In this work, Martin offers the Syriac text, with an annotated French translation, of Narsai's poem on the three doctors of the Church of the East: Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and Nestorius.

In the present volume, Sebastian Brock provides an introduction and overview of the unique themes and features of spirituality in the Syriac tradition and includes excerpts from various texts throughout the Syriac tradition that exhibit these features.

Although biblical texts were known in Church Slavonic as early as the ninth century, translation of the Bible into Russian came about only in the nineteenth century. Modern scriptural translation generated major religious and cultural conflict within the Russian Orthodox church. The resulting divisions left church authority particularly vulnerable to political pressures exerted upon it in the twentieth century. Russian Bible Wars illuminates the fundamental issues of authority that have divided modern Russian religious culture. Set within the theoretical debate over secularization, the volume clarifies why the Russian Bible was issued relatively late and amidst great controversy. Stephen Batalden's study traces the development of biblical translation into Russian and of the 'Bible wars' that then occurred in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in Russia. The annotated bibliography of the Russian Bible identifies the different editions and their publication history.

In The American YMCA and Russian Culture, Matthew Lee Miller explores the impact of the philanthropic activities of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) on Russians during the late imperial and early Soviet periods. The YMCA, the largest American service organization, initiated its intense engagement with Russians in 1900. During the First World War, the Association organized assistance for prisoners of war, and after the emigration of many Russians to central and western Europe, founded the YMCA Press and supported the St. Sergius Theological Academy in Paris. Miller demonstrates that the YMCA contributed to the preservation, expansion, and enrichment of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. It therefore played a major role in preserving an important part of pre-revolutionary Russian culture in Western Europe during the Soviet period until the repatriation of this culture following the collapse of the USSR. The research is based on the YMCA's archival records, Moscow and Paris archives, and memoirs of both Russian and American participants. This is the first comprehensive discussion of an extraordinary period of interaction between American and Russian cultures. It also presents a rare example of fruitful interconfessional cooperation by Protestant and Orthodox Christians.

This book is the first exploration of the remarkable odyssey of Thomas Aquinas in the Orthodox Christian world, from the Byzantine to the modern era. Aquinas was received with astonishing enthusiasm across the Byzantine theological spectrum. By contrast, modern Orthodox readings of Aquinas have been resoundingly negative, routinely presenting Aquinas as the archetype of as a specifically Western form of theology against which the Orthodox East must set its face. Basing itself primarily on a close study of the Byzantine reception of Thomas, this study rejects such hackneyed dichotomies, arguing instead for a properly catholic or universal construal of Orthodoxy - one in which Thomas might once again find a place. In its probing of the East-West dichotomy, this book questions the widespread juxtaposition of Gregory Palamas and Thomas Aquinas as archetypes of opposing Greek and Latin theological traditions. The long period between the Fall of Constantinople and the Russian Revolution, conventionally written off as an era of sterility and malformation for Orthodox theology, is also viewed with a fresh perspective. Study of the reception of Thomas in this period reveals a theological sophistication and a generosity of vision that is rarely accounted for. In short, this is a book which radically re-thinks the history of Orthodox theology through the prism of the fascinating and largely untold story of Orthodox engagement with Aquinas.

The meditative prayer practices known as Hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer have played an important role in the history of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. This book explores how these prayer practices have spread from a primarily monastic setting within Orthodox Christianity, into general Orthodox Christian usage, and finally into wider contemporary Western culture. As a result of this gradual geographic shift from a local to a global setting, caused mainly by immigration and dissemination of related texts, there has been a parallel shift of interpretation causing disagreement. By analyzing ongoing conversations on the practices, this book shows how such disagreements are due to differences in the way groups understand the ideas of authority and tradition. These fundamental ideas lie beneath much of the current discussion on particular aspects of the practices and also contribute to the wider academic debate over the globalization and appropriation of religious traditions.

Syriac tradition remembers sixth century Byzantine emperor Justinian I as the harsh persecutor of the faithful, while his wife Theodora is revered as the "believing queen", champion and protectress of the dissenting non-Chalcedonian church.

Credited by Dinno as the epitome of Syriac spiritual heritage, Mor Jacob of Serugh interpreted the physical world with the hidden realities of God. A prominent theme in Mor Jacob's mimre is the economy of salvation.

Jacob of Serugh's "Mimro 95" details the significance of the Eucharist and spiritual benefit for participants. Harrak divides verses of this commentary in order to relate stages of liturgy within the Pre-Anaphoric and Anaphoric services of 6th century Syriac worship.

The long career of Jacob of Serugh provides insights into Scripture and tradition expected by homilies as well as information about his audience. In this publication, Harvey discusses Jacob of Serugh's concern for congregations to balance lifestyle and devotional obligations.

Some of John of Dara's 9th century treatises survive in Codex 356 in Mardin, in which Jacob of Serugh is called "Jacob of Batnan", "Jacob", and titles of respect. This article describes Jacob's significant influence, comparing two-verse homilies in detail.

Brock provides an indispensable bibliographic resource for Jacob of Serugh scholarship. This guide lists Jacob's mimre by biblical passage and liturgical events, uplifted saints and topics, other works including prose and letters, and recommended secondary sources for further study.

Here is a selection and translation (in modern Greek) of Symeon's Hymns, of some of the greatest Byzantine poems, describing the experiences of their author from living with God.

The text is accompanied by images of the Christ and of angels, in full color, and by an introduction explaining the endeavour of Symeon to set the Church free from a conventional and faceless perception of faith.

Jacob of Sarug (451-521) was a prolific writer of the Syriac Church and was known as "the flute of the Holy Spirit and the harp of the believing church". Sebastian Brock gives the Syriac edition of six homilies written by Jacob: on the birth of our Lord; on the baptism of our Lord; on the Great Lent; on Palm Sunday; on Good Friday; on Easter Sunday. The text is based on an ancient manuscripts preserved in London and dated 609.

The book is in Russian and includes a full English translation. It is authored by an Eastern Orthodox Bishop for LGBT individuals in Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Russia. The book will resonate with Eastern European LGBT persons who are "out and proud," out to a select few, and those who live quiet lives of isolation and hopelessness. The Bishop answers a series of questions about social, political, religious, and spiritual issues that directly impact LGBT persons in Eastern Europe. His answers provide love, comfort, and support to those enduring homophobia. The questions presented reflect those that many LGBT individuals struggle with in Eastern Europe. They are answered in plain, simple language often referencing Orthodox thinkers, theologians, and philosophers from Eastern Europe. Table of Contents 1. For whom is this book written? 2. Why would a Bishop in a major Orthodox Church write this book? 3. Why am I different? 4. Should I feel ashamed? 5. Why am I lonely and isolated? 6. I'm confused. Do I have a mental illness? Am I a national security threat? 7. Will I become a pedophile? 8. Isn't LGBT a life style choice? Don't I have a choice not to be in a same-sex relationship? 9. Isn't being LGBT about sex? 10. Isn't homosexuality a problem brought in by the secular West? 11. If it's not a lifestyle choice can I pray away this burden? 12. Will getting married to someone of the opposite sex make my same-sex attraction go away? 13. If it is normal to be LGBT, how can so many people in society, religion, and government be wrong? 14. I'm scared. What should I do? 15. What about government law? 16. Should I tell my parents or close friends that I'm LGBT? What if they reject me? 17. Am I a sinner for wanting to love and be loved? 18. Religious leaders call me a sinner. Aren't they God's representatives? 19. Am I rebelling against God's natural order? 20. Doesn't God condemn what I am in the Bible? 21. Is HIV and AIDS God's punishment of homosexuals? 22. Will I burn in hell? 23. Am I trying to change the Word of God or Church Tradition by wanting to be accepted as a LGBT person? 24. How can I be lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgender and still be a good Christian? 25. What is the Rainbow Flag? What is the Pink Triangle? 26. What does God expect of me as a LGBT person? 27. Am I blessed for being different? 28. What must I always remember? Prayer Resources LANGUAGES: RUSSIAN & ENGLISH

This volume introduces the letters of the Syriac alphabet a few at the time, and each set of letters is accompanied by guides to pronunciation and the correct way to write the letters, including helpful charts and illustrations. Practice exercises at the end of each section provide the user with copious opportunities for review to facilitate rapid acquisition. This volume will be helpful to all who want to learn the basics of Syriac pronunciation and orthography without being inundated with technical linguistic jargon.

A collection of studies on the Syriac sixth century writer Jacob of Sarug by a team of international scholars, including Susan Ashbrook Harvey, Sebastian P. Brock, Sharbil Iskandar Bcheiry, Khalid Dinno, Sidney Griffith, Mary Hansbury, Amir Harrak, George A. Kiraz, Edward Matthews, Aho Shemunkasho, and Lucas Van Rompay.

This edition of Mar Jacob of Sarug's (d. 521) homilies on the prophet Elisha deals with some of the more difficult stories in the Old Testament, how to understand the story of the bears who ravage the children who made fun of the prophet and why the sacrifice by the King of Moab of his son to his pagan god was seemingly successful. The volume constitutes a fascicle of The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, which, when complete, will contain the original Syriac text of Jacob's surviving sermons, fully vocalized, alongside an annotated English translation.

In this book, Febe Armanios explores Coptic religious life in Ottoman Egypt (1517-1798), focusing closely on manuscripts housed in Coptic archives. Ottoman Copts frequently turned to religious discourses, practices, and rituals as they dealt with various transformations in the first centuries of Ottoman rule. These included the establishment of a new political regime, changes within communal leadership structures (favoring lay leaders over clergy), the economic ascent of the archons (lay elites), and developments in the Copts' relationship with other religious communities, particularly with Catholics.
Coptic Christianity in Ottoman Egypt highlights how Copts, as a minority living in a dominant Islamic culture, identified and distinguished themselves from other groups by turning to an impressive array of religious traditions, such as the visitation of saints' shrines, the relocation of major festivals to remote destinations, the development of new pilgrimage practices, as well as the writing of sermons that articulated a Coptic religious ethos in reaction to Catholic missionary discourses. Within this discussion of religious life, the Copts' relationship to local political rulers, military elites, the Muslim religious establishment, and to other non-Muslim communities are also elucidated. In all, the book aims to document the Coptic experience within the Ottoman Egyptian context while focusing on new documentary sources and on an historical era that has been long neglected.

The meditative prayer practices known as Hesychasm and the Jesus Prayer have played an important role in the history of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. This book explores how these prayer practices have spread from a primarily monastic setting within Orthodox Christianity, into general Orthodox Christian usage, and finally into wider contemporary Western culture. As a result of this gradual geographic shift from a local to a global setting, caused mainly by immigration and dissemination of related texts, there has been a parallel shift of interpretation causing disagreement. By analyzing ongoing conversations on the practices, this book shows how such disagreements are due to differences in the way groups understand the ideas of authority and tradition. These fundamental ideas lie beneath much of the current discussion on particular aspects of the practices and also contribute to the wider academic debate over the globalization and appropriation of religious traditions.

This provocative study examines the role of today's Russian Orthodox Church in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Russia has one of the fastest-growing rates of HIV infection in the world - 80 per cent from intravenous drug use - and the Church remains its only resource for fighting these diseases. Jarrett Zigon takes the reader into a Church-run treatment center where, along with self-transformational and religious approaches, he explores broader anthropological questions - of morality, ethics, what constitutes a 'normal' life, and who defines it as such. Zigon argues that this rare Russian partnership between sacred and political power carries unintended consequences: even as the Church condemns the influence of globalization as the root of the problem it seeks to combat, its programs are cultivating citizen-subjects ready for self-governance and responsibility, and better attuned to a world the Church ultimately opposes.

This volume contains the last part of John of Ephesus' (c. 507-c. 588) Ecclesiastical History in Syriac, covering the years 571-585. An introduction (in English) touches on the manuscript and the style and content of the work.

The main goal of this study is to present data from Syriac and Christian Arabic writers, and some other sources, dealing with missionary activity and the expansion of Christianity into east Asia.

Jacob of Edessa was a seventh century polymath who witnessed the coming of Islam. In this collection of papers, specialists discuss the life and works of this literary figure with emphasis on the cultural landscape of the seventh century. Contributors include Sebastian P. Brock, Richard Price, Andreas Juckel, Alison Salvesen, Theresia Hainthaler, Amir Harrak, and Khalid Dinno.