Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Svâto-Tihonovskogo Gumanitarnogo Universiteta: Seriâ III. Filologiâ (Dec 2021)
To interpretation of Syrian notions PARṢŌP̄Ā and QNŌMĀ (based on the Ishodad of Merv’s commentary on the Gospel of Matthew)
Abstract
The article is devoted to the specifics of the interpretation of the Syrian notions parṣōp̄ā and qnōmā, which are analogous to the Greek notions πρόσωπον ‘face’ and úπоστασις ‘person’. It is known that these notions acquire a specific meaning in the context of Triadological and Christological disputes in the era of the Ecumenical Councils. For Eastern Christians, in particular for scholars of the Antioch and Edessa-Nisibian schools, the interpretation of these Greek notions and their Syrian analogues differs from the interpretation set forth in the Acts of the 3rd and 4th Ecumenical Councils. Theodore of Mopsuestia (428), a biblical exegete and theologian par excellence, has always been considered as a bright representative of the first group. In this regard, many scientific works were devoted to the Theodore's position in relation to the notions πρόσωπον and úπоστασις. These works also considered the writings of prominent authors of Eastern Christianity such as Aphraate (mid. 4th century), Ephraim the Syrian (373), Nestorius (451), Narsai (502), Babai the Great (628), etc. However, at the same time, the works of Ishodad of Merv (9th century) still remain almost completely unexplored despite the fact that in his biblical commentaries he reflected not only the late exegetical tradition of his Church of the East but also the theology, which by the 9th century had undergone a number of changes and transformations. Thus, for the first time, the article is devoted to the position of the prominent medieval Syrian author in relation to the notions parṣōp̄ā and qnōmā, their lexical semantics and differential positions to each other. In addition, the novelty of the work also lies in the fact that the research is carried out according to the still unpublished and unexplored manuscript Dorn 622 (= St Petersburg Syr. 33), which contains the Ishodad of Merv's commentary on the entire New Testament.
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