Literary text: CUL Or.1081 2.75.28

Description

Recto: portion of the beginning of a Syriac hymn ‘My bones shall cry out’. This hymn is also found in the Book of Beth Gazo. It belongs to the Qolo ‘The father has written a letter,’ melody no. 2. While the rest of the Syriac fragments at the classmark Or.1081 2.75 are clearly Syriac-Orthodox based on content, this hymn is particularly anti-Nestorian, as it starts, ‘my bones shall cry out from the tomb, “The Virgin gave birth to God”.’ The hymn then goes on to state that ‘if I have any doubt’ about this, may I be thrown into Gehenna with Nestorius’. Verso: alphabetical writing exercise in Syriac, repeating ‘in the name of the Father, the Son and the Living Holy Spirit’. Dating: ca. 16th or 17th century. (Information from CUDL and Kiraz, "Learning Syriac and Garshuni in Early Modern Egypt.")