Ephrem's Mary: A Poetics of Wonder

Dr. Jeanne-Nicole Mellon Saint-Laurent is Assistant Professor of Theology at Marquette University and an alumna of Gonzaga University. A specialist in Syriac Studies and Early Christianity, she earned her doctorate from Brown University and has also studied Syriac at Oxford University. Her books include Missionary Stories and the Formation of the Syriac Churches and she is the co-editor of a digital database on Syriac Saints and their Lives. Her translations from Syriac will appear in the Cambridge Edition of Early Christianity: Writings.

“Ephrem's Mary: A Poetics of Wonder,” her lecture for this series, treats the rich collection of hymns on Mary by St. Ephrem the Syrian, which all come from his exegesis of Luke. These hymns present Mary as a model of discipleship, a philosopher, and the first to recognize and adore the mystery of Christ's person.