Oriental Orthodox Library

[Athanasius Abdullah]

Dearest to Christ all:

Khristos Aftonf! Khen Omethmi Aftonf!

Recently, Subdeacon Peter Farrington of the British Orthodox Church (under the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate) has undergone a mission to translate and publish the works of prominent Oriental Orthodox Fathers.

Volumes published so far:

Vol I - The Selected Letters of St Severus

This collection of selected letters of Severus, Patriarch of Antioch, between 512 and 518, and perhaps the greatest theologian of the Oriental Orthodox communion, are presented here to promote the mutual understanding of all Orthodox Christians and to further the efforts towards reconciliation between the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches.

Vol II - The Council of Chalcedon Re-Examined

This work by the late Father V.C. Samuel of the Indian Orthodox Church is the fruit of an entire life devoted to the study of the Orthodox faith. It is perhaps the most important study of Christology and the Council of Chalcedon to be published in the 20th century.

It is an entirely eirenic study of these deeply controversial times and deserves to be read by every Orthodox Christian concerned to see the reconciliation of the Oriental and Eastern Orthodox communions.

Vol IV - The Selected Letters and Writings of St Philoxenus

Philoxenus (Syriac, Aksenaya) of Mabbog (died 523), was one of the best of Syriac prose writers, and a vehement champion of the Non-Chalcedonian doctrine in the end of the 5th and beginning of the 6th centuries.

He was born, probably in the third quarter of the 5th century, at Tahal, a village in the district of Beth Garmai east of the Tigris. He was thus by birth a subject of Persia, but all his active life of which we have any record was passed in the territory of the Byzantine Empire. The statements that he had been a slave and was never baptized appear to be malicious inventions of his theological opponents. He was educated at Edessa, perhaps in the famous "school of the Persians," which was afterwards (in 489) expelled from Edessa on account of its connection with Nestorianism.

In 485 he was ordained bishop of Mabbog by his Non-Chalcedonian successor Peter the Fuller (Barhebraeus, Chron. eccl. i. 183). It was probably during the earlier years of his episcopate that Philoxenus composed his thirteen homilies on the Christian life.

Later he devoted himself to the revision of the Syriac version of the Bible, and with the help of his chorepiscopus Polycarp produced in 508 the so-called Philoxenian version, which was in some sense the received Bible of the Non-Chalcedonians during the 6th century.

Many of his letters survive, and at least two have been edited. Several of his writings were translated into Arabic and Ethiopic.

This volume contains his 13 homilies, a life of Philoxenus, various credal statements and several letters.

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This is the first time that these works have been made accessible as such, and they are surely necessary in any honest and scholarly study of Oriental Orthodox Christology. The above works are available from www.orthodox-library.org

In IC XC
-Athanasius

[John Charmley]

Dear Athanasius Abdullah,

Thank you for posting this. The volumes are excellent and it is good to have them so ready to hand. The site also has an online library - although anyone who has found this site has access to even more of the riches of the Orthodox tradition.

It ought, in fairness, to be pointed out that the OOL is sponsored by the British Orthodox Church (website: http://www.britishorthodox.org/) which is, of course, under the jurisdiction of the Coptic Church, but the publications are not meant to push one point of view, and the Library publishes texts by those critical of the non-Chalcedonian position.

For those not familiar with the BOC, the website is a good place to start, and there are links to other Orthodox sites there.

In Christ,

John

[John Charmley]

Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,

It might be of interest to those on this site to note that the Oriental Orthodox Library has just published 4 more volumes. These are:

The Syriac History of Zachariah of Mitylene
The Syriac Chronicle of Zachariah of Mitylene is a very important source of information about the anti- Chalcedonian communion to the middle of the 6th century. It contains letters by many of the patriarchs and leading figures of the resistance to Chalcedon, as well as documentary evidence of the basis of the long standing and principled objection to the Chalcedonian position. This translation of the Syriac Chronicle of Zachariah of Mitylene was produced by F.J. Hamilton and E.W. Brooks in 1899.
From: £18.49

The Ascetic Discourses and Three Letters
Philoxenus (Syriac, Aksenaya) of Mabbog (died 523), was one of the best of Syriac prose writers, and a vehement champion of the Anti-Chalcedonian doctrine in the end of the 5th and beginning of the 6th centuries. The years which followed the Council of Chalcedon were a stormy period in the Syrian Church. Philoxenus soon attracted notice by his strenuous advocacy of Non-Chalcedonian doctrine, and on the expulsion of Calandio in 485 was ordained bishop of Mabbog by his Non-Chalcedonian successor Peter the Fuller . It was probably during the earlier years of his episcopate that Philoxenus composed his thirteen discourses on the Christian life.
From: £21.37

Commentary on the Gospel of St John - Part II
St Cyril of Alexandria is one of the greatest Fathers of the 5th century, well known for his contributions to the Christological debates concerning Nestorius, but his scriptural commentaries are less well known, and are harder to obtain in English translation. This commentary is especially important because it allows us to gain an insight into St Cyril’s theology through the medium of his writing about the Gospel of St John. This translation of the Commentary on the Gospel of St John by St Cyril of Alexandria was first published in 1885 and was translated by H.P. Liddon.
From: £21.67

Commentary on the Gospel of St John - Part I
St Cyril of Alexandria is one of the greatest Fathers of the 5th century, well known for his contributions to the Christological debates concerning Nestorius, but his scriptural commentaries are less well known, and are harder to obtain in English translation. This commentary is especially important because it allows us to gain an insight into St Cyril’s theology through the medium of his writing about the Gospel of St John. This translation of the Commentary on the Gospel of St John by Sy Cyril of Alexandria was first published in 1874 and was translated by P.E. Pusey.
From: £21.69

- all of which may explain why Peter Farrington has been quiet here for the past few days!

It is particularly useful to have the St. Cyril commentaries back in print.

More details at: http://www.lulu.com/orthodoxlibrary


In Christ,


John

[John Charmley]

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

For those interested in reading more of St. Cyril's works off-line, the Oriental Orthodox Library has now published both the two-volume commentary on St. John mentioned in the last posting, and also:


Selected Works of St Cyril of Alexandria
St Cyril of Alexandria is one of the greatest Fathers of the 5th century, well known for his contributions to the Christological debates concerning Nestorius. This collection of some of his important Christological and controversial works contains some of his most well known texts, such as 'That Christ is One', his writings against Nestorius, and his Scholia on the Incarnation. This volume also contains fragments fron his writings against Theodore, Diodore and the Synousiasts. This translation of these writings by St Cyril of Alexandria was first published in 1881 and was translated by P.E. and E.B. Pusey.

This is the tenth volume in the series being published by Peter Farrington and the British Orthodox Church, and there are more to come! The full list can be found at: http://www.lulu.com/orthodoxlibrary


In Christ,

John

[John Charmley]

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The full listing of the catalogue is at
http://www.orthodox-library.org/catalogue.htm
where you will see that there are now 11 volumes published, the most recent being:

Vol XI - The Bazaar of Heracleides

The Bazaar of Heracleides is the apology written by Nestorius, the bishop of Constantinople after his deposition and exile as a result of the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. The work appears to have been produced in 451 or 452, and is valuable because it allows the student of the Christological controversies of the 5th century, and especially those interested in the Oriental Orthodox response to those controversies, to come to an understanding of the considered theological position of one of the main opponents of St Cyril and his Christology.

This translation was produced in 1925 by G.R. Driver and Leonard Hodgson.


I don't know how Peter Farrington finds the time and energy to produce these volumes, but I am glad he does; as a work of mission it is a wonderful resource for those of us who insist of holding books in our hands.

In Christ,

John