The Astronomical and Calendrical Calculations in the 6th Hymn De crucifixione by Ephrem the Syrian in the Old Babylonian, Jewish and Christian Context

The Astronomical and Calendrical Calculations in the 6th Hymn De crucifixione by Ephrem the Syrian in the Old Babylonian, Jewish and Christian ContextВестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета. Серия III: ФилологияSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/KCAD7X5A/tei

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2025-05-20-05:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.Sofya VladimirovnaFomichevaThe Astronomical and Calendrical Calculations in the 6th Hymn De crucifixione by Ephrem the Syrian in the Old Babylonian, Jewish and Christian Contexthttp://syriaca.org/cbss/KCAD7X5Ahttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/KCAD7X5Ahttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/KCAD7X5AВестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета. Серия III: Филология772023107-124The article focuses on the astronomical and calendrical lore which the Syriac poet-theologian Ephrem the Syrian abundantly uses in his 6th hymn De crucifixione. In this hymn devoted to the interpretation of the three-day problem of Jesus’ resurrection, the Syriac poet and theologian employs some astronomical data, i.e., the duration of solar and lunar years, the duration of the lunar months, the necessity of the intercalations in the calendars, &c. The article analyses this lore in the context of the astronomical knowledge existing in Ephrem’s epoch. On the one hand, the article pays attention to the similar use of the astronomical data in many Jewish and Christian works of the 3rd and 4th centuries. In this period, the astronomical calculations were actively used both in Christian and Jewish milieux. On the other hand, the calculations by Ephrem reflect the peculiarities of the region of Northern Mesopotamia where he lived and wrote his works. For example, the article demonstrates that Ephrem could be influenced by the old Babylonian astronomical theory and could use in his computations the Babylonian “double hour”. It is also suggested that the calculations by Ephrem are strikingly similar to the ones in the “Panarion” by Epiphanius of Salamis. Epiphanius was probably acquainted with Ephrem’s works or used the similar tradition, which goes back to the Babylonian tradition. The conclusion of the article is that the calculations in the hymns are used to express Ephrem’s self-presentation as a scribe and a sage who obtains the cosmic “mysteries”. This picture is deeply rooted both in the old Mesopotamian literature and in Jewish Aramaic texts. It is pointed out that Ephrem uses the astronomical lore in the liturgical context rather than in the theological “scientific’’ treatise. Hence, Ephrem constructs a new religious and poetic narrative about the Crucifixion and Pasch, which has clear connections with both the Christian and Jewish traditions. Fomicheva, Sofya Vladimirovna. “The Astronomical and Calendrical Calculations in the 6th Hymn De crucifixione by Ephrem the Syrian in the Old Babylonian, Jewish and Christian Context.” Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета. Серия III: Филология 77 (2023): 107–24. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.15382/sturIII202377.107-124. Sofya Vladimirovna Fomicheva, The Astronomical and Calendrical Calculations in the 6th Hymn De crucifixione by Ephrem the Syrian in the Old Babylonian, Jewish and Christian Context,” Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета. Серия III: Филология 77 (2023): 107–24, https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.15382/sturIII202377.107-124.