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#371 From: maurnicus@...
Date: Sun Jan 12, 2003 1:20 am
Subject: One of the world's earliest Christian cultures totters on the edge of extinction mfignatius
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Death Watch

One of the world's earliest Christian cultures totters on the edge of extinction.
by Thomas C. Oden | posted 01/10/2003

Our Turkish-speaking drivers were taking us through the Fertile Crescent, that crossroads of great civilizations, but it did not appear very fertile. On this visit to eastern Turkey, religious freedom advocate Paul Marshall and I saw little cultivated land and a striking level of depopulation. We met the only two monks remaining in the monastery of the village of Sare (or Sarikoy). They were resigned, calm, and ready for the apocalypse.

Syriac-speaking Christians in this area have persisted through more than a dozen centuries of Muslim, Ottoman, and now Turkish rule. They languish between the secularizing government of the Republic of Turkey and an Islamic culture that views them as heathen outsiders. The government has long given them minimal "freedom of worship" while decisively restricting property rights for local congregations. Nor do authorities allow them any avenues of new growth—communication, speech, normal press freedom, or economic development.

Syriac-Aramaic comes as close as any living language to what Jesus spoke. It is the liturgical and poetic language of these Christians. Yet authorities forbid Christians on Turkey's southeastern border with Syria, Iraq, and Iran to teach that language—nor can their schoolchildren learn any subject in it. Christians in Syria, by contrast, legally teach and worship in that language.

Besides the secular and Islamic opposition, modern forces also threaten. Dams for electric power and irrigation are filling up the great valley of the Tigris, threatening to submerge lands—including churches and monasteries—on which Christian families have lived for more than a millennium. In any case, as in the rest of Turkey, Christians cannot buy property.

In short, the government would be pleased to see the Christian communities quietly disappear altogether. Christians have been caught in the middle of a war between the government and the Kurds. Now it matters little to the government that the Hezbollah as well as the Kurds are harassing them.

Christians abroad, meanwhile, know little of their life-and-death struggle.

First Christian Generations
The Turkish government has told the Christian villages, in effect: You cannot have seminaries in your language. You cannot repair your churches. Or if you do, you must do it without any help and under local Turkish government surveillance.

Heirs of the ancient Chaldeans and Assyrians, today these Christians affiliate mainly with the Syrian Orthodox Church, with separate church patriarchates in Damascus: one Jacobite, the other Antiochene. The Christian population has dwindled to nearly nothing in villages that have called Christ Lord for well over 15 centuries.

No one doubts that there are viable arguments for continuity between these ethnic Syriac-speaking Christians and the earliest Christian beginnings. Before Christ, there were Jewish communities in this area in which the first generations of Christians eventually grew.

One of the major Christian centers of learning, hymnody, and monasticism during the fourth and fifth centuries a.d. flourished at Urfa, previously called Edessa (the ancient Haran). The fathers of the Edessa churches, along with their scholars, hymn-writers and poets, were lauded and quoted throughout the Christian world. By the seventh century, dozens of monasteries—some of them with up to 700 monks—covered the nearby hills. Few Christian families remain there.

In Nisibis (now Nusaybin), an ancient city in the upper Euphrates valley (on the river Djada), the Christian community dates back to the second century. A fourth-century church there was locked up and abandoned shortly after World War I, when the community fled south into Syria. For 60 years there had been no Christians in this church. Now the Syriac diocese has sent a Christian family from one of the surrounding villages into Nisibis. They live in a little apartment in the church and keep it from falling apart.

In the church crypt lies the tomb of Jacob of Nisibis, from whom comes the term Jacobite. Representing Syriac Christianity, he attended the Council of Nicaea in a.d. 325. Jacob was the teacher of the great poet, Ephrem the Syrian, whom John Wesley called "that man of the broken heart."

This ancient church, once so important in Christian history, now sits alone in an entirely Muslim culture. I turned my gaze from the sarcophagus in the crypt to the richly decorated arches, then to the geometric design on the lectern. Marshall, a Senior Fellow at Freedom House's Center for Religious Freedom, stood with me by the silent crypt of this deserted church dating back to a.d. 359.

Suddenly, our driver broke into song, an ancient hymn of the church. His voice was strong and sure, filling the empty stones with a flood of music, without being prompted.

We asked him what the words meant. He said the lyrics came from the great Ephrem:

Listen, my chicks have flown,
left their nest, alarmed
By the eagle. Look,
where they hide in dread!
Bring them back in peace!
This church had nurtured Ephrem, the greatest of the Syriac theologians. After being expelled from Nisibis, he spent the last 10 years of his life (363–73) in exile in Edessa (Urfa).

The Nisibis church and others in the area deserve to be introduced to the rest of the world. Yet they remain virtually inaccessible. Christians especially should have the opportunity to understand the area's history, poetry, liturgy, and the early growth of monasticism here.

An armed group, the Hezbollah, still operates in the area. This is not exactly the same Hezbollah that operates in the Middle East but is related to them. It has frequently attacked Christian villages in these areas and sought to drive them out. There may be only a few thousand Christians left in southeastern Turkey.

Caught in a Vise
This community is coming to a decisive moment: either great courage or complete collapse. Some sense of solidarity with the outside Christian world would help. Their plight cries out for understanding by art historians, museum curators, theologians, political scientists, and sociologists, as well as concerned laypeople.

If Christians abroad began to take an active interest in them, either through business enterprise or by visiting, empathizing, and getting to know them personally, the balance could shift. The displaced Christians of Upper Mesopotamia who are now in Europe might begin to come back. That could encourage economic development.

The aggressive campaigns of the ministry of tourism notwithstanding, the Turkish government has grossly neglected these ancient Christian sites. The tourist literature nowhere mentions them. Instead, the government has supervised the demise of numerous Christian villages or passively watched them deteriorate.

Yet encouraging the government to develop area tourism would likely be more persuasive than moral arguments for freedom of religion. Some churches here have remained in use largely without interruption since the fourth century. As Freedom House's Marshall remarked, this whole area is a museum—an ancient Christian museum.

The possibility of a new wave of tourism appears very remote without encouragement from Western political, academic, and church interests. Through a kind of passive-aggressive neglect, the government denies access to all except those with insider connections. If I were a Muslim, I would be encouraged to go on Hajj to Mecca. But if Christians want to go to Nisibis, someone with a badge is standing in the path, saying, "Show me your invitation."

Eastern monasticism, music, liturgy and theology thrived here and spread to much of the remaining Christian world. These sites contain a precious heritage that belongs not just to the Turkish government. It belongs to Christians everywhere.

Thomas C. Oden is a CT executive editor. For more information on the area and on relief efforts, contact the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of the Western United States, 417 E. Fairmount Rd., Burbank, CA 91501.

Copyright © 2002 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
January 21, 2002, Vol. 47, No. 1, Page 44

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/001/5.44.html

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#372 From: ""Fr. Antonious Henein" <antonious@...>" <antonious@...>
Date: Sat Jan 11, 2003 6:17 pm
Subject: Mystery of the Incarnation ... antonioushenein
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Dear beloved,

Blessing in the name of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please let me share with you what I have read today:

�O inexpressible mystery and unheard-of paradox;

the Invisible is seen;

the Intangible is touched;

the Eternal Word becomes accessible to our speech;

the Timeless steps into time;

the Son of God becomes the Son of Man.�

--Saint Gregory of Nyssa

"ياللسر غير المنطوق به، وياللمفارقة التي لم يُسْمَع عنها:

غير المرئي صار مرئيا،

وغير الملموس صار ملموسا،

والكلمة الأزلي صار في متناول الحديث،

وغير الزمني دخل الزمن،

وابن الله صار ابنا للإنسان."

-- القديس غريغوريوس أسقف نيصص

Pray for me as I pray for you all.

Fr. Antonious Henein

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Tel.: (818) 952-0033    Fax: (818) 952-0035
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#373 From: "Johnny Messo" <johnnymesso@...>
Date: Mon Jan 13, 2003 3:01 pm
Subject: SOC plundered in Amid/Diyarbakir johnnymesso@...
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Dear all,

Please check http://www.suryoyo-online.org/news/muttergotteskirchegeplundert.html to become aware of a very sad report.

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#374 From: "George Kiraz" <gkiraz@...>
Date: Wed Jan 15, 2003 4:44 pm
Subject: al-Kfanissy's Syriac Grammar is now available georgekiraz
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Gorgias Press is pleased to announce that the following title is now available at a pre-publication discount.

Al-Kfarnissy, Paul. Grammar of the Aramaic Syriac Language (in Arabic)
Arabic Title: Ghraamatiiq al-lughah al-aaraamiyyah al-suryaniyyah
ISBN: 1-59333-031-6 Forthcoming
Price: $45.00
Post Publication Price: $55.00 (save $10 while copies last)
Format: Hardback
Size (in): 6 x 9
Pages: [14] + 462
Publication Year: Forthcoming 2003
Brief Description: The most detailed and accessible grammar of the Syriac language, covering both morphology and syntax.

George Kiraz

--------------------------
George A. Kiraz, M.St. (Oxon), M.Phil., Ph.D. (Cantab)
Gorgias Press
46 Orris Ave.
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Tel. 732-699-0343
Fax 732-699-0342
http://www.GorgiasPress.com

Director, Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
Fellow, Institute of Christian Oriental Research (The Catholic University of America)

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#375 From: "Thomas Daniel" <daniel_reji@...>
Date: Wed Jan 15, 2003 9:08 am
Subject: Ancient tablet echoes Bible passage daniel_reji
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JERUSALEM, Jan. 13 �  Israeli geologists said Monday they have examined a
stone tablet detailing repair plans for the Jewish Temple of King Solomon
that, if authenticated, would be a rare piece of physical evidence
confirming biblical narrative. The find � whose origin is murky � is about
the size of a legal pad, with a 15-line inscription in ancient Hebrew that
strongly resembles descriptions in the Bible�s Book of Kings.

To read more about it, please visit
http://www.msnbc.com/news/858803.asp?cp1=1


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#376 From: "mfignatius <maurnicus@...>" <maurnicus@...>
Date: Wed Jan 15, 2003 7:10 am
Subject: Fwd: Orthodox Churches Reviving Missionary Tradition Around the World mfignatius
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--- In OzInterOrthodoxUnity@yahoogroups.com, "Hosny
<Hakimhosny@j...>" <Hakimhosny@j...> wrote:
Orthodox Churches Reviving Missionary Tradition Around the World


By Ann Rodgers-Melnick

PITTSBURGH, January 7, 2003 (PPG) -- As many of the world's 250
million Orthodox celebrate Christmas today, Orthodoxy is beginning to
reclaim its long, but nearly forgotten, heritage as a missionary
faith.

While vastly outnumbered by Protestants and Catholics on the mission
field, Orthodox missionaries from the United States serve from
Guatemala to India. There is a thriving Orthodox mission in
Indonesia. And Romania, itself the focus of Orthodox mission efforts,
has sent missionaries to the Holy Land.

"There has been a definite resurgence in missions," said the Rev.
John Chakos, pastor of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Mt.
Lebanon and a board member of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center
for 16 years.

The Rev. Martin Ritsi, 43, is now executive director of that center
in St. Augustine, Fla., which is supported by all of the ethnic
Orthodox jurisdictions in the United States. But two decades ago,
after he renewed his faith and felt called to the mission field, his
church didn't know where to send him.

"At the time there was no mission center. We weren't sending
missionaries," Ritsi said.

"But my wife and I had learned about places in the world where there
was no clergy and no church around the corner. Our hearts were
touched to go and offer ourselves where the need was great. That
interest had been in our hearts forever.. I'm sure that God put it
there."

In 1985 the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese started the mission center. In
1987 Ritsi became its second missionary. In 1994 the Standing
Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas adopted it
as a pan-Orthodox project.

It has a modest $1 million annual budget. But during four years under
Ritsi, full-time missionaries have more than tripled from six to 21
and the short-term volunteers from 50 to 150 per year.

The goal is 100 full-time missionaries by 2010.

By comparison, while there are generally believed to be just over 2
million Orthodox in the United States, the Assemblies of God with
about 2.5 million members send 1,800 missionaries overseas.

Orthodoxy shares with Catholicism an early missionary history that
includes St. Paul in Asia Minor and southern Europe and SS. Cyril and
Methodius in Eastern Europe. The 15th century conquest of
Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks stopped much of the missionary
work, but Russia continued to send missionaries until the 20th
century, when the communist revolution suppressed nearly all church
activities.

"Our history is of spreading the gospel. We stopped because of
political and physical circumstances. As soon as those lifted, we
turned right back to it," Ritsi said.

The goal of the Orthodox Christian Mission Center is to serve regions
that are predominantly non-Christian. But the center has projects in
predominantly Christian nations with severe needs, such as Honduras
and Romania, Ritsi said.

Requests for missionaries often come from native people who have
discovered Orthodoxy through study of early Christianity, Chakos
said. It often has more appeal than Catholicism or Protestantism,
because there was no association between Orthodoxy and modern
colonialism in the Third World, he said.

Many of the regions they are called to are predominantly Muslim.
Orthodox missionaries are taught to deal respectfully with Muslims
and never to insult their faith. But if a Muslim is interested in
learning about Christianity, the missionaries will offer them the
gospel, Ritsi said.

While serving in Albania, "one of my most moving events was to
baptize over half of a Muslim village in a river," he said.

Ritsi believes Orthodox missionaries have an advantage in Muslim
societies because both faiths were forged in Eastern culture. Both
stress prayer at certain hours of the day, have similar blessings for
passages of life, similar music and emphasize fasting.

In Albania, "It was not so much of a leap for Muslim people to become
Orthodox as it would be for them to adopt a western form of
Christianity. They don't have to jump cultures," Ritsi said.

Albania had endured an extreme communism that tried to eradicate all
faiths. The nation, which was once nearly 70 percent Muslim and 30
percent Orthodox, emerged from the Cold War as the poorest in Europe
and one of the poorest on Earth.

Much of the nation had no electricity, and farmers didn't know how to
organize their own work because the government had done it for them.

Villages carried a memory of having been Orthodox or Muslim, but few
people understood what that meant. Only four elderly priests remained
alive.

To that nation came Archbishop Anastasios, viewed as a living saint
by many Orthodox. He started humanitarian work to help all Albanians.
And, with the aid of six missionaries, he began to rebuild the
church.

When Ritsi arrived in 1992, he taught in a seminary. The first 30
students were recruited from historically Orthodox villages that
wanted to have a church again. Six years later, 100 Albanian priests
had completed the three-year program.

As the Church of Albania developed its own priesthood, Ritsi's focus
shifted to helping the church develop social services, particularly
schools and clinics.

He believes both spiritual and material miracles have been worked in
Albania over the past decade.

Today most Albanian homes have heat, electric stoves and
refrigerators -- in large part due to Albanians who left the country
to work but send money home, he said. And while it is very difficult
to get a current estimate, about 25 percent of Albanian citizens are
now believed to be Orthodox.

"Compared to what happened in other parts of the world during the
first five years they were emerging from communism, it was a
miracle," he said. "You look at the number of people who came into
the church as converts, who were trained, who built churches. The
growth in the church was phenomenal."

Requests for missionaries continue to come to the Orthodox Christian
Mission Center from all over the world. One of the most recent was
from Micronesia.

"Knowing that I don't have 50 people to send hurts," Ritsi said. "I
believe God is calling people, but many people don't realize it yet."

The Orthodox Christian Mission Center is on the Web at www.ocmc.org
--- End forwarded message ---

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#377 From: "Thomas Daniel <daniel_reji@...>" <daniel_reji@...>
Date: Sat Jan 18, 2003 6:20 am
Subject: 46th Dhukrono of Metropolitan Michael Mor Dionysius daniel_reji
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46th Dhukrono of Metropolitan Michael Mor Dionysius
(Metropolitan of the Kottayam & southern dioceses 1927-'56)

Mor Dionysius was one of the fearless Metropolitans who lead the
Malankara church through a time of great crisis. He was born in 1880
(Edavam 15), as the son of Alummoottil John Upadeshi of Kayamkulam.
When Mikhayel was 18 years old, while playing in a tennis court, he
was summoned by Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysius, the Malankara
Metropolitan, who had arrived at the Kadisha church at Kayankulam and
was ordained a deacon on Christmas day. Mikhayel accompanied Mor
Dionysius to Kottayam where he continued his education at M.D.
Seminary and Old Seminary. He was ordained shamshono by Parumala Mor
Gregorius and on Chingam 15, 1910 was ordained priest by Vattasseril
Mar Dionysius.

Qasheesho Mikhayel served as member on the Kayamkulam town
improvement committee and later in the Sree Moolam Praja Sabha. When
schism rent apart the Malankara Syrian Church, Qasheesho Mikhail
stood steadfast in his loyalty to the Patriarchate of Antioch parting
ways with Vattasseril Mar Dionysius. In September 1927, Qasheesho
Mikhayel was ordained Metropolitan Mor Dionysius by Patriarch Elias
III. Mor Dionysius led a very simple life, giving away much of his
possessions to the poor and needy. He was the founder of the
Malankara Sunday School Association. Until his death on January 18,
1956, Mor Dionysius was considered a pillar of strength for the
church. His mortal remains are interred at Panampady church.
[ from the SOR web site]

Link to the biography of Michael Thirumeni from the SOR Web Site
http://sor.cua.edu/Personage/Malankara/MDionysiusMAlummoottil.html

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#378 From: ""Fr. Antonious Henein" <antonious@...>" <antonious@...>
Date: Sat Jan 18, 2003 4:26 pm
Subject: The Theophany ... antonioushenein
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Dear beloved,

Blessing in the name of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please let me share with you what I have read today on the Feast of the Theophany:

�Proceed, O angelic powers, advancing from Bethlehem to the courses of the Jordan. Go before, O John, forsaking the wilderness. Rejoice, O river, and prepare. Let all the earth rejoice; for Christ cometh to purify the sins of Adam; for He is compassionate.�

"أيتها القوات الملائكية سيري متقدمة من بيت لحم إلى مجاري الأردن، واسبق يا يوحنا تاركا القفر. وافرح أيها النهر وتهيأ. ولتبتهج كل الأرض، لأن المسيح يأتي ليطهر خطيئة آدم، لأنه المتحنن."

Pray for me as I pray for you all.

Fr. Antonious Henein

Theophany

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#379 From: BIBU PHILIP MATTHEW <hellobibu@...>
Date: Sun Jan 19, 2003 5:46 am
Subject: Re: [SORForum] SOC plundered in Amid/Diyarbakir hellobibu
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Can I get an English translation of this report.

Johnny Messo <johnnymesso@...> wrote:

Dear all,

Please check http://www.suryoyo-online.org/news/muttergotteskirchegeplundert.html to become aware of a very sad report.

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#380 From: Boney Kuriakose <boneykuriakose@...>
Date: Tue Jan 21, 2003 4:44 am
Subject: Syriac course boneykuriakose
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Hi all

Is anybody in the forum willing to teach syriac. I would like to take up a basic course in syriac. It would be wonderful if anyone can offer it on the e-mail.

Prayers

Boney

Boney Kuriakose
Junior Research Fellow, Centre for Biotechnology
SPIC Science Foundation, 7th Floor, SPIC Centre Annexe Bldg.
No.88, Mount Road,Guindy,Chennai- 600 032,India
Phone 91-44-2352332 extn 303 (Plant Mol Bio Lab)
Email: boneykuriakose@... or boneyk@...
Please visit : http://www.spicscience.org

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#381 From: "Johnny Messo" <johnnymesso@...>
Date: Tue Jan 21, 2003 10:46 pm
Subject: Re: [SORForum] SOC plundered in Amid/Diyarbakir johnnymesso@...
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Dear B.P. Matthew and others who might be interested in reading it,

Below you can find my (loose) translation of the German text (http://www.suryoyo-online.org/news/muttergotteskirchegeplundert.html). Such reports are more than worth it to having translated them.

The Syriac-Orthodox St. Mary Church plundered in Diyarbakir

SOLNews � Diyarbakir (9.1.03). In the night of Monday 6 on Tuesday 7 January 2003, the St. Mary Church in Diyarbakir, also known as �Meryem Ana Kilisesi� in Turkish, had been plundered by Muslims; cf. the first picture, which was taken from a Western perspective. The actual perpetrators, who first broke in and subsequently caused great damages to the Church, are hitherto unknown.

According to the information given by the teacher (malfono) Saliba A�is, who resides in the Church itself, to Suryoyo Online (www.suryoyo-online.org), the pillagers had stolen valuable liturgical objects. Among the stolen objects were:

The great 18^th century �Gospel Book / Ewangelyun,� which usually stands in the place of the altar (madbho) � standing in the midst of the second picture. It is handwritten and covered with pure silver;
Three crosses of silver, dating from the 17^th century;
A very old icon of St. Mary, the God-Bearer (yoldath Aloho / Theotokos), that stood above the grave of the famous 12^th century Syriac theologian and metropolitan Dionysios Bar Salibi (d. 1171);
Two rare 18^th century liturgical vessels, viz. an out of silk crafted chalice and a gold covered plate (see the third and fourth pictures of the wooden altar, where the aforementioned crosses and vessels are displayed).

Other sacred icons and paintings were, according to Saliba A�is, thrown on the ground and seriously damaged. The bandits penetrated into the church after they climbed on the external wall of stone, of which one never had thought that it would be an option to enter the church, and sawed off the strips of metal in the window of the Church. The act was discovered early in the morning of Tuesday 7 January when the Priest of the Church, Father Yusuf Akbulut, wanted to start with the regular morning prayers. The local authorities were informed immediately thereafter.

The Syriac community of Diyarbakir, as well as the metropolitan of Tur-�Abdin, Timotheos Samuel Aktas who resides in the Saint (Mor) Gabriel convent, were sincerely worried after they heard about the plundering of the Church. Once again they were remembered by their insecure future in an environment that is strongly Islamized today. The readers should be reminded that it was about two years ago (2001) that in the very same Syriac community a similar political motivated action took place, where the aforementioned Priest, Yusuf Akbulut, was brought into the Turkish law court.

The excuse for capturing this spiritual father was essentially his confirmation � itself being a reply after a shrewd answer of a Turkish journalist � of the Genocide that had taken place in 1915 in present-day Turkey: �not only against the Armenians,� as many people are well aware of, �but also against the Arameans� (who are also known as Syriacs/Suryoye in Aramaic), replied the Father. After the journalists had recorded his expressions on tape, they called the father in their report, which they published in the famous Turkish newspaper H�rriyet, a �traitor among us�; how ironically actually, �H�rriyet� means �Freedom,� but these journalists obviously seem to have not understand what �freedom� (of expression, for example) really means; not mentioning their intentions of arranging an interview, where they brought up the issue in question and after which they term the interviewer, a religious representative of a weakened ethnic minority having roots in �Turkey� much older than the �Turks� themselves, as �a traitor among us.� Consequently, with this report the Turkish population was provoked against the relatively few Arameans in Turkey. After a long time of many negotiations, supervised by foreign politicians and human rights activists, the Priest was finally released. However, after his release he was still being watched by the Turkish authorities and journalists. Each Sunday, during the Holy Masses, the sermons of this Priest were controlled by Intelligence Services (of whom some were even armed with weapons). One wonders, what were they exactly looking for, and with what intentions?

Another example is the Turkish newspaper �Aksam,� wherein the Aramean Christians were labelled as separatists on the 27^th of June 2002. They published an ethnographic map of Tur-�Abdin, copied from the pictorial book of the Austrian Professor Hans Hollerweger, and asserted that the Arameans of the Tur-�Abdin region wanted to split themselves from Turkey; that explains the (false) accusation �separatists.� On charges of the Syriac bishop of Tur-�Abdin, the radical newspaper �Aksam� was found guilty by the Istanbul law court at 06.09.2002.

Tur-�Abdin is an ancient home place of Arameans, which is situated in the current region of south-eastern Turkey; even the pre-Christian Assyrian sources, in which this region is known as �Kashiari,� corroborate this fact. Diyarbakir, on the other hand, is strictly speaking not part of the Tur-�Abdin itself, but it nevertheless belongs to the same region and it is furthermore in many ways united with Tur-�Abdin.

It is noteworthy to state that �Diyarbakir� is currently the Turkish name for �Amid(a),� being the capital of the Aramean kingdom Bet-Zamani from the 13^th century B.C. onwards. �Amid� is the name used in the Syriac sources, which also testify to the fact that it once was the seat of the Syriac-Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and thus being a Syriac or Aramean stronghold that produced many famous Syriac theologians and Patriarchs; some of them found their final resting place in the St. Mary Church. Besides, there are many relics in this Church, such as the bones of the apostle Thomas and St. Jacob of Sarug (d. 521).

Undisputedly, this ancient Church can be reckoned to the most ancient (Syriac) church buildings in Mesopotamia. Its Christian building foundations go back into the third century; some time before, it was in all likelihood a pagan temple that goes back to pre-Christian times (the two lion heads that can be found in the doorway to the Diakonikon, gives us this impression). In the course of time St. Mary�s was sacked and destroyed many times by foreign rulers and raiding Muslims. In its heydays the Church functioned as an active pilgrimage centre for the region. It is probable that the current Turkish name of the city can be derived from �Deir Bakira,� which means �Church of the Virgin [Mary]� in Arabic. It is here also that a relic of the holy cross as well as one of the few ancient Bible manuscripts, written on parchment and dated to the 6^th century, can be found.

In the course of time, Diyarbakir gradually lost its native Syriac-Aramean population. In 1870, for example, there still lived approximately 13,500 Arameans in this city and the surrounding villages. In the �Year of the [Islamic] Sword,� however, as the Arameans remember the massacres of 1915, 5.379 human beings were brutally murdered. Thus, in 1966, there were merely 1,000 people left; those who managed to escape the slaughter, either died from starvation or were deported or they themselves fled from the region.

Today, however, no more than four Syriac-Aramean families are left, among which the Priest (he actually takes care of all the Christian denominations there). Others emigrated to Istanbul and into the Western Diaspora. Especially sad is to see how the respectful dead people are dishonoured by the decision to cut off a part of the Syriac cemetery, where mostly the graves of Arameans of Diyarbakir had been put, and transform it into a street. The protests of the Syriac community remain hitherto unsuccessful.

----Original Message Follows----

From: BIBU PHILIP MATTHEW

Reply-To: SOR-Forum@yahoogroups.com

To: SOR-Forum@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [SORForum] SOC plundered in Amid/Diyarbakir

Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2003 05:46:46 +0000 (GMT)

Can I get an English translation of this report.

Johnny Messo wrote:

Dear all,

Please check http://www.suryoyo-online.org/news/muttergotteskirchegeplundert.html to become aware of a very sad report.

Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.

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#382 From: "George Kiraz" <gkiraz@...>
Date: Wed Jan 22, 2003 2:26 am
Subject: Re: [SORForum] Syriac course georgekiraz
Send Email

Offering Syriac courses on-line through the Internet is a great idea. Doing it over email is not as productive. (I have tried it before.) It is not the best medium. Ideally, one would want to have an interactive course on-line that does not consist merely of lists and paradigms. I am working on revising my Syriac Primer (which I am sure will take some time to complete), and I plan to have with it some sort of multi-media features... Others may have better ideas...

George Kiraz

--------------------------
George A. Kiraz, Ph.D.
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
http://www.BethMardutho.org

Read Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies: http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye

----- Original Message -----

From: Boney Kuriakose

To: SOR-Forum@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Monday, January 20, 2003 11:44 PM

Subject: [SORForum] Syriac course

Hi all

Is anybody in the forum willing to teach syriac. I would like to take up a basic course in syriac. It would be wonderful if anyone can offer it on the e-mail.

Prayers

Boney

Boney Kuriakose
Junior Research Fellow, Centre for Biotechnology
SPIC Science Foundation, 7th Floor, SPIC Centre Annexe Bldg.
No.88, Mount Road,Guindy,Chennai- 600 032,India
Phone 91-44-2352332 extn 303 (Plant Mol Bio Lab)
Email: boneykuriakose@... or boneyk@...
Please visit : http://www.spicscience.org

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---------- "Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger." (James 1:19) Syriac Orthodox Resources: http://sor.cua.edu

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Reply | Messages in this Topic (3)

#383 From: Claude R.Gu�rillot <claude.r.guerillot@...>
Date: Tue Jan 21, 2003 8:46 am
Subject: Re: [SORForum] Syriac course claude.r.guerillot@...
Send Email

To all,

I think we are a lot who would be interested in a syriac cours ont the
net.

God bless all of you

Claude

Reply | Messages in this Topic (3)

#384 From: "Gabriel Rabo" <grabo@...>
Date: Wed Jan 22, 2003 4:06 pm
Subject: The Syrian Orthodox Church of the Mother of God in Diyarbakir looted grabo30
Send Email

The Syrian Orthodox Church of the Mother of God in Diyarbakir looted

SOLNews - Diyarbakir (9.1.03). During the night of January 7th 2003, the Syrian Orthodox Church of the Mother of God (known as "Meryem Ana" in Turkish) in Diyarbakir was broken into by unknown Muslims and vandalized. According to the information given to Suryoyo Online (www.suryoyo-online.org) by Saliba A�is, the Syriac teacher who belongs to this church, the burglars stole invaluable liturgical items: among these were a large handwritten Gospel-Lectionary from the 18th century with a silver cover placed in the altar room, three silver crosses from the 17th century and a very old icon of the Mother of God, placed above the grave of the famous Syrian Theologian and Metropolitan Dionysios Bar Salibi (+ 1171), as well as two rare 18th century silk and golden liturgical veils covering the chalice and paten. Iconographic pictures of saints were thrown to the floor. The robbers broke into the church after climbing over the outer walls and smashing open a church window with steel barriers. This was all discovered early in the morning when priest Yusuf Akbulut arrived to celebrate the morning service. Immediately, the authorities were notified.

The small Syrian community of Diyarbakir and the Metropolitan of Tur Abdin Timotheos Samuel Aktas from the monastery of Mor Gabriel were shocked when they heard of the plundering in the church. They are worried again about their future in an area that is nowadays increasingly under the influence of radical Islamic activists. About 2 years ago the Syrian community of Diyarbakir was caught in a political row, when the priest Yusuf Akbulut was tried before a Turkish court. The priest had spoken about the genocide of 1915 in Turkey that killed huge numbers of not only Armenians but Aramaeans (Syrians) too. Journalists of the Turkish newspaper "H�rriyet" recorded his discussion in secret and later they depicted him as a �traitor among us". In this manner they fanned up hatred toward the Syrian Aramaean minority amongst the Turkish people. After several trials under the watchful eyes of foreign politicians and human rights campaigners, the priest was finally acquitted. He is still being watched by Turkish authorities and journalists. Every Sunday (partly armed) members of the secret service attend the sermon of the priest during the service. Moreover, the newspaper "Aksam" had named the Syrian Aramaeans as separatists when they published the ethnographic map of Tur Abdin (this is a Syriac term and known name of the region in southeast of Turkey, where once only the Syrian Aramaeans lived) from the pictorial book of the Austrian Professor Hans Hollerweger. The newspaper "Aksam" on June 27, 2001 asserted that the Syrian Aramaeans strive for a independent Tur Abdin. On the complaint of the Syrian bishop of Tur Abdin, the radical newspaper �Aksam" was convicted on 6th of September 2002 in Istanbul under criminal law.

Diyarbakir, known earlier as �Amid", "Ameda" since the 13th century B.C., was the capital of the Aramaic kingdom of Bet-Zamani, and in the 12th century A.D. the seat of the Patriarch of Antioch and centre of the Arameans, who are also known as Syrians. Many famous Syrian theologians and patriarchs came from there and were buried in the Church of the Mother of God, where their relics are kept. These include those of the Apostle Thomas and of the Saint Jacob of Serug (+ 512). The church is one of the oldest church buildings in Mesopotamia having been a church as early as the 3rd century. It must have been a large heathen temple in the pre-Christian era as suggested by the two lion's heads still visible in the entry portal to the Diakonikon. In the course of centuries this church was plundered and ransacked time and again by foreign rulers and by Muslims who came into the city. It was once an important pilgrimage centre for the whole region. It is probable that the current name of the city, Diyarbakir, is derived from the Arabic �Deir Bakira" (Church of the Virgin). In this church there is a relic of the Holy Cross and a rare 6th century Bible manuscript on parchment.

The Syrian city of Diyarbakir lost more and more of its original Syrian Aramaean citizens gradually over time. In 1870, Diyarbakir with its surrounding villages had a recorded population of 13,500 Syrians. 5379 persons were killed in the �Year of the Sword", as the year of the massacre in 1915 is known. In 1966 there were still 1000 families. However, presently there are only 4 families and their priest, who serves all Christian denominations. The rest had to flee to Istanbul and to the Diaspora further west. The persecution of the Syrian Christians has extended even to the dead; a road was constructed through the Syrian cemetery in Diyarbakir. The protests of the Syrian community have remained unheeded.

Gabriel Rabo

Source: Suryoyo Online
For pictures see: http://www.suryoyo-online.org/news/motherofgodchurchlooted.html
For German text: http://www.suryoyo-online.org/news/muttergotteskirchegeplundert.html

Reply | Messages in this Topic (1)

#385 From: Boney Kuriakose <boneykuriakose@...>
Date: Wed Jan 22, 2003 4:40 am
Subject: Re: [SORForum] Syriac course boneykuriakose
Send Email

If a number of people are interested in learning,
I think the efforts are worthwhile. Could you
please tell about online resources for a beginner
and more about your syriac primer.
regards
Boney

--- George Kiraz <gkiraz@...> wrote:
> Offering Syriac courses on-line through the
> Internet is a great idea. Doing it over email
> is not as productive. (I have tried it before.)
> It is not the best medium. Ideally, one would
> want to have an interactive course on-line that
> does not consist merely of lists and paradigms.
> I am working on revising my Syriac Primer
> (which I am sure will take some time to
> complete), and I plan to have with it some sort
> of multi-media features... Others may have
> better ideas...
>
> George Kiraz
>
> --------------------------
> George A. Kiraz, Ph.D.
> Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
> http://www.BethMardutho.org
>
> Read Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies:
> http://syrcom.cua.edu/Hugoye
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Boney Kuriakose
>   To: SOR-Forum@yahoogroups.com
>   Sent: Monday, January 20, 2003 11:44 PM
>   Subject: [SORForum] Syriac course
>
>
>   Hi all
>
>   Is anybody in the forum willing to teach
> syriac. I would like to take up a basic course
> in syriac. It would be wonderful if anyone can
> offer it on the e-mail.
>
>   Prayers
>
>   Boney
>
>
>
>   Boney Kuriakose
>   Junior Research Fellow, Centre for
> Biotechnology
>   SPIC Science Foundation, 7th Floor, SPIC
> Centre Annexe Bldg.
>   No.88, Mount Road,Guindy,Chennai- 600
> 032,India
>   Phone 91-44-2352332 extn 303 (Plant Mol Bio
> Lab)
>   Email: boneykuriakose@... or
> boneyk@...
>   Please visit : http://www.spicscience.org
>
>
>
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>   Do you Yahoo!?
>   Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign
> up now
>         Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
>               ADVERTISEMENT
>
>
>
>
>   ----------
>   "Let every man be quick to hear, slow to
> speak, slow to anger."
>   (James 1:19)
>   Syriac Orthodox Resources: http://sor.cua.edu
>
>
>   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the
> Yahoo! Terms of Service.
>
>


=====
Boney Kuriakose
Junior Research Fellow, Centre for Biotechnology
SPIC Science Foundation, 7th Floor, SPIC Centre Annexe Bldg.
No.88, Mount Road,Guindy,Chennai- 600 032,India
Phone 91-44-2352332 extn 303 (Plant Mol Bio Lab)
Email: boneykuriakose@... or boneyk@...
Please visit : http://www.spicscience.org

__________________________________________________
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Reply | Messages in this Topic (3)

#386 From: ""Fr. Antonious Henein" <antonious@...>" <antonious@...>
Date: Sun Jan 26, 2003 6:32 am
Subject: My Soul and Mind ... antonioushenein
Send Email

Dear beloved,

Blessing in the name of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please let me share with you what I have read today:

�0 Lord, heal the wounds of my soul and enlighten the eyes of my mind that I may understand my place in Thine eternal design! And inasmuch as my heart and mind have been disfigured, may Thy grace repair them.�

--Saint Ephrem the Syrian

"يارب إشف جراحات نفسي، وأنر عيون عقلي، لكي أعي مكانتي في تدبيرك الأزلي. وبقدر ما تشوه قلبي وعقلي فلتشفهما نعمتك."

-- مار أفرام السرياني

Reply | Messages in this Topic (1)

#387 From: "George Kiraz" <gkiraz@...>
Date: Tue Jan 28, 2003 4:05 pm
Subject: New Issue of Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies (Vol. 6, No. 1, January 2003) georgekiraz
Send Email

Announcement: New Issue of Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies (Vol. 6, No. 1, January 2003)

PISCATAWAY, NJ, January 28, 2003 -- Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute (http://www.bethmardutho.org) published today a new issue of its peer-reviewed academic periodical Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies (Vol. 6, No. 1). The issue is available electronically on the Institute's home page. This issue features four papers and nine book reviews, in addition to publication announcements, conference announcements, and advertisements.

The first paper by Andreas Juckel offers a collation of the 5th/6th cent. Peshitta Gospel manuscript known as 'Codex Phillipps 1388' with the standard text of the Peshitta Gospels. The second paper by Robert Kitchen complements Gary A. Anderson�s monograph, The Genesis of Perfection, with two additional Syriac sources on the Garden of Eden in the Book of Steps and Philoxenus of Mabbug. The third paper by Edward G. Mathews is the latest and most complete attempt to record the incipits of the vast corpus of Isaac of Antioch, lauded by several of his contemporaries as one of the most prolific of all early Syriac authors. The fourth paper by Hidemi Takahashi examines the Syriac and Arabic sources of Bar ^cEbroyo (Barhebraeus) geographical works on the world's seas.

The Book Reviews section contains the following reviews:

Jan-Eric Steppa, John Rufus and the World Vision of Anti-Chalcedonian Culture.
Reviewed by Cornelia B. HORN
Barabara Aland, Andreas Juckel, eds., Das Neue Testament in syrischer �berlieferung. II Die paulinischen Briefe, Teil 3: 1./2. Thessalonicherbrief, 1./2. Timotheusbrief, Titusbrief, Philemonbrief und Hebr�erbrief.
Reviewed by Jan JOOSTEN
Gary A. Anderson, The Genesis of Perfection: Adam and Eve in Jewish and Christian Imagination.
Reviewed by Robert A. KITCHEN
David Wilmshurst, The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318-1913.
Reviewed by Alessandro MENGOZZI
Pier Giorgio Borbone, Storia di Mar Yahballaha e di Rabban Sauma. Un orientale in Occidente ai tempi di Marco Polo.
Reviewed by Alessandro MENGOZZI
Christoph Luxenberg (ps.) Die syro-aramaeische Lesart des Koran; Ein Beitrag zur Entschl�sselung der Qur'ansprache.
Reviewed by Robert R. PHENIX Jr. and Cornelia B. HORN
Aho Shemunkasho, Healing in the Theology of Saint Ephrem.
Reviewed by Ute POSSEKEL
Kees den Biesen, Bibliography of St. Ephrem the Syrian.
Reviewed by Paul S. RUSSELL
Wheeler M. Thackston, Introduction to Syriac.
Reviewed by Stephen J. SHOEMAKER

In the Publications Announcements section, Sebastian Brock continues his bibliographical series of recent published books. Bas ter Haar Romeny announces the journal Aramaic Studies.

The Conference Announcements section covers the IV North American Syriac Symposium and the Syriac Computing Forum, both held jointly at Princeton (with a deadline extension notice), and the Public Lectures of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies, Toronto.

In the advertisements section, Beth Mardutho provides a link to Amazon.com from which users are encouraged to make their purchases (to support the Institute), and announces the Institutes 10-Year Anniversary Raffle (tickets available on-line). The American Theological Library Association advertises ATLA Serials' Digital Journal Project of which Hugoye is a participant. Gorgias Press announces over 60 titles on Syriac studies. Publishers interested in advertising in future issues of Hugoye may contact the General Editor at gkiraz@....

Hugoye is XHTML 1.0 compliant, using cascading style sheets. Readers using older browsers such as Netscape 4.0 or IE 4.0 may not see the formatting as intended.

The Journal is available electronically from www.bethmardutho.org.

About Beth Mardutho and Hugoye

Established in 1992, Beth Mardutho seeks to promote the study and preservation of the Syriac heritage and language, and to facilitate opportunities for people to pursue the study of this ancient legacy globally. Published semiannually since 1988, Hugoye is the only electronic peer-reviewed academic journal that is dedicated entirely to the Syriac tradition. Hugoye is a founding member of the Association of Peer-Reviewed Electronic Journals in Religion. [www.bethmardutho.org]

Join Beth Mardutho

Be part of bringing the Syriac heritage into the third millennium. Become a member at www.bethmardutho.org.

Reply | Messages in this Topic (1)

#388 From: "Thomas Daniel <daniel_reji@...>" <daniel_reji@...>
Date: Wed Jan 29, 2003 6:35 am
Subject: 2nd Phase of Talks Under Way with Ancient Eastern Churches daniel_reji
Send Email

2nd Phase of Talks Under Way with Ancient Eastern Churches
Had Separated from Rome in 451

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 28, 2003 (Zenit.org) <http://www.zenit.org>.-
John Paul II officially launched the second phase of ecumenical
dialogue between the Catholic Church and ancient Eastern Churches
that separated from Rome in 451.

These Churches rejected the conclusions of the Council of Chalcedon,
which professed the divine and human natures of Jesus.

The ecumenical dialogue that followed the Second Vatican Council has
clarified misunderstandings, seeing that the differences arose more
from "terminology" and "culture" adopted "by the various theological
schools to express the same argument."

This much was acknowledged in the 1984 joint declaration signed by
John
Paul II and the head of the Syro-Orthodox Church, Patriarch Mar
Ignatius Zakka I Iwas of Antioch.

Present at today's audience in the Vatican were representatives of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, the Orthodox Coptic Patriarchate of Egypt,
the Syro-Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, the Orthodox Church of
Ethiopia, the Orthodox Church of Eritrea, and the Syrian Orthodox
Church of Malankara.

"Substantial ecumenical progress has already been made between the
Catholic Church and the different Eastern Orthodox Churches," the Holy
Father said, when he received the members of a dialogue committee
composed of Catholic representatives and members of those Churches.

"Essential clarifications have been reached with regard to traditional
controversies about Christology, and this has enabled us to profess
together the faith we hold in common," he added.

"This progress is most encouraging, since it shows us that the path
followed is the right one and that we can reasonably hope to discover
together the solution to other disputed questions," the Pope added.

"May your efforts to establish a Joint Commission for Theological
Dialogue prove a major step forward toward full communion in truth and
charity," he said.

Most of the Churches' representatives came from Middle East countries
or
surrounding areas. The Holy Father invited them to "pray together that
this region will be preserved from the threat of war and further
violence."

"May our ecumenical endeavors always be directed to the building up
of a
'civilization of love,' founded on justice, reconciliation and peace,"
he concluded.

The dialogue committee began its meeting Monday at the headquarters of
the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The meeting, which ends Wednesday, is studying the topics and methods
of the second phase of dialogue. To date, theological agreements were
reached separately between each one of the Churches and the Catholic
Church. The second phase will foster joint dialogue among all the
Churches in a single commission.

Reply | Messages in this Topic (1)

#389 From: "George Kiraz" <gkiraz@...>
Date: Wed Jan 29, 2003 10:04 pm
Subject: Beth Mardutho and Amazon Affiliates georgekiraz
Send Email

Dear All,

We announced last year that "Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute" became an affiliate with Amazon.com. Every time you want to purchase something from Amazon.com, please go first to www.bethmardutho.org and click on the Amazon links. For every purchase that you make, Beth Mardutho gets 5% of the sales. This quarter, we used these funds to purchase for our library a copy of:

"Robinson's Paradigms and Exercises in Syriac Grammar"
J. F. Coakley; Paperback; @ $35.00

Coakley's work is a revision of the acclaimed Robinson Grammar. (Remember, if you want to purchase it, first go to www.bethmardutho.org.)

We appreciate your contribution and cooperation.

George Kiraz

--------------------------
George A. Kiraz, M.St. (Oxon), M.Phil., Ph.D. (Cantab)

Director, Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
Fellow, Institute of Christian Oriental Research (The Catholic University of America)

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#390 From: ""Fr. Antonious Henein" <antonious@...>" <antonious@...>
Date: Sat Feb 1, 2003 2:45 pm
Subject: Martyrdum ... antonioushenein
Send Email

Dear beloved,

Blessing in the name of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please let me share with you what I have read today:

�Let yourself die in striving rather than living in laziness.� For those who die trying to keep the commandments are martyrs just as those who died for Christ�s faith.�

--St. Isaac the Syrian

"مت مجاهدا أفضل من أن تحيا في الكسل، لأن الذين يموتون بسبب اجتهادهم أن يحفظوا الوصايا هم شهداء مثلهم مثل الذين ماتوا من أجل إيمان المسيح."

-- إسحق السرياني

Pray for me as I pray for you all.

Fr. Antonious Henein

St. Mena

_____________________________________________________________

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#391 From: "Thomas Daniel <daniel_reji@...>" <daniel_reji@...>
Date: Sun Feb 2, 2003 6:29 am
Subject: Eastern & Oriental Orthodox Symposium to be held at St Vladimir daniel_reji
Send Email

Eastern & Oriental Orthodox Symposium to be held at St Vladimir
Seminary

CRESTWOOD, NY -- St Vladimir's Orthodox Seminary and St Nersess
Armenian Seminary will co-sponsor an Eastern & Oriental Orthodox
Symposium "Jerusalem: Does it Divide or Unite?" on Tuesday April 1,
2003 from 10 AM until 5 PM in the Metropolitan Philip Auditorium on
the campus of St Vladimir Seminary here.

Oriental and Eastern Orthodox Christians have ancient histories
linked with Jerusalem. How does our relationship with Jerusalem,
yesterday and today, affect relationships between the churches? What
is our role as Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians in America in
supporting peace, welfare, and Christian witness in Jerusalem?
*
MORNING SESSION: Historical background and overview
Dr Roberta ERVINE, Associate Professor of Armenian Studies, St
Nersess Seminary
Fr Alexander RENTEL, Lecturer in Church History, St Vladimir's
Seminary
*
AFTERNOON SESSION: The contemporary situation
Serge SCHMEMANN, Senior Correspondent, New York Times
George KIRAZ, Syrian Orthodox Church

The Symposium will also include a panel of distinguished guests,
moderated by Dr Tarek MITRI, Interreligious Relations, World Council
of Churches.

For more information, please contact St Vladimir's Seminary -
(914) 961-8313 - www.svots.edu
St Nersess Seminary - (914) 636-2003 - www.stnersess.edu
� 2003 Orthodox Church in America
Office of Communication - info@o...

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#392 From: "George Kiraz" <gkiraz@...>
Date: Thu Feb 6, 2003 8:14 pm
Subject: New in Paperback: Kiraz's Comparative Edition of the Syriac Gospels georgekiraz
Send Email

Gorgias Press announces the following 4-volume set which just came out of the press ...

New in Paperback
	Kiraz, George. Comparative Edition of the Syriac Gospels: Aligning the Sinaiticus, Curetonianus, Peshitta and Harklean Versions (4 volume set) ISBN: 1-931956-40-5 Price: $190.00 Format: Paperback Size (in): 6 x 9 Volumes: 4 Pages: vol. 1: lxxxv, 454 pp.; vol. 2: 258 pp.; vol. 3: 514 pp.; vol. 4: 368 Photos/Illustrations: 7 Publication Year: 2002 (2nd edition) [but came out of the press today!] Comments: Harklean text edited by Andreas Juckel Brief Description: This new edition conveniently provides for the first time the text of all three versions of the Syriac Gospels in one place aligned under each word-for-word to illustrate the development of the text..

About the Book

The three surviving versions of the Gospels in Syriac are of considerable importance both for Biblical and for Semitic Studies. The Old Syriac, preserved in two manuscripts, is one of the earliest translations of the Greek Gospels; the Peshitta remains to this day the official Bible of the Syriac Churches, while the harklean is a masterpiece of mirror-translation. This new edition conveniently provides for the first time the text of all three versions together. The texts of the two Old Syriac manuscripts, the Peshitta and the harklean are drawn from the best sources and have been carefully aligned so that their inter-relationship can immediately be seen and studied. The volumes, which include the first edition of the harklean Gospels for some 200 years (prepared by Dr. Andreas J�ckel), will prove an invaluable resource for both Biblical and for Semitic scholarship.

Praise for the First Edition (1996)

�The result is lucid, uncluttered presentation of the Syriac versional traditions� Kiraz has a knack for identifying lacunae in scholars� tools and then filling them efficiently and elegantly. Having already immortalized his name with his Concordance to the Syriac NT, he now offers us these magnificent volumes. We are fortunate to live in an age when there is a George Kiraz to provide us with such superb tools.�

� William L. Petersen, Pennsylvania State University

Review in Journal of Biblical Literature, 118 (1999), pp. 176-178

�The publication of these four volumes, for which the editor adopts the abbreviation CESG, is one of the great happenings of 1996. Not only the author but also the publisher deserve the gratitude of the scholarly world for this splendid magnum opus. It deserves a place in the libraries of all universities and theological departments and it cannot be missed in the personal libraries of students and scholars who are interested in the areas of Syriac studies and the Syriac versions in particular.�

� T. Baarda, Free University, Amsterdam

Review in Novum Testamentum, 39 (1997), pp. 405-412

�A timely and extremely useful tool� The publication of the CESG marks a significant milestone in the development of up-to-date and reliable research tools for the textual study of the Syriac Gospels.�

� Carmel McCarthy

Review in Journal of Semitic Studies, 43 (1998), pp. 185-186

�Kiraz, inspired by Oxford Syriacist Sebastian P. Brock, has greatly facilitated the comparative task [of the Syriac versions] by producing an edition of the Syriac Gospels that aligns their text in such a way that verbal comparison is relatively easy.�

� Richard A. Taylor

Review in Bibliotheca Sacra, 156/621 (1999)

George Anton Kiraz holds a master's degree in Syriac Studies (Oxford), a master's degree in computer speech and language processing (Cambridge), and a Ph.D. in computational linguistics (Cambridge). His publications include Computer-Generated Concordance to the Syriac New Testament volumes 1-6 (E.J. Brill, Leiden).

Order Information:

Online orders: www.gorgiaspress.com

Fax orders: +1 732 699 0342

Phone Orders: +1 732 699 0343

Address: Gorgias Press, 46 Orris Ave, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA. Email: orders@....

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#393 From: "Thomas Daniel <daniel_reji@...>" <daniel_reji@...>
Date: Sat Feb 8, 2003 9:07 am
Subject: Dhukorono of Mor Severus of Antioch daniel_reji
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8th February 2003

Mor Severus of Antioch (+538)
(Source:- from the SOR WEB PAGE )

St. Severus was the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch known by
the epithet togho dsuryoye "crown of the Syrians". He studied at
Alexandria and Beirut and was baptized in 488. Later he became a
monk. Around 508, he went to Constantinople where he secured the
support of Emperor Anastasius (491-518) for the persecuted "Syriac
Orthodox" Christians who rejected the Council of Chalcedon.

In 512, he became the Patriarch of Antioch, but when Emperor Justin I
came to power, he was unjustly deposed and expelled. But he remained
the Patriarch in Exile in the eyes of his supporters. He took refuge
in Alexandria with Patriarch Timothy II. The Chalcedonians
excommunicated him in 536.

Severus was a leading theologian and most of his works, written in
Greek, survive only in Syriac, many of which remain unedited.

Link to the detailed biography of the Holy Father
http://www.syriacchristianity.com/PatriarchSeverios/MorSevarious.htm

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#394 From: "George Kiraz" <gkiraz@...>
Date: Sat Feb 8, 2003 5:05 pm
Subject: Book Annoucement georgekiraz
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Griffiths, Bede (tr.). The Book of Common Prayer [shhimo] of the Syrian Church
ISBN: 1-59333-033-2 Forthcoming
Price: $28.00
Format: Paperback
Size (in): 6 x 9
Pages: xv + 356
Publication Year: Forthcoming
Brief Description: A translation (from the Syriac) of the West Syriac Daily Offices, known as the book of shhimo.

Order Information:

Online orders: www.gorgiaspress.com

Fax orders: +1 732 699 0342

Phone Orders: +1 732 699 0343

Address: Gorgias Press, 46 Orris Ave, Piscataway, NJ 08854 USA. Email: orders@....

George Kiraz

--------------------------
George A. Kiraz, M.St. (Oxon), M.Phil., Ph.D. (Cantab)
Gorgias Press
46 Orris Ave.
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Tel. 732-699-0343
Fax 732-699-0342
http://www.GorgiasPress.com

Director, Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
Fellow, Institute of Christian Oriental Research (The Catholic University of America)

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#395 From: ""Fr. Antonious Henein" <antonious@...>" <antonious@...>
Date: Sat Feb 8, 2003 1:53 pm
Subject: My Lips ... antonioushenein
Send Email

Dear beloved,

Blessing in the name of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please let me share with you what I have read today:

�O Lord, be the guardian of my lips that slander, judgment, criticism and idle words might not come forth from them.�

--Saint Ephraim the Syrian

"يارب كن حارسا لشفتي حتى لا يخرج منهما كلام افتراء، ولا إدانة، ولا كلام نقد، ولا كلام بطـّال."

القديس أفرام السرياني

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#396 From: "Gabriel Rabo" <grabo@...>
Date: Tue Feb 11, 2003 2:51 pm
Subject: Two Syrian Bishops for Mardin and for the Patriarchate consecrated grabo30
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SOLNews – Damascus (9.2.03). February 2nd 2003, His Holiness Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, consecrated two monks as bishop in Saydnaya/Damascus. Raban Elia Bahe, the secretary of His Holiness, got the bishops name "Mor Athanasius" and Raban Saliba �zmen "Mor Philoxenos". Bishop Saliba, originally from Marbobo/Tur Abdin, was consecrated for the vacant diocese of Mardin (Turkey), resides in the former residence of the Holy See of Antioch, in the monastery of Deir Za’faran. More about the new bishops later in Suryoyo Online.

SOLNews – Damaskus (9.2.03). Am heutigen Sonntag, den 9. Februar, hat seine Heiligkeit Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwas, Patriarch von Antiochien und dem ganzen Osten, zwei M�nchpriester, Raban Elia Bahe und Raban Saliba �zmen, zu Bisch�fen geweiht. Die feierliche Cheirotonia oder Ordination (Handauflegung) fand in der neuen Patriarchen-Kathedrale Mor Petrus und Mor Paulus in Ma’arat Saydnaya bei Damaskus statt.

Bischof Elia, der zweite Sekret�r des Patriarchen, erhielt den Bischofsnamen "Mor Athanasius" und Bischof Saliba den Namen "Mor Philoxenos". Dieser ist f�r die seit dem Jahre 1969 vakanten Di�zese von Mardin (T�rkei), mit dem Sitz im Kloster Deir Za’faran, ehemaliger Residenz des Apostolischen Stuhles von Antiochien. Damit ist Mor Philoxenos Saliba der erste Nachfolger des ber�hmten Bischofs Mor Philoxenos Hanna Dolabani. Bischof Mor Athanasius Elia wird weiter als Sekret�r des heiligen Vaters im Syrischen Patriarchat t�tig bleiben. Mehr �ber die neuen Bisch�fe sp�ter in Suryoyo Online.

� Gabriel Rabo
www.suryoyo-online.org

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#397 From: ""Fr. Antonious Henein" <antonious@...>" <antonious@...>
Date: Sat Feb 15, 2003 1:11 pm
Subject: Repentance ... antonioushenein
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Dear beloved,

Blessing in the name of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Please let me share with you what I have read today:

�Repentance is the door of mercy, opened to those who seek it. By way of this door we enter into the mercy of God, and apart from this entrance we shall not find mercy.�

--Saint Isaac of Syria.

"التوبة هي باب الرحمة، يفتح لمن يطلبونه. من باب التوبة هذا ندخل لمراحم الله، وبغير هذا المدخل لن نجد رحمة."

القديس اسحق السرياني

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#398 From: "Thomas Daniel <daniel_reji@...>" <daniel_reji@...>
Date: Sat Feb 15, 2003 7:21 am
Subject: 71st DHUKRONO OF PATRIARCH ST. IGNATIUS ELIAS III daniel_reji
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71st DHUKRONO OF PATRIARCH ST. IGNATIUS ELIAS III
Processions to the Saint's tomb from different parts of the Malankara
reached Majanikkara by 14th evening - Mor Ignatius Dayro premises
flooded with Pilgrims

For more details please visit

http://www.geocities.com/malankarav5/20030215Majanikkara.htm

Related Links

Biography �
http://sor.cua.edu/Personage/PElias3/index.html
Apostolic Bull -
http://groups.msn.com/StGeorgeSyrianOrthodoxChurchCheppaud/morignatius
eliasiii.msnw
St. Ignatius Dayro -
http://sor.cua.edu/ChMon/Simhasana/ManjinikkaraDIgnatius.html

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#399 From: "George Kiraz" <gkiraz@...>
Date: Thu Feb 20, 2003 11:04 pm
Subject: Article on Tur Abdin georgekiraz
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http://www.cnewa.org/cw29-1-pp12-17.htm

George Kiraz

--------------------------
George A. Kiraz, M.St. (Oxon), M.Phil., Ph.D. (Cantab)
Gorgias Press
46 Orris Ave.
Piscataway, NJ 08854
Tel. 732-699-0343
Fax 732-699-0342
http://www.GorgiasPress.com

Director, Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
Fellow, Institute of Christian Oriental Research (The Catholic University of America)

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#400 From: ""Fr. Antonious Henein" <antonious@...>" <antonious@...>
Date: Sun Feb 23, 2003 4:41 am
Subject: Church Books ... antonioushenein
Send Email

Dear beloved:

Blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ!

We are pleased to announce that the Church has the following books available:

The Holy Pascha: (Arabic - Coptic - English)

v It includes all the prayers, hymns and readings of the Holy Week of Pascha in Arabic, Coptic and English according to the current usage in the Coptic Church.

v The Old Testament readings are taken from the Septuagint English translation which is the only approved version for the Old Testament by the Orthodox Church, and the only translation that totally agrees with the Arabic and Coptic versions.

The Book of Agpeya: (Arabic - English)

v All the hourly prayers in two parallel columns (Arabic and English.) That would help the family members and the congregations to pray together regardless of the preferred language of each individual.

v The Psalms are taken from the Septuagint English translation which is the only approved version for the Old Testament by the Orthodox Church, and the only translation that totally agrees with the Arabic version.

v The book also includes many beautiful Coptic Icons in colors.

Late Orders of the Pascha Books (After March 15, 2003)

Please add an extra 20% to your order if mailed after March 15^th, 2003

to compensate for the extra priority shipping expenses to ensure that the Pascha Books will be delivered before the beginning of the Holy Pascha Week.

To Order within the United States ONLY,

Please fill this form and send it with your check to:

Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church

P.O. Box 50689, Los Angeles, California 90050-0689

Tel.: (818) 952-0033�� Fax: (818) 952-0035�� Email:� info@...

www.theotokos.org

Orders will be only accepted for shipping addresses within the United States ONLY

Order Form for Church Books
Book Name	Your Donation To cover cost of printing, handling & shipping		Qty	Total
Book Name	Church Orders (10 or more of same �Book)	Individual Orders (Less than 10 Books)	Qty	Total
The Holy Pascha Book	$15⁰⁰	$20⁰⁰	.......	$ ........
The Agpeya	$10⁰⁰	$12⁰⁰	.......	$ ........
The Coptic Icon Catalog	FREE	FREE	.......	FREE
	Total Summation			$ ........

Orders will be only accepted for shipping addresses within the United States ONLY

_____________________________________________________________

Personal E-mails:
To send a personal e-mail to Fr. Antonious Henein regarding a confidential issue
or requesting his advice in a personal matter, kindly send your e-mail message
addressed to:

personal@... This e-mail box will be viewed by Fr. Antonious Henein ONLY .

http://www.theotokos.org

To Unsubscribe: According to the US Federal regulation, your e-mail can be immediately removed from
our list by replying to this email with the subject "UNSUBSCRIBE" to:�� unsubscribe@...

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