Brief History of the Course

          The regular course of Syriac language and literature as a second language for undergraduate and graduate students started in the college in 1954. Before the formal beginning of the Syriac Department, Rev.Fr. Joseph Moonnupeedikayil, the then warden of the hostel, gave private training to a few selected students who opted Syriac as their second language. Rev.Fr. Joseph Kurias was the first formally appointed lecturer of this department who joined the college in 1954. Later when the strength of students increased Rev. Fr. Alexander Cherukarakunnel also was appointed as lecturer in the department in 1961. Rev. Fr. Joeph and Rev. Fr. Alexander retired in 1970 and 1979 respectively. Rev. Fr. Philip Njaralakkatt and Rev. Fr. John Kariapuram joined in the department in 1979 as lecturers. Rev. Fr. Philip retired in 1995 and Rev Fr. John in 1996. After him there was only one member in the faculty, Rev. Fr. Joseph N.V. (Njarakkkattil), joined the department in 1996. In 1998 onwards the B.Com students were also given opportunity for taking Syriac as their second language.

Language and Literature

        Syriac, called Aramaic in the ancient times, was one of the most important languages of the ancient world. It was the official language of the Chaldean (7^th to 6^th centuries B.C ) and Persian (6^th to 4^th centuries B.C) Empire. Aramaic is one of the three languages in which the books or the parts of the books of Holy Bible were originally written. Above all, Aramaic was the mother tongue of Jesus Christ, the language in which He made manifest to mankind.

Aramaic is a member of the western Asian family of languages, called Semitic group. The languages of this group are classified into 1) East Semitic (Assyrio- Babilonian or Accadian,)2) South West Semitic (Arabic and Ethiopic ) and 3) North West Semitic (Canaanite or Phoenician, Amorite, Hebrew, and Aramaic or Syriac.

Syriac, like other semitic languages, has 22 letters (consonants). These consonants, as they are found today are 1) Estrangela 2) East Syriac and 3)West Syriac.

1. Estrangela is the oldest form of writing 1) Syriac. This script was used for writing copies of the Bible. It had no proper vowel system. Words were pronounced according to the meaning and circumstances.

2. East Syriac. During the 4^th and following centuries a script was developed out of the school of Nisibis. This is known as Eastern or Chaldean or Nestorian Script. It achieved permanent shape before the 7^th century.

3. West Syriac was developed by the school of Edessa. West Syrians used the forms of Greek vowels to pronounce in the place of dots used by east Syrians. It is called the Western or Maronite script. It got its final shape before the nineth century.

The Literature

The literary Aramaic or Syriac is very voluminous. It covers every avenue of the activities of the Syrian people- commentaries on the Bible, liturgy, apologetics, theology, asceticism, history, lives of martyrs, and saints, legend, civil and canon law, poetry, grammar, philosophy, natural science, physical science, astronomy and mathematics, medicines, etc. ‘Peshitta’, the Syriac version of the Old Testament is the oldest monument of literary Syriac. More than 150 great authors, through their innumerable volumes of works, enriched the language from second to 14^th century A.D. The libraries of Europe and those of some eastern monasteries which are of easy access possess nearly 3000 manuscripts, containing the greater part of these works.

Besides the original Syriac works, there were numerous translations and adaptations from other languages mainly form Greek. They include works of Aristotle and his school. Greek philosophy and science were made known to the Arab world through these translations and commentaries in Syriac.

The golden age of Syriac literature began in early 4^th century A.D. with St. Jacob of Aphraat and it reached its zenith under flourish until the Arab conquest in 7^th century A.D. and produced a great number of Syriac writers. The most important them are Mar Balai, Cyrillona, Mar Marutha, Ibas of Edessa, Issac of Antioch, Bar Sauma of Nisibis, Narsai, Jacob of Sarug, Philexinos of Mabbug, Ishoyab and Jacob of Edessa. Bar Hebraus and Abdhisho were important writers after the golden age.

Syriac had been a flourishing language for many centuries until the Arab conquest, which imposed Arabic on Syrians. The importance of Syriac as living language was lost around 800 A.D. But still it has been used as a liturgical language in the Syrian Churches and as a spoken language in isolated villages in Labanon and Mesapotemia. Considering its historicity, richness in contribution to the world literature, culture, trade and religion, a detaied study of this classical language is highly essential and profitable.