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Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies is an electronic journal dedicated to the study of the Syriac tradition, published semi-annually (in January and July) by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. Published since 1998, Hugoye seeks to offer the best scholarship available in the field of Syriac studies.
Eastern Christian Texts, this series is published by the
Middle Eastern Texts Initiative (METI) of Brigham Young
University. Like its counterpart, the well-received Islamic
Translation Series, likewise published by METI, this series
offers English translations of seminal works, accompanied on
facing page by texts in their original language. In terms of
scope, Eastern Christian Texts is to include works from
all of the diverse eastern Christian communities. In terms of
audience, it is aimed both at specialists and non-specialists.
Accompanying this new series is another, The Library of the
Christian East, also published by METI. This second series
will offer extensive introductions to important authors, with
selections of their writings in translation, as well as surveys
of important themes in the history of eastern Christianity. For
an overview of these series, a presentation of their
international advisory boards, and prospectives for future
volumes, the reader may wish to consult METI's website
(http://meti.byu.edu/).
Tahdhib
al-akhlaq. This work is a multifarious ethical
compendium. In part, it is concerned with philosophical issues:
the nature of human moral qualities; the character of the
tripartite soul; the cataloguing and definition of virtues and
vices; and how the baser parts of the soul might be made
subject to its rational part. In part, it is a mirror for
princes, offering a description of the perfect ruler and gentle
advice for those less than perfect—not least among their
neglected duties being the support of scholars. In part, it is
a hortative discourse, aiming at the "instruction of
prospective students and future leaders ... be they Muslim or
Christian, in order to inculcate in them the requisite moral
attitude for the practice of the philosophical way of life"
(xlii), that they might become as "the perfect man"
(al-insan al-kamil).
Yahya ibn ʿAdi (893-974): Tahdhib
al-ahlaq (Beirut: CEDRAC, 1994). It is this text, sans
apparatus, that has been taken as the basis of the present
translation and printed on the facing page, with full
vocalization.
Reformation of Morals, and a placing of it in
its social and literary context. As Griffith argues, Yahya's is
a singular work. It shares much with earlier discussions of
ethics in the Hellenic, pre-Islamic, and Persianate traditions.
There are superficially similar works in the Muslim
philosophical tradition. Even so, Yahya's work is unique. While
he drew on sources many and diverse, Yahya crafted from those
sources his own vision of the philosophical life. And
strikingly, this vision is absent religious reference. Its
conceptual framework is the human being and the pursuit of
happiness through humane ideals. This is not to say that the
work is opposed to the monotheisms of the early medieval Near
East. Indeed, as Griffith argues, it offers an understanding of
the philosophical life, such that it might be pursued by
adherents of any of the faith traditions, having as its ideal
perfect humanity (insaniyah), "that is to say, humane
behavior in the social sphere ... a prerequisite for the
well-being of both philosophy and religion in society" (p.
xliii).