Syriac and Eastern Christianity

The Book of the Himyarites, given in Syriac and English translation, deals with the growth of Christianity in Arabia. The introduction provides details about the historical value of the work and its relationship to other related sources.

In this important work on Jacob of Sarug, Martin examines what is known of the poet’s life, looks at his lasting influence, offers a number of extracts from Jacob’s homilies and letters in French, and discusses his orthodoxy.

Using manuscripts from the British Museum, Sachau here presents a number of unique Syriac texts translated from Greek, including philosophical, medical, and maxim texts. The appendix includes astronomical texts from Sergius of Reshaina and Severus Sebokt.

This volume contains the Syriac text of one of Dionysius bar Salibi’s polemical writings, that against the Jews, based on a manuscript now located at the Harvard Semitic Museum. An English translation was promised by the editor, but never appeared.

This volume contains the Syriac text, with German translation, of an (anonymous) introduction to the Psalms, together with two homilies from Daniel of Salah’s (fl. mid-6th century) long Psalms commentary. Diettrich’s detailed introduction adds richly to the work.

Samuel Lee arranges texts by the fourth century church historian Eusebius of Caesarea as they are known to him in their surviving Syriac versions.

This second Syriac version of the famous collection of fables of Indian origin was translated from the Arabic version of ibn al-Muqaffa‘. Wright gives the Syriac text with notes, a lengthy introduction, and select glossary.

From the storied transmission of this famous collection of Indian fables came two Syriac translations. This is an edition of the earlier translation (re-edited after the editio princeps) with German translation and notes.

The Armenian version of the Chronicle of Michael the Great was overshadowed by the discovery of the Syriac version. However, Felix Hasse argues that the unique features of the Armenian text provide an important historical source for the Armenian tradition.

Theodor Kluge publishes a German translation of two Eastern Christian liturgical texts for use in Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost. Anton Baumstark adds notations to the translation and includes an introduction to each text.

Previous attempts to compare the art and architecture of Ravenna have focused only on Rome and Constantinople, but Josef Strzygowski argues here that the Oriental Christian tradition should be considered as a contributing influence as well.

In the early twentieth-century, P.S. Landersdorfer published a translation of Jacob of Serug’s homily on the fall of the idols accompanied by a commentary. Bernhard Vandenhoff publishes here a critique of Landersdorfer’s conclusions about the gods mentioned in Jacob’s “god-list.”

Felix Haase presents one of the first in-depth surveys of the text of the Chronicle of Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre and focuses on the issue of the texts that were used as sources for the composition of the Chronicle

Egon Wellesz presents here an in-depth survey of Christian music in the Byzantine tradition. Wellesz discusses the present state of research and the problems inherent in such a survey, and describes the notation and symbols used in the manuscript tradition.

Moberg had already published a German translation of Barhebraeus’s longer Syriac grammar based on a critically established Syriac text and here presents that text in this volume, along with an introduction (in French) and two indices (Syriac and French).

This volume contains four East Syriac treatises: two dealing with words forms and lexicography, two dealing with the interpretation of difficult words in the Bible. The book will be of interest to students of Syriac grammar and biblical interpretation.

Under the name of Isaac of Antioch, also known as the Great, or the Teacher, more than 200 memre exist. Here Bedjan produces the (vocalized) Syriac text of 67 memre, 43 edited for the first time.

This volume contains a unique theological-philosophical text in Syriac known as the Book on the Knowledge of the Truth, or the Cause of Causes. The author describes it as “a common book for all peoples under heaven.”

Baethgen produces here both the Syriac text and a German translation with notes, including remarks on Elias’s grammar in connection with Greek and Arabic grammatical traditions; the Syriac text includes textual notes.

John of Mosul’s (died 1270) poem of spiritual guidance in the seven-syllable meter deals with, among other things, learning and the reading of Scripture, fasting, prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, parents instructing their children in doctrine, astrology and magic, etc.

Pognon gives here the Syriac text of Hippocrates’ Aphorisms, together with a French translation. Each part contains detailed textual and translational notes and is prefaced with a thorough introduction. The book concludes with a Syriac-Greek glossary of medical terms.

Joseph Catergian’s Die Liturgien bei den Armeniern was significant for liturgical studies in the Armenian tradition, but it lacked translations of the texts. The present publication includes translations by Peter Ferhart, Anton Baumstark, and Adolf Rücker.

Anton Baumstark compares the Greek text of a Theotokion preserved in a sixth-century manuscript to comparable texts from the Oriental Christian traditions and the Western Ambrosian Rite.

Egon Wellesz presents here a thorough study of music in the Ethiopic Christian tradition. Wellesz’s discussion includes a survey of previous literature, a comparison of musical features with other traditions, and examples of Ethiopic musical texts.

Anton Baumstark surveys the possible literary sources for liturtgical hymn prayers of the Eastern Syriac tradition and also provides a Latin translation of nineteen such prayers found in Bedjan’s Chaldean Breviary.