Revisiting the Institution of Bnay and Bnoth Qyōmo in the Syriac Tradition

Journal article


Malki, Malki. (2024). Revisiting the Institution of Bnay and Bnoth Qyōmo in the Syriac Tradition. Religions. 15(6), pp. 1-27. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060686
AuthorsMalki, Malki
Abstract

A group of Syriac Christian believers existed during the fourth century called the Bnay Qyōmo (with their female counterparts known as the Bnoth Qyōmo): the Sons and Daughters of the Covenant. There has been considerable controversy about the nature of this archaic Syrian monastic movement or, as it is known to some scholars, the Syriac “Proto-Monastic Tradition”. The controversy has not only been about the name, but also the origin, habits, and ascetic way of life of the Bnay Qyōmo. The intention of the present article is not to elaborate on the various terminology used to describe the Bnay Qyōmo or the nature of their vows and expected duties as introduced by Aphrahat and other Syrian Fathers, for these have been studied by many scholars. Rather, the intention of this article is to review some of the material discussing this group by key Syriac Fathers to present a fresh reading of the historical record to better apprize the order’s regulations and its social and ecclesiastical roles within the Syriac-speaking Church during the fourth and fifth centuries AD. The main Syriac writers who dealt with this topic were Aphrahat, known as “the Persian Sage” (ca. 260–345), and Rabūla, Bishop of Edessa (flor. 420s). Whilst the order appears to have declined by about the eighth century, understanding the roles of the Bnay Qyōmo during the earlier period (the focus of this writing) is crucial for explaining the development of the Syriac Tradition.

KeywordsBnay Qyomo; Sons of the Covenant; Syrian monasticism; monastic vows
Year01 Jan 2024
JournalReligions
Journal citation15 (6), pp. 1-27
PublisherMDPI AG
ISSN2077-1444
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060686
Web address (URL)https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/15/6/686
Open accessOpen access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range1-27
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Print20 May 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted31 May 2024
Deposited10 Oct 2024
Additional information

© 2024 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Patristics: Essays from Australia)

Place of publicationSwitzerland
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https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/item/90zzy/revisiting-the-institution-of-bnay-and-bnoth-qy-mo-in-the-syriac-tradition

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