Syriac Language Research Articles

THE ROMAN EASTERN FRONTIER AND THE PERSIAN WARS IN LATE ANTIQUITY: CONFRONTATION AND COEXISTENCE IN GREEK AND SYRIAN ECCLESIASTICAL SOURCES (410-428 AD)

The history of relations between the Eastern Roman and Sassanid Persian Empires was marked by armed conflicts at different times between the two powers during Late Antiquity. This theme has been studied by historiography, with particular emphasis on the conflicting moments recorded by the Greek sources that have come down to us. Considering the context of the search for affirmation of different Christian denominations in the Mesopotamian region between the two empires in the first half of the 5th century AD, the objective of this article is to demonstrate that, in addition to the conflicting episodes that resulted in armed confrontations, there was a need, at times, for negotiations and coexistence between the rulers of both empires in the face of the claims of the Christian elites that emerged on both sides of the border in search of political and administrative autonomy. For this analysis, the “Ecclesiastical Histories” by Socrates of Constantinople and Theodoret of Cyrus, written in Greek, and the “Acts of the Persian Martyrs under King Yazdgird I” and the “Synodicon Orientale” (Records of the Nestorian Synods), written in the Syriac language, will be used.

The importance of Jazeera Rigin in syriac sources

This study is concerned with the position and the importance of Jazeera region in Syriac texts by shedding light on the geographic border in Islamic sources and making a comparison with Syriac sources. The different names by Syriacs historians was according to their mind, the weight of the region has reflection in the Syriac sources and records. Undoubtedly, most of the Syriacs historians had lived in that region, and they were witnesses of the most events, which consists of political and religious events. All the changes which have been brought about in the region have had direct impact on representing the social condition. Most of the population of the region are Syriacs in the Syriac records and writings, that is why the Syriacs are considered as the original people of the region. In addition, the region has been pictured as a main center of Christian religion, Syriac language and culture, as most of the Syriacs historians were religious men, all of their writings were composed with religion. They show more religious conditions of the region in the Islamic authority framework, they refer to many names of the Christian Churches in the region.

الدلالة المركزية والدلالة الهامشية في اللغة السريانية

Our research tagged (The central signification and the marginal signification in the Syriac language) dealt with the most important linguistic investigations in which the semantic lesson was concerned, which is the study of semantic divisions and types of meaning. Arabic, knowledge of its semantics, the development that occurred in it, the most important manifestations of this development, and the reasons that led to the occurrence of semantic development over time. We chose this topic because of the importance of the semantic study in linguistic studies because it aims to reveal the truth about meaning in human languages ​​and knowledge of linguistic laws.

Aristotel, Organon, Veneția, Baptista de Tordis, 1484: de la incunabulul din Biblioteca Brukenthal la primele comentarii de logică în limba siriacă

The Brukenthal National Museum Library hosts an impressive collection of incunabula, one of them being Aristotle’s Organon, Venice, Baptista de Tordis, 1484. Initially, the book belonged to ‘The Chapel Library’ (Kapellenbibliothek), a library founded in the fourteenth century, and was transferred to the Brukenthal Library in 1879. One of the first scholars who wrote a commentary about Aristotle’s Organon – to be more precise: only on Categories – in Syriac language was Sergius of Resh’ayna, a sixth century physician and priest who studied in Alexandria. Sergius wrote two commentaries, but he did not translate the texts from Greek to Syriac simply because his audience, native in Syriac, had good knowledge of Greek. Later, when the contacts between Mesopotamia and the Late Roman Empire/Byzantium had decreased, original Aristotelian texts had to be translated into Syriac, because the local elites were not able to understand Greek. Such being the case, the translators played a major role, and two of them were Jacob of Edessa – he himself a bishop –, and George ‘the bishop of the Arabs’, who were active at the end of the seventh century and at the beginning of the eighth century.

Psalm 29 as a poetological example of Peshitta Psalms translation

The existing research on Peshitta has mostly overlooked the translation techniques used in Peshitta Psalms. Prior studies have primarily focused on comparing Peshitta Psalms with the Masoretic Text (MT), the Septuagint and Targum, leaving a gap in the analysis of Peshitta Psalms within the context of Classical Syriac Poetry. This study will delve into how adeptly the Syriac translator employed poetic elements to construct strophic structures and poetic style within the Peshitta Psalm. This article presents an analysis of strophic structure, word repetition, sound figures and versification in the Syriac translation of Psalm 29, comparing them with their Hebrew counterparts. In this study, the utilisation of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS) is employed for the MT, while the ‘Leiden edition’ is employed for the Peshitta. The findings from this analysis reveal that the Syriac rendition of Psalm 29 within the Peshitta incorporates numerous poetic elements. This suggests the translator’s familiarity with the strophic arrangement, word repetition, alliteration and various other poetic characteristics utilised by Hebrew scribes. The Peshitta translation of Psalm 29 closely resembles the MT Hebrew text, resulting in a balance of fidelity and aesthetic elegance. The Syriac rendition incorporates poetic elements like strophic arrangement, word repetition and alliteration but employs these features in a distinct manner. The Syriac text has a lower frequency of alliteration and word repetition but still possesses appealing poetic characteristics. The Syriac approach to verse composition closely resembles the Hebrew method, with some exceptions.Contribution: This study explores the Syriac translator’s use of poetic elements in Peshitta Psalms, revealing their familiarity with Hebrew techniques and the unique incorporation of elements. It provides insights into the evolution of Classical Syriac Poetry and contributes to our understanding of Biblical and Syriac poetry.

Derivation of the name of the instrument in the Syriac language from new meters Eugene Manna's Dictionary as an example

Derivation of the name of the instrument in the Syriac language from new meters Eugene Manna's Dictionary as an example

Сиро-мелькитская рукопись XV века Vat. sir. 351: незавершенный проект Минеи месячной на весь год в одном томе

This article describes contents, paleographic, linguistic, and liturgical features of one of the Syriac manuscripts of the Vatican Library, Vat. sir. 351, dating back to the 15th century. A large part of the manuscript is written by one scribe with a very fine and professional handwriting, but there are also insertions of other scribes, two of them we know by their names indicated in the margins (Yusuf, Salam). The manuscript is written mostly in classical Syriac, but some rubrics and texts are written in Arabic. The Menaion contains texts of the Holy Scripture: readings from the Apostol and the Gospel in the beginning of the manuscript, then in the Menaion part — prokimena, alleluiaria, communion hymns, New Testament readings for matins and liturgy, psalms of the great hours and selected psalms (eklogai) for singing after the polyeleos on great feasts. We may suggest that the scribe planned to include the entire Menaion for the whole year, from September to August, in one volume. However, this experiment remained incomplete: services for every day can be found only in the beginning and in the end of the manuscript (months of September, October, part of November, August), while other months contain a selection of the most festive days. Thus, the manuscript cannot be fully characterized by terms like a “Monthly Menaion” or a “Festal Menaion”. Days without services contain only indications of the date, names of the saints, often with addition of stichera, troparion and kontakion, always with indications of readings for the liturgy; the scribe usually left an empty space after the date, due to lack of time or inability to find the necessary texts. The changes from daily services to festive selection and vice versa are situated not far from large portions written by other scribes.

Неизменяемые части служб суточного круга у сиро-яковитов

This article deals with the stable elements within the daily cycle of worship in the Western Syriac (Syro-Jacobite) tradition, namely, the initial and final prayer texts. Depending on a particular service, the composition of these “framing” prayers is heterogeneous; they can consist of either only a short sequence (“Trisagion to Our Father”) or a multi-layered complex (of psalms, prayer addresses, etc.). Since these texts (and their configuration in worship) represent for the most part an oral layer, not recorded specifically in liturgical books, their publication in the original language (classical Syriac), as well as my translation of them into Russian, carry a certain scientific novelty. The author offers an overview of the composition, order, place and performance of these prayers. Syriac and Arabic concepts associated with this oral tradition are introduced into scientific circulation. The article is based primarily on the information collected during my internship at the Mar Aphrem Syro-Jacobite Seminary in honor of St. Ephraim the in Maarat Sednaya (Syria) in 2020.

Анонимная Согита об Аврааме и Исааке (V в.)

The publication presents a translation from the Syriac language of the anonymousSogita about Abraham and Isaac (V century). The introductory article discusses the issue of thepeculiarities of the Syriac versification, characterizes the sogita as a liturgical exegetical genre,as well. In addition, the influence of the Jewish tradition on the structure-forming principles ofthe Sogita genre is traced, which was manifested in its dependence on the principles of narrativeexegesis. A characteristic feature of the latter is the obligatory reconstruction of the plot detailsand characteristics of the characters missing in the biblical narrative as a way to set the text theright perspective of understanding. In turn, the mutual influence of Christian Syriac andByzantine literatures is reflected not only in the set of ideas, but also in the choice of means ofrhetorical expressiveness for church preaching. The poetic form and dialogues between biblicalheroes among the Syrians were mandatory for almost all homiletic genres (sogita, madrash,memra) from the very beginning of their existence. Among the Byzantines, dramatic homiliesbegan to appear only in the fifth century, and the rhythmized prose of sermons, facilitating thetransition from the ancient metrical versification to the syllabic, gradually acquired a new poeticform for the Greeks. In the comments to the sogita, there are collections of interpretations of aparticular problem that have developed in all three traditions: Syrian, Byzantine, and Jewish,which makes it possible to clearly understand how the same exegetical methods worked tojustify solutions that differ from each other.

Exploring Shared Poetic and Stylistic Forms between Kurdish and Syriac

Abstract Kurdish has been written in many different scripts throughout history. One of these alphabets is the Syriac alphabet. The texts written with this alphabet are called Kurdish Garshuni texts. David Barzane (Dāwíd Bareznāyā) was a 19th-century Chaldean Church clergyman and poet. The autograph manuscript containing his poems in Classical Syriac, Neo-Aramaic and Kurdish is preserved in the Collection of Syriac Manuscripts of the Dominicans of Mosul. One of the two Kurdish Garshuni poems in this manuscript has already been published with transcription and translation. In this article, another unpublished poem is transcribed and translated. However, by focusing on the literary and cultural interaction between the Christians who speak Neo-Aramaic and the Kurds, it is to be drawn attention to the close relationship between the forms of poetry and style of performance in both traditions.

‘A great star falls’—cometology in Syriac language and literature

Abstract The Syriac language has, among all the Aramaic varieties, by far the largest number of terms for ‘comet’ or ‘meteor’. Is there a simple explanation for this fact? The systematic investigation of Syriac technical terminology in the field of astral sciences addresses this question. Such a study also impacts three issues relevant to Semitic studies: (1) The question of the sources and languages the Syriac writers were able to access; (2) the linguistic strategies for the creation of neologisms; (3) the existence of a common Aramaic technical koiné (standard literary Aramaic). This article sets forth the terms for comets and meteors in Syriac as a representative selection of astral terminology, and investigates their value for the questions mentioned above. The two pillars of this investigation are the comparison of the literary genres in which this terminology surfaces with those of other Near Eastern literatures in which this terminology surfaces, and the linguistic analysis of these terms in Syriac.

Strophes in Peshitta Psalms? A Study of Selected Examples

As the Peshitta plays an essential role in literary and textual criticism, the literary features of the Peshitta must be examined not only from the perspective of translation technique but also from the perspective of other factors, such as poetical devices and form. Little attention has been paid to the translation technique in the Peshitta Psalms despite the substantial research conducted on the Peshitta. Most studies have focused on the relationship between the Peshitta Psalms, the Hebrew Masoretic text, and other ancient versions. Therefore, the Peshitta Psalms have yet to be examined from the perspective of classical Syriac poetry. This study investigates how well the Syriac translator employed poetical devices to produce strophic structures and poetic style in the psalms, with particular attention to potential approaches to strophic structure that have not previously been explored. The paper addresses the question of whether the Peshitta Psalms are strophic. The study indicates that Peshitta Psalms 29, 96, 136, and 148 use strophic markers such as word repetition, alliteration, repetition of syntactical structures, parallelism and a balanced number of syllables and words.

TheVerb in Semitic Languages / Brueckelman's Philology of the Semitic Languages as Example

Arabic is the language of the Holy Quran, a branch of a group of languages known to Orientalists as Semitic languages, and Orientalists have spent considerable efforts to study these languages, and wrote many books and researches about. The Semites are the languages that the orientalist Schulzer called the Hebrew, Abyssinian and Syriac languages. Naturally, every language that has moved away from its native country has been subject to changes, including Arabic and other Semitic languages. There are similarities and differences between Arabic and other Semitic languages. The researcher chooses the German Orientalist Karl Brucklmann, who spent considerable efforts in studying and balancing the Semitic and Arabic languages. His book Verbs,

TheVerb in Semitic Languages / Brueckelman's Philology of the Semitic Languages as Example

Arabic is the language of the Holy Quran, a branch of a group of languages known to Orientalists as Semitic languages, and Orientalists have spent considerable efforts to study these languages, and wrote many books and researches about. The Semites are the languages that the orientalist Schulzer called the Hebrew, Abyssinian and Syriac languages. Naturally, every language that has moved away from its native country has been subject to changes, including Arabic and other Semitic languages. There are similarities and differences between Arabic and other Semitic languages. The researcher chooses the German Orientalist Karl Brucklmann, who spent considerable efforts in studying and balancing the Semitic and Arabic languages. His book Verbs,

The Peshitta to Ezekiel, the Context of its Translation, and the Identity of its Translators

The Peshitta to Ezekiel has recently been described as a translation that closely represents the frames in the Hebrew text with corresponding frames in the natural Syriac language of the time of its translation. Such an approach to translation entailed a novel translation technique, as far as the translations of the Scriptures in the period up to the first three centuries CE were concerned. Such a characteristic feature of the translation, together with other socio-political conditions leads us to reflect on the ongoing question about the identity of the translators as well as the motivations behind their translation. A close literary and historical analysis of these factors showed that the Peshitta to Ezekiel would have been produced for a Christian community, rather than for Jews.

On Graph- Syriac Letters Partition

The Syriac language is one of the ancient Semitic languages that appeared in the first century AD. It is currently used in a number of cities in Iraq, Turkey, and others. In this research paper, we tried to apply the work of Ali and Mahmood 2020 on the letters and words in the Syriac language to find a new encoding for them and increase the possibility of reading the message by other people.

Of Men and Dogs

Abstract This article contains the unpublished Syriac text of the Story of the Dog Who Talked. Put down in writing by the West Syrian monk ʿAzīz bar Ṣlīḇā bar Bassūs in the year 1503, the Story is, arguably, the earliest datable specimen of the fairy tale genre of folklore attested in the Syriac language. The text of the Story, published on the basis of manuscript Mardin, Church of the Forty Martyrs, 350, is accompanied by an English translation and discussion.

The Syriac Orphanage and School in Beirut: Building an Elite Transnational Syriac Identity

Despite a growing interest in Middle Eastern Christianity, an imbalance persists in scholarly understanding of individual Christian communities. The Syriac Orthodox – a non-Catholic Oriental Orthodox community – are one such understudied group. After experiencing massacres during World War I, they resettled in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Palestine, which were then newly established nation-states. This article is concerned with the Syriac school in Beirut (also called the Assyrian Orphanage and School) as a case study of the Syriac Orthodox effort to both revive the community and produce an elite that would succeed in a largely non-Syriac, Arabic environment. The school was first founded in 1919 in Adana, Cilicia, in today’s south-eastern Turkey, which was then under French occupation. In 1923 it resettled in Beirut. For several decades it was one of the few, if not the only, successful Syriac Orthodox school in the Middle East. But from the outset it faced an inherent contradiction: despite its focus on the Syriac language, its success was dependent on the graduates’ ability to thrive in a largely non-Syriac, Arab, and in our case, Lebanese, environment. I argue that it was precisely this exclusively defined Syriac identity which enabled their entry into the larger, transnational environment in which national identities were still being negotiated. This article, which is part of a project on the Syriac Orthodox in Lebanon, draws on sources in Arabic, French, English and Syriac from both inside and outside the community (such as the French archives). 1

ʿAttīḏ-Compounds in Middle Aramaic: Discursive Functions and Tense-Aspect-Modal Characteristics

Abstract Despite the frequent use of ʿattīḏ-compounds in Middle Aramaic,1 their syntactic and discourse functions as well as the tense-aspect-modal (TAM) characteristics are represented in modern works on Aramaic grammar in a rather fragmentary fashion. On the whole, ʿattīḏ-compounds are considered as competing with yiqṭul-imperfect periphrastic verbal forms that function predominantly in prophetic discourse with the meaning of distant future. However, the range of the discourse functions of ʿattīḏ-compounds goes beyond the scope of prophecy and their TAM-characteristics need to be reconsidered. In this article, compounds with an ʿattīḏ-auxiliary are viewed as possessing the modal meaning of intention originally, and it is this distinctive seme that determines other specificities of their functions. This paper presents the results of cross-dialectical analysis of ʿattīḏ-compounds in Jewish Aramaic dialects, Samaritan Aramaic, Classical Syriac and Christian Palestinian Aramaic, and includes biblical texts translated from Hebrew as well as the original writings in these Middle Aramaic languages.

Polysemy and Homonymy Conjugation in Syriac Language (Regular Verbs Example)

polysemy and homonymy are one of many phenomena which happen in some languages if not all، Syriac language had a Characteristics thing among the Semitic languages. that happened in conjugation verbs with different cases and different tenses، it is very important in common، polysemy mean one-word with two or more meanings; We will shed light on this phenomenon and what was stated in the differences of opinion، will include several axes in which we deal with the phenomenon in Subscriber identity verbal language and idiomatically، followed by the hadith in defining the verb in the verb in Syriac، and then we will go into the conjugation of these verbs and explain how the polysemy comes is in the verb.