DOCSLIB.ORG

West Syrian Commentaries on the Eucharist a Study of the Methodology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
West Syrian Commentaries on the Eucharist a Study of the Methodology WEST SYRIAN COMMENTARIES ON THE EUCHARIST WEST SYRIAN COMMENTARIES ON THE EUCHARIST A STUDY OF THE METHODOLOGY B. VARGHESE Since the beginning of Christianity, Mystagogia or the exposition of the meaning of the liturgical celebrations, especially those of Baptism and Eucharist, was an integral part of the Christian kerygma.1 Mystagogia, an in- troduction or an initiation to the mystery, has two dimensions: celebration of the mystery and its interpretation. They are inseparable. The meaning of a rite is communicated to the faithful primarily by the prayers of the cel- ebration. But an understanding of the rite grew up in the Church along with the development of the liturgy. By the third century, the tradition to give symbolical interpretation to the rites became normal. In the fourth cen- tury, we find a distinction between the Catechetical Homilies addressed to the Catechumens and the Mystagogical Catechesis delivered to the neo- phytes.2 The subject of the first was the basic Christian doctrines as ex- pressed in the Creed along with a partial exposition of the baptismal rites, whereas in the second type of homilies the sacraments of Baptism, Chrisma- tion and Eucharist were explained. The only West Syrian Catechetical homi- lies known to us, are those of Severus of Antioch.3 Though the later West 1 On the Mystagogia of the Early Church: R. Bornet, Les commentaires byzantines de la divine liturgie du VIIe au XVe siècles, Archives de l’Orient chrétien, 9 (Paris, 1966), ch. 1 (= Bornet + page reference) The major work in the history of patristic and medieval exegesis is: H. de Lubac, Histoire et esprit. L’intelligence de l’Ecriture d’apres Origène, Théologie, 16 (Paris, 1950); Id., Exégèse medievale. Les quatre sens de l’Ecriture. Pt.I, Vol.1-2; Pt.II, vol.1- 2, Théologie, 41, 42, 59, (Paris, 1959-1964). E. Mazza, Mystagogy. A Theology of Liturgy in the Patristic Age (New York, 1989) (= Mazza + page reference). 2 Major studies on the early Catechetical Homilies are the following: H.M. Riley, The Christian Initiation: A Comparative Study of the Interpretation of the Baptismal Liturgy in the Mystagogical Writings of Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia and Ambrose of Milan, Studies in Christian Antiquity, 17 (Washington, 1974). E.J. Yarnold, The Awe-Inspiring Rites of Initiation: Baptismal Homilies of the Fourth Century (Slough, 1971). 3 On the Catechetical Homilies of Severus: F. Graffin, ‘La catéchèse de Sévère d’Antioche’, L’Orient Syrien, 5 (1960), pp. 47-54. J. Gribomont, ‘La catéchèse de Sévère d’Antioche et le Credo’, Parole de l’Orient, 6-7 (1975-76), pp. 125-158. I.H. Dalmais, ‘Source baptismale et mystère pascale d’après les homélies de Sévère d’Antioche sur la préparation quadragesimale et l’entrée au baptème’, Parole de l’Orient, 6-7 (1975-76), pp. 349-356. 272 B. VARGHESE Syrian festal homilies have followed the style of Severus, his Catechetical homilies have not left much traces of influence on the commentaries on baptism. The West Syrian commentaries on sacraments, with a few exceptions, be- long to the category of ‘Mystagogical Commentaries’. West Syrian writers had a special preference for the sacraments of Baptism, Myron and the Eu- charist.4 However, they had written commentaries on different rites such as Ordination, Consecration of the Church, Monastic Profession or Funeral. TYPOLOGICAL AND ALLEGORICAL COMMENTARIES Before we look at the first Syriac commentaries, we must speak of the typo- logical and allegorical methods of liturgical interpretations, which were widely accepted since the fourth century. The distinction between these two types of explanation is important for the understanding the history of West Syrian liturgical interpretation. Typology seeks to explain the meaning of an event in the salvation history by relating it to another event whose inner meaning is fundamentally simi- lar.5 Thus the redemption achieved by Christ can be seen as the fulfillment of the Exodus and the Eucharist can be seen as actualizing the work of Christ, and pointing to the final accomplishment in the coming world. Saint Ephrem, Aphrahat and Jacob of Serugh followed the typological method to comment on the mystery of the liturgy. The West Syrian com- mentaries on Myron, as well as several sedre also followed this method. Typology is concerned with events as entities.6 But allegory is rather con- cerned with the details of events or things, and its interpretation of them can be unrelated to any fundamental similarity of meaning. Its symbolism 4 Cf. B. Varghese, Les onctions baptismales dans la tradition syrienne, CSCO, 512 (Louvain, 1989) (= Varghese + page reference). 5 Cf. H. Wybrew, The Orthodox Liturgy (New York, 1990), p. 63; Bornet, pp. 42-45. 6 Wybrew, p. 64; Bornet, pp. 42-45. R.P.C. Hanson, Allegory and Event. A Study of the Sources and Significance of Origen's Interpretation of Scripture (London, 1959) gives the fol- lowing definition: ‘Typology is the interpreting of an event belonging to the present or the recent past as the fulfillment of a similar relation recorded or prophesied in Scripture. Allegory is the interpretation of an object or person or a number of objects or persons as in reality meaning some object or person of a later time, with no attempt made to trace a relationship of “similar situation” between them’ (p. 7), quoted by Bornet, p. 44, n. 3. WEST SYRIAN COMMENTARIES ON THE EUCHARIST 273 tends to be arbitrary. In the allegorical interpretation, the mystery of Christ present in the Eucharist began to be broken down into various aspects. Saint John Chrysostom’s Catechetical Homilies attest the first stage of a tendency to associate different parts of the liturgy with different moments in the life of Christ. Thus Chrysostom says that the altar represents the manger of Bethlehem and that the incarnation as well as the passion are made present in the Eucharist.7 The first systematic allegorical explanation is found in Theodore of Mop- suestia’s Catechetical Homilies.8 Though he uses typology in his exegesis of Scripture, Theodore does not attempt to relate the Eucharist to any Old Tes- tament prefiguration. For him, the Eucharist is the memorial of the histori- cal life of Jesus, especially of His death and resurrection. Thus he relates the different aspects of the passion and death with successive stages in the cel- ebration. The procession with the bread and wine represents Christ’s jour- ney to the crucifixion. The deacons stand for the angels who consoled Him during His passion. The deposition of the bread and wine on the altar repre- sents Christ’s burial. The coming of the Holy Spirit in the Epiclesis symbol- izes the return of Christ’s Spirit to His body. The fraction recalls the mani- festation of the risen Lord. In the allegorical interpretation, the Antiochenes and the Alexandrians followed different approaches. Theodore is the representative of the former and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite that of the latter.9 The fourth century Christological disputes born of adoptionism and arianism led to an empha- sis on the pre-existent divinity of the Logos and his consubstantiality with the Father. Alexandrians and Antiochenes offered their own solutions to this problem. The Alexandrian response was more concerned with the divinity of the Logos, and it led to a weakening of Christ’s mediatorship, as they had less to say about the historical economy of Christ’s saving work. The Antiochenes, on the other hand, put stress on Christ’s high priest- hood as pertaining to His humanity,10 and emphasized the saving works 7 Bornet, pp. 75-80. On Chrysostom’s mystagogy: Mazza, pp. 105-149. 8 Bornet, pp. 80-82; R. Taft, ‘The Liturgy of the Great Church: An initial synthesis of structure and interpretation on the eve of Iconoclasm' Dumbarton Oaks Papers, 34-35 (1980-1981), pp. 62-65 (= Taft + page reference). For a detailed study on the mystagogy of Theodore: Mazza, pp. 45-104. 9 On Dionysius: R. Roques, L’Univers dionysien, Théologie, 29 (Paris, 1954), pp. 245- 302; Bornet, pp. 65-72 (gives bibliography); Taft, pp. 61-62. 10 Taft, p. 69. 274 B. VARGHESE during His human life. These two approaches had lasting impacts on liturgi- cal interpretation. Both expounded the meaning of the liturgical rites with little or no reference to biblical typology. The Antiochenes interpreted the symbols or rites in relation to the saving work of Christ. But the Alexandrians tried to explain how the symbols or rites reveal the spiritual realities and lead us to the union with the One. Generally speaking, the West Syrian commentaries on Baptism and the Eucharist followed the allegorical method of liturgical interpretation as de- veloped by the Antiochenes, with occasional allegorical explanations in- spired by Dionysius. Apart from John of Dara, who was a strict Dionysian in his methodology, the West Syrians were faithful to Antiochene mystago- gical tradition. FIRST SYRIAC MYSTAGOGICAL COMMENTARIES Fourth century Syriac writers like Aphrahat or Ephrem have not left us any commentary on the sacraments. Ephrem’s Hymns on Nativity, Epiphany, Lent or Passover are in fact liturgical commentaries in the form of poetical meditations, probably composed to be sung on the corresponding feasts or seasons.11 The type of literature known as ‘Mystagogical Commentaries’ reached the Syriac tradition probably through the School of Edessa, where the homilies of Theodore of Mopsuestia were translated into Syriac in the fifth century or through the non-Chalcedonians. The popularity of Mysta- gogical Commentaries in the West Syrian Church since its organization in the Syriac speaking regions of the Roman and Persian Empires would sug- gest a non-Chalcedonian initiative in their introduction into the Syriac literature.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM FELL ASLEEP in the Church, and the 90Th Anniversary LORD in 407
    Стаза Православља THE PATH OF ORTHODOXY THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND CANADA VOLUME 42 DECEMEMBER 2007 NO. 12 St. Stephenʼs celebrates 90 years His Grace Bishop Mitrophan led a celebration of the the 90th An- niversary of the St. Stephen Church in Lackawanna NY on the weekend of October 26-28. The celebration began with Vespers and Confes- sions on Friday evening. Bishop Mitrophan celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Saturday, assisted by the local priest Fr. Rastko Trbuhovich and three priests from neighboring Orthodox Churches: Fr. Thomas Kadlec, St. Maryʼs Carpatho Rus- sian Church; Fr. Christos Chris- takis of the Annunciation Greek Church and Fr. Peter Jackson of the St. Theodore ROCOR Church. Also assisting were Deacon Milan Medakovich, a son of the St. Ste- phen parish, and Deacon Dragoslav Kosic from the Eastern Diocese. After the Liturgy a festive procession was taken around the ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM FELL ASLEEP IN THE church, and the 90th Anniversary LORD IN 407. THIS YEAR MARKED THE 1600 group photo of the parishioners ANNIVERSARY OF HIS BLESSED REPOSE. was taken. The celebration continued that evening after Vespers with a Dinner Dance at a local following the Divine Liturgy. restaurant. Bishop Mitrophan was the main speaker, and The celebration was a happy affair, giving local, distant presented fi ve gramatas to worthy parishioners. and former parishioners and friends an opportunity thank “SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, Fr. Rodney Torbic, who attended the Anniversary God for their church, and to visit and reminisce. The chair- Dinner Dance on Saturday evening, celebrated the Divine persons for the 90th Anniversary Celebration were Peter Archbishop of Constantinople” Liturgy on Sunday morning and preached the sermon.
    [Show full text]
  • |||GET||| 10 Great Ideas from Church History 1St Edition
    10 GREAT IDEAS FROM CHURCH HISTORY 1ST EDITION DOWNLOAD FREE Mark R Shaw | 9780830896370 | | | | | 10 Great Ideas from Church History Horatius Bonar. Eerdmans, Constantine convened the first Ecumenical Councilthe Council of Niceawhich attempted to provide the first universal creed of the Christian faith. The Church came to be a central and defining institution of the Empire, especially in the East or Byzantine Empirewhere Constantinople came to be seen as the center of the Christian world, owing in great part to its economic and political power. These denominations argue that all uses of the Greek word ekklesia in the New Testament are speaking of either a particular local group or of the notion of "church" in the abstract, and never of a single, worldwide Church. Many Protestants believe that the Christian Church, as described in the Bible, has a twofold character that can be described as the visible and invisible church. It also reasserted traditional practices and doctrines of the 10 Great Ideas from Church History 1st edition, such as the episcopal structure, clerical celibacythe seven Sacramentstransubstantiation the belief that during mass the consecrated bread and wine truly become the body and blood of Christthe veneration of relics, icons, and saints especially the Blessed Virgin Marythe necessity of both faith and good works for salvation, the existence of 10 Great Ideas from Church History 1st edition and the issuance but not the sale of indulgences. What emerged was the Elizabethan Religious Settlement and a state church that considered itself both "Reformed" and "Catholic" but not 10 Great Ideas from Church History 1st edition, and other unofficial more radical movements such as the Puritans.
    [Show full text]
  • Monographs of the Peshitta Institute, Leiden, 10.) Leiden/Boston/Koln, 1999
    REVIEWS 325 elsewhere in print and that deserve attention; some are very useful and authoritative statements of topics where recent bibliography has become overwhelming. While the Cambridge History' will not render older histories such as the revised Schurer obsolete it complements them helpfully, and it will be consulted with profit not only by students of Judaism but also by those interested in Roman history and the origins of Christianity. Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jts/article/52/1/325/1682872 by guest on 29 September 2021 N. R. M. DE LANGE The Books of Samuel in the Syriac Version of Jacob of Edessa. By ALISON SALVESEN. Pp. xlix+125. (Monographs of the Peshitta Institute, Leiden, 10.) Leiden/Boston/Koln, 1999. ISBN 90 04 11543 9. Gld 250/8147.50. BY virtue of belonging to two worlds, one the West Syriac world of the Euphrates and the other the Greek world of Alexandria, Jacob of Edessa (c.640-708) could not only translate works from Greek into Syriac but also bring elements of Greek tradition into the study of Syriac scripture. This biculturalism, or at any rate the concomitant bilingualism, was not always acceptable in traditional Syriac circles, but it is evidence of the character of a Christianity lodged in provinces where eastern Roman power and Sasanian authority had long been in conflict. The books of Samuel, here presented and translated by Dr Salvesen, are part of Jacob's version of the Old Testament which he finished in AD 705. notable among other of his works are studies on grammar, a chronicle continuing that of Eusebius, and translations, among them that of the Cathedral Homilies of Severus of Antioch.
    [Show full text]
  • Nestorianism 1 Nestorianism
    Nestorianism 1 Nestorianism For the church sometimes known as the Nestorian Church, see Church of the East. "Nestorian" redirects here. For other uses, see Nestorian (disambiguation). Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine, which was informed by Nestorius' studies under Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch, emphasizes the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus. Nestorius' teachings brought him into conflict with some other prominent church leaders, most notably Cyril of Alexandria, who criticized especially his rejection of the title Theotokos ("Bringer forth of God") for the Virgin Mary. Nestorius and his teachings were eventually condemned as heretical at the First Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451, leading to the Nestorian Schism in which churches supporting Nestorius broke with the rest of the Christian Church. Afterward many of Nestorius' supporters relocated to Sassanid Persia, where they affiliated with the local Christian community, known as the Church of the East. Over the next decades the Church of the East became increasingly Nestorian in doctrine, leading it to be known alternately as the Nestorian Church. Nestorianism is a form of dyophysitism, and can be seen as the antithesis to monophysitism, which emerged in reaction to Nestorianism. Where Nestorianism holds that Christ had two loosely-united natures, divine and human, monophysitism holds that he had but a single nature, his human nature being absorbed into his divinity. A brief definition of Nestorian Christology can be given as: "Jesus Christ, who is not identical with the Son but personally united with the Son, who lives in him, is one hypostasis and one nature: human."[1] Both Nestorianism and monophysitism were condemned as heretical at the Council of Chalcedon.
    [Show full text]
  • Matthew 16:18 in the Philoxenian Version
    1 Matthew 16:18 in the Philoxenian Version Peter A.L. Hill Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia1 1. Little now remains of the Syriac Philoxenian version (PHIL) of the New Testament. Commissioned by Philoxenus of Mabbug and completed in 508/509 by Polycarp, his chorepiscopus, PHIL was based upon the Peshitta (P) and in turn became the Grundtext for the Harklean New Testament (H) completed in 615/616.2 Apart from an edition of the Minor Catholic Epistles thought to be PHIL,3 remnants of the version remain in the scripture quotations found in the later writings of Philoxenus. In this article I will explore one of these quotations, namely Mt 16:18. Historically, considerable controversy has surrounded the interpretation of this verse; thus any additional data are of interest. First, however, a little background regarding the identification of PHIL quotations in Philoxenus’ works. Identifying PHIL Quotations in the Works of Philoxenus 2. It was Günther Zuntz (1945) who first examined the works of Philoxenus with a view to discovering PHIL readings. However, notwithstanding some excellent observations, Zuntz’s methodology was flawed, in part by his failure to distinguish between the array of Graecized citations scattered across a number of Philoxenus’ writings and the genuine PHIL quotations which occur only in the later writings.4 Subsequently, Arthur Vööbus (1954) continued the investigation, with the appreciation that in order to identify PHIL readings it is necessary “to hold to a strict chronological sequence of Philoxenus’ works.”5 Vööbus happily lighted upon a textual source that had “not undergone the possible changes and modifications which could be 1 The substance of this article was presented to a seminar convened by Dr Hidemi Takahashi at the University of Tokyo, 28 September 2006.
    [Show full text]
  • Possible Historical Traces in the Doctrina Addai
    Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies, Vol. 9.1, 51-127 © 2006 [2009] by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute and Gorgias Press POSSIBLE HISTORICAL TRACES IN THE DOCTRINA ADDAI ILARIA L. E. RAMELLI CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF THE SACRED HEART, MILAN 1 ABSTRACT The Teaching of Addai is a Syriac document convincingly dated by some scholars in the fourth or fifth century AD. I agree with this dating, but I think that there may be some points containing possible historical traces that go back even to the first century AD, such as the letters exchanged by king Abgar and Tiberius. Some elements in them point to the real historical context of the reign of Abgar ‘the Black’ in the first century. The author of the Doctrina might have known the tradition of some historical letters written by Abgar and Tiberius. [1] Recent scholarship often dates the Doctrina Addai, or Teaching of Addai,2 to the fourth century AD or the early fifth, a date already 1 This is a revised version of a paper delivered at the SBL International Meeting, Groningen, July 26 2004, Ancient Near East section: I wish to thank very much all those who discussed it and so helped to improve it, including the referees of the journal. 2 Extant in mss of the fifth-sixth cent. AD: Brit. Mus. 935 Add. 14654 and 936 Add. 14644. Ed. W. Cureton, Ancient Syriac Documents (London 1864; Piscataway: Gorgias, 2004 repr.), 5-23; another ms. of the sixth cent. was edited by G. Phillips, The Doctrine of Addai, the Apostle (London, 1876); G.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction and Index
    Th e Practical Christology of Philoxenos of Mabbug DAVID A. MICHELSON Preview - Copyrighted Material 1 1 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, United Kingdom Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries © David A. Michelson 2014 Th e moral rights of the author have been asserted First Edition published in 2014 Impression: 1 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by licence or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, United States of America British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Control Number: 2014940446 ISBN 978–0–19–872296–0 Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY Links to third party websites are provided by Oxford in good faith and for information only. Oxford disclaims any responsibility for the materials contained in any third party website referenced in this work.
    [Show full text]
  • A Bibliographical Clavis to the Works of Jacob of Edessa
    Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies, Vol. 1.1, 35–56 © 1998 [2010] by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute and Gorgias Press A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL CLAVIS TO THE WORKS OF JACOB OF EDESSA DIRK KRUISHEER LUCAS VAN ROMPAY DEPARTMENT OF NEAR EASTERN STUDIES (TCNO) UNIVERSITY OF LEIDEN THE NETHERLANDS PREFACE [1] Jacob of Edessa († 708) ranks without a doubt among the most prolific and most original writers of Syriac literature. Belonging to the first generation of Syrian Christians who grew up under Islamic rule, he has in many respects contributed to the consolidation and further expansion of the Syriac cultural heritage. For these reasons, his writings have had a great impact on later authors. However, many of these writings have not been preserved in their entirety. Others have only reached us through a complicated process of transmission or can only be studied on the basis of later adaptations or reworkings. [2] Jacob has not fared well in modern scholarly research. A considerable part of his preserved work has remained unpublished to the present day and a comprehensive monograph on him is still missing. In recent years, however, a number of students and scholars have been studying various aspects of Jacob’s works and some major publications may be expected in the near future. [3] This growing interest in Jacob’s works and place in Syriac literary culture has found expression, among other things, in a 35 36 Dirk Kruisheer, Lucas Van Rompay symposium organized at the University of Leiden on 4 and 5 April 1997 under the title “Jacob of Edessa († 708) and the Syriac culture of his day”.
    [Show full text]
  • Gateway to the Syriac Saints: a Database Project Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent Marquette University, [email protected]
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Theology Faculty Research and Publications Theology, Department of 1-1-2016 Gateway to the Syriac Saints: A Database Project Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent Marquette University, [email protected] Published version. Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture, Vol. 5, No. 1 (2016): 183-204. Permalink. © 2016 St. John's College. Used with permission. 183 http://jrmdc.com Gateway to the Syriac Saints: A Database Project Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent Marquette University, USA Contact: [email protected] Keywords: Syriac; hagiography; late antiquity; saints; manuscripts; digital humanities; theology; religious studies; history Abstract: This article describes The Gateway to the Syriac Saints, a database project developed by the Syriac Reference Portal (www.syriaca.org). It is a research tool for the study of Syriac saints and hagiographic texts. The Gateway to the Syriac Saints is a two-volume database: 1) Qadishe and 2) Bibliotheca Hagiographica Syriaca Electronica (BHSE). Hagiography, the lives of the saints, is a multiform genre. It contains elements of myth, history, biblical exegesis, romance, and theology. The production of saints’ lives blossomed in late antiquity alongside the growth of the cult of the saints. Scholars have attended to hagiographic traditions in Greek and Latin, but many scholars have yet to Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture Volume 5, Issue 1 (2016) https://jrmdc.com 184 discover the richness of Syriac hagiographic literature: the stories, homilies, and hymns on the saints that Christians of the Middle East told and preserved. It is our hope that our database will give scholars and students increased access to these traditions to generate new scholarship.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Syriac Sources on Mary's Role As Intercessor
    Syriac Sources C ORNELIA HORN Ancient Syriac Sources on Mary’s Role as Intercessor INTRODUCTION Mariology is an aspect of theological inquiry and a subdiscipline of Christian dogma, to the study of which the Syriac tradition is able to make a solid contribution.1 Ideas and thoughts about Mary and her relevance in the history of Christianity are well represented and beautifully developed in texts written in Syriac, beginning already in ancient Christianity.2 The fourth- and fifth-century poets Ephraem the Syrian and Jacob of Serugh, for example, composed numerous stunning lines of reflective meditations on Mary’s role in the life of Christ. Over the course of the twentieth century, a respectable number of scholars with specialist expertise in Syriac studies, including Ignacio Ortiz de Urbina, Edmund Beck, and Sebastian Brock, have dedicated remarkable efforts to studying and making available to a modern audience through editions and translations important ancient sources that speak of Jesus’ mother in the Syriac language.3 Dominant themes in ancient Syriac mariology that have been highlighted in scholarly studies are Mary’s moth- erhood of the Son of God, her virginity, humility, reception of God’s mercy, purity, and any traces one might be able to identify of Mary being active in the work of salvation or reconciling human beings with God. The theme mentioned last is related to Mary’s role as intercessor. Yet if one defines intercession more narrowly and precise- ly as the activity of a person who intervenes with God for the needs and concerns of human beings and other creatures primarily through prayer,4 Mary’s role as intercessor as featured in early Christian texts in Syriac is not a topic that has been singled out for much sustained attention.
    [Show full text]
  • The Early Spread of Christianity in Central Asia and the Far East: a New Document
    BR 1065 .M53 1925 Mingana, Alphonse, 1881- 1937. The early spread of Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from The Arcadia Fund https://archive.org/details/earlyspreadofchrOOming THE EARLY SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY I IN CENTRAL ASIA AND THE FAR EAST: I A NEW DOCUMENT ALPHONSE 'MING AN A, D.D. ASSISTANT-KEEPER OF MANUSCRIPTS IN THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY, AND SPECIAL LECTURER IN ARABIC IN THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER Reprinted\ with Additions, from " The Bulletin of the John Rylands Library,” Vol. 9, No. 2, July, 1925 MANCHESTER: THE, UNIVERSITY PRESS, 23 LIME GROVE, OXFORD ROAD. LONGMANS, GREEN & CO., 39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON, E.C., NEW YORK, TORONTO, BOMBAY, CALCUTTA, AND MADRAS. MCMXXV. THE EARLY SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY IN CENTRAL ASIA AND THE FAR EAST: A NEW DOCUMENT. By A. MINGANA, D.D. ASSISTANT KEEPER OF MANUSCRIPTS IN THE JOHN RYLANDS LIBRARY, AND SPECIAL LECTURER IN ARABIC IN THE UNI¬ VERSITY OF MANCHESTER. Foreword. I. BEFORE venturing into the subject of the evangelisation of the peoples of Mongolian race, it would be useful to examine the ethnological state of the powerful agglomeration of clans inhabiting the adjacent lands lying on the eastern and western banks of the river Oxus. There we meet with constant struggles for supremacy between two apparently different races, distinguished by the generic appellations of Iran and Turan. They were somewhat loosely separated by the historic river, the shallow waters of which in a summer month, or in a rainless season, proved always powerless to prevent the perpetual clash of arms between the warring tribes of the two rivals whose historic habitat lay on its eastern and western borders.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origin of the Terms 'Syria(N)'
    Parole de l’Orient 36 (2011) 111-125 THE ORIGIN OF THE TERMS ‘SYRIA(N)’ & SŪRYOYO ONCE AGAIN BY Johny MESSO Since the nineteenth century, a number of scholars have put forward various theories about the etymology of the basically Greek term ‘Syrian’ and its Aramaic counterpart Sūryoyo1. For a proper understanding of the his- tory of these illustrious names in the two different languages, it will prove useful to analyze their backgrounds separately from one another. First, I will discuss the most persuasive theory as regards the origin of the word ‘Syria(n)’. Secondly, two hypotheses on the Aramaic term Sūryoyo will be examined. In the final part of this paper, a new contextual backdrop and sharply demarcated period will be proposed that helps us to understand the introduction of this name into the Aramaic language. 1. THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE GREEK TERM FOR ‘SYRIA(N)’ Due to their resemblance, the ancient Greeks had always felt that ‘Syr- ia(n)’ and ‘Assyria(n)’ were somehow onomastically related to each other2. Nöldeke was the first modern scholar who, in 1871, seriously formulated the theory that in Greek ‘Syria(n)’ is a truncated form of ‘Assyria(n)’3. Even if his view has a few minor difficulties4, most writers still adhere to it. 1) Cf., e.g., the review (albeit brief and inexhaustive) by A. SAUMA, “The origin of the Word Suryoyo-Syrian”, in The Harp 6:3 (1993), pp. 171-197; R.P. HELM, ‘Greeks’ in the Neo-Assyrian Levant and ‘Assyria’ in Early Greek Writers (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation; University of Pennsylvania, 1980), especially chapters 1-2.
    [Show full text]