Narsai

Narsai the Harp of the Holy Spirit (, ) was one of the most important poet-theologians of the early Church of the East. His homilies belong to the same late antique Syriac preaching culture as those of Jacob of Serugh and Isaac of Antioch, but they reflect the traditions associated with the School of Edessa, the School of Nisibis, and the writings of Theodore of Mopsuestia. His stature in Syriac literature is seen as on par with Jacob's, both only second to Ephrem the Syrian.

Narsai is venerated as a saint in all the modern descendants of the Church of the East; the Chaldean Catholic Church, Assyrian Church of the East, Ancient Church of the East, and Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Saint Narsai is known as the 'Flute of the Holy Spirit.'

Although many of his works seem to have been lost, eighty-one of his mēmrē , or verse homilies survive. which in turn is from Avestan Nairyō.saȵhō, meaning 'potent utterance'.

Life

Narsai was born at ‘Ain Dulba ( "Plane Tree Spring") in the district of Ma‘alləta in the Sasanian Empire (now in Duhok Governorate, Iraq). Being orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his uncle, who was head of the monastery of Kfar Mari near Beth Zabdai .

Narsai was a follower of the work of Theodore of Mopsuestia. Perhaps in 471, Narsai left Edessa after disagreeing with the city's bishop Cyrus (471–498). With the help of his friend Barsauma, who was bishop of Nisibis (although Narsai and Barsauma's wife do not seem to have seen eye-to-eye), Narsai re-established the School of Nisibis. and was buried in Nisibis in a church that was later named after him. Joseph Huzaya was one of his pupils.

Narsai's extant works belong to the distinctive Syriac literary genre of the mēmrā, or homily in verse. He employs two different metres - one with couplets of seven syllables per line, the other with twelve.

List of Narsai's homilies Name Number (Macomber) Number (Mingana) TranslationsAdditional notes On Revelations to Patriarchs and Prophets (I) 1 1 English On Revelations to Patriarchs and Prophets (II) 2 2 On Revelations to Abraham 3 3 English On the Nativity 4 -English On Mary (On the Incarnation) 5 - English On Epiphany 6 -English On John the Baptist 7 -English On Peter and Paul 8 4 English German On the Four Evangelists 9 - On Stephen 10 5 English On the Three Doctors 11 - French On the Iniquity of the World 12 6 English On Supplication FrenchProbable forgery On the Passion 36 -McLeod On the Repentant Thief 37 20English On Mysteries and Baptism 38 21 English French On Baptism 39 22 English French On the Resurrection 40 -McLeod On the Confessors 41 24 On the Martyrs (1) 42 25 On the Martyrs (2) 43 -Probable forgery On New Sunday (On the Forming of Adam and Eve) 49 29English German On Creation II 61 34French On Creation III 62 35 English (On Christology) 81 - English On the Feast of the Victorious Cross 82 (Title Unknown) 83 (Title Unknown) 84

Syriac editions

Major collection of Narsai's works, containing the full text of 47 memre and the incipits of 34 more -

Published translations

English

Four mēmrē on baptism and eucharist

Five mēmrē on dominical feasts - Christmas, Epiphany, Passion of Jesus, Easter, and Ascension of Jesus - these show Narsai's christological opposition to Cyril of Alexandria in a few places

French

Six mēmrē on Old Testament topics - on Enoch and Elijah, the Genesis flood narrative, Blessings of Noah, the Tower of Babel, the Tabernacle, and the Nehushtan

Memra on the Three Doctors (Diodorus of Tarsus, Nestorius, and Theodore of Mopsuestia)

Six mēmrē on creation

Five mēmrē on Parables of Jesus - of the Ten Virgins, of the Prodigal Son, of the rich man and Lazarus, of the Workers in the Vineyard, and of the Tares

German

Italian