Reading Gregory of Nyssa Alongside Dionysius bar Ṣalibi: The Commentary on the Song of Songs in ms. Mardin 68

What is it about?

A mysterious text is transmitted among the biblical commentaries of the medieval Syriac author Dionysius bar Ṣalibi (d. 1171 CE). The text is labelled a preface, introducing Dionysius’ commentary on the biblical book of Song of Songs. Yet, who created it? On what earlier sources does it rely? Why was it included in Dionysius’ works? In this paper, we set out on a textual journey, travelling from a medieval Syriac manuscript (ms. Mardin 68) back to the late fourth century CE, when the Greek Christian bishop Gregory of Nyssa composed a series of lengthy homilies on the Song of Songs. Gregory was convinced that the Song’s celebration of human love needed to be understood in a spiritual way. We will trace the relationship between the anonymous medieval preface and the broader Syriac translation and reception of Gregory’s homilies. In this way, our paper aims to contribute to the study of pre-modern knowledge transfer practices and to shed light on the sometimes surprising afterlives of late antique texts.

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