You have no items in your shopping cart.
Close
Search
Filters

The Letters of John of Dalyatha

John of Dalyatha (690-780 CE) was a monk from a monastery near the Turkey-Iraq border. After living in the monastery for only seven years, he received permission to live a solitary life in the over 9,000 ft high mountains of Dalyatha where he spent most of his life. When he became too old to live on his own, he came down from the mountains, formed a community around himself and wrote these works. In them, John outlines the life itinerary of those who are baptized, the "Way of Wonder" - leading to the vision of God.
Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 1-59333-341-2
  • *
Publication Status: In Print
Publication Date: Jul 31,2006
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 348
Languages: English
ISBN: 1-59333-341-2
$80.00
Your price: $48.00
Ship to
*
*
Shipping Method
Name
Estimated Delivery
Price
No shipping options

The author of these Letters, John of Dalyatha, (or John Saba, the “Elder”) was born in northwest Iraq and during the eighth century was a monk in a monastery at Qardu, near the Turkish border. After seven years in community, he received permission to live the solitary life in the mountains of Dalyatha, where he remained most of his life.

John outlines the itinerary of those who are baptized: purification through repentance; fasting; prayer; struggle with demons; sanctification through silence; tears; wonder; divine light; union through contemplation; praise; assistance of the angels--leading to the vision of God. The Christian life after baptism is presented as an "anticipated resurrection"--a new life in the New World. Throughout the Letters, John speaks intuitively with great fervour, perhaps due to Macarian influence. But he always speaks with clarity, not analytically, but never imprecisely, perhaps revealing Evagrian influence. He speaks about God in human language.

Mary Hansbury received her Ph.D. from Temple University in Philadelphia, specializing in Early Christian Studies in a World Religions context. She has taught at La Salle University in Philadelphia and at Bethlehem University in Palestine. Previously, she translated On the Ascetical Life of St. Isaac of Nineveh and hymns On the Mother of God of Jacob of Serug.

The author of these Letters, John of Dalyatha, (or John Saba, the “Elder”) was born in northwest Iraq and during the eighth century was a monk in a monastery at Qardu, near the Turkish border. After seven years in community, he received permission to live the solitary life in the mountains of Dalyatha, where he remained most of his life.

John outlines the itinerary of those who are baptized: purification through repentance; fasting; prayer; struggle with demons; sanctification through silence; tears; wonder; divine light; union through contemplation; praise; assistance of the angels--leading to the vision of God. The Christian life after baptism is presented as an "anticipated resurrection"--a new life in the New World. Throughout the Letters, John speaks intuitively with great fervour, perhaps due to Macarian influence. But he always speaks with clarity, not analytically, but never imprecisely, perhaps revealing Evagrian influence. He speaks about God in human language.

Mary Hansbury received her Ph.D. from Temple University in Philadelphia, specializing in Early Christian Studies in a World Religions context. She has taught at La Salle University in Philadelphia and at Bethlehem University in Palestine. Previously, she translated On the Ascetical Life of St. Isaac of Nineveh and hymns On the Mother of God of Jacob of Serug.

Write your own review
  • Only registered users can write reviews
*
*
Bad
Excellent
*
*
*
*
ContributorBiography

MaryHansbury

Mary T. Hansbury, retired, has taught at La Salle University in Philadelphia and at Bethlehem University in Palestine. Her Ph.D. is from Temple University with additional work done in Jewish studies at Hebrew University and Syriac at Princeton University. She has previously published translations of St. Ephrem, Jacob of Serug, Isaac the Syrian, John of Dalyatha and is currently translating the CSCO edition (2011) of Isaac 3.

Customers who bought this item also bought
ImageFromGFF

Isaac the Syrian's Spiritual Works

Isaac the Syrian lived the solitary life in the 7th century. He was born in Qatar and subsequently lived in present day Iraq and Iran. After life as a monk, then briefly as a bishop, he withdrew to live the solitary life. These discourses are primarily for solitaries to consolidate them in the love and mercy of God. In this volume, the text of Isaac V has also been included because of the light which it sheds on Apocatastasis, of increasing interest in academic and ecclesial circles.
$90.00 $54.00
Picture of An Introduction to Syriac Studies (Third Edition)

An Introduction to Syriac Studies (Third Edition)

This Introduction aims to provide basic guidance to important areas of Syriac studies. The relevance of Syriac studies to a variety of other fields is explored. A brief orientation to the history of Syriac literature is offered, and Syriac is set within the context of the other Aramaic dialects. A thorough discussion on important tools (Instrumenta Studiorum) is presented; topics include grammars, dictionaries, the Bible in Syriac, histories of Syriac literature, bibliographical aids and relevant series, periodicals, and encyclopedias. This Introduction should prove useful both for the student beginning Syriac studies and for scholars working in adjacent fields.
$39.00
Picture of The Last Empire of Iran

The Last Empire of Iran

As part of the Gorgias Handbook Series, this book provides a political and military history of the Sasanian Empire in Late Antiquity (220s to 651 CE). The book takes the form of a narrative, which situates Sasanian Iran as a continental power between Rome and the world of the steppe nomad.
$90.00 $54.00
ImageFromGFF

A Brief Introduction to the Semitic Languages

With a written history of nearly five thousand years, the Semitic languages comprise one of the world’s earliest and longest attested families. This volume provides an overview of this important language family, including both ancient and modern languages. After a brief introduction to the history of the family and its internal classification, subsequent chapters cover topics in phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon. Each chapter describes features that are characteristic of the Semitic language family as a whole, as well as some of the more extraordinary developments that take place in the individual languages.
$40.00 $24.00