<TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0"><teiHeader><fileDesc><titleStmt><title level="a">Eukhitism and Anonymity in the ‘Book of Steps’</title><title>Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies 65</title><sponsor>Syriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portal</sponsor><funder>The National Endowment for the Humanities</funder><funder>The International Balzan Prize Foundation</funder><editor role="general" ref="http://syriaca.org/documentation/editors.xml#dmichelson">David A. Michelson</editor><editor role="creator" ref="https://www.zotero.org/cbsc_admin">cbsc_admin</editor><respStmt><resp>Record added to Zotero by</resp><name ref="https://www.zotero.org/cbsc_admin">cbsc_admin</name></respStmt></titleStmt><publicationStmt><authority>Syriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portal</authority><idno type="URI">http://syriaca.org/cbss/5NLHFL5Q/tei</idno><availability>
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    </availability><date>2025-05-20-05:00</date></publicationStmt><sourceDesc><p>Born digital.</p></sourceDesc></fileDesc><revisionDesc><change who="http://syriaca.org/documentation/editors.xml#autogenerated" when="2025-05-20-05:00">CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.</change></revisionDesc></teiHeader><text><body><biblStruct type="bookSection"><analytic><author><forename>Brian Edric</forename><surname>Colless</surname></author><title level="a">Eukhitism and Anonymity in the ‘Book of Steps’</title><idno type="URI">http://syriaca.org/cbss/5NLHFL5Q</idno><idno type="URI">https://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/5NLHFL5Q</idno><idno type="URI">https://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/5NLHFL5Q</idno></analytic><monogr><editor><forename>Erica C. D.</forename><surname>Hunter</surname></editor><title level="m">Šalmūtā Šapīrtā: Festschrift for Rifaat Y. Ebied in Honour of His Contributions to Semitic Studies</title><imprint><pubPlace>Piscataway, New Jersey</pubPlace><publisher>Gorgias Press</publisher><date>2023</date></imprint><biblScope unit="pp">229-248</biblScope></monogr><series><title>Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies 65</title></series><note type="abstract">The collection of ascetic discourses variously known as &lt;i&gt;The Book of Ascents&lt;/i&gt; otherwise &lt;i&gt;The Book of Degrees&lt;/i&gt;, or &lt;i&gt;Liber Graduum&lt;/i&gt;, and now commonly called &lt;i&gt;The Book of Steps&lt;/i&gt; (Syriac &lt;i&gt;ktaba d-masqata&lt;/i&gt;), has long been suspected of having connections with the ancient controversy surrounding the people known to their adversaries as Messallians. This Syriac term meaning ‘praying people’ was transcribed in Greek as Messalianoi or Eukhites (Ευχηται ‘prayer devotees’). Elsewhere, in my book entitled &lt;i&gt;The Wisdom of the Pearlers&lt;/i&gt;, I have expressed my acceptance of the relationship between &lt;i&gt;The Book of Steps&lt;/i&gt; and Eukhitism. This contribution examines the case more closely, and considers the question of the book’s anonymity, proposing that its connection with the Messallian movement caused its authorship to be concealed, rather than modesty on the part of its author.</note></biblStruct><bibl type="formatted" subtype="bibliography" resp="https://www.zotero.org/styles/chicago-note-bibliography-17th-edition">
  Colless, Brian Edric. “Eukhitism and Anonymity in the ‘Book of Steps.’” In <title level="m">Šalmūtā Šapīrtā: Festschrift for Rifaat Y. Ebied in Honour of His Contributions to Semitic Studies</title>, edited by Erica C. D. Hunter, 229–48. Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies 65. Piscataway, New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2023.
</bibl><bibl type="formatted" subtype="coins" resp="https://www.zotero.org/styles/chicago-note-bibliography-17th-edition"><ptr target="url_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;amp;ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fzotero.org%3A2&amp;amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;amp;rft.genre=bookitem&amp;amp;rft.atitle=Eukhitism%20and%20Anonymity%20in%20the%20%E2%80%98Book%20of%20Steps%E2%80%99&amp;amp;rft.btitle=%C5%A0alm%C5%ABt%C4%81%20%C5%A0ap%C4%ABrt%C4%81%3A%20Festschrift%20for%20Rifaat%20Y.%20Ebied%20in%20Honour%20of%20His%20Contributions%20to%20Semitic%20Studies&amp;amp;rft.place=Piscataway%2C%20New%20Jersey&amp;amp;rft.publisher=Gorgias%20Press&amp;amp;rft.series=Gorgias%20Eastern%20Christian%20Studies%2065&amp;amp;rft.aufirst=Brian%20Edric&amp;amp;rft.aulast=Colless&amp;amp;rft.au=Brian%20Edric%20Colless&amp;amp;rft.au=Erica%20C.%20D.%20Hunter&amp;amp;rft.date=2023&amp;amp;rft.pages=229-248&amp;amp;rft.spage=229&amp;amp;rft.epage=248"/></bibl><bibl type="formatted" subtype="citation" resp="https://www.zotero.org/styles/chicago-note-bibliography-17th-edition">Brian Edric Colless, <title level="a">Eukhitism and Anonymity in the ‘Book of Steps,’</title> in <title level="m">Šalmūtā Šapīrtā: Festschrift for Rifaat Y. Ebied in Honour of His Contributions to Semitic Studies</title>, ed. Erica C. D. Hunter, Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies 65 (Piscataway, New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2023), 229–48.</bibl><listRelation/></body></text></TEI>