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Syriac Language / Limba siriacă (predare în engleză)
The course „Syriac Language and Culture I” is designed for all those who wish to acquire a foundational knowledge of Classical Syriac (suryoyo), one of the most important languages of Eastern Christianity and a key vehicle of the rich theological, liturgical, and literary heritage of the Middle East.
The course follows the structure and methodology of the textbook Leshono Suryoyo by John Healey, Leshono Suryoyo gradually introducing students to the Syriac script, pronunciation, basic grammar, and essential vocabulary. Particular emphasis is placed on understanding the language through the reading and analysis of simple texts, with integration of grammatical explanations and concrete examples.
Alongside language instruction, the course also offers an introduction to the intellectual and spiritual world of Syriac literature. Participants will engage with selected texts and ideas of well-known Syriac authors such as Ephrem the Syrian, Isaac of Nineveh, Jacob of Serugh, Jacob of Edessa and Michael the Syrian. The selection of authors and texts can be modified and adapted to the specific interests and preferences of the participants, depending on their theological, philological, or cultural-historical focus.
The course is suitable for complete beginners with no prior knowledge of Syriac, as well as for students of theology, philology, history, and all those interested in biblical, patristic, and Eastern Christian traditions.
Its aim is not only to provide linguistic foundations, but also to develop sensitivity to texts, meanings, and the cultural context in which the Syriac language developed and flourished.
Marie Trezanini –
Pour les cours de syriac
Alina Stroe (proprietar verificat) –
Syriac was a surprising discovery! I had no previous knowledge just some Greek and Latin experience. The course followed the manual from the description – John Healey – a classical by itself in Syriac world. Srecko knowledge covers a consistent corpus of texts and he carefully chooses texts which match Healey level in order to practice the language on a real text and also get a glimpse into the Syriac culture. His solid knowledge in other classical languages – Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Biblical Aramaic, Old Persian etc – opens multiple paths for course evolution and topics to be discussed depending also on students background. For instance we had a class where we read passages from Luke and compare them to their Latin and Greek counterparts. He supported the approach with commentaries regarding words etymologies, theological aspects of semitic culture or Greek influence on Syriac. Separate readings on articles or books are also provided during the sessions to better support Syriac context of studied text. What is very important to know is Srecko’s flexibility when choosing a text and the upfront agreement on next step.
I appreciated also a lot the proposed structure with 20 sessions and 2h/session. It is a reasonable time to practice reading and translations during class, ask questions or expand the view with topics regarding culture, linguistics or religion. It requires some dedication but the reward is worthy. It had been an unexpected and enriching journey and I would encourage anyone to try this course given the fact Srecko is also learning Romanian and during classes we had also exchanges in Romanian!