School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses
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ItemNo Preview AvailableThe Hexaemeron of Moses Bar Kepha : a critical analysis and translation of the second memra(University of Melbourne, 1974)
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ItemA translation and critical discussion of the Commentary of Dionysius Bar Salibi on the Book of Isaiah( 1970)This thesis arises from a keen awareness of the important place of the Old Testament evidenced by the New Testament's frequent recognition of its authority together with extensive quotation, particularly of' the books of Psalms and Isaiah. We note also the statement in Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy (p 32) that there are no greater prophets than Moses and Isaiah, and John Chrysostom's view that Isaiah's is "the fullest voice of all". The commentary of Dionysius Bar Salibi on Isaiah is part of his commentary on the whole Bible. It belongs to the twelfth century but embodies a variety of earlier hermeneutics from both Syrian and Greek sources. It has not been published so is available only from Syriac Manuscripts and an Arabic translation. My purpose is to put the commentary in a more convenient form for further study, and comparison with other works. The foundation of this thesis is a close study of the five Mss of the commentary which have become available to me. At this point I am particularly indebted to Professor A. Voobus of Chicago who kindly made available photographed copies of the Deir Za'faran, Mosul and Sarfeh Mss. Photographed copies of the Paris and Mingana Mss were made available through the Department of Middle Eastern Studies, University of Melbourne. The study of these five Mss shows that that of Deir Za’faran is the primary one. Though mistakes are evident in this Ms, the later Mss appear to be quite dependent upon this one. The thesis includes some introductory work on the derivation of the commentary and its characteristics. Writers like Rendel Harris and G. Diettrich have indicated that Bar Salibi’s Biblical commentaries are compilations rather than original works. However there could be original elements, and in any case the selection of some parts of earlier works and the rejection of others means that a degree of initiative has been used. In the case of Isaiah and certain other books, the commentaries from which Bar Salibi copies are not extant. This enhances the importance of Bar Salibi’s commentary on these books but greatly reduces the opportunity of assessing what is original to Bar Salibi. The bibliography shows what works of Bar Salibi have been published. It has not been possible within the scope of this thesis to make the kind of close study of these works that would be significant enough to contribute to conclusions on what sources may have been available to Bar Salibi. I believe the reproduction of the Deir Za'faran Ms together with exhaustive comparison with the four other Mss, to be original. Further, conclusions with regard to the relationship of the five Mss to each other are probably original because of the inaccessibility of some of the Mss. I also believe that the translation of this commentary into English has not previously been accomplished in full.
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ItemThe Psalm-commentary of Dionysius bar Salibi( 1974)The present dissertation consists of a detailed investigation of the commentary of Dionysius bar Salibi on Psalms 1-72. To begin with, the commentary is considered in its historical setting. Dionysius bar Salibi was a bishop in the Syrian Jacobite Church of the mid-twelfth century A.D. In a period marked by natural calamities and political and religious conflict, bar Salibi was an upright and strong leader of his people. His concern for integrity and moral rectitude among his parishioners and disciples is evident throughout the commentary. This strong ethical emphasis is combined with pastoral encouragement and comfort for those in need. An investigation of the liturgical setting of the Psalm-commentary has shown that the words of the Psalms provided a ready source for the composition of the prayers in the Jacobite liturgy. They also have an important place in the Daily Offices of the Church. The use of the Psalms in the Church's liturgies has strongly influenced the exposition of the Psalms in bar Salibi's commentary. Although a wider community no doubt shared in the Eucharistic Liturgy, the Hours of Prayer were largely celebrated by the monks and those seeking to join monastic communities. It was in the monasteries and schools that the Psalms gained a position of considerable importance, forming a basic part of the curriculum, and the fundamental ingredient of private devotions. It is suggested that Dionysius bar Salibi had people such as these monks in view as he wrote the Psalm-commentary. Dionysius did not claim originality for the ideas presented in his commentary. He saw his task as that of distilling from the works of previous writers the best teaching for the benefit of the people of his own day. Some of his sources he named, others he did not, but there is no simple formula to describe the origins of his work. The version of Scripture most frequently used in bar Salibi’s commentary is the Peshitta, though the Syro-Hexaplar is also quoted, as well as several other forms of the text. The Psalm-commentary, like all of bar Salibi's Old Testament comrnentaries, consists of two parts. In the "literal” commentary, the shorter of the two, the author generally interprets the Psalms in a historical sense, applying them to David, or some other person or occasion in Israel's history. The "spiritual" commentary has a much fuller, more homiletic character, and usually provides a Christological explanation of the Psalms. In fact, Christ is seen as the major subject of the Psalms which are used as a vehicle to convey the Church's doctrines about Man and God, and in particular about Jesus Christ. Finally an analysis of the extant MSS of this commentary was undertaken by the construction of a sample critical text, and the results evaluated. As a result of this investigation, the Sitz im Leben of the Psalm-commentary of Dionysius bar Salibi has been recognised in broad outline, and hence its general significance can be more clearly defined.