Religion

The Trinity played a significant role in Jonathan Edwards’ theology. But what was the nature of his trinitarian theology? A common view among Edwards scholars is that he embraced the dialectical psychological and social models of the Trinity. This study suggests that Edwards consistently used one model of the Trinity—the Augustinian mutual love model. Edwards uses the mutual love model to portray the loving relationships among the divine persons and in doing so stands in continuity with other early-Enlightenment apologists for traditional trinitarianism.

The “Nestorian Monument” or “Nestorian Stele” is a fascinating attestation of the work of Syriac-speaking missionaries in sixth-century China. Commemorating the diffusion of Christianity in China from 635-781, the inscription was erected in the latter year as a public monument. The inscription in Chinese, supplemented with some Syriac, provides a brief outline of Christian doctrine and provides an account of how Christianity came to China. This book offers an English translation of the monument along with the original language text.

Originally published in two small volumes of Semitic ephemera written in German, this collection of observations of Paul de Lagarde still contains his cogent insights into the world of Semitic linguistics. Critical remarks on the book of Isaiah introduce his characteristic detail on a number of verses in the prophetic book. The second selection concerns the clarification of Akkadian (Chaldean) words occurring in the Hebrew Bible. In the second major section of the work, de Lagarde presents the leaves of the Septuagint of Codex Sarravianus found in Paris. This annotated Greek material comes from the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.

This monograph examines the manuscript variants of the Peshitta (the standard Syriac translation) of Kings, with special attention to the manuscript 9a1. Manuscript 9a1 is of critical importance for the textual history of Kings, and Walter argues that there is overwhelming evidence that the non-9a1 Mss attest to an extensive revision. This monograph also discusses translation features of the Peshitta of Kings with special attention paid to harmonization and the leveling and dissimulation of vocabulary. Walter also treats the vorlage for the translation and treats its relation to the LXX and the Targumim.

This edition of Mar Jacob of Sarug's (d. 521) homily on the Tower of Babel develops an extended word-play between “morduto” ‘rebellion’ and “marduto” ‘discipline.’ As is characteristic of Jacob, the characters, their personalities, and their motivations are developed far more than they are in the biblical narrative. The volume constitutes a fascicle of The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain the original Syriac text of Jacob's surviving sermons, fully vocalized, alongside an annotated English translation.

Were issues like economic and political oppression, holy wars, resistance literature, hate-speech, xenophobia and other 21st-century realities already present among the civilizations of the ancient Near East? Prophetic literature and specifically the Book of Nahum in the Old Testament provide a unique perspective on these issues. Through Nahum’s moving poetry and disturbing imagery, oppression is verbalised, deep emotion is uncovered and we are given a glimpse of liberation and new hope in times of darkness. This book will sensitize the reader to a better understanding of the identity and dynamics of oppressed groups, both ancient and modern.

The exposition of the Liturgy of St. James, which is basically the Celebration of the Holy Eucahrist, is most significant for the understanding of the mystery of God in offering His only Son a vicarious sacrifice for the redemption of man. To make it understandable, Rev. Saka explains not only the meaning of terms connected with the liturgy but of all the components of the vessels, the vesting, the censoring, the candles and the propitiatory prayers associated with them. This exposition should benefit both church and liturgical scholars and lay people interested in the profound spiritual meaning of their faith.

Published for the first time by Paul de Lagarde in the extant Syriac, this volume reproduces the initial edition of the Didascalia Apostolorum. This important document, which purports to have been written by the apostles is a third-century pseudepigraphon. Presenting a view of the Catholic doctrine as it was believed to have been held by the original apostles, the topics addressed include worship, doctrine, and Christian discipline. For the Syriac scholar wishing to engage a foundational document in the early history of the church, this publication represents an excellent starting point.

Lagarde’s edition of the British Museum manuscript of an abridged version of the Geoponica is here made available again for the use of scholars and interested historians. Originally composed by Vindonius Anatolius of Beirut, a fourth-century Greek author, the Geoponica is an example of early natural science, a collection of agricultural tracts. Published here with Lagarde’s Latin commentary on the material from his Gesammelte Abhandlungen, this obscure and difficult text is now available for the first time with the insightful comments of the linguist who edited the Syriac text.

In this set of articles originally published together in his booklet Orientalia, Lagarde addresses several issues concerning Hebrew studies. The first article, Explanation of Hebrew Words, addresses the use of twelve significant lexemes. Added to this essay is a contribution of Lagarde to the Hebrew reflected in Ephraim the Syrian’s work on Genesis, extant in Armenian. Select passages from Genesis 2 through 38 are given consideration in the light of philological investigation. Together these pieces represent a useful collection of insights into the Hebrew language both through classic philology and through the ecclesiastical interpretation of a scholar in the tradition of Syriac Christianity.

An early study of the Babylonian kudurru (boundary stone) inscriptions of what is now known as the Kassite Era, this booklet presents a self-contained exploration of two of the markers. Focusing on Kudurru Inscriptions III R. 43 and III R. 41, Belser gives transcriptions and translations of both texts. A detailed commentary follows the presentation of the actual texts, and this is accompanied by notes from the original drawings of the text. Carefully reproduced full text hand-drawn copies are also included.

The third issue of Proceedings of the Midrash session at the SBL Annual meeting published in this series. This volume contains papers on religion in midrash (2006) and modes of biblical interpretation in rabbinic, Syriac and Islamic traditions (2007).

In this continuously cited article on the Babylonian legends of Etana, Zu, Adapa and the South Wind, and Dibbarra, Harper provides a substantial wealth of detail. Each of these myths is treated with an introduction, transliteration, and translation. Philological notes are given along with a summary of the contents. Comparison is also made with other ancient tales that bear resemblance to those contained in this volume. Further remarks by H. Zimmern on the Adapa legend are also included. This study is accompanied by hand-drawn copies of the cuneiform tablets and a photographic archive of the various fragments of the texts.

This investigation of Abu-al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi’s al-Wafa bi Fada'il al-Mustafa, according to the Leiden manuscript by one of Germany’s foremost Semiticists, is essential reading for anyone interested in Arabic history and literature. Ibn al-Jawzi was a twelfth-century jurist and perhaps the most prolific writer in the history of Arabic literature. Al-Wafa bi Fada'il al-Mustafa (Detailed Accounts of the Chosen Prophet), is a large work on the biography of the prophet Muhammad. In this manuscript study, Brockelmann analyzes several aspects of this composition, including citations of this work by other notable Islamic writers.

Approaching the question of Purim historically, Haupt notes that the book of Esther was composed during the reign of Judas Maccabeus, and he correlates the festival to the Babylonian New Year. He discusses the origin of the title “purim” from various languages, ultimately deciding on the Old Persian explanation. Moving forward, Haupt brings the festival into the more modern period, showing how the ancient tradition continues to exist. A useful resource for anyone interested in turn-of-the-century thought on the origins of an enigmatic biblical festival, this contribution is both readable to the layperson and scholarly as well.

In this collection of poetry of Umayya ibn Abi al-Salt, as well as poems published in his name, Schulthess does a great service in bringing together these legendary Arabic poems. Umayya ibn Abi al-Salt was a contemporary of Muhammad who did not accept Islam. Printed here in the original Arabic, the poems are also translated in German and annotated. Schulthess also provides a knowledgeable introduction that includes a listing of the manuscript sources utilized in the reconstruction of the texts.

As the oldest organized religion in Sassanian Iraq, Judaism serves as a kind of model for other religious organizations in the region. After considering the growth of Judaism in Iraq during the Sassanian period, Morony notes the connections between the Jewish and Aramaean populations as well as the intermixed ethnic communities in which Jews played a part. Social, administrative, and religious issues are all considered. Messianic expectations as they continued to develop in the Jewish community in diaspora round out this discussion of Judaism as a fully developed religion in Iraq under Islamic rule.

A collection of studies on the Syriac sixth century writer Jacob of Sarug by a team of international scholars, including Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Sebastian P. Brock, Sharbil Iskandar Bcheiry, Khalid Dinno, Sidney Griffith, Mary Hansbury, Amir Harrak, George A. Kiraz, Edward Matthews, Aho Shemunkasho, and Lucas Van Rompay.

This study focuses on the imagery of meals and feasting in the Baal Myth and Kirta and Aqhat epics. Utilizing contemporary approaches to ritual, these meal events reveal the manner in which ritual behavior described and defined the different social relationships with the Ugaritic pantheon and the interactions between the divine and mortal realms. This study demonstrates the role successful ritual behavior played in the organization and presentation of characters within the narratives, as well as the role of unsuccessful or failed rituals associated with the meal event, which resulted in social chaos and confusion.

In 1849, within days of her marriage to missionary printer Edward Breath, Sarah Ann Breath joined her husband to begin a four month journey to Oroomiah (modern Urumia), Persia. Her narrative, written in a highly descriptive flowing prose, describes the journey by sea, steamer and caravan to a Nestorian community. Breath’s journal pays careful attention to the Nestorian, Assyrian, and Kurdish communities she encountered. For Breath, the journey would transform her sensibilities, challenge her awareness of cultural differences and plunge her into a world whose dangers and opportunities she could never have imagined.

This volume incorporates all the articles and reviews published in Volume 7 (2007) of the Journal of Hebrew Scriptures.

This edition of Mar Jacob of Sarug's (d. 521) homily on Jephthah’s daughter invisages this single, virginal female as a prefiguration of Christ. Jacob also discusses the history of blood sacrifice and on the qualities that render Jephthah’s action priestly. The volume constitutes a fascicle of The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain the original Syriac text of Jacob's surviving sermons, fully vocalized, alongside an annotated English translation.

Common Heritage, Divided Communion examines the various religious and secular events related to the Council of Chalcedon (451) and the so-called “Monophysite” schism. It includes a detailed overview and analysis of contemporary Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox ecumenical efforts to re-establish ecclesial communion.

The Computer Working Group of the International Association of Egyptologists has been in existence since 1983. The group focuses on the efforts of Egyptologists to find creative and useful ways of using information technology to aid in the research and teaching of Ancient Egypt. This volume collects the 16 papers presented during the 2008 meeting on topics including databases, complex systems, 3D modelling, textual analysis systems, the uses of the internet for sharing photographs, and bibliography. This publication provides an essential snapsot of the present uses of IT in the study of Ancient Egypt.

This volume is part of a series that addresses issues of Classical Syriac lexicography, and the lexicography of other ancient languages. The international team of authors invited to participate represents a wide range of disciplines and opens new horizons in lexical thinking. Essays in this volume discuss the place for enclitics in lexica, the grammatical classification of words, translation technique, and using new technologies to aid in the lexicographer’s task. This book represents the forefront of Syriac lexical studies, and has much to offer those studying Greek and other Semitic languages as well.