Table of Contents

McVey, Kathleen E., “Saint Ephrem’s Portrayal of the Samaritan Woman at the Well”, SOPJ 57 (2019), 1-23.

Abstract: This study examines Ephrem the Syrian’s interpretation of the Samaritan woman in John 4, focusing on Hymns on Virginity 22–23 and the Commentary on the Diatessaron. The analysis highlights Ephrem’s integration of Johannine narrative, Samaritan expectations of a Mosaic eschatological prophet, and symbolic readings of “living water.” Special attention is given to his treatment of the woman’s marital history, her spiritual progression, and her boldness as a witness. The study also compares Ephrem’s approach with earlier Greek commentators, particularly Heracleon and Origen, noting convergences in spiritual typology and differences in theological emphasis. Ephrem’s distinctive synthesis reveals an early and nuanced reception of the Johannine account.

Kitchen, Robert, “Jacob of Serugh: “When Our Lord Walked Upon the Waves of the Sea”, SOPJ 57 (2019), 25-81.

Abstract: This study examines Jacob of Serugh’s newly published mīmrō “When Our Lord Walked Upon the Waves of the Sea”, preserved among 160 previously unpublished homilies. The article analyzes Jacob’s exegetical method as he interweaves Matthew 14’s two narratives—the Feeding of the Five Thousand and Christ’s walking on the sea—into a unified theological drama. Jacob expands the biblical text through typology, metaphor, and pedagogical imagery, portraying the sea as a teacher and Simeon Peter as the model disciple whose faith, doubt, and rescue become paradigms for the Church. The study highlights Jacob’s literary artistry, his engagement with Ephrem’s imagery, and his pastoral aim: to draw listeners into the narrative as participants learning anew to confess Christ as the Son of God.

Youssef, Youhanna Nessim, “The quotation of Severus of Antioch in a work of the Eighteenth century”, SOPJ 57 (2019), 83-102.

Abstract: This study examines an eighteenth‑century Coptic Arabic quotation attributed to Severus of Antioch, preserved in several manuscripts produced during periods of Catholic–Coptic tension in Upper Egypt. Although Severus’ Greek corpus was largely lost after the eleventh century, the text resurfaced in letters exchanged between the layman Marqus al‑Mashriqī al‑Mallawānī and a Coptic convert to Catholicism. Through manuscript analysis—Paris Ar. 4786, Coptic Patriarchate 212, Dayr al‑Surian 341, and Mingana 55—the article reconstructs the historical context of these polemical writings and highlights their role in defending Miaphysite doctrine. The quoted passage portrays Severus as anathematizing Chalcedon and affirming the unity of Christ’s nature, illustrating how his authority was mobilized in early modern confessional debates.

Zino, Claude, « Les ordres (colonnes) mésopotamiens: Influence et survivance dans l’architecture syriaque », SOPJ 57 (2019), 103-126.

Abstract: This study traces the evolution of Mesopotamian architectural orders and demonstrates their continuity within Syriac Christian architecture. Beginning with early Sumerian innovations—such as palmiform, proto‑Doric, and caryatid‑like columns—the article highlights how these structural and decorative forms emerged from local materials, religious symbolism, and monumental building traditions. Through diachronic and synchronic comparison with Egyptian, Greek, and Roman orders, the research shows that Mesopotamian prototypes significantly shaped later classical architecture. The study then examines their survivance in Syriac ecclesiastical monuments, where vegetal, seraphic, and late Corinthian variants developed into a distinct sacred idiom. Ultimately, Syriac architecture appears as a direct heir to Mesopotamian creativity, transmitting its forms to Byzantine and Western medieval traditions.

Rizk, Charbel Samuel, “Två homilier av Jakob av Serugh om kyrkomötet i Kalcedon: En jämförande undersökning” [Two homilies of Jacob of Serugh on the Council of Chalcedon: A comparative study], SOPJ 57 (2019), 127-156

Abstract: Jacob of Serugh is one of the most important Church Fathers in the Syriac Orthodox Church. He has written about 760 metrical homilies half of which have been preserved and published. Only in two of his preserved homilies does Jacob openly express his views on the diphysite Christology of the Council of Chalcedon. The first homily, On the Council of Chalcedon, has long been published and translated into English by Sebastian Brock. The second homily, On Christ’s incomprehensibility and his birth of a virgin and against the diphysites, was recently published by Roger-Youssef Akhrass and Imad Syryany. In both homilies, Jacob argues for his miaphysite Christology and against the diphysite Christology of the Council of Chalcedon. However, once the homilies are compared, ideational and linguistic similarities and differences between them are discovered. These discoveries are presented in this article.

Ecumenical report

“Sixteenth Meeting of the International Joint Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches”, SOPJ 57 (2019), 157-161.

“Seventh Meeting of the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission, Communiqué 2018”, SOPJ 57 (2019), 162-163.

Book Reviews

Talay, Shabo & Barthoma, Soner Ö. (ed.), Sayfo 1915 An Anthology of Essays on the Genocide of the Assyrians/Arameans during the First World War, New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2018, pp. 412. By Emmanuel Turan, SOPJ 57 (2019), 165-185.

Moses Bar Kepha: Commentary on Myron, tr. & ed. by Baby Varghese, New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2014, pp. 88. By Ephrem Aboud Ishac, SOPJ 57 (2019), 185.

Forness, Philip Michael, Preaching Christology in the Roman Near East. A Study of Jacob of Serugh (Oxford Early Christian Studies), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, pp. xvi-322. By Marie-Thérèse Elia, SOPJ 57 (2019), 186-189.