Monastic Life in the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
by H.H. Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
We call the monastic life a philosophy of Christian law and character. It is a way of abandoning worldly life. It is filled with yearning to attain the life hereafter. In the monastic life, acts countenanced and proscribed in the world are to be avoided, the desires of the flesh are to be disciplined; all wanton impulses are to be checked, everything that cannot be brought into harmony with the true Christian faith is to be avoided.
Hospitality: A Lesson from a Syriac Village in Tur Abdin
by Fr. Dale A. Johnson
For many years I have written about Oriental monasticism and those who preserved the language of Jesus in their rites and culture. I have lived among these people as a Syriac Orthodox priest in their monasteries, churches and homes. Always, I have been welcomed whether in Mesopotamia or Montreal. Although I knew that at some level I was being respected as a priest, I also knew there was a fundamental reception of me as a stranger.
