Preaching Christology in the Roman Near East

Forness, Philip Michael. Preaching Christology in the Roman Near East: A Study of Jacob of Serugh. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.

In Preaching Christology in the Roman Near East, Philip Forness explores new avenues for tracing how theological knowledge was communicated in late antiquity. By investigating the homilies of the Syriac poet, Jacob of Serugh (c.451–521), the monograph models how late antique verse homilies can be integrated into larger historical narratives, especially those homilies whose original setting is unknown. Previous scholars have observed that Jacob’s letters and homilies stand in tension regarding the Christological questions of his time. While his homilies lack explicit discussion of the larger theological discussions, his epistolary corpus contains more direct evidence. Forness argues that both the verse homilies and epistles must be examined and draws connections between the two parts of Jacob’s corpus. He sets Jacob’s writings within the wider theological conversations of his time, including Greek, Latin, Coptic, Armenian, and Syriac sources.

Forness examines a particular post-Chalcedonian debate through Jacob’s homilies and letters to elucidate the preacher’s Christology. He suggests that a lack of contextual evidence regarding original oral delivery does not mean that the homilies lack a context; in fact, they are deeply connected to the ongoing Christological debates of their time. This specific debate and the situation of the homilies that Forness proposes points to Jacob’s important role in the rise of the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Late ancient preachers participated in a larger network of theologians and church leaders. Our historical narrative has isolated voices within the Syriac Christian tradition for too long. In contrast, Forness reconstructs Jacob’s role within these debates. The phrases Jacob and his interlocutors used, the sources they drew those phrases from, and the medium of transmitting knowledge sit within a broader context. An analysis of a theme, exegetical emphasis, or, in this case, a pairing of Christ’s miracles and suffering across an author’s work reflecting the larger Christian homiletic tradition can reshape our perception of how Christological commitments were communicated.

The introduction of this volume prepares readers with a brief primer on Jacob and his significance within Syriac literature. It provides valuable bibliographical information and a clear summary of the field as it places both homilies in general and Jacob specifically within their late ancient context. Within the first chapter, Forness sketches a new methodological approach, discussing the breadth of a homily’s audience. To understand the full influence of homilies and their place in larger conversations, both their “assembled listeners” and their “readership” must be considered (p. 29). Bearing these principles in mind, one can reconstruct a fuller picture of those who are composing the homily as well as the anticipated audiences. The lack of details regarding the original audience for a homily’s oral delivery does not circumvent partial knowledge of the anticipated audience. Scholars may glimpse the possible “audience invoked,” evidence which can illuminate why an author might include certain images or language and excluded others (p. 32). This chapter also highlights what is currently known about Jacob’s homilies, including the implication that the author knew that his sermons would not remain among those assembled but would reach a wider audience. With this approach as a blueprint, scholars could pursue research on homilies whose original context may appear unclear at first glance.

On this foundation, Forness situates Jacob within the theological discourses of his contemporaries in the Roman Near East. Focusing on the pairing of Christ’s miracles and sufferings, the second chapter traces this distinction from the New Testament to Jacob’s lifetime. This examination centers on the fourth through the sixth century, a period when theologians forged a direct connection between miracles and the divinity of Christ and between sufferings and the humanity of Christ. Such writers and documents included Proklus, Leo I, the Acts of Ephesus, Nestorius, and Theodoret. Forness then turns to the debate over the interpretation of the Henotikon, a document that dictates the shape of Christological discourse during this period. After sketching Emperor Zeno’s controversial Christological statement, the chapter discusses how Jacob’s contemporaries, specifically Philoxenos of Marburg, John of Tella, and Severos of Antioch, use the pairing of miracles and sufferings to support the miaphysite view and critique the diaphysite position.

Forness then pivots from Jacob’s homilies to investigate Jacob’s letters, underscoring connections between the larger theological context and the concepts within his homilies. His correspondence demonstrates the way that Jacob uses the pairing of miracles and sufferings to explain the relationship between Christ’s divinity and humanity, both defending against his critics and expounding his own Christology. The letters also highlight his larger intellectual network, the ways in which the Christological debate extends into monastic, civil, and ecclesiastical spheres, and his interest in influencing the leaders in each sphere.

The fourth through sixth chapters focus on the homilies themselves and explore three ways that Jacob communicated his miaphysite Christology through his metrical homilies. First, Forness queries how Jacob’s Homily on the Council of Chalcedon circulated in elite reading communities. The chapter argues persuasively for the authenticity of this homily and by studying its contents in light of Jacob’s letters, underscores its nature as a literary text that was read, rather than a liturgically delivered sermon. Moving to Jacob’s Homily on the Faith, Forness argues that the composition contains three specific modifications the author makes in his exposition of Christological arguments to fit the instructional setting, poetic genre, and oral delivery of the homily. In comparing the letters and this homily, Forness finds Jacob quoting rather than naming his opponents, modifying parts of speech to fit both syllabic meter and rhetorical dialogue, and alluding to the Henotikon through the language of miracles and sufferings within his broader criticism of the diaphysite position. Following such shifts between genres illumines how polemical or doctrinal language could appear differently in each, even as Jacob maintains his miaphysite position throughout his writings.

Forness highlights two ordinary exegetical and liturgical homilies in which Jacob proclaims his Christology broadly and participates in the larger debates. By reading Moses typologically and in line with the New Testament, Jacob is able to bring together the miracles of Moses and the suffering of Christ in the Homily on “the Lord will Raise a Prophet” in way that is accessible to listeners from every walk of life, indirectly bringing the debates to the congregation. On the other hand, the Homily on the Revelation that Simon Received directly addresses the Christological debates around Matthew 16:13–20 and provides a confession, following that of Peter, for his audience that both does not necessitate knowledge of but speaks to the post-Chalcedonian discussions of the day. Through a close reading of the pairing of miracles and sufferings and a comparison of the two homilies to Greek and Latin figures, Forness continues to show how Jacob presented his Christological views to his wide-ranging audience and maintained connection to others across regions and languages.

Preaching Christology in the Roman Near East makes a significant contribution to both Syriac studies and late ancient studies. Forness encourages his readers to look beyond traditional sources to understand a historical narrative and beyond what might be understood as a text’s original context. Alongside the insights of performance and ritual studies for analyzing liturgical poetry, Forness opens alternative approaches drawn from manuscript studies, book culture, and rhetoric and communication studies. He has uncovered how late antique authors communicated the same theological position to various audiences, facilitating the participation of both ecclesiastical elites and the everyday listener in the Christological discussions of his time. As Jacob’s homilies rendered intricate debates over Christ’s identity accessible to a broad audience, Forness’s book allows scholars from various fields to appreciate the importance of Jacob within the Syrian Orthodox tradition as well as his role within Christological discussions often overlooked in post-Chalcedonian discussions.

In addition to setting out a new methodological approach and providing footholds for scholars across the field, Forness specifies desiderata for further research to refine the method he outlines. Within the field of late antique Christianity, methodological approaches have usually developed on the basis of certain key Latin and Greek figures. As the third-largest collection of homilies from late antiquity, Jacob’s works have not previously received the same attention. The generic features of Jacob’s works, such as the metrical poetic structure, have further hindered investigations and unsettle traditional assumptions. Forness sifts through those challenges and proposes methods that may be applied to more well-known figures such as Augustine and John Chrysostom as well.

In Preaching Christology, Forness recenters our focus on the participants in the Christological debates who have been overlooked or whose works have been considered resistant to historical critical readings. Without exhausting the rich resources of Jacob’s writings, this book raises insightful questions and proposes new methodologies. In sum, Forness invites each of us to take part in the ever-expanding historiographical narrative of the field across language, region, and genre.

Jillian Marcantonio is a doctoral candidate studying late ancient Christianity at Duke University. You can follow her on Twitter.