INTRODUCTION TO EARLY SYRIAC CHRISTIANITY&
SYRIAN MONASTIC SPIRITUALITY: Syrian Mystics of Eastern Christianity

1. THREE BRANCHES OF CHRISTIANITY:
Roman Catholic: Latin
Eastern Orthodox Church: East (European)
Syrian Christianity: EastWest (Middle East)
First Christian country: Armenia in A.D. 319

2.ITS INFLUENCES:
Kabala
Suffism (Islam)
Gnosticism
Neoplatonism
Sant Tradition (India)
Gnosticsm

3. SOURCES:
Primary Sources:
Syrian Mystic authors writings
Philakalia (4th- 15th century collection of texts of spiritual masters of Eastern
Orthodox Church)
Mt. Athos Monastery Publications
Selected secondary sources:
Dr. Sebastian Brock (Oxon)
Dr. Scott D. dehart (Oxon)
Dr. Joseph P. Farrell (Oxon)
Dr. George A. Kiraz (Cambridge Univ.)
Dr. George Lamsa (Archbishop of Canterbury College, Turkey)
Dr. Jeanne Nicole Mellon Saint Laurent (Brown Univ.)
James Murdock (1776-1856)
Dr. J. W. Etherridge (Univ. of Heidelburg)
Dr. David G. K. Taylor (Oxford Univ.)
Dr. Kallistos Ware of Diockleia; Metroplitan Bishop (Oxon)

4. BEGINNING:
Apostle:
St. Peter:
Stayed in Jerusalem (Acts 15)
Babylon Witnesses:
Writes to Babylon (1 Peter 5: 13)
Spent in Samaria (Acts 8: 9-25)
In Antioch (Gal. 2: 11)
Other Aramaic speaking places (Acts 9: 32-38)
He goes to Babylon after Jerusalem Council in A.D. 49 (A.D. 50-65) (Acts 15).
Found the Church of the East (SOE)
Syrian Antioch church later becomes Syrian Orthodox Church (SOC)
St. Thomas (One of the Twelve apostles)
𐡌𐡕𐡅𐡌𐡀: Aramaic
תוֹמָאס†הקדוש†: Hebrew
ܐܡܘܐܬ: Syriac
-Θωμᾶς Dydimus (Twin): Greek
-도마: Korean

5. LANGUAGE, Bible, Culture:
Syriac: (Aramaic branch)
Assyrian: Ancient Empire (c.2025 B.C.-7th Century B.C.)
Prophet Jonah preached Nineveh, Assyria (9th century B.C.)
Aramaic: Sacred language of Ancient Near East; closely related to Hebrew.
It is a part of Semitic language group (West and East), i.e. Ethiopic, Arabic, Ugartics,
Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian.
Syriac: The language of ancient Syria, a western dialect of Aramaic group.
Syriac Bibles and Translations:
Syriac Bible:
Old Testament ܐܬܩܬܥ ܐܩܬܕ (London: Trinitarian Bible Society, 1913): It is a bible
of the Church of the East.
New Testament ܐܬܕܚ ܐܩܬܝܕ ܐܚܝܫܡ ܥܘܫܝ ܢܪܡܕ ) London: British and Foreign
Bible Society, 1905-1920)
(Accordance Bible software by George A. Kiraz)
Englsih translations: James Murdock, The New Testament: Translated from the
Syriac Peshitto Version (Gorgias Press, 2001)
John Wesley Etheridge, James Murdock, and George Lamsa, Editor, Stephen Ulrich,
Parallel New Testament (Indepently published, 2020)
Syriac Bible and Its translations Sources:
Peshitta Bible (Old Syrian version)
Kiraz, George Comparative Edition of the Syriac Gospels, Aligning The Sinatius,
Curetonianus, Peshitta and Harklean Version, Vols. 1-4 (E. J. Brill, 1996).
Metzger, Bruce M. The Early Versions of the New Testament: Their Origin,
Transmission and Limitation (Oxford, 1977).
The Diatetessaron:
Peterson, William L. Tatian's Diatessaron, Its Creation, Dissemination, Signifiance, &
History of Scholarship (E. J. Brill, 1994).

6. SCHOOL:
The School of Antioch (Syria)
The School of Edessa (Turkey)
The School of Nisibis (Turkey)
Characteristics: Historical-Literal Exegesis Analysis

7. LOCATIONS:
Syria
Turkey, Edessa and Nisibis
Iran
India
Iraq

8. NAME:
West Syriac Rite:
Syrian Orthodox Church (Non-Chalcedonian Church)
Maronite Church
Eastern Catholic Churches
Eastern Protestant Churches (Mar Thomas Syrian Church of Malabar, India)
Mar- Malabar Catholic Church
East Syriac Rite:
Aramaic Christianity
Oriental Church
The Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
Chaldean Syrian Church
Syro Malabar Church, Lerala, India
Nestorian Church

9. THEOLOGIANS:
Ignatius of Antioch (d. 108/140)
Lucian of Antioch (c. 240-312)
Diodore of Tarsus (d. 390)
John of Chrysostom (347-407)
Theodore of Mopsuestia (c.350)
Nestorius of Constantinople (c. 386-c. 450)

10. THEOLOGY:
Miaphysitism (Non-Chalcedonian)
Nestorian (Two Gnome of Christ)

11. SPIRITUAL WRITERS AND MYSTICS:
St. Ephrem of Syrian (306-373)
Evarius of Pontus (345-399)
Narsai (c. 399-c. 502) ܝܣܪܢ
John of Apimea (Solitary; 5th century)
Jacob of Sarug (451-521)
St. Isaac the Syrian (613-c. 700)7th century) (Nineveh)
Joseph of VIsionary (Hazzaya; 710; 8th century)
Abraham of Nathpar (1673)
Gregory of Palamas (1296-1359)

12. QUOTATIONS:
Pryaer is laying aside of thoughts. -Evagrius of Pontus
Knowing unkonwing: Radiance of Divine Darkness-Unkonwing.
Tuning out awaking state- mystical experience -Dionysius of Areopagite or Ps.-
Dionysius
Cleansed will see worthy of see things invisible.
Not attached to concept. -Gregory of Palamas
Gos is silence, tongue, body, soul mind, Spirit. -John of Solitary
Pray with Word; Word cut offf left with wonder or estashment.
-St Issac of Neneveh (He was Nestorian.)
Being astonished.-Thomas Christianity

13. LEVEL:
Regular petition prayer
Prayer ceases and enter into mysticism

14. INFLUENCE IN CHINA: Silk Road
Silk Road: Eurasian trade route (2 century B.C.- mid 15th century)
It is about 4000 miles long.
It connected between West and East
-Buddihism from India to China from 1st century B.C.
-Manichaeism religion in China (3rd century)
-Zoroastrianism (6th century B.C.)
-Islam influence (6th century A.D.)
-Nestorian Christianity:
Nestorius was a bishop of Constantinople (5th century).
He was involved in Christological controversy in the Council of Ephesus (381).
He was banished to east and found Nestorianism.
First missionary from Syria: Alopen, monk in 635.
First presence: 7th-10th century; Tang dynasty (당 나라)
Later presence: 13th-14th century; Yean dynasty (몽골 원 왕조)
Nestorian Stele, Xian, China (781)
Daqin Pagoda
19th- 20th century: Joseph Needham (1943)
Marc Aurel Stein (1862-1943) Hungarian-born British explorer
Sven Hedin (1865-1952) Swedish
Paul Pelliot (1878-1945) French
Przevalksi (1839-88) Russian
Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (1867-1951) Finland
It is known as Luminous Religion of Daquin (Roman Empire)

15. SYRIA HISTORY
BACKGROUND:
Neolithic period (c. 7000-1700BC)
Ebla Kingdom (3000- 2700 BC)
Mesopotamia Years
Phenician Empire (2500 BC)
Akkadian Empire (2350- 2137 BC)
Assyrian Empire (c 13th- 10th BC)
Hitite Empire (15th-13th BC)
Cannanite Late Bronze Age (14th BC)
NeoAssyrian (912- 609 BC)
NeoBabylonian (626- 539 BC)
Persians (550 BC-330 BC)
Greeks (7760-323 BC)
Armeinias
Romans (27 BC-476 AD)
Byzantine
Islam (634)
Umayyad Empire (AD 756 -AD 1031)
Mongols
Ottoman Turks (1300-1922)
French (1945)
Egypt
1900
Bashar al-Assad (2000) (son of Hafez al-Assad)
Surrounding Countries:
Turkey
Lebanon
Israel
Iraq
Jordan
Surrounding Countries:
Turkey: North
Lebanon: West
Israel: Southwest
Iraq: East
Jordan: South

16. ST. EPHREM AND ST. ISSAC THE SYRIAN
St. Ephrem the Syrian (c 306- 373)
St. Isaac the Syrian (7th century)

17. ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY IN EDESSA
Abgar the Black, King of Osroene at Edessa
He was sick and asked Jesus his Ecclesiastical History (i. 13 and iii. 1)
Edessa was evagelized from Antioch.
Missionary Addai was sent and healed Abgar.
Christianinty thus has been born.

18. ST. EPHREM (c 306- 373)
Life:
Born in Nisibus, Turkey (Modern day Nusaybin)
Poet-theologian
Proto-monastic tradition.
Consecrated life was beginning.
Father was a pagan.
He lived in Nisibus until
363 wehn emperor Julian died; Nisibus ceded to Persian empire.
Christians had to leave and moved to Edessa; spent last 10years (373).
Same year St. Athanasius of Alexandria died.
Unlike Cappadocian Fathers (St. Basil the Great; St. Gregory of Nyssa and St.
Gregory of Naziansus), who wrote prose; St. Ephrem wrote mostly in poems.
His Thoughts:
He allowed women to sing his poems.
Rasa, Rasae (pl.); mystery, secret, symbol.
Syriac Term: Raza (ܐܪܙ) and its Meaning
He connected between symbol and reality
Hiden power is everywhere, scripture and nature.
It is a pointe to God and reality.
Raza (symbol) as Mystery:
Mystery within the church
Mystery in the Old Testament: Book of Daniel; only men of God can interprete.
Mystery in the Gospel: Matt. 13: 11 the truth of God's Kingdom; Spiritual kingdom.
Mystery in the Epistle of Paul: Divine plan of salvation is centered upon Jesus
Christ.
Mystery in the Book of Revelations: 1: 20; 10: 7; 17: 5, 7); God's action is mystery.
Sacramental and Natural world:
The life of the Syrian Church of the East is a sacramental life.
The role of the Holy Spirit (the Grace in the Sacrament): Soul and very heart of the
Church.
The Holy Spirit working through the Priest in the Sacrament.
The Holy Spirit working through the Recipients.
The Spirit of God who dwells in us transforms and transfigures us into the glory of
Christ (Col 1. 28) (Col 12. 10) (2 Pet 1. 4).
Goal of God's plan is human sanctification.
It is the “living medicine” or “medicine of life”.
Creation and Creator were important to him.
Everything is interconnected in creation.
It leads to Divine reality.
He allowed women to sing his poems.
View of the Scripture:
God's self-revelaton to humans.
God has put on names in human terms.
God comes down to human language levels.
i.e. Incarnation.
Factual (Academic settings)
Historical approach
Spiritual approach
-Inner reality: divine logos; spiritual meaning of scripture
-Outer reality: Historal Jesus; Facutal reality
St. Ephrem theology summary
Raza can be viewed as pledges of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Context is a symbolic action in the economy of salvation in Christ.
It is performed by the church as a salvific action with eschatological dimentions.
Purpose of the sacrament is to santifiy peoole; to build up the Body of Christ and to
worship God.
The role of Sacrament is to nourish, strenghten and express faith and to a life of
charity.
It is the internal power of the Spirit working in the material aspect of the sacrament
through a true priest and life-giving grace to a believer, who receive by the power of
the Holy Spirit through faith and prayer.
-People participate in mystery by faith in God's salvation story and imitate futurerelated
through faith.

ST. ISAAC OF NIVEHEH (SYRIAN)
He lived in 7th century.
He live further east.
Influenced by Islam and Church Father's writings.
Monastic tradition is established.
Consecrated in bishop of Nineveh but left soon after.
He returned to monastic life and wrote.
First part: Wrote 82 homilies
Second part: Wrote 41 homilies
Theology:
He experienced profound mystical experiences.
Drunk with divine love.
Wonder of silence, wonder.
Abraham's visionary experience (Ge. 12)
Ecstacy (LXX)
Quotations:
On Faith, God's providence, prayer:
The mouth which is continuously giving thanks receives blessing from God. In the
heart that always show gratitude, grace abides (Brock, 1997).
The aim of prayer is that we should acquire from it love of God, for in prayer are to
be found all sorts of reason for loving God (Brock, 1997).
Do not consider a long time spent in worship before God to be wasted (Brock, 1997)
Undistracted prayer is prayer which produces the continual thought of God in the
soul (Brock, 1997)
At the time of darkness, more than anything else kneeling is helpful (Brock, 1997).
The more a person enters the struggle for the sake of God, the closer will his heart
come to freedom of converse in prayer (Brock, 1997).
On Obeying God:
"To select a good deed depends on the initiator; to realize the intention — that is
God’s deed. Consequently, let us adhere to the rule, so that every good intention that
comes to us is followed by frequent prayers, appealing to God to not only grant us
help, but also if it is pleasing or not to Him. Because not every good intention comes
from God, but only those that are beneficial.
Sometimes, a person wishes something good, but God doesn’t help him — maybe
because the intention came from the devil and is not for our benefit; or maybe
because it is beyond our strength as we have not attained the necessary spiritual
level; or maybe because it doesn’t correspond to our calling; or maybe because the
time is not right to initiate it; or maybe because we don’t have the necessary
knowledge or strength to accomplish it; or maybe because circumstances will not
contribute to its success. Besides this, the devil contrives in every way to paint it as
something good so that having inclined us toward it, he could upset our spiritual
tranquility or inflict harm on us. That’s why it is necessary for us to diligently examine
all our good desires. Better still, do everything after seeking counsel."
Begin every action that is for God's sake joyfully (Brock, 1997).
Make sure you see to small things, lest otherwise you may push aside important
ones (Brock, 1997).
On Love towards your neighbor, mercy, non-judgmentalness:
Do not demand love from your neighbor, because you will suffer if you don’t receive
it; but better still, you indicate your love toward your neighbor and you will settle
down. In this way, you will lead your neighbor toward love.
Don’t exchange your love toward your neighbor for some type of object, because in
having love toward your neighbor, you acquire within yourself Him, Who is most
precious in the whole world. Forsake the petty so as to acquire the great; spurn the
excessive and everything meaningless so as to acquire the valuable.

19. Peshitta
(Classical Syriac: ܐܬܳ ܛܝܫܺ ܦ or ܐܬܵ ܛܝܼ ܫܦ pšīṭta)
It is Syrian-language bible that is used in churches in the Syriac tradition, such as
Maronite Church, Chaldean Catholic Church and Syriac Catholic Church, Church of
Syriac Orthodox Church, Malabar Independent Syrian Church, Syro-Malakara
Catholic Church, the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, the Assyrian Church of the East,
and the Syro-Malabar Church.
Old Testament was translated from Hebrew in the 2nd century; New Testament was
translated from Greek in the 5th century.
Originally it contained 22 books in the New Testament (excluding, 2 Peter; 2 John; 3
John; Jude; Revelation); in A. D. 616 it was added by Thomas of Harqal.

20. Georges Lamsa (1892-1975)
He was Assyrian Christian writer. He advocated the claim the Assyrian Church in the
East that the New Testament was written in Aramaic (Syriac) and later Greek version
was written from it.

21. Translations:
James Murdock: The New Testament, or The Book of the Holy Gospel of Our Lord
and God, Jesus the Messiah (1851).
George M. Lamsa: The Holy Bible From the Ancient Eastern Text (1933).
The Way International: Aramaic- English Interlinear New Testament
Gorgias Press: Antioch Bible, a Peshitta text and translation of the Old Testament,
New Testament, and Apocrypha.

22. Manuscripts
Some are located in the British Library (Add, 14470, 12140, etc.)
Rabbula Gospels (6th century Syriac Gospel books)
Khaboris Codex (10th century complete Peshitta N.T.)
Codex Phillips (1388; contain 4 gospel manuscripts on parchment)

23. Syrian Churches Branches:
POST CHALCEDON (451)
SYRIAN CHURCHES
BRANCHES
Chalcedon:
Byzantine Orthodox
Non-Chalcedon:
Oriental Orthodox
Non-Ephesus (431):
Church or East
Melkites (Comm. R.C.) Miaphysites (One Nature;
Epephsus)
Nestorian;
Assytian Church
Maronites (n. Syria) Copts (Egyptians)
Jacobites (W. Syria)
Sesanid Persian Empire
Locate:
Byzantine Patriarch
in Antioch
Patriarch of Alexandria&
Antioch
Seleucia-Ctesiphon

24. Causes of decline of the Churches of the East
Sources: The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity by
Christopher Baumer, 2016.
1. Isolation of churches in China, India, Middle East (too vast separated).
2. Never become a national religion.
3. Being seen as foreign to many.
4. Persecutions.
5. Insular focus (Tribal thinking).
6. Works of Roman Catholics and Protestants missions.
7. Two major genocides:
8. Islam influences.
Internal Factors:
1. It focused on ruling classes.
2. Internal struggles.
3. Destruction of monasticism.

25. Conclusion
Syriac Christianity is a diverse, multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-faceted
dimension of communities of the body of Christ. Its presence is felt around the world.
Some branches are declined, and other components are active and thriving.
The so-called Nestorian Church (Apostolic Assyrian Church of East) was one of the
most significant Christian communities in the east of the Roman Empire.
It stretched from the Mediterranean Sea to China. The church is now fighting for
survival in its country of origin, namely Iraq. The church is now completely forgotten
in the West.
On the other hand, Syriac Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church branches
are still worshipping and thriving. They have a global presence, along with many
active monasteries in Jerusalem, Iraq, India, the Americas, Turkey, and Antioch,
India.
Today, they have something to tell and teach us about the origin of Christianity and
its spirituality only if we are willing to open up and hear.
​
updated 8/16/2022