Carlo Emilio Biuzzi

Universiteit Gent – École Pratique des Hautes Etudes (PSL), Paris

The Sounds of the Eastern Saints. Shaping the Soundscape of the Lives of the Eastern Saints  of John of Ephesus (6^th century)

Reading John of Ephesus’ Lives of the Eastern Saints engages the senses, with vivid expressionism drawing readers into the described reality. The narrative oscillates between public settings, such as assemblies and church masses, and private monastic spaces.

The role of hearing has gained increasing attention in hagiographical studies, particularly within Byzantine Greek literature, while its relevance in Syriac studies is only now emerging. This paper applies methodologies from Byzantine hagiography to Syriac literature, integrating insights from existing scholarship on the importance of chanting in Syriac poetry.

The study examines references to hearing and sound within the Lives of the Eastern Saints. It aims to identify elements rooted in John’s firsthand experience, as well as his engagement with biblical texts and liturgical moments, exploring their symbolic significance. The analysis proceeds from linguistic features to the broader social dimensions of the text, tracing how sound functions as both representation and symbol.This seeks to reconstruct the soundscape depicted by John of Ephesus, situating it within its social and liturgical framework. By doing so, it highlights the dual role of sound—as a physical phenomenon and a symbol—within the narrative, offering fresh perspectives on the sensory and symbolic dimensions of Syriac hagiography.