Translations

The Letter from Barlaha to Simeon on the Translation of the Psalms is a Syriac epistolary work attributed to an otherwise unknown author, Barlaha. It describes the trans…

Cyril of Alexandria's letter to Rabbula of Edessa, written shortly after the Council of Ephesus (431 CE), seeks to secure Rabbula's support against Nestorius and his Ant…

The Letter from Eusebius, patriarch of Rome, to Papa, Catholicos of the East, is a pseudepigraphical Syriac composition attributed to a Roman bishop named Eusebius and a…

The Letter from Mar Papa to the citizens of Nisibis is a 4th-century Syriac epistle attributed to Papa bar Aggai, bishop of Nisibis (c. 310–330). Written as a pastoral i…

Rabbula, bishop of Edessa (411/412–435), wrote this letter to Andrew of Samosata during the Nestorian controversy of the 420s. The letter survives only in Syriac, preser…

The Letter from Simeon of Mart Maryam in Response to Barlaha is a Syriac epistolary work of uncertain date, likely from the 6th century. It survives in a single manuscri…

The Letter from Mar Ephrem the Doctor to Mar Papa the Catholicos Patriarch is a Syriac epistolary text attributed to Ephrem the Syrian but of disputed authenticity. Surv…

The Letter of Mara bar Serapion is an anonymous Syriac epistolary work traditionally attributed to a figure named Mara bar Serapion, otherwise unattested. The sole manus…

The Letter of Simeon of Beth Arsham concerning Barsawma is a Syriac epistle attributed to Simeon of Beth Arsham, a Syriac Orthodox author active in the late 5th to early…

This dossier examines a surviving portion of a letter from Rabbula, bishop of Edessa (411/412–435), to Cyril of Alexandria, composed during the Nestorian controversy (ca…

Aphrahat's prefatory letter introduces his collection of Demonstrations, a series of Syriac expository works on Christian faith and practice. Written in the mid-4th cent…

The Synodical letter from the Western Fathers to Mar Papa catholicos is a 4th-century Syriac letter, likely translated from a lost Greek original. It is addressed to Mar…

Narsai's 'On Baptism' (Memra Twenty-Two) is a late fifth-century Syriac liturgical verse homily for Epiphany, composed for the School of Nisibis. It expounds baptismal t…

Jacob of Serugh's 'On Holy Baptism' is a Syriac liturgical homily (memrā) from the late 5th or early 6th century, traditionally attributed to Jacob of Serugh (c. 451–521…

On Mysteries and Baptism is a Syriac liturgical homily traditionally attributed to Narsai (d. ca. 503), though the sole surviving manuscript is a 19th-century copy of a…

Jacob of Serugh's memrā on Christ's baptism is a liturgical poem in isosyllabic couplets, alternating between narrative of the Jordan event and doctrinal exposition on t…

This metrical homily by Jacob of Serugh (c. 451–521) presents a tripartite typology of baptism: the Law, John the Baptist, and the apostolic baptism instituted by Christ…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Commentary on Ben Sira is a 12th-century West Syriac work that interprets the wisdom of Jesus ben Sira through a Christian lens. Written in formal…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Amos is a verse-by-verse exegesis of the Peshitta text of the Book of Amos, occasionally consulting the Septuagint for varia…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Daniel is a West Syriac exegetical work from the mid-12th century, written in formal Syriac prose. The commentary interprets…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Deuteronomy is a mid-12th-century West Syriac exegetical work, part of a larger Old Testament commentary set. The text survi…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Ecclesiastes (ca. 1190–1210) is a Syriac exegetical work that applies a plain-sense reading (pūšāqā sūʿrānāyā) to the biblic…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Exodus is a verse-by-verse exegesis of the biblical book, composed in Syriac by the West Syriac metropolitan (d. 1171). The…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Habakkuk is a mid-12th-century West Syriac exegetical work that applies Antiochene literal interpretation to the prophetic b…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Haggai is a verse-by-verse exposition of the prophet Haggai, composed in Syriac in the mid-12th century. The work adheres to…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Hosea is a Syriac Orthodox exegetical work from the late 12th to early 13th century, part of a larger project on the Twelve…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Job is a continuous, verse-by-verse exposition of the Syriac Peshitta text, composed in the late 12th to early 13th century…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Joel is a continuous lemmatic gloss on the Book of Joel, written in Syriac within the West Syriac exegetical tradition. Like…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Jonah is a 12th-century West Syriac exegetical work that adheres to the Antiochene tradition, prioritizing literal and histo…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Joshua is a verse-by-verse exposition of the Book of Joshua, emphasizing historical and narrative sense over allegory. Writt…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Judges is a verse-by-verse interpretation of the Peshitta text of Judges, composed in Syriac during the mid-12th century. Th…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Kings is a Syriac exegetical work from the early 13th century, focusing on the historical-grammatical sense of the biblical…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Leviticus is a Syriac exegetical work from the late 12th to early 13th century, likely composed during his episcopal tenure…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Malachi is a lemmatic Syriac exegesis that clarifies the Peshitta text through lexical and grammatical analysis. Written in…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Micah is a verse-by-verse exposition of the biblical book, emphasizing the historical-grammatical sense over allegory. Writt…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Nahum is a mid-12th-century Syriac Orthodox work that follows the Peshitta text verse by verse, offering lexical and theolog…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Numbers is a mid-12th-century Syriac verse-by-verse exposition that adheres to the Antiochene exegetical tradition, emphasiz…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Obadiah is a verse-by-verse exposition of the shortest book of the Minor Prophets, written in Syriac during the late 12th to…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Proverbs is a mid-12th-century West Syriac exegetical work that offers a straightforward, non-allegorical reading of the bib…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Samuel is a mid-12th-century Syriac verse-by-verse exposition of 1–2 Samuel, rooted in the Antiochene exegetical tradition.…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on the Song of Songs is a mid-12th-century West Syriac exegetical work that adopts a literal hermeneutical stance, distinguishi…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Zechariah is a formal, scholastic Syriac exegesis from the late 12th to early 13th century, composed within the West Syriac…

Dionysius bar Salibi's Literal Commentary on Zephaniah is a mid-12th-century West Syriac exegetical work that interprets the prophetic book through a literal and histori…

The 'Advice to Solitaries' attributed to Rabbula of Edessa is a set of Syriac monastic admonitions (zūhārē) that prescribe strict ascetic discipline for solitary monks.…

Ephrem the Syrian's 'Against Bardaisan' is a mid-4th century prose refutation of the teachings of Bardaisan (154–222 CE), a Syriac Christian theologian whose cosmology a…

Narsai's 'Against the Jews' is a Syriac metrical homily (ʿuqqāyā) composed in the late fifth century CE, likely during his tenure at the School of Edessa or Nisibis. The…

The anonymous Syriac 'Account of the Decease of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist' is a pseudepigraphical narrative describing the death of John the Evangelist. It surv…

An Admonition attributed to Jacob of Serugh is a Syriac ascetic discourse that exhorts its audience to ceaseless praise of God, framing the tongue as consecrated solely…

The Canons of Rabbula are a collection of ecclesiastical regulations attributed to Rabbula, bishop of Edessa (411/412–435 CE). Written in Syriac, they address clerical d…

Cause of all Causes: Book 2 is an anonymous Syriac metaphysical treatise, likely composed between the 6th and 12th centuries, surviving in a single manuscript (DSC 507).…

Book 5 of the anonymous Syriac philosophical-theological treatise 'Cause of all Causes' continues a Neoplatonic and Christian synthesis exploring the first principle as…

Cause of all Causes: Book 6 is an anonymous Syriac treatise that continues a series of discourses on sublunary phenomena, likely forming part of a larger metaphysical or…

Book 7 of the anonymous Syriac treatise 'Cause of all Causes' is a philosophical-theological work that examines causality and divine attributes through a Neoplatonic len…

Aphrahat's Demonstration 10, 'On Shepherds,' is a mid-4th-century Syriac homiletic work that uses the shepherd metaphor to frame ecclesiastical authority. Drawing on bib…

Demonstration 11: On Circumcision, composed by Aphrahat in the mid-4th century CE, is a Syriac Christian polemical treatise arguing that circumcision is a spiritual rath…

Demonstration 12: On Passover is a Syriac Christian treatise by Aphrahat, likely composed around 345–347 CE during the Persian persecution under Shapur II. The work inte…

Aphrahat's Demonstration 13 argues against Sabbath observance, interpreting the Sabbath as a typological institution superseded by Christian practice. Part of a series o…

Demonstration 15: On the Distinction between Foods, composed by Aphrahat in 343 CE, is a dialogic exhortation addressing a single interlocutor ('my friend') to guide rea…

Demonstration 16, 'On the Peoples, who have replaced the People,' is a Syriac homily by Aphrahat, composed around 344–345 CE during the Sasanian persecution of Christian…

Demonstration 17, 'On the Messiah, that he is the Son of God,' is a Syriac prose treatise by Aphrahat, composed around 343 CE during the reign of Shapur II. The work def…

Demonstration 18, titled 'Against the Jews, On Virginity and Holiness,' is a Syriac treatise by Aphrahat, composed around 345 CE. It defends Christian asceticism against…

Demonstration 1: On Faith is the first of 23 homilies by the Syriac author Aphrahat, composed around 337 CE. The work defines faith (haymanutha) as both personal trust a…

Demonstration 20: On Care for the Poor, composed by Aphrahat around 343 CE, is a Syriac Christian treatise urging almsgiving and communal support for the needy. It emplo…

Demonstration 21: On Persecution, written by Aphrahat around 344 CE, addresses the Sasanian persecution of Christians under Shapur II. The work uses a homiletic register…

Demonstration 22: On Death and the Last Times is a Syriac discourse by Aphrahat, composed around 343 CE during the Sasanian persecutions under Shapur II. The work addres…

Demonstration 2: On Love, by the fourth-century Syriac author Aphrahat, explores the theological concept of 'ḥubbā' (love) as the bond between God and humanity and among…

Demonstration 3: On Fasting, composed by Aphrahat between 337 and 345 CE, is a didactic exposition on fasting (ṣawmā) as both literal abstinence and broader ascetic disc…

Demonstration 4: On Prayer, composed by Aphrahat in Syriac around 337 CE, explores prayer (ܨܠܘܬܐ) as both liturgical petition and interior disposition, reflecting an asc…

Demonstration 5: On Wars, composed by Aphrahat between 337 and 345 CE, addresses contemporary anxieties about Roman-Persian conflicts and eschatological disturbance. Wri…

Demonstration 7: On Penitents, composed by Aphrahat in the mid-4th century CE, is a Syriac prose treatise on repentance (tyābūtā) as a healing remedy for sin. Written du…

Demonstration 8: On the Resurrection of the Dead is a treatise by the fourth-century Syriac author Aphrahat, composed as part of his series of twenty-three Demonstration…

Demonstration 9: On Humility is a Syriac ascetical treatise by Aphrahat, composed around 337–345 CE during the Sasanian persecution of Christians under Shapur II. The wo…

The Dialogue on the Soul is a Syriac monastic dialogue between a master and a disciple concerning the nature, origin, and cognition of the soul. Framed as a catechetical…

Discourse 1 of Isaac of Nineveh is the opening chapter of a collection of Syriac ascetical writings composed in the late 7th century. It introduces key monastic themes s…

Discourse 10 of Isaac of Nineveh is a Syriac ascetical treatise from the late 7th century CE, preserved in the first volume of his collected works. The discourse warns a…

Discourse 11, part of Isaac of Nineveh's First Collection, is a Syriac ascetical treatise composed in the late 7th century CE. It addresses the solitary life, emphasizin…

Discourse 12, part of Isaac of Nineveh's first collection, addresses the spiritual life through a tripartite schema of beginning, middle, and completion. It explores the…

Discourse 13, part of Isaac of Nineveh's second collection (Kephalaia gnostica), explores the spiritual changes experienced by those who practice stillness (hesychia). W…

Discourse 14 by Isaac of Nineveh is a Syriac ascetic text from the late 7th century, preserved in the first volume of his collected works. It explores the contemplative…

Discourse 15 by Isaac of Nineveh (7th c.) is a Syriac ascetical treatise from his First Part, composed during monastic retirement in Beth Huzaye (southwest Iran). It exp…

Discourse 16, from Isaac of Nineveh's later writings, explores the ascetic practice of silence (šelyā) and its role in cultivating vigilance and discernment. Composed in…

Discourse 17 of Isaac of Nineveh, part of the Second Part of his ascetical corpus, focuses on the night vigil (šahrā) as the supreme ascetic labor for the solitary (īḥīḏ…

Discourse 18 of Isaac of Nineveh, part of his later corpus, is a Syriac ascetical text composed in the late 7th century during Isaac's retirement at Mount Matout. It sur…

Discourse 19 by Isaac of Nineveh, a seventh-century Syriac monastic writer of the Church of the East, explores the nature of revelation as a non-discursive, spiritual op…

Discourse 2 by Isaac of Nineveh is a Syriac ascetical text from the late 7th century, part of his First Part, composed during his monastic retirement at Rabban Shapur. I…

Discourse 20, part of Isaac of Nineveh's First Part, is a late 7th-century Syriac ascetic treatise exploring spiritual revelation, the purification of the intellect, and…

Discourse 21 is a late 7th-century Syriac text by Isaac of Nineveh, composed during his retirement at Rabban Shapur. It belongs to the later, more esoteric phase of his…

Discourse 22 of Isaac of Nineveh is a late 7th-century Syriac ascetical treatise on the distinction between the practice and vision of prayer. Composed during Isaac's re…

Discourse 23 by Isaac of Nineveh is a late 7th-century Syriac monastic text exploring the nature of signs, events, and divine providence. Isaac defines a 'sign' (gedšā)…

Discourse 24, part of Isaac of Nineveh's Second Part, is a Syriac ascetical treatise from the late 7th century. It addresses monastic practices such as prostration and i…

Discourse 25 by Isaac of Nineveh is a Syriac ascetical text from the late 7th century, preserved in the West Syriac manuscript tradition as part of the 'First Collection…

Discourse 26 by Isaac of Nineveh, a late 7th-century Syriac monastic text, argues that sin, Gehenna, and death are not created substances but consequences of human will,…

Discourse 27 is a Syriac ascetical treatise by Isaac of Nineveh, composed in the late 7th century, likely after his withdrawal to the monastery of Rabban Shapur. The dis…

Discourse 28 is a late 7th-century Syriac homily by Isaac of Nineveh, composed during his retirement at Mount Matout. It forms part of his later writings, surviving in m…

Discourse 29 is a chapter from Isaac of Nineveh's second volume (Kephalaia gnostika), composed in Syriac during the late 7th century. The discourse explores themes of di…

Discourse 3 by Isaac of Nineveh (ca. 613–700 CE) is a Syriac ascetical-mystical treatise written during his hermitage at the monastery of Rabban Shapur. The discourse co…

Discourse 30 by Isaac of Nineveh, part of his first collection of ascetic discourses, addresses the nature of sin and the path to spiritual freedom. Written in Syriac in…

Discourse 31 by Isaac of Nineveh, part of his First Part, explores the ascetic struggle as a contest (ʿamlā) whose victory requires great effort, but not merely over evi…

Discourse 32 by Isaac of Nineveh is a late 7th-century Syriac ascetical text from the East Syriac monastic tradition. It addresses the monk's inner life, focusing on gua…

Discourse 33 is part of Isaac of Nineveh's second volume (Kephalaia gnostika), composed in the late 7th century during his retirement at Rabban Shapur. The Syriac text s…