Verse Homilies on Cain and Abel

Jacob of Serugh, one of the foremost poets and theologians of the West Syrian tradition, composed hundreds of memre, or homilies in verse, on a multitude of topics. This translation from the Syriac original presents four of these verse homilies that are dedicated to the biblical story found in Genesis 4 of Cain’s murder of his brother Abel and his subsequent punishment by God. These homilies meditate on grief, consolation, and joy as they explore the interplay of justice, mercy, and repentance at work in the biblical narrative. They also draw out the Christological typology at play in various parts of the story, showing how the Old Testament achieves its fullest meaning only when read in light of the Incarnation, Passion, and Death of the Son of God.

About Translators:

Philip Michael Forness teaches Eastern Christianity at KU Leuven (Belgium). He is the author of Preaching Christology in the Roman Near East (Oxford, 2018) and Jacob of Serugh: Homily on the Apostle Thomas and the Resurrection of Our Lord(Peeters, 2022).

Jeffrey Wickes teaches Syriac literature and theology at the University of Notre Dame. He is the author of Bible and Poetry in Late Antique Mesopotamia (California, 2019) and St. Ephrem the Syrian: The Hymns on Faith (Catholic University of America Press, 2015).