Syriac Studies in Europe – Past and Present April 8, 12:30, Auditorium 217, Faculty of Oriental Studies
The focus of the lecture is the beginning of Syriac Studies in Europe with Moses of Mardin in the 16th century. A number of other oriental scholars followed from the Middle East and contributed significantly along with Western syrologists to the development of Syriac Studies in Europe and beyond. In time many other specialists from related fields became aware of the rich heritage of the Syriac tradition in the context of various oriental studies, such as Armenian, Arabic, Greek and Hebrew. The emigration of the Syriac community to the West necessitates a shift in the approach to Syriac studies. The Syriac project in Salzburg is an attempt to open a new perspective, building a bridge between past and present, as well as the academic world and the living community. Dr. Aho Shemunkasho, a lecturer at the University of Salzburg leads the Syriac project in Salzburg. Born in Tur Abdin, a native Syriac speaker, Dr. Shemunkasho studied in Germany and received his PhD from Oxford. He published his master thesis on Epiclesis in Syriac liturgy (Herabrufung des Heiligen Geistes) , Doctoral thesis on healing in the theology of Mor Ephrem and Habilitation thesis on John of Dara’s mimre on the resurrection of human bodies.
