Jeff Childers: Jacob of Serugh's Memra 9 On Praise at Table: A Newly Published Syriac Text

With the recent appearance of 160 Unpublished Homilies of Jacob of Serugh (Akhrass & Syryany 2017), many new works ascribed to the prolific late antique Syriac author have been brought to light. This communication will examine one such work: Jacob of Serugh's Memra 9 "On Praise at Table.” This memra (Number 52 in the new collection) explores wedding motifs, illuminating christological and ecclesiological dimensions of the groom, the bride, and the wedding feast. An analysis of the work’s vocabulary, literary style, and fundamental themes will provide insight into this unstudied text, enabling a comparison with the known cycle of eight “Praise at Table” hymns ascribed to Jacob. The analysis will help determine the nature of the new memra’s proper relationship to the known cycle and clarify its contributions to our understanding of Jacob's thought.