Work dossier · summary and historical context
Nisibis 71 is a Syriac madrasha (teaching hymn) by Ephrem the Syrian, likely composed in the 350s CE during the Persian siege of Nisibis. The poem personifies the Spirit speaking through biblical figures—Abel, David, Moses, Aaron, and Samuel—to call for divine justice. It survives in a single 6th-century manuscript (Vat. sir. 113) and was later incorporated into the East Syriac liturgical cycle for the Feast of the Martyrs. The text exhibits Ephrem’s dialectical style, with a negative conclusion that contrasts preceding positive commands. Variant readings in later copies suggest scribal intervention, especially in strophic divisions.
Nisibis 71 exemplifies Ephrem’s dialectical and typological exegesis, using biblical figures to address contemporary communal trauma. It is a key witness to Syriac liturgical poetry and the development of the madrasha genre. Its incorporation into the East Syriac Feast of the Martyrs shows its enduring liturgical importance and its role in shaping Syriac Christian identity.
Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306–373 CE) composed Nisibis 71 while still in Nisibis, before his move to Edessa in 363 CE. The madrasha reflects the city’s experience of the Persian siege in 350 CE, a crisis that shaped Ephrem’s theological and poetic output. The work belongs to the Syriac Christian tradition of Nisibis, a frontier city of the Roman Empire with a strong Semitic Christian community. The genre of madrasha—a stanzaic teaching hymn—was used for catechetical and liturgical instruction. The text survives in a single 6th-century manuscript (Vat. sir. 113), with later copies showing scribal interventions. It was later incorporated into the East Syriac Hudra, the liturgical book for the Feast of the Martyrs, confirming its canonical status. The present edition does not collate the 10th-century ms. Add. 14,514 (British Library), which contains a divergent doxology.
Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded
| Coptic | Rendering | Count | First |
|---|---|---|---|
| no glossary terms recorded | |||