The fourth day of the Symposium Syriacum continued the fruitful interdisciplinary dialogue established during the previous sessions, while also allowing for the exploration of new research methodologies in the field of Syriac studies.
The day's first plenary session was led by independent researcher Valentina Duca, who analyzed how the mystical language of Isaac of Nineveh took shape at the confluence of the Greek and Syriac traditions, offering insight into the circulation and transformation of spiritual concepts across Eastern Christianity.
The subsequent four parallel sessions addressed a wide variety of topics, which included the authority and formation of Church canon; the reconstruction and transmission of texts; the reception of the Gospels in the manuscript tradition; the intellectual life of Syriac communities in the 5th-6th centuries; the relationships between Syriac, Greek, Coptic, and Arabic cultures, as well as the Jewish roots of certain theological and literary traditions. Research dedicated to the schools of Edessa and Nisibis, the role of monasticism in the transmission of knowledge, and the evolution of the educational institutions that shaped Syriac culture attracted particular interest. The day's programme also included sessions devoted to the Syriac liturgical tradition, the work Liber Graduum, to patristic heritage and to the circulation of texts among the various languages and cultures of the Christian East, confirming the profoundly interdisciplinary nature of this shared heritage.
The day concluded with a plenary lecture given by Professor Columba Stewart (Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, St. John's University), titled "Completing the Circle: Bringing the Syriac Manuscripts of the Middle East and India More Fully into the Conversation." The lecture emphasized the importance of documenting, digitizing and integrating Syriac manuscripts from the Middle East and India into major international research projects, highlighting the role of inter-institutional collaboration in preserving and promoting this exceptional cultural heritage.
