ELEMENTS OF SPIRITUAL ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE WRITINGS OF SAINT ISAAC THE SYRIAN: ܗܘܢܐ – HAWNĀ, ܡܕܥܐ – MADʿĀ, ܪܥܝܢܐ – REʿYĀNĀ, ܬܪܥܝܬܐ – TARʿĪTĀ
ELEMENTS OF SPIRITUAL ANTHROPOLOGY IN THE WRITINGS OF SAINT ISAAC THE SYRIAN: ܗܘܢܐ – HAWNĀ, ܡܕܥܐ – MADʿĀ, ܪܥܝܢܐ – REʿYĀNĀ, ܬܪܥܝܬܐ – TARʿĪTĀ

Summary/Abstract: In this study, we aim to present the Syriac anthropological terminology used by Saint Isaac the Syrian, since, as A. Corbu, "the study of the terminology of any spiritual author is fundamental to understanding how he conveys his ideas and his spiritual universe, especially when this knowledge goes beyond the simple classifications imposed by language." Terms such as ܗܘܢܐ (hawna), ܡܕܥܐ (madʿa), ܪܥܝܢܐ (re'yana), and ܬܪܝܬܐ (tarʿita) are particularly important for understanding St. Isaac's Syriac-Oriental anthropological vision. However, when attempting to establish analogies with Greek anthropological terminology, great caution and discernment are required, as "there are misleading semantic areas common to better-known terms in Greek." As Hieromonk A. Corbu points out, even if we understand the Greek meanings of the terms vοῦς, λόγος, or διάνοια, this does not automatically imply an understanding of the Syriac terms ܗܘܢܐ (hawna), ܡܕܥܐ (madʿa), ܪܥܝܢܐ (re'yana), ܬܪܝܬܐ (tarʿita), "which only apparently and conventionally correspond to them."

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