John of Dara On The Resurrection of Human Bodies

607 Pages·2020·5.534 MB·English

by  Aho Shemunkasho

John of Dara
On the Resurrection of Human Bodies
Bibliotheca Nisibinensis
4
Bibliotheca Nisibinensis is an academic publication of Fundatio Nisibinensis – a
foundation for promoting Aramaic Studies. It engages with Aramaic literature and
tradition in general, as well as with the socio-cultural, political, religious and
linguistic aspects of the present situation of the communities, which have preserved
their Aramaic inheritance.
John of Dara
On the Resurrection of Human Bodies
Edited and Translated by
Aho Shemunkasho
gp
2020
Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
www.gorgiaspress.com
Copyright © 2 0 2 0 by Gorgias Press LLC
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the
prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC.
2020 ܐܝ 1
ISBN 978-1-4632-4225-1 ISSN 1946-2220
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A Cataloging-in-Publication Record is available
from the Library of Congress.

Printed in the United States of America
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents ................................................................................................................ v
Preface ................................................................................................................................. vii
Abbreviations....................................................................................................................... ix
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1
Overview ...................................................................................................................... 1
Previous Work ............................................................................................................. 1
Context and Significance of the Study..................................................................... 4
Methodology ................................................................................................................ 6
Structure ....................................................................................................................... 7
2. The Historical Context of Syriac Christianity in the Ninth Century ....................... 9
Dara: From Village to Metropolitan See ................................................................. 9
The Political Situation under the Abbasid Empire .............................................. 13
The Reaction of Syriac Christians to Islam........................................................... 16
The Translation Movement ..................................................................................... 22
Syriac Literature of the Ninth Century .................................................................. 26
‘Resurrection’ in the Literature of the Ninth Century ........................................ 35
3. The Life and Work of John of Dara........................................................................... 39
John as the Metropolitan of Dara .......................................................................... 40
John of Dara’s Work ................................................................................................ 41
4. Edition of the Four Treatises of John of Dara On the Resurrection
of Human Bodies ........................................................................................................... 75
Introduction to the Edition ..................................................................................... 75
4.0 Chapters of the Four Mimre ...................................................................................... 91
4.1 Edition of Mimro I...................................................................................................... 97
4.2 Edition of Mimro II .................................................................................................. 133
4.3 Edition of Mimro III ................................................................................................ 193
4.4 Edition of Mimro IV ................................................................................................ 227
4.5 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 345
5. Translation of the Four Treatises of John of Dara On the Resurrection
of Human Bodies ......................................................................................................... 351
Chapters of the Four Memre ................................................................................ 351
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5.1 Translation of Mimro I ............................................................................................. 357
5.2 Translation of Mimro II ........................................................................................... 391
5.3 Translation of Mimro III ......................................................................................... 443
5.4 Translation of Mimro IV .......................................................................................... 475
5.5 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 565
6. Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 569
7. Index .............................................................................................................................. 587
Biblical References .................................................................................................. 587
Names and Authors ................................................................................................ 596
PREFACE
The following work provides the edition and translation of the four treatises of John of
Dara (+ 860) On the Resurrection of Human Bodies. The final mimro places the resurrec-
tion in the context of the renewal of the whole of creation on the Day of Judgement.
The Christian dogma of resurrection and the ecclesiastical understanding of eschatolo-
gy are the central points of the treatises. The great scholar of the ninth century, John of
Dara, collected extensive material and presented it in an elaborate, systematic way. In
addition to the spiritual understanding of resurrection, the treatises include material on
physical anatomy and psychology, as well as on the philosophical explanation of the
elements of creation. Furthermore, the text provides a terminological definition of
keywords. Theologically, the concept of the Creator and creation are in focus, along
with the logical proof of God’s existence, exegetical commentaries on the relevant
Biblical passages, and on the vision of the future world.
This volume was completed during my work at the Department of Biblical Stud-
ies and Ecclesiastiacal History at the University of Salzburg and was submitted as my
‘habilitation’ thesis in 2017. I am very thankful to my colleagues and assistants for their
help and support. In particular, I would like to express my words of gratitude to Prof.
Dietmar W. Winkler for offering me a position as university assistant in 2006 and as an
assistant professor in 2010. During this time, I started to collect material on John of
Dara and work on the four mimre.
At the same time negotiations between the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Austrian
Ministry of Science, the Archdiocese and the University of Salzburg started, and led
successfully to the establishment of a professorship for Syriac Christianity in 2014, a
postion that I now hold. An academic degree, Master of Arts in Syriac Theology, was
introduced in 2015, and a student house, Beth Suryoye, was established. In order to
achieve this, many leading figures were involved and I owe them my sincere gratitude
for their trust in the work I am doing: HH Mor Ignatius Zakka I (previous Patriarch of
the Syrian Orthodox Church), HH Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II (current Patriarch),
HE Kardinal Christoph Schönborn (Archbishop of Vienna), HE Dr. Alois Kothgasser
(previous Archbishop of Salzburg), HE Dr. Franz Lackner (current), Prof. Karlheinz
Töchterle (previous Austrian Minister of Science), MP Wolfgang Großruck (previous
President of OSCE), Dr. Wilfried Haslauer (Governor of Land Salzburg), Dr. Johann
Marte (previous President of Pro Oriente), Prof. Peter Bruck (President of Syriac Insti-
tute) and the committee members of Suryoye Theological Seminary Salzburg: Mor
Polycarpus Dr. Augin Aydin, Mor Philoxenus Mattias Nayis, Gabriel Malas, Abdulme-
sih Barabraham and Steve Samuel. In addition there are many other volunteers and
benefactors: such as the Austrian Catholic Bishops Conference, Evangelical Church in
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Germany (EKD), Initiative Christlicher Orient (ICO), Mor Gregorios Johanna Ibrahim
(Archbishop of Aleppo), Prof. Erich Busek (previous Vice-Chancelor of Austria), Dr.
Hania M. Fedorowicz, Dr. Victor Baillou, Dr. Alfred and Sissy Berghammer, Dr. Jo-
hannes Großruck, Joseph Leitner and Michaela and Robert Luckmann.
The idea of editing and translating John of Dara’s mimre in general was initiatied
and encouraged in discussion with Dr. Andreas Juckel (Insitute for Research on New
Testament, Münster), to whom I owe profound gratitude. I owe also heartfelt and
sincere thanks to Prof. Sebastian P. Brock (emer. Univesity of Oxford) for his counsel
throughout the work, particularly for the suggestions regarding the translation of some
technical terms.
I am very thankful to Elisabeth Humer, our librarian, who ordered the manu-
scripts from the western libraries: i.e. Birmingham, Bodleian, British, Harvard and Vat-
ican, to whom I extend my appreciation. I am also most grateful to HE Mor Gregorios
Saliba Shamoun, the retired Archbischop of Mosul for sending me a digitised copy of
Mosul ms, to HE Mor Philoxenus Saliba Özmen for the mss in Mardin, and to HE
Mor Philoxenus Mattias Nayis for the MS Damascus Patriarchat 4/4. I would also like
to thank HB Mor Ignatius Joseph III Younan for instructing the librarian in Sharfeh,
to show me the mss there.
During their visits to Salzburg to teach classes for the MA in Syriac Theology, I
had the chance to consult my colleagues, and I am thankful for their advice: HE Mor
Polycarpus Dr. Augin Aydin, Dr. Kees den Biesen, Dr. Ephrem A. Ishac, Prof. Hubert
Kaufhold, Dr. George Kiraz, Dr. Robert Kitchen, Prof. Erich Renhart, Prof. Hidemi
Takahashi, Prof. Shabo Talay, Prof. Herman Teule, and Prof. Lucas Van Rompay.
Above all, I would like to thank my wife Penelope for her encouragement
throughout my career and for proofreading the English text. This work is devoted to
her and to our three children Joseph, Rachel and John.
Finally, the greatest thanks and praise is to the Lord of heaven and earth, God of
the living and the dead for His endless mercy and compassion on me in strengthening
me in the growth of such work, and letting me experience the trust, love and support
of so many people.
ABBREVIATIONS

CPG Clavis Patrum Graecorum
CSCO Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium
GOF Göttinger Orientforschungen
JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society
JRS The Journal of Roman Studies
JTS The Journal of Theological Studies
LM Le Muséon
NPNF Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
PG Patrologia Graeca
OC Oriens Christianus
OCA Orientalia Christiana Analecta
OLA Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta
OLP Orientalia Lovaniensia Periodica
OS L’Orient Syrien
PdO Parole de l’Orient
PO Patrologia Orientalis
SP Studia Patristica
SSyr [Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium] Scriptores Syri
ThQ Theologische Quartalschrift
ZKTh Zeitschrift für katholische Theologie

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