Eastern Christian Stories
HMML Stories — Eastern Christian
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![Decorative Birds in Syriac Manuscripts](../../../assets/img/500x280/JW-birds6_SOAH_00279_004v_500x280.jpg)
Decorative Birds in Syriac Manuscripts
“Bird watching is typically an activity that...”
- Dr. James Walters
![The Mysteries & Rhythms of Nature, Seasons, and Time in the Armenian Liturgical Calendar](../../../assets/img/500x280/AS_Weather3_bzan00585_170r_169v_500x280.jpg)
The Mysteries & Rhythms of Nature, Seasons, and Time in the Armenian Liturgical Calendar
“Interwoven tapestry of the natural and spiritual worlds as observed through the Armenian liturgical calendar...”
- Dr. Ani Shahinian
![Let it Fall as Rain](../../../assets/img/500x280/JB-weather3_EMDA00408_Img_040_500x280.jpg)
Let it Fall as Rain
“Few things can impact daily life in quite the way that weather does...”
- Dr. Jeremy R. Brown
![Music Awakens One’s Soul...](../../../assets/img/500x280/AS_music1_apia00083_111r_110v_500x280.jpg)
Music Awakens One’s Soul...
“An answer to the question of what it means to be human...”
- Dr. Ani Shahinian
![Arthur Vööbus: Preserving a Legacy](../../../assets/img/500x280/WWT-mag4_1670_OP-gray-cover_500x280.jpg)
Arthur Vööbus: Preserving a Legacy
“Dr. Arthur Voobus was many things—a scholar, pastor, teacher, and refugee in exile...”
- Dr. James Walters
![The Legacy of Mūrisṭus’ Hydraulic and Pneumatic Pipe Organs in the Early 20th-Century Arabic Literary Culture](../../../assets/img/500x280/CG-music-2-Pneumatic_organ_500x280.jpg)
The Legacy of Mūrisṭus’ Hydraulic and Pneumatic Pipe Organs in the Early 20th-Century Arabic Literary Culture
“The organ is not the first musical instrument that comes to mind when...”
- Dr. Celeste Gianni
![Deadly snakes and remedies against their venomous bites in the handy charts of a copy of the “Kitāb al-diryāq” (Book on antidotes)](../../../assets/img/500x280/CG_death_1_Snakes.jpg)
Deadly snakes and remedies against their venomous bites in the handy charts of a copy of the “Kitāb al-diryāq” (Book on antidotes)
“The Arabic manuscript tradition is rich in medical works discussing remedies and...”
- Dr. Celeste Gianni
![Monastic Sisters on Their Deathbed: A Time to Remember](../../../assets/img/500x280/vz_LMMO_00232_100r-500x280.jpg)
Monastic Sisters on Their Deathbed: A Time to Remember
“The book of vows contained one manuscript...”
- Dr. Vevian Zaki
![Instructions for Burial: The Last Will and Testament of Ephrem the Syrian](../../../assets/img/500x280/Walters-DM_ASCBN-00057-500x280.jpg)
Instructions for Burial: The Last Will and Testament of Ephrem the Syrian
“Ephrem is perhaps the most widely known of all Syriac authors...”
- Dr. James Walters
![Postscript — A Swedish Saint in Syriac](../../../assets/img/500x280/DCA_00044_029v-500x280.jpg)
Postscript — A Swedish Saint in Syriac
“Stories about saints, much like their relics, rarely remain tied to...”
- Dr. James Walters
![Khalīl Janāwī: Scribe, Collector, and Artist from al-Mīdān of Damascus](../../../assets/img/500x280/vz-scribe2_SPFH_00051_090-500x280.jpg)
Khalīl Janāwī: Scribe, Collector, and Artist from al-Mīdān of Damascus
“Khalīl ibn Jirjis Janāwī was a scribe, a collector of manuscripts, and an artist who was...”
- Dr. Vevian Zaki
![Build a Church, Build a Library](../../../assets/img/500x280/jm-scribe_MBM_00400_005-500x280.jpg)
Build a Church, Build a Library
“If you want to establish a new church, you’re likely going to need some books...”
- Dr. Josh Mugler
![Tracing Scribal Genealogies in Syriac Manuscripts: The Naṣro Family](../../../assets/img/500x280/js-scribes-image7-500x280.jpg)
Tracing Scribal Genealogies in Syriac Manuscripts: The Naṣro Family
“The act of hand-copying a manuscript requires specialized skills that...”
- Dr. James Walters
![Reversal of Fates: Access Through Photographs can be a Counterbalance](../../../assets/img/500x280/TE_Fates_EMML_6533_004_OP-gray-5in-500x280.jpg)
Reversal of Fates: Access Through Photographs can be a Counterbalance
“Cultural losses continue to beset communities around the world, especially in areas subject to armed conflict...”
- Ted Erho
![Identifying Syriac Fragments in the Digital Age](../../../assets/img/500x280/JW-Fragment_6-500x280.jpg)
Identifying Syriac Fragments in the Digital Age
“What would you do if someone handed you a page that had clearly been torn out of a book...”
- Dr. James Walters
![Lifted on Wings](../../../assets/img/500x280/MT-story-img_5-500x280.jpg)
Lifted on Wings
“Angels occupy an important place in monotheistic religions. They are mainly presented as celestial beings...”
- Sister Marie-Thérèse Elia
![Postscript — King Solomon the Gynecologist, a Forgotten Tale From the Syriac Book of Medicines](../../../assets/img/500x280/postscript-dcjw-PLKI_HD_00001_036v-500x280.jpg)
Postscript — King Solomon the Gynecologist, a Forgotten Tale From the Syriac Book of Medicines
“The Syriac Book of Medicines is a fascinating compendium of medical lore from the...”
- Dr. David Calabro
![Signs in the Heavens — Astrological Books of Daniel in Eastern Christianity](../../../assets/img/500x280/dc-stars-OLM_1887_114r_113v-500x280.jpg)
Signs in the Heavens — Astrological Books of Daniel in Eastern Christianity
“In Syriac Christian communities, astrological texts were sometimes appended to medical books and...”
- Dr. David Calabro
![Why was Esau so Hungry? Genesis 25 in Arabic Manuscripts](../../../assets/img/500x280/story-vz_SMMJ__00267__119_500x280.png)
Why was Esau so Hungry? Genesis 25 in Arabic Manuscripts
“Among the well-known biblical narratives is that of the twins Jacob and Esau, and...”
- Dr. Vevian Zaki
![Parabiblical Literature in the Horn of Africa](../../../assets/img/500x280/te-st-image-3-500x280.jpg)
Parabiblical Literature in the Horn of Africa
“Biblical narratives often leave the audience wanting to know a bit more.”
- Ted Erho
![Tracing Folktales in Magic Texts — The Story of Umm al-Ṣibyān](../../../assets/img/500x280/cg-st-Image_7-500x280.jpg)
Tracing Folktales in Magic Texts — The Story of Umm al-Ṣibyān
“Despite having been contested in Islamic history by powerful groups rejecting them as illegitimate practices, magic and...”
- Dr. Celeste Gianni
![Postscript — Syriac Apocalypse of Daniel](../../../assets/img/500x280/te-jw-07_CFMM00281_201r_200v_OP-CMYK_left-500x280.jpg)
Postscript — Syriac Apocalypse of Daniel
“We live in a world ravaged by a pandemic, by wars, by all manner of catastrophic and...”
- Ted Erho
![Ottoman Soap Operas and Other Stories](../../../assets/img/500x280/jm-ottoman-3_CFMM_00974_069r_068v-500x280.jpg)
Ottoman Soap Operas and Other Stories
“HMML’s digital collections include entertaining stories from a wide range of linguistic and...”
- Dr. Josh Mugler
![The Emperor’s Manuscript](../../../assets/img/500x280/te-1_EMML_1480_fol_83v-84r-500x280.jpg)
The Emperor’s Manuscript
“Towards the end of Getatchew Haile’s first published catalog of Ethiopic manuscripts...”
- Ted Erho
![Where We’re Working: The Balkans](../../../assets/img/500x280/www-balkans-1_P1020272_OP-sRGB-500x280.jpg)
Where We’re Working: The Balkans
“When people ask how we find new projects for HMML, I admit that sometimes they just come to us.”
- Dr. Columba Stewart
![The Journey of One Armenian Manuscript](../../../assets/img/500x280/m-travel-6-ACC_00060_021r_020v-500x280.jpg)
The Journey of One Armenian Manuscript
“In 1945, a pharmacist living in Lebanon—Manaseh Kaprielian—presented a 17th-century Armenian manuscript to...”
- Malina Zakian
![From Cairo to Mardin, Manuscripts on Camelback](../../../assets/img/500x280/c2m_3_CFMM00385_002r-500x280.jpg)
From Cairo to Mardin, Manuscripts on Camelback
“This note is the sole testament to the manuscript’s remarkable journey from Egypt to Mardin, a city in...”
- Dr. Vevian Zaki
![Prof. Getatchew Haile — A Giant in His Field and in the Hearts of All Who Knew Him](../../../assets/img/500x280/getatchew_haile_lecture.jpg)
Prof. Getatchew Haile — A Giant in His Field and in the Hearts of All Who Knew Him
“Much has been said about the scholarly achievements of Prof. Getatchew Haile...”
- Joe Rogers
![Early Miniatures of Ethiopians](../../../assets/img/500x280/UNESCO_2-28_16v-500x280.jpg)
Early Miniatures of Ethiopians
“On this day seventy-five years ago, an early-14th century illuminated gospel book arrived at the...”
- Ted Erho
![Where We’re Working: Dayr Anbā Maqār, Egypt](../../../assets/img/500x280/www-Dayr-Anba-Maqar-Egypt.jpg)
Where We’re Working: Dayr Anbā Maqār, Egypt
“The Monastery of Saint Macarius is one of the oldest active Coptic monasteries in Egypt.”
- Dr. David Calabro
![Getatchew Haile, Ethiopic scholar](../../../assets/img/500x280/Getatchew-Haile-sm.jpg)
Getatchew Haile, Ethiopic scholar
“The work of Dr. Getatchew Haile, long-time curator of the HMML Ethiopia Study Center...”
- Ted Erho
![Where We're Working: Missionary Society of Saint Paul, Harissa, Lebanon](../../../assets/img/500x280/Lebanon_IMG_7306-500x280.jpg)
Where We're Working: Missionary Society of Saint Paul, Harissa, Lebanon
“Lebanon is one of the most religiously variegated countries in the Middle East.”
- Dr. Melissa Moreton