Holy Women of the Syrian Orient

The fifteen hagiographies about holy women of the Syrian Orient collected here include stories of martyrs' passions and saints' lives, pious romances and personal reminiscences. Dating from the fourth to seventh centuries A.D., they are translated from Syriac into accessible and vivid prose. Annotations and source notes by the translators help clarify elements that may be unfamiliar to some readers. This collection bears witness to the profound contributions women made to early Chistianity: their various roles, their leadership inside and outside the church structure, and their power to influence others. A new preface discusses recent developments in the field and updates the bibliography.

Sebastian P. Brock is Reader in Syriac Studies at the Oriental Institute at Oxford and is the author of The Luminous Eye: The Spiritual World Vision of Saint Ephrem (Kalamazoo, 1992). Susan Ashbrook Harvey is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Brown University and author of Asceticism and Society in Crisis: John of Ephesus and the Lives of the Eastern Saints (California, 1990).

Note on the Translation and Acknowledgments
Abbreviations 
Map 
Preface to the Paperback Edition 
Updated Bibliography on Women in Syriac Christianity 
Introduction 
1 • Mary, the Niece of Abraham of Qidun 
Introduction
Mary
2 • Pelagia of Antioch 
Introduction 
Pelagia
3 • Persian Martyrs 
Introduction
A. Martha
B. Tarbo
C. Martyrs ofKarka d-Beth Slokh (Kirkuk)
D. History of Karka d-Beth Slokh
E. Thekla and Companions
F. Anahid
4 ·Women Martyrs of Najran 
Introduction 
A. From Simeon of Beth Arsham's Second Letter
B. From the Book of the Himyarites
5 ·From the Lives of the Eastern Saints, by John of Ephesus 
Introduction
A. Mary and Euphemia
B. Susan
6 • Anastasia 
Introduction
 Anastasia
7 • Febronia 
Introduction 
Febronia
8 • Shirin 
Introduction 
Shirin
Bibliography and Sources 
Index of Names