Literary works within the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch in Germany with a focus on Baden-Württemberg

Josef Önder

doi:10.54195/UTQA4903

Literary works within the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch in Germany with a focus on Baden-Württemberg

Authors

Josef Önder

Ecumenical Institute for Theology/Religious Education at the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54195/UTQA4903_CH05

Synopsis

Although emigration to the West was initially painful for the first generation, it brought significant progress in Syriac-Aramaic literature. Over the past forty years, Syriac Orthodox authors have published extensively, reviving the works of the Syriac Orthodox Church Fathers. In Germany, particularly in Baden-Württemberg, Syriac Orthodox religious education allows pupils to deepen their faith and engage with socio-political issues. The literature, available in two languages, is accessible to both students and teachers. Teaching materials published by Syriac Orthodox authors match the quality of those from sister denominations. Remarkably, while Syriac Aramaic was once written by hand, modern technology now includes over fifteen fonts in word processing programs, enabling Syriac Orthodox writers, educators, and theologians to produce and publish texts like their Western counterparts. The future will reveal whether twenty-first century Syriac Orthodox authors can emulate their Oriental predecessors.

Author Biography

Josef Önder, Ecumenical Institute for Theology/Religious Education at the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd

Josef Önder (PhD. Tübingen, 2008; PhD. Kottayam/Southern India, 2017) is Director of Studies for Syriac Orthodox Theology/Religious Education at the Ecumenical Institute for Theology/Religious Education at the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd / Southern Germany. He authored an extensive oeuvre comprising approximately fifty works spanning theology, pedagogy, fiction, as well as translations from Syriac-Aramaic and editorial endeavours. Noteworthy among these are the sixteen-volume Syriac Orthodox liturgy and the six-volume textbook series On the Way to Faith. In addition, he serves as editor, hymnographer, and author of official curricula for Syriac Orthodox religious education in Southern Germany. His scholarly and public engagement further includes numerous academic articles, critical reviews, and media appearances. Josef Önder is also Representative of the Syriac Orthodox State Coordinator and Dean of Religious Education of Baden-Württemberg, as well as of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch in ecumenical affairs and in dealings with state authorities at both federal and state level (BW).