I. The Origins of the Syriac Church
To begin, some important historical context will help us frame the matters which we will consider. The ecclesial, theological, cultural, and spiritual origins and development of the Syriac church are intensely complex and mirror its geographical spread from the West Syriac to the East Syriac tradition. The term Syriac Christianity refers to the various Middle Eastern and Indian churches which belong to the Syriac tradition. Since late antiquity they have divided liturgically and doctrinally into three main groups: First, the Syrian Orthodox Church sometimes known erroneously as the Jacobite Church, which has rejected the doctrinal definition of the council of Chalcedon (451), and insists on the oneness of humanity and divinity in the incarnate Christ. Second, the Church of the East, sometimes known wrongly as the Nestorian or Assyrian Church, which has on different grounds rejected the council of Chalcedon, essentially because it did not distinguish strictly enough between the two natures in Christ. Third, the Maronites of the Lebanon, who have come to accept the definitions of Chalcedon.1 Cutting across this scheme has been the creation of eastern rite Catholic churches.2
Christians of the Syrian churches perished in large numbers through the genocide, slaughter and deportation of Syriac Christians by Ottoman forces during World War I. In the oral tradition of the Syrian Orthodox, 1915, which is known as sayfo, ‘(the year of) the sword’ or firmano, ‘(the year of) the firman’ (i.e. of the warrant to kill the Christian population),3 large numbers of churches were destroyed, but are currently being resuscitated by the faith of the saints. This is taking place through the vital mission and evangelism of the living stones in these churches, as well as their contributions to theological scholarship.
Hymn singing is a well-established practice in the Eastern churches. It is a gift from Eastern Christianity and the Syriac tradition which has been extended to the Protestant Church, rather than the other way around. It has been adopted by the Protestant tradition, as evidenced by the “schools” or even “altars” of praise which are spread all throughout the modern Middle East. This signals the increasing openness in the Christian world to the great Syriac Christian tradition, and new willingness to engage in dialogue. My exploration of hymnology today is a practical example of how this might be undertaken and is of global relevance.
II. Songs in the Scriptures: The Magnificat as an Example
As a creative method of worship, poetic theology was part of God’s intention throughout biblical history. All Middle Eastern Christian cults are sung. A read liturgy would be an exception.4 Singing the liturgy is thus an integral part of the exercise of faith. Eastern women not only ‘sang’ hymns, but their hymns were filled with theology—knowledge of God.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, features prominently in all the Syriac liturgical and literary traditions. A special commemoration day, the ‘Praises of Mary,’ devoted to her following the Nativity, is found in both Eastern and Western Syriac tradition, on the second Friday after the Nativity in the former, and on 26 December.5 This is particularly demonstrated in her song, situated at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel where we see Mary positioned as knowledgeable of the Scriptures, living out inspiring faith, and thus receptive to what God was saying to her. Mary’s profound song strikes me as the earliest writing from a female theologian of the early church. The song of Mary is an example of early biblical poetic writing from a female theologian and her understanding of God’s attributes. It includes the most developed understanding of Jesus, the incarnate God, in Luke’s Gospel. The deeply theological words of the Magnificat are a revelation about God, the nature of God, and how God responds to humanity, and humanity to God. It is a song of hope, coming from a young Nazarene woman, a real yearning to experience God acting in the world.
As our starting point, it is helpful to reflect on the meaningful words found in the Magnificat. Here is the Gospel of Christ, Luke 1:46-55:
And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 his mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 he has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inner most thoughts.
52 he has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 he has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 he has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”
What strikes me in Mary’s words is the juxtaposition between the sovereignty of God and his compassion to the poor and the lowly. he is a God of justice. he sees and he knows. he is mighty as the song reiterates (49, 51), yet rightly opposes the proud rulers and the rich (I think we can think of several of these in our own context—and in the global context too). On the contrary, God has not forgotten about the humble (48, 52) but has lifted them up. he remains their hope which is in contrast to human’s worldly view of their self-sufficiency. I like how intimately Mary thinks of God, and how she addresses him as her own Savior.
These attributes provide profound insights into the nature and character of God. Mary articulates her song particularly as one who has met God within human history. Her prophetic declaration in the Magnificat anticipates the way that Jesus reshapes humanity’s knowledge of God as God is within himself. Here are some key examples:
A. Mindfulness and Mercy (Verses 48, 50, 54)
- Mindful of the Humble: God is attentive and caring towards the humble and lowly. Mary acknowledges that God has taken notice of her humble state.
- Merciful: God’s mercy extends to those who fear Him, across all generations. he remembers to be merciful to his people.
- “his mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.”
- “he has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful.”
B. Holiness (Verse 49)
- Holy: God is inherently holy, set apart, and pure. Mary proclaims the holiness of God’s name.
- “Holy is his name.”
C. Power and Might (Verse 49, 51)
- Mighty: God is powerful and capable of doing great things. Mary refers to him as the Mighty One.
- “For the Mighty One has done great things for me.”
- Performs Mighty Deeds: God performs powerful acts and shows his strength.
- “he has performed mighty deeds with his arm.”
D. Justice (Verses 51-53)
- Scatters the Proud: God is just and brings down those who are proud and arrogant.
- “he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.”
- Brings Down Rulers: God deposes the powerful from their thrones, showing his authority over earthly powers.
- “he has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.”
- Lifts Up the Humble: God elevates those who are humble and lowly.
- “But has lifted up the humble.”
- Provides for the Needy: God satisfies the hungry with good things, indicating his provision and care for the needy.
- “he has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.”
E. Faithfulness (Verses 54-55)
- Faithful to his Promises: God is faithful and remembers his promises to his people, particularly the covenant made with Abraham and his descendants.
- “he has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
These attributes reflect a God who is both transcendent in his holiness and power, and immanent in his mercy and faithfulness to his people; the fact there is no tension between God as he is in himself and God who is towards us; the way God acts towards us in Christ is entirely consistent with his internal perfections. The Magnificat thus provides a rich theological portrait of God, celebrating his involvement in human history and his care for the lowly and oppressed. The Creator of the world has become part of his creation; he has come to dwell as God with us. Mary’s hymn celebrates the history of God’s actions in Israel and looks forward to the redemption that is made available in Jesus Christ.
Based on our reading of Mary’s hymn, it would be interesting to think about the transformative or even revolutionary power of some of the divine attributes. How does its nature as ‘song of reversals’ impact the view of God, or vice versa? All the more so since classic theology has often been accused of supporting patriarchy. An important comment here that the Magnificat reminds us of the importance of the voices of women in Christian theology, and indeed serves as an encouragement to Christian women, particularly where they have experienced marginalization. In a sociological sense—and reflecting on my own context as a Palestinian woman—many women have felt powerless. They have felt powerless in a Patriarchal world, and as part of the Christian minority. In reality, the Magnificat reminds us that women have strength in God and are able to articulate his attributes to all.
Centuries later in the Middle East, women continue reflect on the Magnificat, which brings hope to what seems like a hopeless context… Mary’s life included suffering, but her hymn of praise expressed hope for a better future. Hers is a triumphant song of reversals: the proud are brought low, the humble lifted up, the hungry are fed while the rich go without. While living in oppressive circumstances, Mary triumphed as she prophesied the future.
The power of this, is that we are reflecting on this hymn now, generations before have listened to this, coming generations will listen to it. This is an ongoing conversation, always embedded in the story of humanity in our complex world.
III. St. Ephrem the Syrian
We have explored how the Magnificat is a representative example of an individual hymn and its declaration of God’s characteristics. We turn now to a communal example, how St. Ephrem the Syrian, Poet and theologian, contributed to the role of women in hymnology and understanding God’s attributes.
Poetry serves as a much-needed antidote to that tradition of theologising which seeks to provide theological definitions.6 Sebastian Brock writes: ‘It is probably the universal expectation today that a theologian will write in prose, and most people would be surprised to learn that poetry can also be an excellent vehicle for theology. Indeed, examples of this can readily be found in the history of both the Latin West and the Greek East’ but it is above all in the earlier writers of the Syriac Orient that one finds this tradition of using poetry as a vehicle for theology most prominently.’7 Fourth century-poet theologian Ephrem of Nisibis, wrote lyric poetry that conveys to his audience a carefully thought-out theological vision of the relationship between creator and creation, of the course of salvation history, and of the ways by which human beings can come to the knowledge of God. In 1920, at a time when this aspect of St. Ephrem’s poetry was barely recognised in the west, Pope Benedict XV proclaimed St. Ephrem a doctor of the universal church.
Ephrem, known as the ‘Harp of the Spirit’ has always been highly regarded in the Syriac tradition, but his reception in the West has not always been favourable. In recent decades, however, his work has been highly praised, and comprehensive studies by notable scholars such as Robert Murray and Sebastian Brock have led to a deeper appreciation of his symbolic theological method. The increasing awareness of the significance of Syriac language and culture as the Lingua Franca in the Middle East between the fourth to seventh centuries CE has developed the view that the greatest writer in the history of the Syriac-speaking church, Ephrem, stands as the pillar of Syriac Christian literature and culture.8
The cycle of hymns on the Nativity by St Ephrem provides us with an obvious beginning point for interacting with his work. In the following passage, which has been beautifully set to music by Sir John Tavener in his work ‘Thunder entered her’, Ephrem’s use of paradox is very much in evidence. he begins by addressing the infant Christ himself, writing about his mother Mary:
“Your mother is a cause for wonder: The Lord entered into her – and became a servant;
he who is the Word entered—and became silent within her;
Thunder entered her—and made no sound;
There entered the Shepherd of all and in her he became the Lamb, bleating as he comes forth. Your mother’s womb has reversed the roles: the Establisher of all entered in his richness but came forth poor;
The Exalted One entered her but came forth meek;
The Splendrous One entered her but came forth having put on a lowly hue.
The Mighty One entered, and put on insecurity from her womb;
The Provisioner of all entered—and experienced hunger; he who gives drink to all entered – and experienced thirst: naked and stripped there came forth from her he who clothes all.”
(Hymns on the Nativity, XI.6-8).9
Evoking similar themes to the Magnificat, St. Ephrem helps us to engage with the mystery of the union of the divinity and humanity of Christ. The Lord becomes a servant. The Mighty and exalted becomes meek and insecure. The rich become poor. The provisioner, experienced hunger and thirst. This beautiful hymn emphasizes the paradoxes and mysteries of the Incarnation, where God, in the person of Jesus Christ, took on human form and experienced human limitations and sufferings; and in doing so, reveals God to us. Below are the key attributes and themes highlighted in this poetic reflection:
A. Divine Humility
- Incarnation as Servitude: The Lord, in his divinity, entered into Mary and became a servant.
- “The Lord entered into her – and became a servant.”
- Silence of the Word: The eternal Word of God, who created all things, entered into Mary and became silent.
- “he who is the Word entered – and became silent within her.”
B. Majesty and Meekness
- Thunder and Silence: The powerful and majestic God, symbolized by thunder, entered Mary quietly.
- “Thunder entered her – and made no sound.”
- Shepherd and Lamb: The Shepherd of all, representing authority and guidance, became the Lamb, symbolizing meekness and sacrifice.
- “There entered the Shepherd of all and in her he became the Lamb, bleating as he comes forth.”
C. Reversal of Roles
- Richness to Poverty: The one who established all things entered in richness but was born into poverty.
- “The Establisher of all entered in his richness but came forth poor.”
- Exaltation to Meekness: The exalted and glorious one entered Mary and was born in meekness.
- “The Exalted One entered her but came forth meek.”
- Splendor to Lowliness: The splendorous one took on a lowly appearance.
- “The Splendrous One entered her but came forth having put on a lowly hue.”
D. Divine Vulnerability
- Mighty to Insecure: The Almighty entered and experienced human vulnerability.
- “The Mighty One entered, and put on insecurity from her womb.”
- Provisioner to Needy: The one who provides for all experienced human needs such as hunger and thirst.
- “The Provisioner of all entered – and experienced hunger; he who gives drink to all entered – and experienced thirst.”
- Clothed to Naked: The one who clothes all creation entered the world naked and stripped.
- “Naked and stripped there came forth from her he who clothes all.”
This hymn profoundly illustrates the mystery of the Incarnation, where God, in his infinite greatness, chose to enter into the human experience in the most humble and vulnerable manner. It emphasizes the themes of divine humility, the paradox of majesty and meekness, the reversal of roles, and the profound vulnerability that Jesus embraced by becoming human. This reflection invites us to marvel at the depth of God’s love and the mystery of the Incarnation, where the divine became intimately involved in the human condition.10
Women’s Choirs 11-Banat Qyama12
St. Ephrem wrote hymns containing profound theology, but women’s choirs sang them. What follows is a discussion on the Sons and Daughters of the Covenant who sang St. Ephrem’s hymns, and what these teach us about the attributes of God.
The institution of the Sons and Daughters of the Covenant, the Bnay and Bnat Qyama is one of the best-known characteristics of ancient Syriac Christianity. Apparently originating in the third century CE, the office was characterized by vows of celibacy, voluntary poverty, and service to the local priest or bishop. Members were supposed to live separately with others of the same office, or with other families. The office appears to have been widespread in Syriac speaking territories both east and west by the fourth century. The early fourth century acts of the Edessan Martyrs Shmona and Guria note that Daughters of the Covenant were being specifically targeted, along with priests and deacons, for public tortures and execution during the Diocletianic Persecution, attesting to their public prominence. x
The Daughters of the Covenant held a distinctive office in Syriac Christianity for its public ministry of sacred music performed for liturgical purposes in civic churches. Syriac tradition ascribed the establishment of these choices of consecrated virgins to Ephrem the Syrian. Jacob of Srug’s homily on St. Ephrem presents these choirs as modeling soteriological as well as eschatological significance for the larger church community.13
Late antique Syriac sources mention women’s choirs with brief yet vivid references. Jacob of Sarug (d. 521), for example, refers to the women’s choirs as ‘[female] teachers’ (malphanyatha, in the feminine plural), whose singing declared the ‘proclamation’ (karuzutha, corresponding to the Greek kerygma) in the liturgy. According to Jacob, the ‘pure’ voices of these ‘pious’ women sang ‘instructive melodies,’ with ‘soft tones’ and ‘wonderful tunes.’14 Biblical and underpinned by God’s words and truth, these melodies and tunes were used to defeat the heresies of the earliest centuries. Both Ephrem the Syrian (d. 373) and Jacob of Sarug urged their congregations to pay close heed to the women’s choirs, which, Jacob admonished, were nothing less than a gift from God for the church’s benefit. The more one heard these choirs, Jacob assured his listeners, the more one would become ‘pure, modest, and full of hope and discernment.’ In one homily, he extolled the women’s choir in a prayer, ‘By the sweet voices of the young women who sing Your praise, [O Christ], / You have captured the world.’15 A reminder for us that it is not sufficient to only know the attributes of God, and have a cognitive experience of these, but to also declare and embody them as we seek to make God known in our context.
Scholars, including Joseph Amar and Kathleen McVey have drawn attention to an important, but little considered aspect of the work of the female members of this office: that of the liturgical choirs of the daughters of the Covenant. Daughters of the Covenant were charged with the task of singing psalms and various kinds of hymns in certain liturgical celebrations of the civic churches.
This practice contrasted sharply, for example, with the normal pattern of the Greek and Latin civic churches to the west. These areas permitted women’s singing in convent choirs. But with the possible exception of Ambrose’s cathedral in Milan, women’s voices were excluded from choral participation in civic liturgical celebration.16 While deaconesses were allowed to visit and instruct female catechumens and women who were ill, the role of civic liturgical singing positioned daughters of the Covenant publicly in the midst of the entire worshiping community.
Skilled singing was not enough for the task of choir or chanter; one had to know the content one was singing, and to understand it rightly. Proper performance of liturgy required serious biblical and theological training. Often the hymns they performed told stories of biblical women, in terms that spoke to the needs, desires, and obligations of the present congregation. As such, women’s choirs and the women’s stories they sang featured women’s significance for the church’s health and flourishing, both liturgically and in the social order.17
IV. Contemporary Women of the Middle East
Perhaps this hymnology space is where women are well situated in the Middle East to make a difference. The following lines will discuss the envisioning of this space. With their singing, Daughters of the Covenant they preserved and taught theology. Singing is an easy way to remember. People carry it with them through the week, so it stays in their hearts and minds. The tunes they sing are deeply contextualized culturally, and so bring people to true worship. Singing is non-threatening, so it works well missiologically, but within a culture, not imposed from outside.
Part of my endeavour is to think theologically about the historically deep, rich and complex ecclesial setting in the Middle East today. One of the questions on which I have been reflecting is how Arab Protestant women might reimagine and reengage in theological reflection? This contribution strengthens my desire to see Arab Protestant women acknowledged in the theological academy and their potential reached and released to contribute theologically and poetically in the church and academy so that the church can benefit from theologically informed poetry. Poetry has many of the same qualities as hymnology. Because of rhythm, meter, rhyme, parallelism, it is also easy to remember and recite. Poetic styles are also cultural, so not foreign impositions. Theology has a lot of mystery, so metaphor is an important tool to understanding. There are alternate, non-expository ways to study and communicate theology. Women have worked long and well in these ways and could do so again. Women also have a theological role to play in the church.
I envision a significant moment in the Middle East offering a new dynamic context which allows for a new theological engagement with moments of contemporary significance for culture and society in the Middle east, but also to retrieve a renewal of Christian theological thought within this ecclesial complexity and contemporary religious challenges. I posit this as a real opportunity for women to offer a distinct voice to contemporary church leadership and theological renewal both as receivers, but also as educators. This is an intentional ecumenical undertaking of mutual respect and sharing of scholarly and theological ideas and thought. The contributions of women will help overcome challenges which confront the presence of Christianity in the Middle East. It would undoubtedly strengthen the church in terms of its theological and ecclesial contribution, but it would also be resourced by Arab Christian women who have often been at the margins of this endeavor. There has been a distinct lacuna in Protestant Christianity, which has never sought to update or creatively develop its ecclesial contributions, particularly in relation to the complexities of Eastern Christianity within the Middle East.
I suggest that Protestant Christianity in the Middle East requires a deeper maturing and expansion of its own self-consciousness, towards its own originality and how that allows for it to engage with the wider community of Christianity in the region who are themselves experiencing dynamic change. This includes revival of certain trends within the Eastern tradition, which have been received in the wider Christian tradition, despite a certain type of Protestant reticence which is built within its reformational character. The anticipated Renaissance becomes the modern application of this. That woman again, in a way that is culturally appropriate for this new generation, pick up the mantle of being theologians.
Fairouz, the Syriac Maronite singer beautifully sang about Mary, the mother of Jesus the following words in an original Syriac tune. A great figure in Arabic cultures, her Father is a Syriac Christian, mother is Syriac Christian, one is Maronite the other is Orthodox. Is Fairouz echoing the deep culture of St. Ephrem in her song?
‘[Anā ’l-ummu ’l-ḥazīnatu wa-mā man yu‘azzī-hā], ’18
‘I am the mournful mother, without any comforters.’
أنا الأم الحزينة وما من يعزيها
Anā ’l-ummu ’l-ḥazīnatu wa-mā man yu‘azzī-hā
I am the mournful mother, without any comforters
فليكن موت ابنك حياة لطالبيها
Fal-yakun mautu ’bni-ki ḥayātan li-ṭālibī-hā
May the death of your Son be life to its seekers [Refrain]
أم يسوع قد بكت فأبكت ناظريها
Ummu Yasū‘ qad bakat fa-abkat nāẓirī-hā
The mother of Jesus cried and made onlookers cry
May the death of your Son be life to its seekers
لهفي على أمة قتلت راعيها
Lahf-ī ‘alā ummatin qatalat rā‘ī-hā
My passion is for a nation that killed its Shepherd
May the death of your Son be life to its seekers
ناح الحمام على تشتت أهليها
Nāḥa al-Hamām ‘alā tashattut ahlī-hā
The doves mourned the scattering of its people
May the death of your Son be life to its seekers
عذارى أورشليم تبكي على بنيها
‘Adhārā Ūrushalīm tabkī ‘alā banī-hā
The virgins of Jerusalem are lamenting their sons
May the death of your Son be life to its seekers
تعالوا إلى مريم أمه نعزيها
Ta‘ālū ilā Maryama ummi-hi nu‘zī-hā
Let’s come to Mary, his mother and bring her comfort
May the death of your Son be life to its seekers
This lament, expressing sorrow and grief, reflecting on the sorrow of Mary, the mother of Jesus, during his crucifixion. The repeated refrain emphasizes the hope that Jesus’ death brings life to those who seek it. The lament reflects various attributes of God, particularly focusing on the context of Jesus’ crucifixion and its impact on his mother, Mary. The following are some attributes of God that can be derived from this lament:
- Compassionate: The lament speaks of Mary’s sorrow and the communal grief, indicating God’s awareness and empathy towards human suffering.
- Life-Giver: The refrain, “May the death of your Son be life to its seekers,” highlights God’s role as the giver of life, even through the death of Jesus.
- Sacrificial: The reference to Jesus’ death underscores the attribute of God’s sacrificial love for humanity.
- Just: The lament’s mention of a “nation that killed its Shepherd” reflects God’s concern for justice and righteousness.
- Merciful: The lament calls for comfort to Mary, the mother of Jesus, indicating God’s mercy and willingness to console those who are mourning.
- Provider: The lament suggests that through Jesus’ sacrifice, God provides spiritual nourishment and hope to believers.
- Sovereign: The context of the lament reflects God’s sovereignty over life and death, and his ultimate plan for redemption through Jesus’ sacrifice.
- Comforter: The call to comfort Mary, Jesus’ mother, reflects God’s attribute as a source of comfort and solace to the afflicted and grieving.
These attributes collectively highlight the triune God, who through the incarnation, who is deeply involved in human suffering, offering compassion, justice, mercy, and ultimate hope through the sacrificial act of Jesus. Theology is only ever a response to God’s self-revelation in these majestic acts of love. We recognize the limitations of such human activity. Theology is a human endeavor, and we must undertake it in humility. When we refer to God’s attributes, we honor God and worship him in doing so. Theology can be done in theological arguments in theological paper, or it can be done just as faithfully in songs. Human language points to a mystery that we cannot contain with our language. As T.F Torrance reminds us:
It is above all through the incarnation, the Word of God become flesh, that God reveals to us something of his own nature as the mighty living God who is who he eternally is and yet who will not be without us whom he has created for fellowship with himself and with whom he freely shares his own divine Life and Light and Love. It is in Jesus Christ, therefore, that we really understand and think aright about God’s unchanging constancy, for it is in him, the only-begotten Son of the Father, that we may really know God in accordance with the inmost nature of his eternal being.19
As we reflect on God’s triune self-revelation as the God who makes himself known to us through the incarnation by becoming human, dwelling in our midst, and then sending the Spirit who gives life to the church and is at work in the church’s process of understanding theology, we can be tempted in the process of seeking to understand God, to create structures that don’t always follow the narrative flow of revelation. However, in listening to these hymns, we hear an alternative approach to the often more structured shape of systematic theology. These hymns are no less true theology but expressed in poetry and hymns. While much written theology seeks to explain doctrine, hymns proclaim it. The song of Mary declares the goodness and justice of God, and while it isn’t a theological treatise, it is no less profound. We must consider the way that we see and hear the attributes of God proclaimed in alternative ways, which helps us to enrich our vison of God.
V. Conclusion
Although Christianity in the Middle East is a highly contested and dynamic field of study, it is an indispensable element of understanding Christianity and conveying God’s attributes in a global context. Within the Middle Eastern context there is a constant awareness of engaging with other theological traditions that have their own understanding of theology and education. There is an opportunity for women to contribute a distinct [singing] voice and a leading role within Middle Eastern Christian theological education as we seek to understand more about the attributes of God.
As I reflect again on the confidence of the tradition which I am exploring, I am reminded that singing of God’s goodness, holiness, justice and mercy in individual song and communal hymn, is no less the ‘theological task’ than that which we might consider the more traditional approach of the systematic theologian: publishing a book.
The Middle East is in dire need of the original singing by the people of the land, the proclamation of God’s goodness, justice, graciousness, goodness. We can see through the Magnificat, in St. Ephrem’s poem, and in Fairouz’ song, how God’s attributes are described for us. We share in that description because we share in the image and likeness of God. By taking our lead from Mary in the Magnificat, and the Syriac tradition represented by our exploration of St Ephrem and traditions like that of the public singing of the daughters of the Covenant, Protestant Christians might be able to helpfully re-engage with history to explore alternative frameworks for allowing females theological voices to be heard as we seek to understand who God is.
