On Wars” are shown to be closely related to the theme of the virginal state of the angelic life of the sons of the resurrection. This paper fills a gap in the understanding of Aphrahat’s thematic structuring, and also demonstrates that the Sons of the Covenant should also be understood as the Sons of the Resurrection.

Jesus' Reincarnations Revisited in Jewish Christianity, Sethian Gnosticism, and Mani

by Dylan Burns

in Portraits of Jesus, ed. Susan Myers, WUNT 321 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012), 371–92.

A manuscript tradition of Dadisho‘ Qatraya’s treatise “On silence” (‘al shelyā) in Syrian Orthodox milieu

by Grigory Kessel

An East Syriac Book in the library of St.Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai: the case of M20N from the ‘New Finds’

by Grigory Kessel

Joseph as a Type of Christ in the Syriac Literature

by Kristian Heal

BYU Studies 41.1 (2002)

Reworking the Biblical Text in the Dramatic Dialogue Poems on the Old Testament Patriarch Joseph

by Kristian Heal

Pages 87-98 in The Peshitta: Its use in Literature and Liturgy, edited by Bas Ter Haar Romeny. Brill, 2007.

Al‐Ghazālī's “Mirror Christology” and Its Possible East‐Syriac Sources

by Alexander Treiger

Philosophy, Science, and Belles-lettres in Syriac and Christian Arabic Literature: A Gentle Introduction and Survey

by Adam McCollum

For a lecture given at Saint John's University, April 7, 2011.

It might be assumed that the genres of Syriac and Christian Arabic literature are made up exclusively (or almost so)... more It might be assumed that the genres of Syriac and Christian Arabic literature are made up exclusively (or almost so) of sacred topics (Bible, commentary, liturgy, asceticism, hagiography, theology, etc.), the writers, scribes, and readers in these communities often being monks, presbyters, deacons, and bishops. A broad look at the surviving evidence of this literature, however, shows an immense interest in subjects not directly connected to the church, monastery, or Christian life at all, among them philosophy, science, and belles-lettres. This paper offers a basic overview of these subjects as Syriac and Christian Arabic authors dealt with them, especially from manuscript collections in eastern Turkey.

The Struggle Over Syria

by Zenonas Tziarras

Published on 31/03/2012, on TheGWPost www.thegwpost.com

It is unquestionable that the crisis in Syria is getting worse by the minute. Thousands of people have been killed,... more It is unquestionable that the crisis in Syria is getting worse by the minute. Thousands of people have been killed, hundreds of thousands have fled their homes, and Turkey hosts almost 20,000 refugees. While the account is tragic and discouraging already, the Assad regime does not stop shelling his own country’s cities and killing his own people. In this climate, the international community – if there is such a coherent thing – is trying to manage the crisis. It is true that for most of the international actors involved, what is going on in Syria is unfortunate and they would frankly rather not to be dealing with it.

La verità visibile nella natura e nella scrittura: Sul baco da seta di Khamis bar Qardaḥe (fine del XIII secolo)

by Alessandro Mengozzi

Co-authored with A. Barotto, P. Riberi e M. Volpicelli, in "Kervan. International Journal of Afro-Asiatic Studies" 13/14 (2011): 47-55

Khamis bar Qardaḥe was an East Syrian author active in the last decades of the 13th century, probably a representative... more Khamis bar Qardaḥe was an East Syrian author active in the last decades of the 13th century, probably a representative member of the East-Syrian community at the court camp of the Il-Khans, and somehow connected with the town of Arbela. In the present article, his poetic work is presented in the broader context of the so-called ‘Syriac Renaissance’, as an example of late East-Syriac literature profoundly influenced by Persian poetry. The poem On the Silk-Worm is here critically edited and translated for the first time into a European language. Its complicated imagery turns out to be an interesting mélange of philosophical concepts, meta-literary reflection – poetry as a way to knowledge and salvation –, Christian themes – including the virginal conception of Mary –, and Persian, possibly Sufic, motifs. The monorhyme poem is rich with sound figures such as alliteration and etymological play.

"Location of Syria in Byzantine Writing: One question, Many Answers" Journal of Turkish Studies, 36 2011

by Koray Durak

Religious Violence and Eschatology in the Syriac Julian Romance

by Daniel Schwartz

Journal of Early Christian Studies 19.4 (2011)

This article situates the Syriac Julian Romance in early sixth-century Edessa and sees it as a response to Justinian’s... more This article situates the Syriac Julian Romance in early sixth-century Edessa and sees it as a response to Justinian’s attempts to force local non-Chalcedonians into communion with the imperial church. It develops the interrelationship between religious violence and eschatological expectation as key themes used to vilify the reign of Julian and glorify the reign of Jovian. While lamenting imperial violence against Christians, the Romance praises violent acts of Christian resistance in the expectation that a righteous emperor will one day arise to protect the true (non-Chalcedonian) faith. Understanding the Romance’s emphasis on resistance and hope of vindication deepens our understanding of ecclesiastical and political developments in sixth-century Syria.

« Recherche sur la tradition textuelle et manuscrite de la lettre de Siméon de Beth Arsham », dans Juifs et chrétiens en Arabie aux Ve et VIe siècles : regards croisés sur les sources, éd. J. Beaucamp, F. Briquel Chatonnet et C. Robin, Centre de recherche d’histoire et civilisation de Byzance, Monographies 32, Le massacre de Najrân II,Paris, 2010, 123-141.

by Françoise Briquel Chatonnet

Шем'он д-Тайбуте и его письменное наследие; "Книга благодати". Ибранные главы

by Grigory Kessel

Shem’on d-Taybuteh and his literary heritage; ‘Book of Grace’ Selected chapters’

Символ 61 (2012) , с. 195-213
Simvol 61 (2012), pp. 195-213

Nouvelles découvertes à Apamée d'Osrhoène

by Justine Gaborit

J.-S. Caillou, A. Desreumaux, J. Gaborit (1999), « Nouvelles découvertes à Apamée d’Osrhoène », CRAI, 143/1, p. 75-105.