The Concept of the “Robe of Glory” in Syriac Literature and literature of Neighboring Cultures

Abstract

The concept of the “Robe of Glory” appears repeatedly in Syriac writings, since the first centuries when Syriac language started to flourish. Scholars have pointed to some texts dating back to Mar Ephrem the Syrian and Jacob of Sarug, in which this concept appears. It was realized that in these texts the concept refers to the state of human’s pre-existence which was expressed in literature in different ways. However, some believe that the concept is not original in the Syriac language, and that Syriac writers adopted this concept from neighboring cultures, especially Jewish literature (Targum), which uses the phrase “לְבוּשִׁין דִּיקָר” meaning “the Robe of Glory” to refer to the state of Adam and Eve before the fall in interpreting the Hebrew text of Gen 3:21.

This paper studies the concept of the “Robe of Glory” in Syriac literature, and reconsiders some of the matters that scholars acknowledge. For example, did Syriac literature borrow this concept from the literature of the Jewish tradition, or from Mesopotamian literature? Are there any Syriac writings before the fourth century that use or refer to this concept? Does this concept still refer to the human status before earthly existence, or did it change in the Syriac writings? Answering these questions will deepen our understanding of “The Robe of Glory” on the one hand, and the way in which Syriac literature was influenced by the literature of neighboring cultures, on the other hand.