Syriac and Eastern Christianity

Separated by schism from Greek and Latin Christians and surviving under Islamic suzerainty, the Church of Egypt produced insightful saints and heroic martyrs in a chapter in church history now opened to readers of English for the first time.

At the dividing line between Antiquity and the Middle Ages, scholar-diplomat-pastor-writer-pope Gregory the Great drew on his profound knowledge of Scripture and his personal experience to preach the Gospel. These forty homilies show the practical concerns Gregory faced as well as the theological expectations he had of his flock.

The living link through whom the ascetic principles of hellenistic philosophers passed into monasticism, Evagrius molded Christian asceticism through his own works and through his influcence on John Cassian, Climacus, Pseudo–Denis, and Saint Benedict.

This volume collects Mar Jacob of Sarug's (d. 521) sermons on the nativity. Always one of the highlights of the liturgical year, Jacob welcomes the Christmas season with gorgeous poetry that touches on all parts of God’s plan and the miracle of his Son being born among us. 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.

In Mar Jacob of Sarug's (d. 521) homily on the Ascension of our Lord, Jacob brings his understanding of the saving action of Christ to fullest poetic expression. Jacob describes how the whole of creation, starting from the beginning of history, is redeemed by Christ’s action as he reclaims his rightful place in the heavens. 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.

This study provides an English translation of the texts for initiation in the Byzantine tradition, drawing on early manuscripts of the euchology and the typikon of the Great Church (Hagia Sophia). This includes texts for the enrollment of children in the rites of the eighth and fortieth days, catechesis and prayers during Lent, final preparations, including consecration of Chrism and the rites of apotaxis and syntaxis on Good Friday, Baptism at the Easter Vigil, postbaptismal rites and rites of closure, and provisions for the other baptismal feasts.

This is a collection of poems and essays by Ghattas Maqdasi Elias, an important figure in twentieth-century Syrian Orthodox letters and education, also known as ‘Malfono Denho.’ The book contains writings previously published in books and journals as well as items published for the first time in this volume.

The West Syrian Liturgy has come down to the present in three major traditions: that of Za‘faran, that of Sadad and that of Edessa. This book represents the culmination of many years of recording and effort, undertaken in both the Middle East and the US, aimed at preserving the complete Beth Gazo of Edessa in musical annotation.

Among the works Jacob al-Bartilli has left us is this theological treatise, entitled The Book of Treasures, which has here been translated in its entirety into Arabic. The Syriac text remains unpublished and this Arabic translation has been executed by the Deacon Behnam Daniel al- Bartilli on the basis of three different manuscripts.

Nearly three years were spent assembling and editing this volume, which contains the diary of Mar Georgios Dionysios, the former Bishop of Aleppo. The diary covers the years 1943-1981 and offers a fascinating look at the day-to-day life of an important figure in the Syrian Orthodox Church over the course of nearly 40 years.

The question of the relationship between Arab identity and Islam is a pressing one for all Christian minorities in the Middle East. In this book, Syrian and Arab intellectual George Jabbur publishes a series of lectures concerned with examining the matter of Arabness, Arabhood, Islam, and political participation and belonging in the constitutions of the countries of the Arab world.

The Gospels mention that Jesus had twelve male disciples who aided Him in His earthly mission of proclaiming the Gospel. But were Jesus’ helpers only men? Convinced that women played an important role in assisting Jesus’ preaching and proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven, Tuma al-Khuri has written a book, in Arabic, highlighting twelve different females who appear in the Gospel text—the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, Mary the sister of Lazarus, the Samaritan woman, and the Syro-Phoenician woman, among others.

This small book is part of the ‘Allah Ma‘na’ (God With Us) series, created by the Syrian Orthodox community of Aleppo for use in Christian schools, Sunday schools, and Church educational programs. This particular volume is intended for use by third-graders and is meant to introduce them to the basic outlines of the life of Christ—covering all the major events from the Annunciation to Pentecost—in language they can understand.

This small book is part of the ‘Allah Ma‘na’ (God With Us) series, created by the Syrian Orthodox community of Aleppo for use in Christian schools, Sunday schools, and Church educational programs. This volume presents students with actual scriptural passages from a number of the most important passages in the Gospels, including: the Annunciation, the Prologue of John, the Baptism of Christ, the Temptation, the confession of Peter, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

This small book is the first volume in the ‘Allah Ma‘na’ (God With Us) series, created by the Syrian Orthodox community of Aleppo for use in Christian schools, Sunday schools, and Church educational programs. The series aims to introduce and teach children about the life of Christ. This particular text focuses on the role of the Virgin Mary in the life of Christ and is intended for use both at school with a teacher and at home with parents.

This small book is the second volume in the ‘Allah Ma‘na’ (God With Us) series, created by the Syrian Orthodox community of Aleppo for use in Christian schools, Sunday schools, and Church educational programs. The series aims to introduce and teach children about the life of Christ. This particular volume seeks to highlight the role of hope in the life of the Christian, taking Paul’s words in Romans 8:24 as its jumping-off point.

This small book is the fourth volume in the ‘Allah Ma‘na’ (God With Us) series, created by the Syrian Orthodox community of Aleppo for use in Christian schools, Sunday schools, and Church educational programs. This particular volume focuses on the theme of Christ as the Good Shepherd. Stories includie: Christ’s preaching in Nazareth, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the parable of the Lost Sheep, the Feeding of the Five Thousand, Jesus as the Gate, and Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

Ghattas Maqdasi Elias, the ‘Malphono,’ was one of the most important Syriac writers of the twentieth century and devoted much of his life to ensuring that classical Syriac remained a vibrant and living language. For the lover of Syriac and Syriac poetry, therefore, this small book represents a special treat: a collection of twenty five of Elias’ poems are assembled and printed here.

In this book Yusuf al-Bakhzani has performed the marvelous task of combing through dozens of different historical sources and studies, many of them published in Arabic in the Middle East and little-known, if at all, to Western scholars, and culled references to Syriac books, manuscripts, and libraries—both East Syrian and West—throughout the Middle East, from the Middle Ages to the present; Syriac manuscripts in India also receive attention.

This small book is an exposition of the mysteries (or sacraments) of the Syrian Orthodox Church by the eminent Philoxenos Dolabani. The mysteries discussed are: Baptism, the Myron, the Eucharist, penance, the priesthood, anointing the sick, and marriage.

Written around 817 AD, Job of Edessa's Book of Treasures is an encyclopedia of philosophy and natural philosophy. Habbi and Daniel’s introduction to The Book of Treasures provides a thorough overview of what we know about the life and writings of Job of Edessa and also discusses the sources of The Book of Treasures. This new translation of The Book of Treasures will be an important resource for all interested in the intellectual world of the Greco-Syriac-Arabic translation movement of the Abbasid period and the history of scientific study and research in Syriac.

This book is a collection of articles written by the eminent scholar and Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Ephrem Barsaum. The “Lighthouse” in the book is meant to refer to the thought of Patriarch Barsaum: like a lighthouse, every researcher, scholar, or reader of Syriac must turn towards it for guidance. The articles in this volume display Barsoum’s characteristic erudition and scholarly thoroughness and cover a wide variety of topics, all related to the history of the various Syriac-speaking churches and the churches of Antioch, in addition to other Middle Eastern Churches.

Militos Barnaba has chosen 20 of the most beautiful memre of Jacob of Sarugh and here provided a sense-for-sense translation of them into Arabic. For each memra a short excerpt of the Syriac original is given, followed by an Arabic translation of the entire piece. An introduction by Bishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim provides background on the life and writings of Jacob of Sarugh.

Philoxenos Yuhanna Dolabani (1885-1969), Metropolitan of Mardin, was an important figure in the Syrian Orthodox church in the twentieth century and a prolific scholar, most of whose works remain unpublished and unknown to Western scholarship. Bishop Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim has here given us a biography of this key figure.

This volume is a translation into Arabic of the papers published as part of the Pro-Oriente ecumenical consultation between members of Roman Catholic, Chaldean Catholic, Syro-Malankar and Assyrian Orthodox Churches, originally published in Vienna in 1994. Participants included both European and Middle Eastern scholars and paper topics covered a range of issues relating to both the history and theology of the Church of the East.