How to Read the Gospel(s): Reading and Ritual in Late Ancient Syria
The present essay examines the ritual functions of Four-Gospel books, or tetraevangelia, in late ancient Syriac Christianity. Drawing on a range of sources-including tetraevangelia manuscripts, liturgical texts, and material evidence from late ancient Syria and Mesopotamia-the essay makes two primar...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
[2019]
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| In: |
The journal of theological studies
Year: 2019, Volume: 70, Issue: 1, Pages: 271-316 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Tetraevangelium
/ Syriac churches
/ Church history studies 400-700
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| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity KAD Church history 500-900; early Middle Ages KBL Near East and North Africa RC Liturgy |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | The present essay examines the ritual functions of Four-Gospel books, or tetraevangelia, in late ancient Syriac Christianity. Drawing on a range of sources-including tetraevangelia manuscripts, liturgical texts, and material evidence from late ancient Syria and Mesopotamia-the essay makes two primary points. First, it argues that the physical form and layout of Syriac Gospel codices conditioned how they were read, both inside and outside of the context of the liturgy. Second, it demonstrates that Gospel codices were not mere textual containers, but were themselves powerful ritualizing objects that manifested the physical presence and agency of Christ, again both inside and outside of liturgical contexts. In making these arguments, the essay engages with and contributes to research across the fields of art history, ritual theory, and late ancient studies. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4607 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of theological studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jts/fly086 |