It has been a busy month here at Gorgias, with two conferences - one international! See the "Conference Report" section for more details. And in the News section, you'll find information about an upcoming Hollywood film that will bring attention to historical events in the Middle East, as well as information about three different Syriac language courses being offered over the summer, taught by Gorgias' president George Kiraz.

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• Recently Released
• Coming Soon
• From the Acquisitions Desk
• News
• Enthusiast of the Month: John Stephens
• Conferences

Below is a select list of recent releases. For the complete list, please visit our Just Published page.

Here is a select list of forthcoming publications. Click here for a complete list.

Reforming Ottoman Governance By Fuat Andic & Suphan Andic
The book is the history of reform attempts in the Ottoman Empire and the internal and external difficulties in implementing them. Imperialist aggression towards the Empire and bloody janissary revolts hampered the reforms, and although some successes in governance were achieved, there were many failures, and these contributed to the demise of the Empire at the end of the First World War.
ISBN 978-1-4632-0236-1, Hardback, $169 (Gorgias BiblioPerks $152.10)

Engraved on Stone By Rony Feingold
Cylinder seals were important instruments in the Ancient Near East, and were used in Mesopotamia from the beginning of the third millennium BCE to the fifth century BCE. This volume presents an analysis of 1000 cylinder seals (including 70 that are not yet published) from the Old Babylonian period, including the Isin and Larsa dynasties, and uses this analysis as well as data from written texts of the period to answer questions relating to the seal cutters and the production of the seals.
ISBN 978-1-4632-0167-8, Hardback, $95 (Gorgias BiblioPerks $85.50)

An East Syrian Manuscript of the Syriac 'Masora' Dated to 899 CE Volume 1: Prepared by Jonathan Loopstra
This unique manuscript of the East Syrian Syriac ‘Masora’ is essential for any study of early Syriac vocalization, accentuation, and punctuation. This volume presents a facsimile reproduction of this ‘masoretic’ manuscript. An introduction and comprehensive scriptural indices will be included in a forthcoming volume.
ISBN 978-1-61143-896-3, Hardback, $262.6 (Gorgias BiblioPerks $236.34)

Moses Bar Kepha: Commentary on Myron Translation and Introduction by Baby Varghese
Moses bar Kepha: Commentary on Myron is an important witness to the history of the West Syriac Liturgy. Fr.Baby Varghese has translated the Syriac text into English for the first time.
ISBN 978-1-4632-0214-9, Paperback, $43.55 (Gorgias BiblioPerks $39.20)

Insiders versus Outsiders Edited by Jacobus (Kobus) Kok & John A. Dunne
Christianity as a movement developed within the already established, but volatile Jewish movement/religion, expressing a profound sense of inclusivism illustrated in the transcendence of social boundaries. In this book the dynamic reality of creating and transcending boundaries and the relationship between insiders and outsiders are explored by way of reflecting on mission and ethos.
ISBN 978-1-4632-0257-6, Hardback, $171.145 (Gorgias BiblioPerks $154.03)

This month I’m pleased to announce the forthcoming publications in the fields of Christian Late Antiquity, Biblical Studies, and Early Christianity.

Pau Figueras, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at Ben Gurion University in the Negev, has prepared the next volume in our Gorgias Handbooks series. An Introduction to Early Christianity examines the apocalyptic and messianic doctrines of the Early Church, from its Jewish background to its liturgy and sacraments, monasticism, art and architecture.

The Armenian Prayers attributed to Ephrem the Syrian (edited and translated by Edward G. Mathews Jr) is the next in our Texts from Late Christian Antiquity series and it provides the first English translation of these poems, which exist only in Armenian. The prayers express a deep spiritual yearning using powerful biblical imagery. The text and translation appear together on facing pages.

The divine warrior is an important motif in the Old Testament. Charlie Trimm surveys this motif in "YHWH Fights for Them!" (in the Gorgias Biblical Studies series) and examines the development of these martial aspects in relation to the Exodus narrative, exploring the actions, terminology, weapons and psychological attacks employed, and the deployment of cosmic enemies against Pharaoh.

To see the full list of titles in different series, visit our series page.

Melonie Schmierer-Lee

Acquisitions Editor

An Introduction to Early Christianity By Pau Figueras
A general introduction to the origin and development of Christianity, from its Jewish background in the land of Israel up to its contribution to the throughout and art of medieval Europe.
ISBN 978-1-4632-0238-5, Paperback, $48 (Gorgias BiblioPerks™ $43.20)

"YHWH Fights for Them!" By Charlie M. Trimm
The divine warrior is an important motif in the Old Testament, leading many to study profitably the motif in its most prominent manifestations in poetic texts. This study builds on that foundation by examining the divine warrior in detail in the exodus narrative to construct a broader picture of the motif in the Old Testament.
ISBN 978-1-4632-0271-2, Hardback, $188.5 (Gorgias BiblioPerks™ $169.65)

Jacob of Sarug's Homily on the Creation of Adam and the Resurrection of the Dead Translation and Introduction by Edward G. Mathews Jr.
Mêmrâ 72 is a meditation on the fall of Adam and its consequences, subjecting all creation to corruption. God’s mercy, however, will restore everything to a spiritual, incorruptible state that will exist eternally in the unending light of Christ.
ISBN 978-1-4632-0264-4, Paperback, $41.6 (Gorgias BiblioPerks™ $37.44)

Hollywood and the Middle East

According to this article in the The Telegraph, Nicole Kidman will portray Gertrude Bell (a well-known explorer and archaeologist in the late 1800s, responsible in part for the formation of Jordan and Iraq) in an upcoming movie. Gorgias Press published Gertrude's account of her travels in the Middle East in Amurath to Amurath: A Journey Along the Banks of the Euphrates.

Syriac Language Courses

George Kiraz (president of Gorgias Press, director of Beth Mardutho, and PhD in Computational Linguistics) will be teaching three Syriac language courses this summer.

• Classical Syriac (beginners, immersion style) at Polis, the Jerusalem Institute of Languages and Humanities, from June 30 to July 25. For more information and to register visit the Polis website.
• Introductory Syriac (reading/writing) with Beth Mardutho (The Syriac Institute) in collaboration with Rutgers University (Department of African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Languages and Literature) from August 4–29. Students with no prior experience in Syriac will learn introductory reading, writing, grammar, and should be able to translate introductory texts by the end of the course. A hybrid method of teaching will be used drawing from both traditional reading/writing and immersion (conversational) models. Classes will be held Mon–Thursday, 3-4 hours per day. Students are expected to spend the rest of the day doing homework and preparing for the next day lesson. For more information and to register, visit Beth Mardutho.
• Intermediate-Advanced Syriac (grammar, advanced reading) with Beth Mardutho (The Syriac Institute) in collaboration with Rutgers University (Department of African, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Languages and Literature) from August 4–29This course is geared toward students who have already done Syriac and would like to dig deeper into the grammar and nuances of the language. A hybrid method of teaching will be used drawing from both traditional reading/writing and immersion (conversational) models which will allow the student to get a better command of the language. Intermediate-advanced texts will be read. For more information and to register, visit Beth Mardutho.

Gorgias Enthusiast of the Month: John Stephens

John C. Stephens is an author, a scholar, and researcher in the field of religious studies. He received a PhD in religious studies in 1982 from University of California, Santa Barbara. His areas of specialization include ancient Mediterranean religious traditions and the psychology of religion. He has taught introductory courses in religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara and California State University, Sacramento. In addition, Stephens has taught social sciences courses at the secondary level. Stephens’ research interests have focused upon the subject of ancient dream literature. Recently, Gorgias Press published his monograph entitled The Dreams and Visions of Aelius Aristides: a Case Study in the History of Religions. In 2013, Stephens wrote an article about the dream-diary of the second century CE Christian martyr St. Perpetua which was published in the peer-reviewed on-line journal The International Journal of Dream Research. Stephens resides in Modesto, CA. He enjoys reading, travelling and taking long walks. He has three children and four grandchildren. Here is what he had to say about Gorgias Press:

“I am extremely impressed by the breadth and scope of the many outstanding books which make up the various book series published by Gorgias Press. Taken as a whole, the scholarly influences of Gorgias Press are truly immeasurable for academicians.”

Check out John's favorite Gorgias books below!

Below are excerpts of reviews of a few Gorgias titles.

Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on Elijah Fascicles 9-13 by Stephen Kaufman:

“If one is not familiar with Syriac, yet wishes to read Jacob for his Biblical exegesis, typology, and theological insight, Kaufman has provided a superb contemporary translation...If one does read Syriac, the benefit multiplies for the reader who is able to see how a dynamic equivalent translation is produced both with integrity to the text and creative and graceful renderings into modern English. In other words, one can learn a lot about Jacob and his theology, the beauty of Syriac poetry, and the art of English translation.” Robert Kitchen, in Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies 17.1 (2014): 178.

Studies in the Historical Syntax of Aramaic by Na’ama Pat-El:

“The book helps position Aramaic syntax in more general linguistic debates, makes data from three thousand years of language history more easily available to practitioners of other subfields, and stimulates an exchange of ideas between Semitics and syntactic typology or even theoretical syntax. This must count as an important advance that shows great promise for future studies.” Holger Gzella, Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies 17.1 (2014): 151.

The Rabbis’ King-Parables by Alan Appelbaum:

""Appelbaum’s study is reflective of a methodological watershed in the study of rabbinic narratives. . . This approach should be extended to synoptic parables. . . and 2nd c. rabbis. Thus, [his] well-written book shows promising ways for studying the mesmerizing literature called parables." Eric Ottenheijm, Journal for the Study of Judaism 43 (2012): 381.

Christian and Muslim Dialogues by David Bertaina:

"Christian and Muslim Dialogues: The Religious Uses of a Literary Form in the Early Islamic Middle East is an informative book which meaningfully contributes to the literature on the religious meanings of pre-modern interreligious dialogical production." Caterina Bori, Adamantius 19 (2013): 607.

Conference Report: Syriac Writers of Qatar in the 7th Century

On February 26-27, George and Christine Kiraz attended a conference at Qatar University about the Syriac Writers of Qatar in the 7th Century CE. Several Gorgias Press authors presented at the conference, such as Sebastian Brock, Mary Hansbury, and Robert Kitchen. The diverse attendees are pictured above center.

Dr. Sheikha Haya Al Thani (pictured above left with Christine Kiraz, being given a copy of the Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage) began the conference by providing a survey of the archeological sites of Beth Qatraye showing ruins of monasteries and churches from Kuwait, Bahrain to Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, Gorgias Press was able to expand our relationship with Qatar University, connecting with the Vice President of research and presenting him with a copy of GEDSH, as well as a copy of George's Syriac Orthography (pictured above right).

All in all, it was an enjoyable, informative, and productive conference. Gorgias Press will be publishing the proceedings.

Conference Report: Syriac Writers of Qatar in the 7th Century

Gorgias Press exhibited at the 10th Annual Graduate Student Conference in Patristic Studies, Historical Theology, and History of Christianity in Late Antiquity at the Pappas Patristic Institute at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Boston from March 6-8. Here is a conference report from our Marketing Assistant, Jeffrey Haines.

The conference was a chance for us to introduce ourselves to rising stars in the field and to introduce some of them, in turn, to the wonderful world of Syriac. Our most popular item by far was the New Syriac Primer, but we also had a lot of interest in our Texts from Christian Late Antiquity series, which combines a Syriac text on one page with an English translation on the other. These books are inexpensive and an excellent way to become acquainted with the contribution of Syriac thought to the early Church. Pappas was a great time with great people, and for me personally, a chance to meet some of the past and present members of my graduate program at Notre Dame (Go Irish!). We wish all the attendees the best as they continue their academic careers.

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