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Syriac · Other · mid-4th century

Nisibis 12

Ephrem the Syrian · syriac

BothSourceEnglish
JSON Dossier
machine-draft · no human review 1 passages · 263 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

Ephrem the Syrian's Nisibene hymns (madrāšē) are a collection of strophic poems composed between the 350s and 363 CE, reflecting the Persian sieges of Nisibis and its cession to Shapur II. The hymns survive in a single 6th-century Syriac manuscript (BL Add. 12175) and later copies, with strophic and acrostic features often obscured by scribal errors and liturgical reordering. They entered the West Syriac Fenqīthō and were excerpted in Byzantine and Armenian lectionaries, sometimes without attribution. The present edition lacks original melody indications (qālē) and full acrostic headings, essential for reconstructing performative and mnemonic structure.

The Nisibene hymns are a key witness to Ephrem's poetic theology, blending biblical typology, Syriac covenantal theology (qyāmā), and responses to historical crisis. They influenced later Syriac liturgical poetry and were transmitted across confessional boundaries, appearing in West Syriac, Byzantine, and Armenian traditions. Their acrostic and melodic structures reflect early Christian hymnody's oral and performative dimensions.

Historical context

Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306–373 CE) composed the Nisibene hymns in Syriac during the mid-4th century, while living in Nisibis (modern Nusaybin, Turkey). The hymns respond to the Persian sieges of Nisibis under Shapur II (c. 350, 359, 363) and the city's cession to the Sasanian Empire in 363, after which Ephrem moved to Edessa. The collection's final form likely postdates this move. The text survives in a single 6th-century manuscript (BL Add. 12175) and later copies, with strophic and acrostic patterns often obscured by scribal errors and liturgical reordering. These hymns entered the West Syriac liturgical tradition as part of the Fenqīthō (festal hymnary) and were excerpted in Byzantine and Armenian lectionaries, sometimes without attribution to Ephrem. The present edition lacks original melody indications (qālē) and full acrostic alphabetic headings, which are essential for reconstructing the hymns' performative and mnemonic structure.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

6 commentary units 1 sense1 term1 scripture1 structure1 background1 caution 0 derived notes 2 open questions 1 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: other in classical Syriac; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 1 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: syriac — CC BY 4.0

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
dsc-269:1 · narrativemedium
Source
ܗ ܒܰܪ ܩܳܠܶܗ ܐܶܩܪܶܐ ܒܽܐܘ̈ܠܨܳܢܰܝ̱ ܠܚܰܝܠܳܐ ܚܳܣܶܢ ܟܽܠ ܕܗܽܘܝܽܘ ܡܨܶܐ ܚܳܣܶܢ ܠܫܰܒܳܝܳܐ ܕܪܽܘܓܙܳܐ ܐܰܝܟ ܕܰܥܼܨܳܐ ܠܠܶܓܝܽܘܢ ܥܽܘܢܺܝܬܳܐ: ܫܽܘܒܚܳܐ ܠܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܶܗ ܦܰܪܥܰܢܝ̱ ܐܰܚ̈ܰܝ ܒܺܝܫܳܐ ܚܰܘ̈ܒܶܐ ܕܠܳܐ ܝܺܙܶܦ ܡܶܢܝ̱ ܦܰܪܥܰܢܝ̱ ܐܳܦ ܛܳܒܳܐ ܪ̈ܰܚܡܶܐ ܕܠܳܐ ܐܰܘܙܶܦܬܶܗ ܬܰܘ ܬܡܰܗܘ̱ ܒܬܰܪ̈ܬܰܝܗܶܝܢ ܦܰܠܶܓ ܘܝܰܗ̱ܒ ܛܳܒܳܐ ܚܰܘ̈ܒܳܬܝ̱ ܠܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܶܗ ܛܠܺܝܡܽܘܬܝ̱ ܠܟܺܐܢܽܘܬܶܗ ܚܰܘ̈ܒܳܬܝ̱ ܥܛܳܐ ܚܢܳܢܶܗ ܛܠܺܝܡܽܘܬܝ̱ ܬܒܰܥ ܕܺܝܢܶܗ ܪܶܓܙܰܬ ܚܛܺܝܬܳܐ ܛܳܒ ܘܒܳܬܰܬ ܒܛܽܘܪܳܦܳܐ ܕܰܚܙܳܬ ܠܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܳܐ ܕܚܰܨܬܳܗ̇ ܠܚܺܐܪܽܘܬܳܐ ܕܬܶܙܟܶܐ ܠܫܳܪ̈ܥܳܬܳܐ ܪܬܰܚ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܐܰܫܶܕ ܚܽܘܒܳܟ ܘܰܐܬܬܪܰܥ ܫܦܼܰܥ ܪܽܘܓܙܳܟ ܪܽܘܓܙܳܟ ܠܡܰܘܒܳܕܽܘ ܚܽܘܒܳܟ ܠܡܰܥܕܳܝܽܘ ܫܒܺܝܬܳܐ ܡܶܢ ܫܒܳܝܳܐ ܝܰܘ̈ܡܶܐ ܕܰܓܙܰܡ ܒܺܝܫܳܐ ܕܰܒܗܽܘܢ ܐܰܝܟ ܕܰܒܩܶܠܥܳܐ ܢܶܫܕܶܝܢܝ̱ ܠܰܐܒܕܳܢܳܐ ܒܗܽܘܢ ܨܼܳܪ ܢܛܰܪ ܛܳܒܳܐ ܢܰܦܫܳܐ ܒܰܨܪܳܪ ܚ̈ܰܝܶܐ ܡܠܺܝ̈ܠܶܐ ܕܠܳܐ ܫܳܠܶܝܢ ܕܢܰܘܕܽܘܢ ܒܟܽܠܥܶܕܳܢ ܕܢܰܛܪܽܘܢܝ̱ ܒܓܰܘ ܓ̈ܰܠܠܶܐ ܘܣܰܡܟܽܘܢܝ̱ ܕܠܳܐ ܐܶܦܶܠ ܢܰܘܕܽܘܢ ܚܠܳܦܰܝ ܡܳܪܝ̱ ܡܰܢ ܓܶܝܪ ܣܳܦܶܩ ܡܶܢ ܡܬܽܘܡ ܠܩܽܘܒܳܠ ܛܰܝܒܽܘܬܳܐ ܕܪ̈ܰܚܡܶܐ ܕܰܟܪܺܝܟܺܝܢ ܠܶܗ ܕܶܐܢܳܐ ܐܶܣܦܰܩ ܐܰܘܕܶܐ ܠܪ̈ܰܚܡܶܐ ܕܰܚܕܺܝܪ̈ܺܝܢ ܠܺܝ
English
The son of his voice. I call upon the power that lacks all in my distresses, that which is able to lack the satiety of wrath. As a moth to a legion, a supplication: praise to his goodness. Pay me, my brothers, the evil debts that I am not worthy to pay. Pay me also the good mercies that I have not lost. Come, marvel at both of them. Divide and give the good of my debts to his goodness, my deficiency to his sorrow, my debts to his need, my deficiency seeks his judgment. The wrath of sin is good and has sought after in the abundance, because it saw the goodness that her portion has for freedom, that she might be pure for the ordinances. Boil, my Lord, pour out your love and open up, intercede, your wrath. Your wrath for destruction, your love for salvation. A captive from satiety. The days that evil has cut off, in which as in a prison they cast me to destruction, in which evil has besieged, good has driven away. The soul in the bundle of life. The eloquent ones who do not cease, who make a covenant in all seasons, who guard me within the waves and support me that I may not fall. Make a covenant on my behalf, my Lord. For when it is sufficient from the place of standing to receive the goodness of the mercies that are entwined for him, that he may come, it is sufficient for me to confess to the mercies that are encircled for me.
Citation. Tergwame, “Nisibis 12”, dsc-269:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/dsc-269#s1
Colophon. Source: syriac · licence: CC BY 4.0 · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0013 · generated 2026-11-15.