The Letter Of Mara Bar Sarapion In Context: Proceedings Of The Symposium Held At Utrecht University, 10-12 December 2009 (culture And History Of The Ancient Near East)

The letter of Mara bar Sarapion to his son-preserved in a single Syriac manuscript from the 7th century1 and first edited, with an English translation, by William Cureton in 18552-is as intriguing as it is problematic. It purports to have been written from Roman imprisonment after military events involving Mara's hometown Samosata, capital of the kingdom of Commagene. Mara complains bitterly about Roman imperialism. At the same time, uncertain whether he will be released or executed, he speaks of the need to accept fate with composure. Facing the loss of loved ones, social status and material goods, he calls for the pursuit of wisdom, thus leaving his son his philosophy of life. Given its rich contents, this document is potentially important to various subfields of historical scholarship: the study of early Syriac and related Aramaic languages, ancient religion (including early Christianity) and philosophy, the military and political history of the Roman Empire as well as Near Eastern culture and society. Additional interest lies in the likelihood that we are dealing with one of the oldest extant specimens of Syriac literature, a text that may also be exceptional in being non-Christian.The letter of Mara bar Sarapion attracted some attention in the decades after its publication by Cureton, but the past century can only be described as one of comparative neglect.3 Today the letter is mainly known for the passage where Mara refers to the "wise king of the Jews," which has been regarded by New Testament scholars as a possible reference to Jesus.4 However, the interpretive issues surrounding this single "The Letter of Mara bar Sarapion to his son – preserved in a single Syriac manuscript (7th. cent. 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"--P. [4] of cover In The Letter of Mara bar Sarapion in Context Merz and Tieleman present an interdisciplinary collection of studies examining an intriguing yet neglected Syriac letter and its historical context.