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

The Book of the Laws of Countries

Dialogue on Fate of Bardaisan of Edessa


The Book of the Laws of Countries (BLC) by Bardaisan of Edessa belongs to the most important writings of early Syriac literature. The text reflects the intellectual climate of northern Mesopotamia and in particular that of the city of Edessa, at the end of the second century and the first decades of the third century CE.
Publisher: Gorgias Press LLC
Availability: In stock
SKU (ISBN): 978-1-59333-371-3
  • *
Publication Status: In Print
Publication Date: Mar 14,2007
Interior Color: Black
Trim Size: 6 x 9
Page Count: 85
Languages: English
ISBN: 978-1-59333-371-3
$105.00
Your price: $63.00
Ship to
*
*
Shipping Method
Name
Estimated Delivery
Price
No shipping options

The Book of the Laws of Countries (BLC) by Bardaisan of Edessa belongs to the most important writings of early Syriac literature. Bardaisan (154-222), a courtier at the court of King Abgar VIII of Edessa, was one of the most influential thinkers of his time. The BLC reflects the various cultures and the intellectual climate of northern Mesopotamia, and in particular that of the city of Edessa, at the end of the second century and the first decades of the third century CE. The BLC is the primary text for our knowledge of Bardaisan's ideas, as no writings of his have been preserved. The text can be divided into two parts. In the first part Bardaisan sets out his ideas about nature, fate and free will. In particular the liberty of man to act as he desires and the responsibility he has for his actions is emphasized by Bardaisan. This book includes the Syriac text of the BLC and the English translation by Han J.W. Drijvers.

Han J.W. Drijvers (1934-2002) was Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He was a Syriast and scholar of religious studies. He published widely on early Syriac literature, history and religions of the Near East and Hellenism, archaeology and religious phenomenology. Bardaisan of Edessa (1966), Cults and Beliefs at Edessa (1980) and (together with John F. Healey) The Old Syriac Inscriptions of Edessa and Osrhoene. Texts, Translations and Commentary (1999) are three of his important publications. Two volumes of his collected studies were published by the Variorum Press: East of Antioch. Studies in Early Syriac Christianity (1984) and History and Religion in Late Antique Syria (1994).

Jan Willem Drijvers is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, specializing in Late Antiquity. He is the author of Helena Augusta. The Mother of Constantine the Great and the Legend of Her Finding of the True Cross (1992) and Cyril of Jerusalem: Bishop and City (2004). Together with Han J.W. Drijvers he published The Finding of the True Cross. The Judas Kyriakos Legend in Syriac. Introduction, text and translation (Louvain 1997).

The Book of the Laws of Countries (BLC) by Bardaisan of Edessa belongs to the most important writings of early Syriac literature. Bardaisan (154-222), a courtier at the court of King Abgar VIII of Edessa, was one of the most influential thinkers of his time. The BLC reflects the various cultures and the intellectual climate of northern Mesopotamia, and in particular that of the city of Edessa, at the end of the second century and the first decades of the third century CE. The BLC is the primary text for our knowledge of Bardaisan's ideas, as no writings of his have been preserved. The text can be divided into two parts. In the first part Bardaisan sets out his ideas about nature, fate and free will. In particular the liberty of man to act as he desires and the responsibility he has for his actions is emphasized by Bardaisan. This book includes the Syriac text of the BLC and the English translation by Han J.W. Drijvers.

Han J.W. Drijvers (1934-2002) was Professor of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He was a Syriast and scholar of religious studies. He published widely on early Syriac literature, history and religions of the Near East and Hellenism, archaeology and religious phenomenology. Bardaisan of Edessa (1966), Cults and Beliefs at Edessa (1980) and (together with John F. Healey) The Old Syriac Inscriptions of Edessa and Osrhoene. Texts, Translations and Commentary (1999) are three of his important publications. Two volumes of his collected studies were published by the Variorum Press: East of Antioch. Studies in Early Syriac Christianity (1984) and History and Religion in Late Antique Syria (1994).

Jan Willem Drijvers is Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, specializing in Late Antiquity. He is the author of Helena Augusta. The Mother of Constantine the Great and the Legend of Her Finding of the True Cross (1992) and Cyril of Jerusalem: Bishop and City (2004). Together with Han J.W. Drijvers he published The Finding of the True Cross. The Judas Kyriakos Legend in Syriac. Introduction, text and translation (Louvain 1997).

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

H.J.W.Drijvers

Customers who bought this item also bought
ImageFromGFF

A Short Introduction to the Tiberian Masoretic Bible and its Reading Tradition

This book is intended to provide a quick introductory overview of the Tiberian Masoretic tradition of the Hebrew Bible and its background. It was this tradition that produced the great Masoretic codices of the Middle Ages, which form the basis of modern printed editions of the Hebrew Bible. Particular prominence is given to the multi-layered nature of the Masoretic tradition. The volume contains a section describing the Tiberian reading tradition, which is essential for a correct understanding of the vocalization system.
$47.00 $28.20
Picture of Seeing Islam as Others Saw It

Seeing Islam as Others Saw It

This seminal work continues to shape the thought of specialists studying the Late Antique crossroads at which Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, and Islamic histories met, by offering the field a new approach to the vexing question of how to write the early history of Islam. The new edition of the study produces the original text with the addition of a substantial forward in which Hoyland discusses how the field has developed over the two decades that proceeded the book’s first publication. Hoyland also shares some personal reflections on how his thinking has since developed and the potential impact of this on the findings of the original study. The book also includes new appendices that detail the later publications of the author.
$114.95 $68.97
Picture of John of Tella’s Profession of Faith

John of Tella’s Profession of Faith

John became bishop of Tella in 519, but left for exile only two years later when Justin I enforced the Council of Chalcedon which Syrian Orthodox Christians refused to accept. John became one of Justinian’s most dangerous ecclesiastical opponents by ordaining thousands of deacons and priests who formed the first generation of the Syrian Orthodox hierarchy. In the present text John lays out his faith in a way which gives an inside view of how a non-Chalcedonian bishop of the sixth century located himself and his co-religionists within the Christian tradition and how he understood the foundation of the Church.
$43.00 $25.80
Picture of The New Syriac Primer, 2nd Edition

The New Syriac Primer, 2nd Edition

A truly useful introduction to the Syriac language is a rare find. This practical initiation to the study of this ancient language of the Christian church speaks with clarity and authority. A fruitful integration of scholarly introduction and practical application, this primer is more than a simple grammar or syntactic introduction to the language. Writing in a style designed for beginners, Kiraz avoids technical language and strives for a reader-friendly inductive approach. Readings from actual Syriac texts allow the student to experience the language first hand and the basics of the grammar of the language are ably explained. The book comes with downloadable material so that readers may listen to all reading sentences and text passages in the book.
$48.00