Syriac II

CH/TH/NT/OT 3SL23

Winter 2024
Tues 4:00pm - 5:50pm

Syriac is a dialect of Aramaic. It is one of the oldest languages in the Middle East. Historically, it has been the language of religion, literature, history, and communication. It was and still is used in many churches as a liturgical and communication language. This course is the second. The course focuses on reviewing grammar, reading texts from the Scripture and the Syriac fathers, translating, and analyzing. At the end of the course, students will be skilled in reading, translating, and analyzing the Syriac texts.

Knowing

  • To know Syriac Christianity and its significance in developing Christian theology and spirituality in the early church.
  • One can find many essential writers and appreciate Syriac authors from the early church.

Being

  • Explore the language for studying the Old and New Testaments in the Peshitta and the texts written by the Syriac authors. Also, to enlarge their understanding to witness the Lord’s Word in serving society, glorify the Lord and comprehend the correct meaning of the Scripture.

ܘܟܰܕ݂ ܗܘܳܐ ܩܳܠܳܐ ܗܰܘ ܟܢܰܫ ܟܠܶܗ ܥܰܡܳܐ ܘܶܐܫܬ݁ܓ݂ܶܫ ܡܶܛܠ ܕܫܳܡܰܥ ▁ܗܘܳܐ ▁ܐܢܳܫ ▁ܐܢܳܫ ܡܶܢܗܽܘܢ ܕܰܡܡܰܠܠܺܝܢ ▁ܗܘܰܘ ܒܠܶܫܳܢܰܝܗܽܘ̈ܢ

And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and were confused because everyone heard them speak in his own language. (Acts 2:6)

Doing

  • To develop in each student the ability to read, translate, and understand the texts written in Syriac. Also, to make students capable of translating and analyzing these texts written only in Syriac languages by the Syriac authors, e.g., Aphrahat, Ephrem, Jacob of Serug and others.