Ancient Mediterranean Religions
Ancient Near East
Aramaic
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Category=DS
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Category=QRYC1
Early Christianity
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Greek
Late Antiquity
Manichaeism
Mysticism
poetry in translation
Silk Road
Syriac
Visionary Literature
Product details
- ISBN 9780674301467
- Dimensions: 140 x 216mm
- Publication Date: 08 Jul 2025
- Publisher: Harvard University Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Paperback
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The Pearlsong is an ancient poem that recounts the story of a Parthian prince sent by his parents on a mission to Egypt to retrieve a pearl from the clutches of a giant serpent. Along the way, the prince falls asleep and forgets his identity and mission. A letter from his parents awakens him, gives him a spell to put the serpent to sleep so he can retrieve the pearl, and then guides him home. The poem was originally composed in Syriac, translated into Greek, and later paraphrased in Greek again in a homily. These three texts are all published here with a parallel English translation on facing pages, accompanied by an introduction, commentary, and Syriac and Greek glossaries.
Adam Bremer-McCollum is a Research Associate at the Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard Divinity School, and co-editor of the Texts & Translations of Transcendence and Transformation series. Charles M. Stang is Professor of Early Christian Thought and Director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at the Harvard Divinity School.
