Philip Forness is Principal Investigator, Cultural Exchange from Syria to Ethiopia, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
A Mediator between Exegetical Traditions
Jacob of Serugh and His Letters on Biblical InterpretationFebruary 17, 2021, at 10:00 am (Washington, DC Time)
Abstract
The epistolary corpus of Jacob of Serugh displays a prominent member of the ecclesiastical hierarchy exercising his authority in the Roman Near East and beyond. In his letters, he replies to monastics seeking advice, offers his opinion on the theological controversies of his day, and consoles Christian communities undergoing persecution. The earliest known collection of his letters seems to have grouped together three letters (22–24) because of their focus on biblical interpretation. In Letter 23, Jacob responds to six questions posed to him by the Greek-speaking lector Maron of Anazarbe. This extensive letter shows Jacob negotiating between the Greek and Syriac biblical traditions, his indebtedness and fidelity to the foregoing Syriac tradition, and the relationship between the exegesis in his letters and his homilies. Through this study, an image will emerge of an exegete seeking to mediate between the various interpretive traditions with which he is familiar and from which his own perspective emerged.
Select Bibliography
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