Decline of Syriac Literature (From 14th - 19th centuries)

Traditional historians of Syriac literature mark the 13th century as the end of Syriac literature. While there was indeed a general decline in intellectual activity in the Middle East after the 13th century, Syriac writers continued to produce a considerable amount of works, most of which have not been studied nor published. Writers of this period include Isaiah of Bet Sbirina who produced a contemporary account, in poetic form, of the devastation of Timur Leng (d. 1407). Among the other poets are Nuh the Lebanese (d. 1509) and David the Phoenician.

In the 16th century, the Syriac mathematician Patriarch Ignatius Ni'matallah, who abdicated his office in fear of execution and left to Rome, was invited by Pope Gregory to join the Commission on Calendar Reform. Shortly after, he wrote an extensive criticism of the reform propsal which helped in shaping the Gregorian calendar.

The 17th century witnessed the beginning of writings in the Neo-Aramaic vernacular dialects of Alqosh, an activity that became more popular in the 19th century under the influence of the American Missionary press at Urmiah. Another new phenomenon appeared in the 17th and 18th centuries: the translations of western spiritual works into Syriac.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Maronite Assemani family produced a number of excellent scholars, most notably Joseph Simon Assemani (1687-1768). They played a magnificent role in introducing the Syriac heritage to the West. Joseph produced Bibliotheca Orientalis, the first and best (till this day) encyclopedia of Syriac works. Along with his nephew Stephen, they introduces the works of Ephrem in 6 volumes to the European reader. The Maronite College in Italy continued this tradition.

In addition to the general decline in literature productivity in the Middle East during this period, the Syriac-speaking communities went through many hardships. Persecutions and massacres under Ottoman Turkey left the Syriac people in continuous fear. The persecutions culminated in 1915, what the Syriac people call 'The Year of the Sword' when hundreds of thousands were collectively massacred. The result was the migration the Syriac people to other countries of the Middle East, as well as the Diaspora in the west.

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