The Syriac Book of steps
Subtitle: Syriac text and English translation
By: translated with introduction by Robert A. Kitchen.
Contributors: Kitchen, Robert A.
Edition: 1st Gorgias Press ed.
Series: Texts from Christian late antiquity -- 12
Publisher: Gorgias Press
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Piscataway, NJ
Language: eng; syr
ISBN-13: 9781593339784
Subjects: Christian life -- Syrian Church -- Early works to 1800; Monasticism and religious orders -- Syria -- History; Spirituality -- Syrian Church -- History; Syriac Christians -- Religious life
Genres: Early works to 1800
Work titles: Liber Graduum. English.
Description: "The Book of Steps is a collection of 30 sermons and Biblical interpretation by an anonymous author living in the Persian Empire (modern Iraq) during the late 300's. One of the largest examples of early Syriac literature, the Book of Steps describes the struggle of a Christian community prior to the advent of monasticism to live a faithful, committed life in the pursuit of perfection. The author details the aspirations and standards of the two ranks of Christians in his community: the Upright ones—married lay people who work in the world and perform the various acts of Christian charity—and the Perfect ones who are celibate, do not work, but live a life of prayer, while wandering through the region teaching and mediating conflicts. The Book of Steps is a unique work because it presents a living portrait of an actual religious community, not an idealized one, in the midst of a hostile culture. While the author advocates an ascetical lifestyle, this community does not practice the extreme physical asceticism so often associated with the Syriac church during this period. Unlike many works on the spiritual life, the author gradually seems to withdraw his praise for the higher rank, the Perfect, and begin to encourage, if not favor, the lower rank, the Upright."--Publisher's website.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: Syriac editor's preface; title: About those who want to become perfect; title: The physical and the spiritual ministry; title: On the vegetables for the sick; title: On the milk of the children; title: On those who are made perfect and continue to grow; title: On the commandments of the upright; title: Who gives all he has to feed the poor; title: On uprightness and the love of the upright and the prophets.