The Collection of Warda: A Contextual and Christological Analysis

Description

The “Book of Wardā” is a collection of hymns used for the liturgical year. The majority of the hymns are attributed to Gīwargīs Wardā; other hymns belong to different authors beside anonymous ones. This study focuses on the historical and theological aspects of Gīwargīs Wardā’s poetry. Historical events can be traced in some of his hymns, especially those that occurred during the invasion of the Mongols. He describes the situation of his people in particular and of the country in general, which shows a lot of similarity in feelings and thoughts with other Muslim poets who were also witnessing the same catastrophes in Iraq. As for his theological views, it is known that Gīwargīs Wardā was condemned in the Synod of Diamper in 1599 for his “Nestorianism”. This study is an attempt to analyze the Christological views found in the Book of Wardā. Surprisingly, he does not use the famous formula known as “Nestorian” which is: “Two natures, two qnōmē in one person”, for him it is enough to say: Two natures in one person. But we cannot judge him as a systematic theologian since he is a creative poet, and he uses the theological terms freely, not being too strict with the meaning. The beauty of his poetry comes out when he creatively gives unusual epithets for Christ, such as “Death of the death”, “Son of Mortality,” and “The Temple of the Trinity”. Besides this, when one reads his hymns, the musical combinations of the words and the simplicity of the meanings can be felt, and this makes one wonder whether the poet had a certain knowledge of music. This study is also an encouragement to revive many of his hymns hitherto left aside while few of them are found in the liturgical book, the Ḥūḏrā, used in the Ancient Church of the East, in the Assyrian Church of the East, and in the Chaldean Church.