Renunciation of the World

And thy garments also Are very beautiful ; But like a declining shadow They pass away ; —

I am agitated with fear On thy account, O world ! For if I love thee And if I cast thee off

I have cause for trembling ; —

Behold, all who enter into thee To trade with thy wares, Carry away with them A burden of crimes ; Thy riches are but vanity, As are also thy days ; —

1 renounce thee henceforth, O wicked world ! Woe be to whosoever Shall love thee, O world ! For he will be caught in thy snares,

And in the nets thou lay est for him. He shall lose his soul And yet not possess thee ; — I renounce thee henceforth

The warriors who were in thee. And the mighty men of renown j The proud nobility, And those who ruled others ; Where are they, where are they ? Come and shew them to me; —

Thou hast corrupted the beauty And hast taken away from them The children they have brought forth ; Thou hast destroyed the habitations

Of those who possessed them ; —

Thou hast caused wise men to err By means of thy treasures ; And led away captive the free By thy crafty wiles ; And made the simple thy prey By thy deceitful cunning; —

1 renounce thee henceforth, O wicked world !

Thou art a mighty sea, Agitated and tossed about By the winds and the waves Which tumultuously move thee ; He who tempts thy waters, Will sink within thee ; — I renounce thee henceforth,

And good things which are in thee, Disappear and pass away As though they had never been ; — And the precious diadems

Fade away within thee As though they never existed; — 1 renounce thee henceforth, O wicked world ! A fountain that gusheth forth With all that is wicked, Art thou, O world !

To those who are immersed in thee ; Evil indeed are the wages Thou returnest to all; — I renounce thee henceforth,

Thy aspect is a hateful one To all who have understanding ; Polluting is thy acquaintance, And deceitful thy love ;

Happy is that man Whom thou hast not denied ; — Youths and full-grown men, Boys and those of grey hairs,

Thou dost alike bewitch With thy pleasing allurements ; And then, as with fetters, Thou dost deprive them of liberty ;—

1 renounce thee henceforth, O wicked world !

To whosoever loves thee, Thou givest as an inheritance A pit which is rilled With torment and tears ; But he who hates thee, Inherits salvation ; —

RENUNCIATION OF THE WOULD. Those who inhabit thee Are deprived of their possessions ; Thou pullest them down

On those who were their masters ; And thou makes t unfruitful Those who should be mothers ; —

Head in the Scriptures, And learn there, my brethren, That the world passes away And becomes as nothing ; Let us then make provision For that which is permanent ; —

Omnipotent and merciful Is God towards those Who reject this world, Which is passing away, And meditate continually Upon that which remaineth ; —

1 renounce thee henceforth, O transitory world !

Glory be to the Good, To whom appertain Both these worlds, And all that is in them ; Both that which passeth away And that which remaineth ; — I renounce thee henceforth,

Come, my beloved brethren, Let us gain our own souls ; Let us reform ourselves In this transitorv world ;

That we may inherit life In that which is immoveable ; —

Come, let us exercise repentance In this world which abideth not ; And, acting like wise men, We shall gain our souls ; For the other world Belongs to God ; —

1 renounce thee henceforth, O transitory world ! Let us become, in our vigils, Diligent watchers ; And present continually Our holy prayers ; That with those virgins, Who displayed wisdom, We may meet the Bridegroom

In the day of His appearing. Come, let us be diligent, My brethren, in our fasting, And in our supplications,

And in pure affection ; That with those who were abstinent, And the pious blessed, We may enter and sit down

At the table of the happy. This piece is tetrasyllabic, and very perfect in its construction. INDEX I. OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED.

jjO-^j conflict, strife, a^ibv, 168. ]^0>] oven, 127. y»J\ as though, lest, 70. DCL-» and ]V)V) >*) how distinguished, 80.

P") to restrain, repress, 25. ^ either, 182. "jAoj] oppressions, 14. 1^^0X0*) dissipated, aWro?, 114. Ixso] merchandize, 154. \^ t OCf)] exercise, u(tktj<ti93 168.

a "bill, account of a debt, IS. ]Z*j to be present, 115. ]Ad50JD a gift, 138. ]; i fierce, sharp, as a sicord, 67. 1i_»A^ temples? 127. oJ|^to diffuse, spread abroad, 131. l-*r\^a satyr, 128. o^U-^to be agitated, 35.

202 INDEX OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED.

^^^to grasp the dust, 84. fc>]j a bear, 164. 50 J to impede, hinder, 66. form, appearance, 14. to doubt, hesitate, 35, ]j-»3 an ornament, 101. i^Oj^JCn a charioteer, yv/oxo?, 175. «-Q?1 to be severe, 15. io-i?1 severe, stern, 103.

];-»] a zone, girdle, 101. }yQJ2] a ventriloquist, 126.

a compact mass, 128. "jj-K* the indefinite article, 13. 5q«k> to despise, 17 ; to attend to, 182. ]}Q_k> grey hairs, 23. ]oV^-> a spectacle, 175 ; fair, pulcher, wine, 53. }Lo <?> 1 kj idolatry, SO, 112. ")5^-K» a drop, 154. ] 9\ >^>o searching, as medicine, 15.

^j/Lk^ to entice, 47. \\ i • k> peril, danger, 54. ^oA-kj to close a wound, 112. jh^ efficient, 176. ]iLo-> statue? 125. U^lOCLO a star, 129.

INDEX OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED 203 UoiiQD a trade, 138. li-iAD a temple? 127. |-«-»Ad possessed with a devil, 80.

yonder, demonstrative, 130, 154. Lq\ componere jurgia, 67. to speak, 96. ] Aj— as distinguished from 4, 53, 69.

« kkId disposition, 68. «^So to hesitate, 42. X^D to be profitable, 94. "il&O now, 155. 1? i *")V> betrothed, masculine, 84. Inm <_So the whole, 13. 3;iD to resist, 128. fc>Q-K> l^LD a creditor, 13, 139. A^]j^D potentially, 182. }y 1 ^AlO one offended, 139. i°)ni to fear, 112. ] <^ ^ one living in celibacy? 24. «nfO 1 to annul, abrogate, 156.

to be proper to any one, 69. . • r> i to strike head on the ground, 126. >;tnrn to ascend a 7w7£, 124. «,» i ff) to number, reckon, 114. .r^ \ro to enter a ship, 114. I^^JLCD an intercessor, 96.

204 INDEX OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED.

|oclk> ^L£D a creditor, 14. miSD to corrupt, 113. itSD to break open a wound, 112. ^>P> to remain at home, 166. ]V?V)\ gentile, heathen, adj., 5. ^V>S to close the eyes, 84. |;OS root, medicine, 155. « O « S to accuse falsely, 67. U-£d5Qlj2) a shroud, 84. ]j_s5cL£D superiority, 165.

«-jbO£) to depart, go away, 112. In > rci^> established, 183.

a blossom, a flower, 97. \^'r^ an image, 125. ^ &)\ to fare luxuriously, 83. *Q ffi °> to disclose, 26. ) \ i disposition, character, 156, )L*CLO truly, 142. }loau-0 a patron, 138. \lO L}j>..£) chamber, 51.

^2LO to twist, twine, 80. llf-O a gourd, 79, 103. jjj-O principal, accumulation, 69, 167. tcDjJD a chariot, 104. death, 175.

to be acquainted with, 37. INDEX OF SYRIAC WORDS ILLUSTRATED. 205

|^cn5 diligence, 71. ]-£Lk»o5 a name of the Holy Spirit, 183. o^J? »5 the zenith, 167. IZonn m a breaking forth, 37.

to natter, move by blandishments, 47, 166. ) 1 PnCLa rendered indulgence by Asseman, Introd., xxi. ]V) i kkj a private person, 112. to open, 156. ") 505 a skeleton, 94. ]5o^a a gourd, 79, 103. ,t~)\+ to practise, 51. Uoi a by-path, 168. *)2.0 iZ a change of mind, 102. \dL a clasp, 104. ]5qjZ a mantle, 54. ]Zu-I^5Z education, 131.

^52 to flow freely, 83. ]La±>L a lintel, 168. Page 24, last line but one, for 5 read 5 OP TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATED. Abullabasus, his letter on the Fast of the Ninevites, xxxii.

Abraham's offering of Isaac, observations on, 19. Accuse to, accusation, calumny, Syriac expressions for, 52. Asmodeus or Asmodai, the prince of the demons, 129. Asshur or Athoor, the name given to Mosul and ISineveh, 36.

Asseman, mode of spelling the name, xix. ; his infidelity as a translator, xx. Augustine's opinion of the Hebrew text of Jonah, xxiv.

Baptism only to be once administered, xx. ; mode of in the time of Ephraem, xlviii. ; the idea of immersion associated with it, xlviii.

Badger, Rev. G. P., his Nestorians and their Liturgies quoted, xxxi., xxxv. Bardesanes taught heresy in metres, xxvii. ; borrowed his metres from the Greeks, lvii. Bernstein, his edition of the Syriac Gospel of St. John, lix. Blackburn, Rev. J., his Rise and Fall of Nineveh quoted, 48, 82.

Bridegroom the, his return from the wedding, 184, Browne, Sir T., quoted, 129. Chald^ea, a term used for Astrology, 50 ; Chaldsean, an Astrologer, 50. Cherub guards the gate of paradise and of heaven, 183.

Christ the great Physician, 171, Chronicles of Cartaphilus, quoted, 65. Codex Syriaco-Hexaplaris, lix. Cyclopaedia of Biblical Literature quoted, 53.

Demons, sacrifices to, 82; Satyrs so called, 128. David, his sin and repentance, 151, 159. Debtor and creditor, the misery of described, 127. De Dieu, on Matthew xiv. 6, 50. Deluge described, 33 ; Patience

of God previous to, 38. Devil represented as black, 129. Drake, Rev. W., his Notes on

Earth auAKE attended the preaching of Jonah, 24, 93. Elias Damascenus, his account of the fast of the Ninevites, xxxii.

Ephraem, his works adapted for popular effect, xii ; the metrical form of his writing should be recognized in translations, xiv. ; his commentary on Jonah noticed by Asseman, but not

printed in his works, xxii. ; his ignorance of Greek, xxiv., xlii. ; his sermons metrical, xxviii. ; his early dream, xxvii. ; his habitual devotion, xlii. ; his personal appearance, xliv. ; his pupils, xlvi. ; hterary estimate of his Repentance of Nineveh, &c, lii. ; he exalts Old Testament characters, 48 ; his fanciful exposition of the history of Jacob, 66 ; attributes falsehood to Jonah, 111 ; remarks on his so doing, 115; remarks on his system of ethics, 66. Etheridge, Rev. J. W., his Syrian Churches, noticed, xxxi., lix.

Exhortation to Repentance, an, 145.

" Fast of the Ninevites" observed by the Syrian Churches, xxxi. ; origin of it, xxxi. ; traditions respecting it, xxxiii.

Fathers, the early Christian, not generally adapted for popular reading, xii.

Fasting, how discovered by the Ninevites, 59 ; extended to the beasts of the field, 60 ; remarks on the fasting of the brute creatures, 70

Fish that swallowed Jonah, 5.

Forbearance of God before the Deluge, 38; translation of 1 Pet. iii. 20, by the Peschito, 38.

Forgiveness, translated indulgence by Asseman, xxi. Free-will, Ephraem's opinion on, 182. Genesis, commentary of Ephraem on, 38. Gifts called blessings, why, 138.

Gospel revelation, historical development of, xvi. Gourd, what, 79; lessons taught by it, 103. Greek tragedians, their aphorisms, 113. Hebrew Text, defect of Ephraem's copy of, xxiii.

Hoffman's, Mr., Chronicles of Cartaphilus, quoted, 54. Horoscope, a, the Syriac expression for, 50. Indefinite article, example of, in Syriac, 13. Inspiration of Jonah, Ephraem's

view of, 91 ; remarks on, 95. Israelites, great wickedness of, Jacob's deception, curious use of, 66. Job, his temptations by Satan, 45.

Jonah, Commentary on, xxii. ; tomb of, at Mosul, xxxv. ; honours paid to him, xxxv. ; effects of his preaching at Nineveh, 7 ; his fidelity, 43 ; his vexation at the non-fulfilment of his prediction, 88 ; he is reconciled by divine teaching, 98 ; greatly honoured by the people, 100, 102; falsehood attributed to him by Ephraem, 111 ; he is defended from the charge, 115 ; tradition of his retirement to Tyre, xxii.; place of burial, xxxvii. ; remarks of a Puritan divine on, 79.

King of Nineveh, who at the time of Jonah, 64. Kitto, Dr., his Daily Bible Illustrations, quoted, 70, 71.

Lazarus and the rich man, 148. Lent, origin of the fast of, 52. Lord, forms in Syriac for, 153.

Manuscripts, great antiquity of Syriac, xxxix. Marcionists referred to, xx. Metres, Syriac, observations on, lvi. ; specimen of, 140. Micah, his four-fold God, what, Neander on Lent, quoted, 52.

Nebi-yoonas, Jonah's tomb at, xxxv. ; probable antique treasures beneath, xxxvii. Nimrod, remarks on his name and character, 67.

Nineveh, called a stagnant pool, 5 ; king of, who, 64 ; extent of the city, 53 ; its grand appearance to Jonah, 48.

Ninevites, the question whether they fasted three or forty days considered, xxiii. Peschito, Ephraem's use of, xli., et passim. Physician, the profession of, 57,

155 ; Christ the, 171. Prayer of the Penitent, 185. Prayer, an evening, 188. Pul, the king of Assyria, 64.

Renunciation of the world, 193.

Repentance of Nineveh, origin and intention of the homily, xxvi. ; literary characteristics of, xlix. ; Latin translation of, by Vossius, xxv. ; occasion of its composition, xxxviii. ; epic completeness of, liv. ; probable effects of its delivery, xlvii. ; metre of, lvi. ; repentance of the Ninevites, celebrated in the Syriac Churches, xxi.

Sabbath, observed by the Ninevites, 68. Sammael and Semolo, the prince of the demons, 128, 129. derer, 177; he overthrows the

house of the sons of Job, 46. Saturn, worship of, 133. Satyrs the same as demons, 128. Septuagint, discrepancy between

it and the Hebrew Text in Jonah, xxiii. Simon and the sinful woman, homily on, xlviii. Syriac Literature, great stores Syriac Philology, much to be

done in, xv. Syriac MSS., great antiquity of, xxxix. Syriac metres, lvi. Tammuz, who was the god so named, 81. Technical terms used by Ephraem, 84. Tertullian on the doctrine of

Plato, 50. Thesaurus Hymnologicus of YENTRiLoauiSTS, Ephraem's notice of, 126. Virgins, the wise and foolish, 148 ; supposed superior sanctity of, 154. Vossius, his translation of the Repentance of Nineveh, xxv. ; part of it quoted, 143.

Wine, the poison of dragons, 68. Zenith, Syriac term for, 167. Zingerle, his translations of Ephraem, lviii. Zodiac, Syriac term for, 130.