Out of the Flames: Preserving the Manuscript Heritage of Endangered Syriac Christianity in the Middle East, lecture by Dr. Columba Stewart, O.S.B (HMML, St. John’s University), Fordham University - Lincoln Center Campus, February 6, 2017, 6:00pm

The Syriac Christians of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, Syria, and southeast Turkey) are among the most vulnerable of minority cultures in the current Middle Eastern crisis. The culture is ancient and its manuscript heritage is among the richest in the Christian world. This lecture will describe the significance of Syriac Christianity as a counterpoint to historically dominant Greek and Latin Christian cultures, with a particular focus on the manuscripts that embody and represent Syriac heritage. It will also describe current efforts to preserve and share those precious manuscript witnesses in the face of determined efforts to destroy them.

Dr. Columba Stewart, OSB, a Benedictine monk as well as one of the world’s leading experts in Syriac Christianity, has written extensively on early monastic history and on exchanges among Syriac, Greek, and Latin monastic cultures. For more than a decade he has led a major effort to preserve the manuscript heritage of Christians and Muslim communities threatened by war and globalization.

We are pleased to welcome back to Fordham University the Reverend Gerald Blaszczak, SJ, who will provide the introduction. “Father Gerry,” as he is known, was a catalyst in the creation of the Orthodox Christian Studies program at Fordham University.

This lecture is part of the Syriac Studies Series of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, with additional support provided by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Theology of Fordham University.

Light refreshments provided.