Narsai: Selected Sermons

Mar Narsai (413-503 CE) is arguably the most significant theological author of an entire segment of Apostolic Christianity, the "Church of the East," whose branches are now the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Malabar Catholic Church. Narsai's metrical homilies are sources of deep scriptural reflection, breathtaking poetic beauty, and unique, insightful theology.

Endorsements

"Narsai is one of the most fascinating, yet least widely known figures from late ancient Christianity. His metrical homilies resound with theological complexity and subtle wordplay, and both elements shine through in Andrew Younan's translations. Moreover, Younan's thoughtful overview of Narsai's context, life, and theology will surely serve as one of the most succinct and accessible introductions to this important author available in English."
--J. Edward Walters, editor of Eastern Christianity: A Reader

"Narsai of Nisbis, the almost forgotten poet of the Church of the East, is brought alive by the vibrant translations of Fr. Andrew Younan--from Adam and Eve to Jonah to the Thief on the Right."
--Robert Kitchen, DPhil, translator of The Book of Steps

"Narsai is among the most important and influential Syriac authors. Fr. Andrew Younan has done a tremendous service in making twelve metrical homilies of Narsai available in English translation, most of them for the first time. The texts translated here should be of utmost interest to all those working on Syriac, on Eastern Christianity, and on Late Antiquity more broadly."
--Aaron Butts, University Professor at the University of Hamburg

Andrew Younan is the first American-born priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church and is the founding rector of the only Chaldean rite seminary outside of Iraq. He teaches philosophy, theology, and biblical languages at John Paul the Great Catholic University, St. Patrick's Seminary, and the University of St. Thomas in Houston. He completed his PhD at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California.