Syriac literature facts for kids

This old page from a 6th-century book shows the Syriac language written in a special script called Estrangela. It's a translation of a book called Asceticon.

Syriac literature is all the books, poems, and writings created in the Syriac language. This tradition is very old, going back to ancient times, and is closely connected to Syriac Christianity.

What is Syriac Literature?

When people talk about Syriac literature today, they usually mean writings in the Classical Syriac language. This was an old, important language used for writing and church services by Syriac Christians.

Sometimes, the term also includes Modern Syriac literature. This is written in newer versions of the Syriac language, called Eastern Neo-Aramaic. So, Syriac literature can mean both the old and the new writings.

Historically, the word "Syriac" was used by ancient Greeks to describe the Aramaic language in general. This means it covered many different types of Aramaic writing. However, today, scholars often don't include all Aramaic writings when they talk about "Syriac literature." Because of this, what "Syriac literature" means can depend on who is using the term and in what situation.

Classical Syriac Writings

A picture of Ephrem the Syrian from a 16th-century Russian book. He was a very important Syriac writer.

The very first Syriac writings appeared around the 2nd century. Important early works include old versions of the Syriac Bible and the Diatessaron, which combined the four Gospels into one story. Most Syriac literature was written between the 4th and 8th centuries. Even though Syriac writing continued into the 9th century, many Syriac Christian writers started to use Arabic more and more.

The "Classical Syriac language" is the formal writing style that developed by the 3rd century. The language from the first three centuries of Christianity is sometimes called "Old Syriac."

The earliest Christian writings in Syriac were Bible translations, like the Peshitta and the Diatessaron. Bardaisan was an important writer from the 2nd century who was not Christian. However, most of his works are now lost. An early example of Syriac writing is a letter by Mara bar Serapion, possibly from the late 1st century.

The 4th century is known as the golden age of Syriac literature. Two very important writers from this time were Aphrahat and Ephrem the Syrian. Aphrahat wrote homilies (sermons) for the church in the Persian Empire. Ephrem the Syrian wrote hymns, poetry, and prose for the church within the Roman Empire.

The next two centuries continued this golden age. Many important Syriac poets and thinkers appeared, such as Jacob of Serugh, Narsai, Philoxenus of Mabbog, Babai the Great, Isaac of Nineveh, and Jacob of Edessa.

Many Greek texts were also translated into Syriac. Some Greek works only exist today because they were translated into Syriac. For example, several works by Severus of Antioch (who died in 538) were translated by Paul of Edessa. A book about Severus's life was written by Athanasius I Gammolo.

After the Muslim conquests in the mid-7th century, the influence of Greek culture on Syriac writing slowed down. Around the 9th century, Syriac literature entered a silver age. During this time, writings became more like encyclopedias and scholarly works. Important writers included the Bible commentators Ishodad of Merv and Dionysius bar Salibi. The greatest writer of the silver age was Bar-Hebraeus in the 13th century, who knew a lot about many different subjects.

When the Mongols became Muslims, it was a difficult time for Syriac Christianity. However, Syriac literature continued to be written in Upper Mesopotamia and the Levant from the 14th century until today.

Modern Syriac Writings

Newer versions of the Neo-Aramaic (Modern Syriac) languages began to appear in the late medieval period. However, some writers continued to write in Classical Syriac until the early modern period. Even today, a formal literary Syriac language is still used by members of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Modern Syriac literature includes works written in the different everyday Eastern Aramaic languages. These languages are still spoken by Assyrian Christians. This "Neo-Syriac" literature combines old Syriac traditions with the more varied spoken language.

The first big growth of Neo-Syriac writing happened in the 17th century with the School of Alqosh in northern Iraq. This led to Assyrian Neo-Aramaic and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic becoming written literary languages. In the 19th century, printing presses were set up in Urmia, northern Iran. This helped make the 'General Urmian' dialect of Assyrian Neo-Aramaic the main standard for much Neo-Syriac Assyrian literature. Because it's easier to publish books now, other spoken Neo-Aramaic languages, like Turoyo and Senaya, have also started to produce their own literature.

Important Syriac Writers

See also