Mapping the Literary Landscape of Ephrem’s Theology of Divine Names

Mapping the Literary Landscape of Ephrem’s Theology of Divine NamesDumbarton Oaks PapersSyriaca.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/KUWMHDY6/tei

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2024-08-15-04:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.Jeffrey ThomasWickesMapping the Literary Landscape of Ephrem’s Theology of Divine Nameshttp://syriaca.org/cbss/KUWMHDY6https://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/KUWMHDY6https://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/KUWMHDY6Dumbarton Oaks Papers6920151-13Situating the extensive corpus of Ephrem the Syrian (d. 373) within a late ancient framework is notoriously difficult. Scholars debate the degree to which he represents an unadulterated strain of “Semitic” Christianity, or something much more “Hellenized.” Ephrem’s understanding of divine names provides a microcosm in which to explore these larger questions. Ephrem reflects on divine names primarily in two works, the Hymns on Faith and Sermons on Faith, both of which contain hymns he composed in response to the christological controversies of the fourth-century. This article offers an examination of Ephrem’s theology of divine names, placed in dialogue with two sources that arose within a Syriac milieu (the Gospel of Philip and Aphrahat’s Demonstration 17) and two that arose within a Greek milieu (Aetius’ Syntagmation and Eunomius’ Apology). I argue for a direct correspondence between Ephrem and Aetius and Eunomius, but suggest that the Gospel of Phillip and Aphrahat provide a more nuanced picture of the backdrop against which Ephrem’s poetic thought emerged. Wickes, Jeffrey Thomas. “Mapping the Literary Landscape of Ephrem’s Theology of Divine Names.” Dumbarton Oaks Papers 69 (2015): 1–13. Jeffrey Thomas Wickes, Mapping the Literary Landscape of Ephrem’s Theology of Divine Names, Dumbarton Oaks Papers 69 (2015): 1–13.EphremGod's nameIV CEIV-VII CEtheology