LG526/826
Bush
LG526/826: SYRIAC. Frederic W. Bush.
DESCRIPTION:
- This course is designed to give the student a basic knowledge of
the essential elements of the phonology, morphology, and syntax of
Syriac.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY:
- Syriac is a dialect of eastern Aramaic, originally stemming from
Osrhoene, the capital city of which was Edessa (modern Urfa). Syriac became the
most widespread and important language of the eastern Christian Church,
centered particularly in Syrian Antioch. For students of the New Testament and
Patristic Studies, Syriac is an important language to control. For New
Testament concerns it is an important witness to the text (the Old Syriac, for
example, is the oldest surviving translation of the Greek Gospels). Syriac
translations of the Greek Church Fathers are important not only because these
translations usually antedate the earliest Greek manuscripts by many centuries
(often preserved in manuscripts as early as the 6th cent.), but also because
some of them represent works whose Greek originals have been lost (e.g.
Eusebius' Theophania or Theodore of Mopsuestia's Commentary on John). It is in
particular an indispensable tool for the study of the christological
controversies. Finally, Syriac literature is of considerable value in its own
right, for its earliest authors, Aphrahat and Ephrem, provide us the sole
surviving remnant of a genuinely Semitic Christianity, largely untouched by
Greek thought and culture.
COURSE FORMAT:
- The course will meet for twice weekly for two-hour sessions of
recitation.
REQUIRED READING:
- Bush, F. W. Syriac Workbook. Syllabus.
- Jennings, William. Lexicon to the Syriac New Testament. London:
Oxford, 1926.
- Robinson, Theodore H. Syriac Grammar. 4th ed. London: Oxford,
1962.
ASSIGNMENTS:
- Assigned lessons from Syriac Workbook will be prepared
before coming to class.
PREREQUISITES:
- LG525, Biblical Aramaic or with the permission of the
instructor.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
- Satisfies a requirement for the M.A. in Semitic Languages and
Literature.
FINAL EXAMINATION:
- Yes.