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John of Apamea

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John of Apamea
Bornc. 5th century AD
Diedc. 5th century AD

John of Apamea (Syriac: ܝܘܚܢܢ ܕܐܘܦܡܝܐ[1]), John the Solitary (Syriac: ܝܘܚܢܢ ܝܚܝܕܝܐ, romanized: Yoḥannan Iḥidaya), or John the Solitary of Apamea was a 5th-century Syriac Christian writer from Apamea, Syria.[2][3]

His writings are strongly influenced by Evagrius Ponticus's works, which were available to him via Syriac translations of the time.[4] In turn, John of Apamea's works have influenced Isaac the Syrian, a prolific 7th-century Syriac Christian mystical writer.[5]

Name[edit]

In Syriac, John the Solitary is known as Yoḥannan Iḥidaya (ܝܘܚܢܢ ܝܚܝܕܝܐ). Iḥidāyā (ܝܺܚܺܝܕܳܝܳܐ), derived from the root yḥd ‘one’, translates to 'solitary', 'alone', 'monk', or 'hermit'. The Greek equivalent is μοναχός (monachós).[6]

Historic identity[edit]

The identity of the historic John of Apamea is controversial. Some scholars have proposed that he may have in fact been two or three separate individuals.[7]

John the Solitary of Apamea is not to be confused with two other people also called "John of Apamea":[2]

Silent prayer[edit]

John of Apamea is known for his innovative ideas on silent prayer. Ashkelony (2012) states that John of Apamea is the earliest known Christian writer to systematically write about a theory of silent prayer. In the Dialogue on the Soul, John of Apamea proposes that the three stages (or levels) of silent prayer are those of the body, soul, and finally, the spirit. As such, there are three levels of stillness. The first is the cessation of speech; the second is the stillness of the soul in which the mind no longer has to fight distracting thoughts; and last of all, the stillness of the spirit in which stillness passes beyond the soul or ego.[4]

Writings[edit]

Below is a comprehensive bibliography of writings by John of Apamea, from Sebastian Brock (1995).[8]

  • Commentary on Qohelet (Ecclesiastes)
  • Kephalaia
  • Letters
  • Letter to Hesychius[9]
  • On Prayer[10]
  • Questions
  • Dialogue on the Soul[11]
  • Dialogues with Thaumasios
  • Tractates

BL Add. 17170[edit]

BL Add. 17170 (i.e., British Library Additional Manuscript 17170) is an Estrangela Syriac manuscript dated to 774-5 A.D. with 88 vellum leaves that contains various writings of John of Apamea. There are two columns of text on each page.[12] Below are various texts attributed to John of Apamea in the manuscript, as cited in Strothmann (1972):[13]

  • End of Second Discourse on the New World
  • Discourse on the fulfilment of the future promises
  • Questions and answers
  • Discourses on the Beatitudes
  • Discourse on Romans 8:18
  • Discourse on Ephesians 6:11
  • Exhortation to love
  • Rules and orders
  • Exhortation to virtue
  • Consolatory address to those persecuted for Christ’s sake
  • Letter to Marcianus
  • Letter to Hesychius
  • Letter of Thaumasios to John
  • Three discourses on the mystery of the dispensation of Christ, addressed to Thaumasios
  • Letter of John to Thaumasios
  • Beatitudes

See also[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to John of Apamea.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "John of Apamea". Syriaca.org. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  2. ^ a b "Yoḥannan Iḥidaya". Beth Mardutho, The Syriac Institute, Gorgias Press. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  3. ^ Acosta, Dempsey Rosales (2014). From John of Apamea to Mark's Gospel. New York: Peter Lang Incorporated, International Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4331-2616-1.
  4. ^ a b Bitton-Ashkelony, Brouria (2012). ""More Interior than the Lips and the Tongue": John of Apamea and Silent Prayer in Late Antiquity". Journal of Early Christian Studies. 20 (2): 303–331. doi:10.1353/earl.2012.0011. ISSN 1086-3184.
  5. ^ Bitton-Ashkelony, Brouria (2011). "The Limit of the Mind (NOΥΣ): Pure Prayer according to Evagrius Ponticus and Isaac of Nineveh". Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum / Journal of Ancient Christianity. 15 (2). doi:10.1515/zac.2011.15. ISSN 1612-961X.
  6. ^ "Iḥidāyā (e-GEDSH: Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition)". Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  7. ^ Acosta, Dempsey Rosales (2014). "John of Apamea: His Identity and his dualistic anthropological conception". Revista Teología y Cultura (in Spanish). 16: 84–105. ISSN 1668-6233. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  8. ^ Brock, Sebastian (translator). 1995. Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian): The Second Part, Chapters 4–41. ISBN 9789068317091.
  9. ^ "Letter to Hesychius". Luke Dysinger. Retrieved 2024-06-03.
  10. ^ Brock, Sebastian (1979). "John the Solitary, "On Prayer"". The Journal of Theological Studies. 30 (1). Oxford University Press: 84–101. ISSN 0022-5185. JSTOR 23961671.
  11. ^ Ed. Sven Dedering, Johannes von Lykopolis: Ein Dialog über die Seele und die Affekte des Menschen (Leiden: Brill, 1936) (in German); trans. Irénée Hausherr, Jean le Solitaire (Pseudo-Jean de Lycopolis). Dialogue sur l’âme et les passions des hommes, OCA 120 (Rome: Pontificium Institutum Orientalium Studiorum, 1939). (in French)
  12. ^ Laster, Ethan K. (2019). "John the Solitary's Epistle to Marcianus: Edition, Translation, and Analysis". Abilene Christian University. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
  13. ^ Strothmann, Werner (1972). Johannes von Apamea. Patristische Texte und Studien. Vol. 11. pp. 5–44.
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