DOCSLIB.ORG

Cfp: Syriac and Its Users in the Early Modern World, C.1500- C.1750

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Cfp: Syriac and Its Users in the Early Modern World, C.1500- C.1750 H-Turk CfP: Syriac and Its Users in the Early Modern World, c.1500- c.1750 Discussion published by Lucy Parker on Wednesday, August 30, 2017 CALL FOR PAPERS: Syriac and its Users in the Early Modern World, c.1500-c.1750 A workshop at the University of Oxford, 15-16 March 2018[1] The vast majority of scholarship on Syriac has focused on Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Yet Syriac continued to be used, as a liturgical, literary and living language, across the early modern period and beyond. Guides to Syriac literature sometimes give the impression that new textual production had effectively ceased by 1500. But new texts did continue to be produced, both in ‘literary’ genres, such as hymnography and poetry, and in other forms equally valuable to historians, including professions of faith, inscriptions, and letters. The majority of the churches and communities which still at this time used Syriac in some contexts, including the Maronite and Melkite churches, and, in particular, the Syrian Orthodox and East Syrian churches, were located within the Ottoman Empire or on its eastern frontiers. The story of early modern Syriac is thus closely tied to the history of Christianity within Ottoman society. Yet Syriac had a global reach. Perhaps the most under-studied body of Syriac sources in the world is the material from the ‘St Thomas Christians’, the Syriac-using Christian communities of India. And it was in this period, in the context of the Renaissance, Reformation and Counter-Reformation, that Syriac began to be a subject of scholarly study and (polemically-motivated) theological interest in western Europe. Contacts between European and eastern Christianity increased across the early modern period, with far-reaching consequences, including the splintering of many eastern churches into pro-Catholic and traditionalist parties. Other, less easily traceable, changes may also relate to these contacts, including the increasing turn towards Arabic as the dominant eastern Christian literary language, and, in the Church of the East, the first written use of the vernacular Neo-Aramaic. The evolving uses and role of Syriac are thus closely tied to questions of societal change, global connectivity, and religious and community identities. We invite papers on all themes relating to Syriac and the communities who used it in the period from c.1500 to c.1750. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: New Syriac literature The history of the Syriac churches and their communities The relationship of language and identity; the social position of Syriac in comparison with Arabic and neo-Aramaic Syriac among Indian Christians Contacts between Syriac-speakers and the West; Syriac scholarship in the West; the representation of Syriac by western writers Although the predominant focus of the workshop is on the early modern period, proposals relating to earlier or later periods may be accepted if they relate their discussions to developments in the Citation: Lucy Parker. CfP: Syriac and Its Users in the Early Modern World, c.1500-c.1750. H-Turk. 08-30-2017. https://networks.h-net.org/node/11419/discussions/191663/cfp-syriac-and-its-users-early-modern-world-c1500-c1750 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-Turk sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The workshop is intended to result in a collected volume of essays on Syriac in the early modern world, the first such volume produced on this subject. To submit a proposal, please send an abstract and title (of no more than 400 words) to [email protected] by 31 October 2017. Please direct any questions to the same email address. [1] To be held in association with the ERC-funded project ‘Stories of Survival: Recovering the Connected Histories of Eastern Christianity in the Early Modern World’ (see http://storiesofsurvival.history.ox.ac.uk/). Citation: Lucy Parker. CfP: Syriac and Its Users in the Early Modern World, c.1500-c.1750. H-Turk. 08-30-2017. https://networks.h-net.org/node/11419/discussions/191663/cfp-syriac-and-its-users-early-modern-world-c1500-c1750 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 2.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Who Are Christians in the Middle East?
    Who Are Christians in the Middle East? Seven Churches, each bearing a great and ancient history with Patriarch, who chose as his patriarchal seat the monastery at unique liturgical traditions and culture, comprise the Catho- Bzommar, Lebanon. After a brief relocation to Constantinople, lic Church in the Middle East. Each of these Churches is in the Patriarch of Cilicia of Armenian Catholics returned his seat full communion with Rome, but six with an Eastern tradition to Bzommar, with his residence and offices in Beirut, Lebanon. are sui iuris, or self-governing, and have their own Patriarchs. The Chaldean Catholic Church has almost 500,000 mem- All these Churches are Arabic-speaking and immersed in Ar- bers, with about 60 percent residing in the Middle East. The abic culture. Chaldeans are historically concentrated in Iraq as they came The Maronite Catholic Church is the largest of the East- from the Assyrian Church of the East. In 1552, a group of As- ern Catholic Churches in the Middle East at around 3 million syrian bishops decided to seek union with Rome. Although members. It has a strong presence in Lebanon, with smaller Pope Julius III proclaimed Patriarch Simon VIII Patriarch “of communities in Syria, Jordan, Cyprus, and the Holy Land. the Chaldeans,” pro- and anti-Catholic parties struggled with- However, slightly over half its members have emigrated from in the Assyrian Church of the East until 1830, when another the Middle East to countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Aus- Chaldean Patriarch was appointed. The Patriarch of Babylon of tralia, Mexico, Canada, and the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Pdfeast-West-Schism.Pdf 97 KB
    Outline the events that lead to an overall schism between the church of the East and the West. Was such a schism inevitable given the social, political and ecclesiastical circumstances? Name: Iain A. Emberson Module: Introducing Church History Essay Number: 1 Tutor: Richard Arding Date: 11 November 2009 1 Outline 1. Introduction 2. Greek and Latin Cultural Differences 3. Rome and Constantinople 4. The Filioque 5. The Iconoclastic Controversy 6. The Photian Schism 7. Excommunication and Final Schism 8. Aftermath and Reflection 9. Conclusion 10. Bibliography 2 1. Introduction The East-West Schism (also known as the Great Schism) resulted in the division of Christianity into Eastern (Greek) and Western (Latin) branches. The mutual excommunications in 1054 marked the climax to a long period of tension between the two streams of Christianity and resulted from, amongst other things, cultural, linguistic, political and theological differences that had built up over time. Here we examine a number of these differences and their ultimate culmination in dividing East from West. 2. Greek and Latin Cultural Differences In his work 'Turning Points', Noll argues that “As early as the first century, it was possible to perceive pointed differences between the representatives of what would one day be called East and West.” 1 The Eastern Orthodox theologian Timothy Ware expands on this: From the start, Greeks and Latins had each approached the Christian mystery in their own way. At the risk of some oversimplification, it can be said that the Latin approach was more practical, the Greek more speculative; Latin thought was influenced by judicial ideas...while the Greeks understood theology in the context of worship and in the light of the Holy Liturgy..
    [Show full text]
  • Ecumenical Councils Preparing for Next Week (Disciple 6–Eucharist 1)
    January St. Dominic’s RCIA Program Disciple The Church: 15 History & Teaching 4 Goal • Having switched the Disciple 4 & 5 weeks, we looks at an overview of the Sacraments last week (Disciple 5), and explored the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. These Sacraments are two of the three that initiate us into the Church community, and into Christ’s body and mission. This week we’ll continue to unpack the meaning of Church by looking broadly at its history one the last 2000 years. We’ll also explore it’s role as Teacher. How does the Church function in and through history? How does God walk with the Church through it all? Agenda • Welcome/Housekeeping (10) • Questions & Answers • Introduction to the Rosary (15) Discussion (15): • If the Church is The Body of Christ, what does this mean for Christ’s presence in the world through history and in the world today? • What do I admire about the Catholic Church’s activity in history? Does any part of the Church’s activity in history disturb or upset me? • How do I (might I) listen to what the Church has to say today? What is my approach/attitude to the Church as “Teacher”? • Presentation: The Church: History (35) • Break (10) • Presentation: The Church: Teaching & Belief (30) • Discussion (time permitting): • What is special to this moment in history? • What is the Good News of Christ & the Church that speaks to this moment in history? • How can the body of Christ proclaim & witness the Gospel and walk with others today? Housekeeping Notes • Rite of Acceptance: February 10th at the 11:30am and 5:30 Masses.
    [Show full text]
  • The Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Communion
    Christianity The Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Communion The Roman Catholic Church and the Catholic Communion Summary: The Church of Rome traces its roots to the apostles Peter and Paul, whose lineage continues through the papacy. Despite the Church of Rome’s separation from the Orthodox churches in 1054, and then with Protestant reformers in 1521, Catholics account for half of the world’s Christians today. The early church spoke of its fellowship of believers as “catholic,” a word which means “universal.” Today, the whole Christian church still affirms “one holy, catholic, and apostolic church” in the Nicene Creed. However, the term Catholic with a capital “C” also applies in common parlance to the churches within the Catholic Communion, centered in Rome. The Church of Rome is one of the oldest Christian communities, tracing its history to the apostles Peter and Paul in the 1st century. As it developed, it emphasized the central authority and primacy of the bishop of Rome, who became known as the Pope. By the 11th century, the Catholic Church broke with the Byzantine Church of the East over issues of both authority and doctrine. Over the centuries, several attempts have been made to restore union and to heal the wounds of division between the Churches. During the early 15th century, many in the Roman Church regarded the impending Turkish invasion of the Byzantine Empire as a “work of Providence” to bind divided Christianity together. In response, the Council of Florence envisioned union on a grandiose scale not only with the Greek Byzantine churches, but also with the Copts, Ethiopians, Armenians and Nestorians, as well as a reconfirmation of the 12th century union with the Maronite Church.
    [Show full text]
  • How Persian Was Persian Christianity? Christopher Buck
    The Universality of the Church of the East: How Persian was Persian Christianity? Christopher Buck Persian Christianity was perhaps the first great non-Roman form of Christianity. The “Church of the East” was ecclesiastically “Persian” in that it was, with minor exceptions, the officially recognized Church of the Sasanian empire. The Church was politically “Persian” due to the role of Sasanian kings in the eleven Synods from 410 to 775 C.E. The Church was geographically “Persian” in that it was coextensive with, but not limited to the orbit of the Sasanian empire. The Church of the East was only secondarily “Persian” in terms of ethnicity. Yet the presence of eth- nic Persians vividly illustrates why the Church of the East became the world’s most successful missionary church until modern times. Although the majority of Christians in the church are assumed to have been ethnic Syrians, the Church of the East was once a universal, multi-ethnic religion. As a witness to the universality of the Church of the East in its heyday, it is probably the case that ethnic Persians formed the most visible and important ethnic minority of Christianity in Persia. This study will argue that the role of Iranian converts may have been far more significant than has so far been realized. Discoveries of Nestorian texts in Iranian languages (Middle Persian, Sogdian, New Persian) have proven conclusively that Syriac was not the exclusive language of liturgy and instruction in the Persian Church. In fact, part and parcel of the ex- traordinary missionary success of the Church of the East derived from its genius for adapting Christian worship to local vernaculars.
    [Show full text]
  • Nestorius and Cyril: 5Th Century Christological Division and Recent Progress in Reconciliation
    Nestorius and Cyril: 5th Century Christological Division and Recent Progress in Reconciliation Ben Green Department of Theology and Religious Studies Villanova University I. Introduction The 5th century controversy of Bishop Nestorius of Constantinople and Bishop Cyril of Alexandria centered on the Person of Jesus Christ: To what extent is he human? To what extent divine? And to what extent and how are his humanity and divinity united? The controversy takes shape on two fronts: (1) the Christological debate, primarily because of the potential implications for soteriology (whether a certain conception of Christ can be considered an efficacious Savior); and (2) the persons involved, because each is venerated by his later adherents and thus an integral part of the ongoing debate. This fact, that the controversy continues to be worked out though it is more than 1500 years old, owes its significance to the ecumenical movement which emerged in the 20th century. This particular Christological problem has been at the center of much dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Ancient Churches of the East. And, as we will see, an examination of the ecumenical dialogue will provide us with fresh insights by which to reevaluate the initial controversy itself. II. Setting the Scene First, let us review the basic outline of events as they unfolded. Cyril (c. 378-444) succeeded his uncle Theophilus as Bishop of Alexandria in 412, after having begun his ecclesiastical career nine years earlier as Lector of the church of Alexandria. In contrast, Nestorius (d. ca. 451) was a monk in the Antioch area who was called upon to preach publicly in Antioch.1 Known as a powerful speaker, and receiving the recommendation of John of Antioch, in 428 Nestorius was appointed Bishop of Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius II.
    [Show full text]
  • Who Are the Orthodox Christians? a Historical Introduction MARY B
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-86484-8 - The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology Edited by Mary B. Cunningham and Elizabeth Theokritoff Excerpt More information Who are the Orthodox Christians? A historical introduction MARY B. CUNNINGHAM and ELIZABETH THEOKRITOFF The Orthodox Church consists historically of the local Churches of the Eastern Roman empire, including Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, as well as the Churches that came into being as a result of their missions. During the first millennium of Christianity, this com- munion included the Church of Rome. It is important to remember that the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, as well as Rome’sProtestant offshoots, all share a common ancestry in the one, universal Christian communion of the early centuries. The Christian mission, as it is described by Luke in Acts and in Paul’s Epistles, spread rapidly through the territories of the Roman empire. Orthodox tradition holds that it spread beyond the Roman world even in the apostolic period, with St Thomas travelling as far as southern India, converting many people along the way. Most of the more distant missions, such as Georgia, Armenia and Ethiopia, however, were probably achieved in the fourth or fifth centuries after the Roman empire had finally adopted Christianity as its state religion, following the conversion of Constantine I. By this time, the Church, which had earlier been an illegal, minority organ- isation within a predominantly pagan society, was slowly becoming the dominant force in shaping government laws and social traditions. The Roman empire, consisting of its Eastern and Western halves, became a fullyChristianstate:itwasbelievedtobesanctionedbyGod,withits emperors or kings fulfilling special duties as God’s representatives in the secular realm.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Christianity? Pdf, Epub, Ebook
    WHAT IS CHRISTIANITY? PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Dr. Rowan Williams | 48 pages | 10 Dec 2015 | SPCK Publishing | 9780281074396 | English | London, United Kingdom What is Christianity? PDF Book While Christians worldwide share basic convictions, there are also differences of interpretations and opinions of the Bible and sacred traditions on which Christianity is based. Introducing Christianity. He was witnessed by many who were eventually martyred for their faith. Herder, Freiburg Protestant Christians believe that the Bible is a self-sufficient revelation, the final authority on all Christian doctrine, and revealed all truth necessary for salvation. Therefore, "What is Christianity? Eastern Orthodox Church. Related Articles What is salvation? Many were brutally tortured and killed during this time. Other groups originating in this time period include the Christadelphians and the previously mentioned Latter Day Saints movement. However, since God loves us so much , He has provided another means by which we can attain perfection. There are numerous denominations within Protestant Christianity, many of which differ in their interpretation of the Bible and understanding of the church. In Matthew , Jesus commands: "Be perfect, your heavenly Father is perfect. Most Christians Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , Oriental Orthodox , and Protestant alike accept the use of creeds, and subscribe to at least one of the creeds mentioned above. The significance of the text includes the ensuing use of the text or application. Eastern Catholic Churches. The Athanasian Creed. The history of Judaism is essential to understanding the Jewish faith, which has a rich heritage of law, In comparison, his adulthood, especially the week before his death, is well documented in the gospels contained within the New Testament , because that part of his life is believed to be most important.
    [Show full text]
  • The Crisis of the Orthodox Participation in the Ecumenical Movement
    THE CRISIS OF THE ORTHODOX PARTICIPATION IN THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT Adelbert Davids Expectations about the presence and the participation of the Orthodox Churches at the Eighth Assembly of the World Council of Churches [WCC] in December 1998 at Harare, Zimbabwe, ran high. Until recent times most of these churches were member churches of the WCC. But due to internal pressure from conservative groups, the Georgian Orthodox Church has withdrawn from the WCC in May 1997. And by the end of November 1998 the Bulgarian Orthodox Church announced that she had given up her membership earlier that year, which decision became only known officially during the assembly at Harare. There were rumours that other Orthodox Churches would follow the example of the Georgian and the Bulgarian Churches.' This "Orthodox crisis" does not only affect Orthodoxy, which understands itself as the 1 The OrthodoxChurches consist of two "families": the Eastern OrthodoxChurches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The list of Eastern Orthodox member Churches includes now: Church of Greece, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople,Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandriaand All Africa, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antiochand All the East, OrthodoxChurch in Japan, OrthodoxAutocephalous Church of Albania (member since 1994), OrthodoxChurch of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, OrthodoxChurch in America, Church of Cyprus, OrthodoxChurch of Finland, Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, Romanian Orthodox Church, Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Poland, Russian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox Church. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are: Armenian Apostolic Church (Catholicossateof Cilicia), Armenian Apostolic Church (Holy See of Etchmiadzin), Coptic Orthodox Church, Ethiopian OrthodoxTewahedo Church, Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchateof Antioch and All the East.
    [Show full text]
  • The Western Rite and the Eastern Church Dr
    THE WESTERN RITE AND THE EASTERN CHURCH DR. J. J. OVERBECK AND HIS SCHEME FOR THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE WEST DAVID F. ABRAMTSOV A.B., University of Pittsburgh, 1959 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty in the Division of the Social Sciences in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Arts University of Pittsburgh 1961 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 OVERBECK’S BACKGROUND AND CONVERSION TO ORTHODOXY 4 OVERBECK AND HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS ROME 8 OVERBECK AND HIS VIEW OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND 10 OVERBECK’S PETITION TO THE RUSSIAN SYNOD 12 OVERBECK AND THE OLD CATHOLIC MOVEMENT 16 BONN REUNION CONFERENCES 19 OVERBECK’S SCHEME AND THE PHANAR 24 REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF THE SCHEME 27 OVERBECK’S COLLABORATORS 33 OVERBECK’S WRITINGS 38 APPENDIX A 42 APPENDIX B 43 BIBLIOGRAPHY 45 2 3 INTRODUCTION N THE centuries following the separation of the Eastern and Western Churches, generally dated at 1054, I_Eastern Orthodox Churchmen were of the opinion that the true Catholic Church of Christ was repre- sented only by the Eastern Church. And since there were no Western churches using “Western” rites left in communion with the Eastern Church it was natural for the idea to emerge that Orthodoxy was synonymous with the Eastern or Byzantine Rite. The thousand-year usage of Western rites and ceremonies, with the customs pertaining thereto, which existed alongside the Eastern rites when the two Churches were one was almost forgotten. At any rate, Western usages were considered in a suspicious light because they were prac- ticed, from the Orthodox Catholic viewpoint, by schismatics and heretics who had deserted the communion of the Church Catholic.
    [Show full text]
  • The Eastern Churches
    The Eastern Churches By Most Reverend Basil H. Losten The Second Vatican Council teaches that: “The Catholic Church holds in high esteem the institutions, liturgical rites, ecclesiastical traditions and the established standards of the Christian life of the Eastern churches, for in them, distinguished as they are for their venerable antiquity. there remains con- spicuous the tradition that has been handed down from the Apostles through the Fathers1 and that forms part of the divinely revealed and undivided heritage of the universal Church.”2 The same Council also teaches us the “special position of the Eastern Churches”3 and urges all Catholics to learn more about the Eastern Churches. The Christian East includes Churches of several different traditions, and we shall try to say something about each one. There are two important groups of Eastern Churches: those in full communion with the Catholic Church, and those who have, as yet, imper- fect communion with the Catholic Church. The Eastern Catholic Churches are in full communion with the Catholic Church.4 All Catholic bishops and priests may concelebrate Holy Mass with one another and all Catholic people may receive Holy Communion at the hands of any Catholic bishop or priest, whether that bishop or priest belongs to the Latin Catholic Church or to one of the Eastern Catholic Churches (just as all Catholics may receive Holy Communion from any Catholic bishop or priest, whether the bishop or priest belongs to this or that diocese or monastic order). All Catholics may come to Confession in any Catholic Church, regardless of whether this is a Latin Church or an Eastern Catholic Church.
    [Show full text]
  • The Church of the East: a Concise History/Wilhelm Baum & Dietmar W
    THE CHURCH OF THE EAST The Church of the East is currently the only complete history in English of the East Syriac Church. It covers the periods of the Sas- sanians, Arabs, Mongols, Ottomans, and the twentieth century, with information about the Syriac, Iranian, and Chinese documentation of this unique and almost forgotten part of Christendom. “This is an important book. It tells the story concisely of the ‘Church of the East’ . established in east Syria but principally in Parthia beyond Rome’s eastern frontier.... It was associated with the doctrinal view of the deposed patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, and was known as the Nestorian Church.... Today, it has survived as a small minority in parts of Persia and Iraq, and it has more adherents in the US than in its ancient homeland.... This is the best short history of the Church of the East to date . a fine, scholarly work, bringing to the notice of students the wealth of the spiritual and theological legacy as well as the sheer missionary drive of this now half-forgotten Church. As a book it will not easily be replaced, and it is a credit to its authors and publishers alike.” W. H. C. Frend, University of Cambridge “There has long been a need for a reliable book in English on the history of the Church of the East which also gives good coverage to the position of this ancient Syriac Church in the context of modern ecumenical discussion. It is most welcome that this need is now met by Baum and Winkler in this translation of their German book.” Sebastian Brock, University of Oxford “Baum and Winkler have done us good service in providing this easily accessible account of the Church of the East ..
    [Show full text]