Ebed-Iesu Sobensis Carmina Selecta Ex Libro Paradisus Eden

Abdisho bar Brikha, otherwise known as Ebedjesus, (d. 1318) was one of the most significant later authors of the Church of the East. His Paradise of Eden is a collection of theological poetry. In this work, the Jesuit scholar Henricus Gismondi presents ten poems from that collection, together with the proemion, in fully vocalized Syriac (Serto script) and in Latin translation. Subjects of the poems include, among others, wisdom, divine decrees, the Prodigal Son, and resurrection and perfection. A few pages at the beginning of the work cover some details of orthography and phonology relative to reading Syriac poetry. An appendix includes a set of scholia to the proemion and the poems presented. This collection of poems will offer readers a look into the theological and poetic activity of the Church of the East in the late 13th century.