The letter of Mara bar Sarapion in context : proceedings of the symposium held at Utrecht University, 10-12 December 2009 / / edited by Annette Merz and Teun L. Tieleman.

• TeilnehmendeR: Merz, Annette.; Tieleman, Teun.
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Language: English
• Series: Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 58.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (264 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

The Letter of Mara bar Sarapion to his son – preserved in a single Syriac manuscript (7th. century CE) – still speaks to its readers, evocatively depicting the dramatic situation of a nobleman imprisoned after the Roman capture of Samosata, capital of Commagene. The letter is best known today for a passage on the “wise king of the Jews,” which may be one of the earliest pagan testimonies concerning Jesus Christ. Ongoing controversy over the letter’s date, nature, and purpose has, however, led to the widespread neglect of this intriguing document. In the present volume, Merz and Tieleman have brought together cutting-edge research from an interdisciplinary team of leading experts that significantly advances our appreciation of the letter and its historical context.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material -- 1. General Introduction / Annette Merz and Teun Tieleman -- 2. Making Use of History beyond the Euphrates: Political Views, Cultural Traditions, and Historical Contexts in the Letter of Mara bar Sarapion / Michael A. Speidel -- 3. Cultural Responses from Kingdom to Province: The Romanisation of Commagene, Local Identities and the Mara bar Sarapion Letter / Miguel John Versluys -- 4. Languages, Cultural Identities and Elites in the Land of Mara bar Sarapion / Margherita Facella -- 5. Religious Life of Commagene in the Late Hellenistic and Early Roman Period / Michael Blömer -- 6. Jesus as the Ever-Living Lawgiver in the Letter of Mara bar Sarapion / Petr Pokorný -- 7. Mara’s God(s) and Time / Albert de Jong -- 8. Where is Wisdom to be Found? A Plea in Favor of Semitic Influences in the Letter of Mara bar Sarapion / Pancratius C. Beentjes -- 9. Mara bar Sarapion and Greek Philosophy / David L. Blank -- 10. The Death(s) of Plato / Anna Ntinti -- 11. Consolation from Prison: Mara bar Sarapion and Boethius / Pieter W. van der Horst -- 12. Mara bar Sarapion: Comments on the Syriac Edition, Translation, and Notes by David Rensberger / Ilaria L.E. Ramelli -- Index of Names and Subjects -- Index of Ancient Sources -- Maps.