The relationship between the Syrian Orthodox Church in the Ottoman Empire and the Church of England developed substantially between 1895 and 1914, as contacts between them grew. As the character of this emerging relationship changed, it contributed to the formation of both churches' own 'narratives of identity'. The wider context in which this took place was a period of instability in the international order, particularly within the Ottoman Empire, culminating in the outbreak of the First World War, effectively bringing this phase of sustained contact to an end. Narratives of Identity makes use of Syriac, Garshuni, and Arabic primary sources from Syrian Orthodox archives in Turkey and Syria, alongside Ottoman documents from the Basbakanlik Osmanli Arsivi, Istanbul, and a range of English archival sources. The preconceptions of both Churches are analysed, using a philosophical framework provided by the work of Paul Ricoeur, especially his concepts of significant memory (anamnesis), translation, and the search for mutual recognition. Anamnesis and translation were extensively employed in the formation of 'narratives of identity' that needed to be understood by both Churches. The identity claims of the Tractarian section of the Church of England and of the Ottoman Syrian Orthodox Church are examined using this framework. The detailed content of the theological dialogue between them, is then examined, and placed in the context of the rapidly changing demography of eastern Anatolia, the Syrian Orthodox 'heartland'. The late Ottoman state was characterised by an increased instability for all its non-Muslim minorities, which contributed to the perceived threats to Ottoman Syrian Orthodoxy, both from within and without. Finally, a new teleological framework is proposed in order to better understand these exchanges, taking seriously the amamnetic insights of the narratives of identity of both the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Church of England from 1895 to 1914.

Scholarly study of the transmission of Aristotelian philosophy from Greek late antiquity to medieval Islam is to some extent still influenced by the account in Ibn Abi U?aibi?a attributed to al-Farabi, which served as the basis for Max Meyerhof's famous essay Von Alexandrien nach Bagdad. The present work, utilising evidence unknown to Meyerhof and still often neglected in more recent scholarship, argues that such a restriction never represented the whole Syriac tradition, but reflects an alternative logical curriculum with deep roots in the ancient world, while Syriac writers who were proficient in Greek adhered throughout to the other strand of this two-strand tradition, that of the full Organon.

G. B. H. Bishop was an Anglican priest who was killed in action during the First World War. His legacy to the ecumenical movement was this study of the Russian Orthodox Church, an early attempt to make this body accessible to the western world. He includes a history, summary of faith, practice, and hierarchy of the Church as well as his own observations.

Ephrem, the most celebrated writer of the Syriac Church, presents a wide range of theological themes and images that are characteristic of fourth-century Syrian Christianity. A significant theme that no one has yet studied in Ephrem is the concept of sickness and healing. This book presents the significance of healing theology and the ways in which the healing of man - spiritually, mentally, and corporally - is highly valued by Ephrem. The main part of the book deals with the causes of spiritual sickness and the process of healing, and the way in which Ephrem places them in the divine history of salvation.

This work fills a lacuna in the literature devoted to Peshitta studies and Old Testament textual criticism. The author examines the works of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century scholarship in the field, including the works of Noeldeke, Duval, Wright and others, and proposes corrections to the Syriac text of the Book of Ezra available then. The author then proceeds systematically through the Book of Ezra, giving the critical analysis of the text verse by verse.

Melilah is an interdisciplinary electronic journal concerned with Jewish law, history, literature, religion, culture and thought in the ancient, medieval and modern eras.

Extracted from Arthur Penrhyn Stanley's Lectures on the History of the Eastern Church, this set of lectures focuses on the Council of Nicea. Divided into four separate lectures, it begins with a detailed general overview, the contents and participants of the council, a consideration of its opening and the final results of its closing.

This new edition conveniently provides the text of all three versions of the Syriac Gospels in one place for the first time. Drawn from the best sources, they are carefully aligned so that their inter-relationship can immediately be seen and studied.

A representative of the Arabic genre known as "futuh reports," The Conquest of Syria remains an important historical source although it is now recognized not to be the work of Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Omar Ibn Waqid al-Aslami (called al-Waqidi). This Arabic document, part history, part romantic reconstruction of the past, is one of the main sources narrating the Muslim conquest of Syria. A window into the world of early Muslim self-perception, these documents are a valuable historical source in the sense of being period pieces. Here the Arabic text is presented along with the partial notes and comments of W. Nassau Lees, a noted writer on Eastern culture.

Bernhard Vandenhoff publishes here a German translation of the letter of Elias bar Shenaya in which he publicly denounces the election of Catholicos Isho'yahb IV. In the introduction, Vandenhoff also briefly describes the historical circumstances that produced the letter.

This new edition conveniently provides the text of all three versions of the Syriac Gospels in one place for the first time. Drawn from the best sources, they are carefully aligned so that their inter-relationship can immediately be seen and studied.

Originally delivered as one of the St. Margaret's Lectures for 1904, the contents of this booklet are focused on aspects of the Syriac-speaking Church. Extracted from Burkitt's book Early Eastern Christianity, the fourth lecture concerns the development of marriage and the role of sacraments in the early Syriac Church. Burkitt finds that marriage was not early regarded as a sacrament and the married faithful were not permitted the sacraments of baptism or communion in the early tradition represented by Aphraates.

Beginning with the letters of Paul and the Acts of the Apostles, Martin follows the course of Christianity into its becoming so important in Edessa and its branching out from there to other regions.

Widely regarded as a premier journal dedicated to the study of Syriac, Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies was established in 1998 as a venue devoted exclusively to the discipline. An organ of Beth Mardutho, the Syriac Institute, the journal appears semi-annually and will be printed in annual editions. A peer-reviewed journal, Hugoye is a respected academic source for up-to-date information about the state of Syriac studies and for discovering what is going on in the field. Contributors include some of the most respected names in the world of Syriac today.

Originally delivered as one of the St. Margaret's Lectures for 1904, the contents of this booklet are focused on aspects of the Syriac-speaking Church. Extracted from Burkitt's book Early Eastern Christianity, the third lecture concerns the theology of Eastern Christianity. Burkitt provides a brief survey of the work of Aphraates, Philoxenus of Mabbug, Ephraim the Syrian, and Rabbula.

P. Maternus Wolff publishes here the Syriac text and German translation of three burial hymns by Narsai that were originally included in an unfinished work by Karl Macke. Wolff also includes an introduction and a critical apparatus for the text.

This history of the Syriac churches, written in Arabic, covers both the Eastern and Western traditions in two volumes. The first volume covers the first twelve centuries of the Christian Era, while the second volume covers subsequent periods until the end of the eighteenth century, and ends abruptly as its production was halted to World War I.

Widely regarded as a premier journal dedicated to the study of Syriac, Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies was established in 1998 as a venue devoted exclusively to the discipline. An organ of Beth Mardutho, the Syriac Institute, the journal appears semi-annually and will be printed in annual editions. A peer-reviewed journal, Hugoye is a respected academic source for up-to-date information about the state of Syriac studies and for discovering what is going on in the field. Contributors include some of the most respected names in the world of Syriac today.

The exposition of the Liturgy of St. James, which is basically the Celebration of the Holy Eucahrist, is most significant for the understanding of the mystery of the God in offering His only Son a vicarious sacrifice for the redemption of man. The purpose of the liturgy is to show the believer the right path and leads him by faith to salvation and eternal life through the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ represented in the form of Bread and Wine. To make it understandable, Rev. Saka explains not only the meaning of terms connected with the liturgy but of all the components of the vessels, the vesting, the censoring, the candles and the propitiatory prayers associated with them. This exposition should benefit both church and liturgical scholars and lay people interested in the profound spiritual meaning of their faith.

This volume contains Syriac texts of the old Syriac translation of Gregory Nazianzen's orations edited from a Vatican manuscript. The Syriac selections in this volume total 131 parts from Gregory's works and cover a wide variety subjects.

Jacob of Serugh's Armenian version of "Homily on Good Friday" is most likely from the reign of Gregory III Pahlawuni (1113-1166 AD). Mathews provides its transcription, commenting that scholarship is widely unaware of Jacob of Serugh's existing works in Armenian.

This book is a collection of articles written by the eminent scholar and Syrian Orthodox Patriarch Ephrem Barsaum. The "Lighthouse" in the book is meant to refer to the thought of Patriarch Barsaum: like a lighthouse, every researcher, scholar, or reader of Syriac must turn towards it for guidance. The articles in this volume display Barsoum's characteristic erudition and scholarly thoroughness and cover a wide variety of topics, all related to the history of the various Syriac-speaking churches and the churches of Antioch, in addition to other Middle Eastern Churches.