The Armenian Commentaries on Exodus-Deuteronomy Attributed to Ephrem the Syrian

The Armenian Commentaries on Exodus-Deuteronomy Attributed to Ephrem the Syrian
Author: Edward G. Mathews
Publisher: Peeters Pub & Booksellers
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2002-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9789042910188

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In the various early Christian traditions of the life of Ephrem the Syrian, he was widely known even more for his biblical commentaries than his poetry, for which he is now so highly regarded. Only three commentaries have survived in his native Syriac, and only the Commentary on Genesis survives in a complete version. A large corpus of commentaries has survived in Armenian and all these were long considered to be genuine. A study of the Armenian Commentary on Genesis has demonstrated that at least the Old Testament commentaries were influenced by Syriac traditions based on the exegesis of Jacob of Edessa (d. 708). Thus, these commentaries rather reflect a medieval Armenian exegesis strongly influenced by Syriac traditions. The present work offers a new edition of the text of the Armenian commentaries on Exodus-Deuteronomy attributed to Ephrem the Syrian, with their first ever translation into any modern language. These volumes constitute the second of three installments of the Old Testament commentaries attributed to Ephrem the Syrian. These commentaries should be of interest to anyone interested in the history of biblical interpretation, and to those interested in the history of Syrian-Armenian ecclesiastical relations.

The Portrayal of Christ in the Syriac Commentary on the Diatessaron

The Portrayal of Christ in the Syriac Commentary on the Diatessaron
Author: Christian Lange
Publisher: Peeters Publishers
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2005
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9789042915695

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For a long time the Diatessaron has drawn the interest of modern scholars. Some of the problems related to the Syriac Harmony of the Gospels have been solved. Others still remain in dispute. The Syriac Commentary on the Diatessaron, attributed to Ephraem (306-373), is one of the most important witnesses to the wording of the Harmony. Unfortunately, most of the surviving Syriac folios of the text have been discovered only recently. Consequently, no detailed study on the Commentary has been undertaken yet. It is the aim of this study to present this scholarly demand. This Oxford dissertation deals with the questions of the difficult process of the Commentary's transmission and analyses both the Trinitarian and Christological understanding of its author. By way of a comparison with the "genuine" Ephraem, this study argues that the Commentary in its present form is a compilation from the hand of one of his disciples. However, it serves as an important source on the theological discussions in the Edessa of the late fourth and early fifth centuries.

The Despoliation of Egypt

The Despoliation of Egypt
Author: Joel Stevens Allen
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2008
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004167455

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This work examines the role played by the biblical motif of the despoliation of Egypt in the understanding Gentiles had of Jews, and how Jews defended themselves, their heroes and their God in the face of anti-Jewish slander. It also examines the manner in which Christians learned from their rabbinic counterparts how to defend Moses and his God against the gnostic challenge. Beginning with Philo and based on haggadic additions, the embarrassment of the episode was 'healed' through allegory and became a critically important biblical justification for the Christian appropriation of the 'Egyptian treasures' of their Greco-Roman cultural heritage. This work describes how Christians borrowed exegetical traditions from rabbis not only to defend their sacred texts against gnostic attacks but to justify their interest in and appropriation of non-Christian philosophy in their theological understandings.