Narsai’s “Memra on the Translation of Enoch and Elijah”
– introduction, translation, analysis and comparison Cover Image

Нарсајева „Мемра о пресељењу Еноха и Илије“ – увод, превод, анализа и поређење
Narsai’s “Memra on the Translation of Enoch and Elijah” – introduction, translation, analysis and comparison

Author(s): Boško Erić
Subject(s): Theology and Religion
Published by: Православни богословски факултет Универзитета у Београду
Keywords: Нарсај; мемра; сиријски језик; Енох; Илија; несторијанизам; христологија; сотириологија; Максим Исповедник;

Summary/Abstract: Narsai lived in the fifth century and he is one of the most famous writers who wrote in the Syriac language. He was the opponent of the council in Ephesus(431) and he is one of the defenders of the teaching of Theodore of Mopsuestia, Diodorus of Tarsus and Nestorius. The paper begins with a short introduction, after which the autor brings us a Serbian translation from the Syriac source of Narsai’s“Memra on the Translation of Enoch and Elijah”, followed by the analysis of the teaching found in this memra, as well as its comparison with the Orthodox one. Asan opponent of the decisions of the council in Ephesus and the defender of the “nestorianism”, in this memra Narsai presents some of the theses of his christology and sotiriology that indicate that the real incarnation of the Son of God is not necessary for our salvation, i.e. man is saved by the fact that God raises, elevates him by His power, not by solving human ontological problem, which has its basis in the fact that he is created ex nihilo. In addition to this, reading this memra leaves us withthe impression that even the resurrection of Christ does not have any special significance in Narsai’s soteriology. The lack of Narsai’s understanding of the way of our salvation and the Christ’s role in it, according to Orthodox theology, is presented inthe final part of the work, which makes it clearly visible that, through comparison with the teaching of the St Maxim the Confessor, for Orthodox theology is the fact that we are created from non-being and this problem cannot be solved by the raising, the elevation of man.

  • Issue Year: 77/2018
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 22-53
  • Page Count: 31
  • Language: Serbian