Members of the covenant

The members of the covenant were an important part of early Syriac Christianity. Before the advent of monasticism proper (which developed in the desert of Egypt), most Syriac churches would consist of a community focused around the members of the covenant: men and women who had committed themselves to sexual abstinence and the service of the church. This name is the English translation of the Syriac bnay qyāmâ (ܒܢܝ ܩܝܡܐ), literally sons of the covenant. A male member of the covenant was called bar qyāmâ (ܒܪ ܩܝܡܐ), or son of the covenant; a female member was bat qyāmâ (ܒܪܬ ܩܝܡܐ), or daughter of the covenant.

While this became the prevailing concept of how ascetics lived in the Western Roman Empire, in Persia things developed with a slightly altered perspective. With only a few exceptions, Syrian monks learned to live among the people, both Christian and non-Christian, living the strict ascetic lifestyle while still maintaining full cohesion in the world about them. These eastern ascetics saw their spiritually disciplined life as a journey of steps, adopting the notion that all were equal in God’s eyes, each finding him or herself on a stairway of godliness that led ultimately towards eternity with God.

The Members of the Covenant hold a different, yet wholesome view of spirituality – one that consists of a journey of steps toward God. Looking at both Egyptian and Syrian ascetics, I will compare the cultures, disciplines and philosophies of both groups based on their literature and evidences I have come across. Next I will look closely at a specific group of Syrian ascetics who intentionally stayed among the larger Christian community; the Sons and Daughters of the Covenant. With them I will consider their lifestyle and the community that surrounded them as a base for making specific judgments about ascetic Syriac Christians. Afterward, I will review the Liber Graduum text and its usage in the Christian community it served. This insight will include a summary of the tenets, demographics, and lifestyles of the steps in the Liber Graduum, as well as give some ideas as to why this community eventually declined.

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