Religious Passions and Prayer Channeling Divine Disclosure: The Testimony of the Fourth-Century Syrian Fathers
In this paper, I investigate what role religious emotions, passions, and prayer may play in what may be called the religion of the heart in early Syrian theology, especially in the several works of ’Aphrahaṭ, Saint Ephrem, and the anonymous collection titled the <i>Book of Steps</i>, all...
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| author | Miklós Vassányi |
| author_facet | Miklós Vassányi |
| author_sort | Miklós Vassányi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this paper, I investigate what role religious emotions, passions, and prayer may play in what may be called the religion of the heart in early Syrian theology, especially in the several works of ’Aphrahaṭ, Saint Ephrem, and the anonymous collection titled the <i>Book of Steps</i>, all from the fourth century. In the original Syriac sources, one may see how in this vast corpus, religious emotions and prayer act as a corridor channeling the believer’s striving for the disclosure of the mysteries surrounding God. It will also be shown that while these sources advocate in unison for the heart’s function in connecting the believer with God, their respective interpretive theological contexts are different. These points are substantiated by virtue of a number of citations from the original texts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ea8ad1ca3c83444f8d278d2e6bb93e90 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj-art-ea8ad1ca3c83444f8d278d2e6bb93e902025-08-20T01:49:07ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-02-0116330510.3390/rel16030305Religious Passions and Prayer Channeling Divine Disclosure: The Testimony of the Fourth-Century Syrian FathersMiklós Vassányi0Department of General Humanities, Faculty of Arts, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary, 1088 Budapest, HungaryIn this paper, I investigate what role religious emotions, passions, and prayer may play in what may be called the religion of the heart in early Syrian theology, especially in the several works of ’Aphrahaṭ, Saint Ephrem, and the anonymous collection titled the <i>Book of Steps</i>, all from the fourth century. In the original Syriac sources, one may see how in this vast corpus, religious emotions and prayer act as a corridor channeling the believer’s striving for the disclosure of the mysteries surrounding God. It will also be shown that while these sources advocate in unison for the heart’s function in connecting the believer with God, their respective interpretive theological contexts are different. These points are substantiated by virtue of a number of citations from the original texts.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/3/305revelationmysticismSyrian theologyprayeremotions |
| spellingShingle | Miklós Vassányi Religious Passions and Prayer Channeling Divine Disclosure: The Testimony of the Fourth-Century Syrian Fathers Religions revelation mysticism Syrian theology prayer emotions |
| title | Religious Passions and Prayer Channeling Divine Disclosure: The Testimony of the Fourth-Century Syrian Fathers |
| title_full | Religious Passions and Prayer Channeling Divine Disclosure: The Testimony of the Fourth-Century Syrian Fathers |
| title_fullStr | Religious Passions and Prayer Channeling Divine Disclosure: The Testimony of the Fourth-Century Syrian Fathers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Religious Passions and Prayer Channeling Divine Disclosure: The Testimony of the Fourth-Century Syrian Fathers |
| title_short | Religious Passions and Prayer Channeling Divine Disclosure: The Testimony of the Fourth-Century Syrian Fathers |
| title_sort | religious passions and prayer channeling divine disclosure the testimony of the fourth century syrian fathers |
| topic | revelation mysticism Syrian theology prayer emotions |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/3/305 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT miklosvassanyi religiouspassionsandprayerchannelingdivinedisclosurethetestimonyofthefourthcenturysyrianfathers |