The Holy Spirit as Feminine in Early Syriac Literature / Sebastian Brock
In his Commentary on Isaiah.(1) Jerome quotes from a passage in the Gospel according to the Hebrews where Jesus proclaims that ‘my mother the Holy Spirit has taken me . . . [and conveyed me to Mount Tabor]’. No one should be scandalised on this matter, comments Jerome, in that ‘Spirit’ is feminine in Hebrew, but masculine in ‘our language’ (Latin) and neuter in Greek, ‘for in the deity there is no gender’ [in divinitate enim nullus est sexus]. The aim of this paper is to explore some of the repercussions of this grammatical feature of the...
Read MoreMoral, Ascetic, and Ritual Dimensions to Law-Observance in Aphrahat’s Demonstrations / Adam Lehto
Abstract Writing to counter the critique of a much larger Jewish community, and to instruct fellow ascetics in their chosen path, the fourth-century Syriac author Aphrahat develops a notion of law-observance that serves both ends: God’s law of righteousness, which is more fundamental than the Mosaic law, has been summed up in Christ’s teaching on love for God and neighbor; but a commitment to this way of love also calls for ascetic renunciation. In addition, the few references to ritual should be understood, like Aphrahat’s teaching on ascetic practice, as an attempt to...
Read MoreThe Doctor Mar Jacob of Saruj (d. 521) / Dr. Matti Moosa
The Doctor Mar Jacob of Saruj (d. 521) Jacob of Saruj is a profieient and a natural poet of great genius who is unrivaled and unequaled. An unrestrained writer and one of the princes of language, Jacob wrote with eloquence and creativeness. He is more of a poet than a writer. His poems attained wide popularity and spread everywhere. His poetry finds its way directly to the heart and amuses those who listen to it. One never reads one of his poems without becoming infatuated by it. Jacob’s poetry contains masterpieces and beauties which astound the mind and arrest the heart. It is also...
Read MoreAsceticism and Society in Crisis / Susan Ashbrook Harvey
Acknowledgments Preface Introduction: John’s World I “These Holy Images”‘: John of Ephesus and the Lives of the Eastern Saints II “Let your Light so Shine Before Men”: The Ascetic Vision III Amida: The Measure of Madness IV Purpose and Places V Spirituality and Accountability: Consequences of the Ascetic Vow VI Some Implications: The Case of Women VII John of Ephesus: Asceticism and...
Read MoreSt. Afrem the Syrian
The only authentic sources for Ephrem’s life are the occasional autobiographical allusions in his own work. The fact that these usually contradict the popular “Lives” adds credibility to their statements. He was born near Nisibis, a military outpost on the eastern edge of the Roman Empire. He was the child of Christian parents (CHaer. 26, 10). The often cited date of his birth, 306, cannot be substantiated. He became a believer at an early age. (Hvirg 37, 10), and was probably baptized in his early teenage tears (CHaer 3, 13). He became an early participant in the church of...
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