A Letter of Mara, Son of Serapion Tran. from Syriac
Mara, son of Serapion, to Serapion, my son: peace. When thy master and guardian wrote me a letter, and informed me that thou wast very diligent in study, though so young in years, I blessed God that thou, a little boy, and without a guide to direct thee, hadst begun in good earnest; and to myself also this was a comfort-that I heard of thee, little boy as thou art, as displaying such greatness of mind and conscientiousness:2 a character which, in the case of many who have begun well, has shown no eagerness to continue. On this account, lo, I have written for thee this record, touching that...
Read MoreSyriac Language and Literature
Syriac is the important branch of the group of Semitic languages known as Aramaic. In the time of Alexander the Great, Aramaic was the official language of all the nations from Asia Minor to Persia , from Armenia to Arabian Peninsula. It was divided into two dialects: the western, used in Palestine and Syria by the Jews , Palmyrans, and Nabateans; the eastern, spoken in Babylonia by the Jews , Mandeans , Manichaeans , and the people of Upper Mesopotamia. The Syriac language, as we know it from its literature, did not spring from the dialect spoken in Syria , but from the eastern...
Read MoreThe Chronicle of Edessa
This text was transcribed by Roger Pearse, Ipswich, UK SOME of the early Christian writers refer in very eulogistic terms to the archives of Edessa. The archives were, of course, the public or royal library of the city, the existence and value of which cannot be called in question. It included both Greek and Oriental books, and was therefore a depository from which literary men could largely benefit. Moses of Chorene consulted the books while compiling his history of Armenia. Eusebius of Caesarea declares himself to have been indebted to this library for his account of the conversion of...
Read MoreSt. Ephraem ‘Faith Adoring the Mystery’ – Mary C. Sheridan
It should be noted that Orthodox scholars and students will find this article to contain material that is well known and well researched by Orthodox authors, most notably Sebastian Brock. However, to scholars and students of the West, St. Ephraem is known by a few scholars such as Sidney Griffith and Kathleen McVey but for the most part is barely known if at all. Therefore, the purpose of this article is not to be an informative piece for the Orthodox. The purpose of this article is to shed some initial light on one of the writers in the very early Church for students/scholars of the West...
Read MoreSt. Ephraem , From the Catholic Encyclopedia
Born at Nisibis, then under Roman rule, early in the fourth century; died June, 373. The name of his father is unknown, but he was a pagan and a priest of the goddess Abnil or Abizal. His mother was a native of Amid. Ephraem was instructed in the Christian mysteries by St. James, the famous Bishop of Nisibis, and was baptized at the age of eighteen (or twenty-eight). Thenceforth he became more intimate with the holy bishop, who availed himself of the services of Ephraem to renew the moral life of the citizens of Nisibis, especially during the sieges of 338, 346, and 350. One of his...
Read More