Part of a series of fascicles containing the bilingual Syriac-English editions of Saint Jacob of Sarug’s homilies, this volume contains his homilies on Praise at Table. These homilies offer a glimpse into the efforts of one late antique author to construct distinctly Christian meaning from the experience of communal meal-sharing. The Syriac text is fully vocalized, and the translation is annotated with a commentary and biblical references. The volume is one of the fascicles of Gorgias Press’s The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain all of Jacob’s surviving sermons. Recognized as a saint by both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Christians alike, Jacob of Sarug (d. 521) produced many narrative poems that have rarely been translated into English. Of his reported 760 metrical homilies, only about half survive.
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-4632-0605-5
Publication Status: In Print
Publication Date: Jun 15,2016
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 150
Languages: English
ISBN: 978-1-4632-0605-5
In these eight brief homilies, entitled Praise at Table, Jacob of Sarug summons his listeners to praise God for his provision of their food and to celebrate their table fellowship. Unlike many of Jacob’s homilies, these are neither exegetical-dogmatic in focus, nor do they evoke the liturgical setting of a congregation gathered to observe the Eucharist or other ritual festivals. Rather, these homilies evoke a communal meal setting in the tradition of the ancient Agape, in which Christians have gathered to share a simple meal of ordinary food. The meal observance contains ritual elements, including the preacher’s intonation of a brief meditation at the end of the repast, when the diners should be moved to return thanks to God. Yet the homilies are not mere thanksgivings. Through the power of Jacob’s vivid imagery, the flavors and aromas of the food and wine—indeed the dining experience itself—are transformed into an extraordinary opportunity for the diners to glimpse powerful unseen realities and to be shaped spiritually as a result, under Jacob’s insightful and capable pastoral direction.
These homilies offer a glimpse into the efforts of one late antique author to construct distinctly Christian meaning from the experience of communal meal-sharing.
Recognized as a saint by both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Christians alike, Jacob of Sarug (d. 521) produced many narrative poems that have rarely been translated into English. Of his reported 760 metrical homilies, only about half survive. Part of a series of fascicles containing the bilingual Syriac-English editions of Saint Jacob of Sarug’s homilies, this volume contains his homilies on Praise at Table. The Syriac text is fully vocalized, and the translation is annotated with a commentary and biblical references. The volume is one of the fascicles of Gorgias Press’s The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain all of Jacob’s surviving sermons.
Jeff W. Childers is Carmichael-Walling Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene Christian University.
