Selected Works of Saint Ephrem the Syrian, Rabbula of Edessa, Balai, and Others

It contains selected passages from the fathers. Among other things, there is found on fol. 13 verso to fol. 17 Ephrem’s "to the mountain monks" original: "lewath dayrāyē ṭūrāyē" (i.e., "to the monks of the mountain" or "to the recluses of the mountain," meaning the mountain near Edessa? cf. Bar Hebraeus, Chronicon Dynastiarum X, p. 326)—or as in No. 17213 from fol. 36 verso, it is inscribed with a fuller title: "to the mountain monks and ascetics" original: "lewath dayrāyē we-esqāṭē" (cf. Michaelis, Chrestomathia, p. 79). I followed our codex, even though it is more recent than codex No. 17213, in my text of the Letter to the Mountaineers because it is both intact and better preserved. Since the codex has "Completed and again" original: "shelam we-tow" at the end of the epistle and leaves the third part of the column empty (which is rarely found in codices, and in our case seems all the more strange because the scribe is usually very sparing in filling space and uses more compressed script), the epistle seems to lack an end. Nevertheless, No. 17213 also ends with the same words. Next are Excerpts from Ephrem’s treatise against Bardesanes on fol. 22 verso to fol. 23. The codex was originally written in a looser yet very elegant hand, in three columns, and is entirely similar to codex No. 14574 (III). Furthermore, after the first codex was dissolved and the letters erased or worn away, not all traces of the first script were deleted, but words and sentences shine through occasionally, especially marginal titles. This has enabled us to know that the volume, or at least part of it, consisted of Ephrem’s books to Hypatius and to Domnus. But since the one who repaired the volume did not use enough care, the leaves are often arranged in reversed position, so that the title is seen now at the bottom and now at the top of the page. Thus, mention of Hypatius is made on fol. 20 verso above, fol. 37 below, fol. 46 below, and of Domnus on fol. 4 below, fol. 54 below, fol. 77 below, fol. 78 below.