The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century

Abstract

This edited volume presents a number of Syriac monastic and ascetical writers from the seventh century who were born and educated in Beth Qatraye (Syriac for Qatar or Region of the Qataris), of whom Isaac of Nineveh of Qatar is considered to be the most influential, continuing to exert a strong influence in monastic circles today. Many of the others, like Dadisho of Qatar, Gabriel bar Lipeh of Qatar, Abraham bar Lipeh of Qatar, Gabriel Arya of Qatar, and Ahob of Qatar were important Syriac writers on spirituality and commentators or exegetes within the Church of the East tradition. These writers, who all originated from and were educated in the Qatar region, reveal the presence of an important school of education that rivaled in its sophistication the other more well-known schools such as the School of Nisibis and the School of Edessa. The Syriac writers of Qatar produced some of the best and most sophisticated writing to be found in all Syriac literature of the seventh century, yet they have not received the scholarly attention that they deserve in the last half century. This volume seeks to redress this and to set the standard for further research in the sub-field of Beth Qatraye studies. This volume includes papers presented at an international conference held at Qatar University in collaboration with the American University of Beirut entitled The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century. The first of its kind in the Gulf region, the conference took place on 26–27 February 2014, and brought together some of the most prominent scholars in Syriac Studies. It was part of a three-year research project funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) under its National Priorities Research Program (NPRP).