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Papers by James Toma
Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies, 2023
This article presents an important source penned by Gewargis Warda on the Mongol invasion in Nort... more This article presents an important source penned by Gewargis Warda on the Mongol invasion in North Mesopotamia, composed in 1237AD. Three Chaldean towns in the Nineveh Plains are lamented on by the author, including Bet Qoqa (Baqofa), Telesqopa (Teleskof), and Karamlish (Karamles). Overall, Warda's poem serves as a remarkable source on the early Mongol invasion of the Nineveh Plains, offering a remarkable perspective on the East Syriac Christian community's experiences with the military campaigns during the first couple of decades of the 13th century.
The Syriac Annals of the Romanian Academy, 2024
The paper examines the formative stages of Islamic governance in Mesopotamia and its impact on th... more The paper examines the formative stages of Islamic governance in Mesopotamia and its impact on the East Syriac leadership during the First and Second Fitnahs. It discusses the evolution of succession practices, contrasting a foundational social contract or a decentralized model that reinforced local autonomy in exchange for tax obligations with a change in strategy marked by 'Abd al-Malik's increasing intervention in Christian leadership. This shift represents a transition from a model of indirect control to one of direct intervention. Furthermore, the paper illustrates the development of relations between the Catholicos-Patriarchs and the Caliphs from their initial encounters up to the Second Fitnah. It explores the ecclesiastical leadership of Ishoʿyāhb III, Giwargis I, and Hananishoʿ I, highlighting their institutional responses to the various challenges of the time.
Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies, 2022
This research article provides a comprehensive examination of female inheritance traditions withi... more This research article provides a comprehensive examination of female inheritance traditions within Rabbinical, East Syriac Christian, and Islamic legal traditions, from Late Antiquity (AD 224-651) to the Late Middle Ages (AD 1300-1500) in the Near East. The institution of female inheritance, focusing predominantly on daughters, wives, and mothers within a nuclear family, has been relatively unexplored and lacks comparative analysis across these major monotheistic traditions. The study employs various legal sources, including Rabbinical texts like the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Midrashe Halakhah, East Syriac canonical and lawbook literature, and Islamic legal sources developed post the Islamic conquest of the Near East. The article delves into the intricate legal structures, doctrinal developments, and the interplay of customs, precedents, and scriptural interpretations within each tradition. The Rabbinical tradition, explored through diverse sources, uncovers various aspects of Jewish life and legal pronouncements from the Geonic period. East Syriac Christian sources, deeply rooted in early Christian communities and traditions, focus on the canonical reflections and ecclesiastical synods which occasionally undertook civil issues, such as inheritance. Islamic sources illustrate the evolving role of qāḍīs (judges) and the increasing reliance on the Qurʿān as a legal source by the early eighth century. This comparative approach to understanding female inheritance across these traditions elucidates convergences and divergences in legal models and provides unprecedented insights into the construction and development of legal models relating to female inheritance and intestate succession in the Near East throughout the studied periods. The paper aims to fill the existing gap in historical scholarship by bringing forth an encompassing inquiry into the institutional framework and practical implications of female inheritance in these distinct yet interconnected traditions.
Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies, 2021
Book Sections by James Toma
New Testament Apocrypha : More Noncanonical Scriptures, 2023
James Toma, “The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles,” in New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Sc... more James Toma, “The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles,” in New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures (vol. 3), (ed.), Tony Burke. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2023, 12-35.
Conference Presentations by James Toma
North American Syriac Symposium (Yale University), 2023
Toma, J. (2023, June). The Road to Judicature: Tracing the Development of the Early Medieval East... more Toma, J. (2023, June). The Road to Judicature: Tracing the Development of the Early Medieval East Syriac Judge’s Office. Paper presented at the quadrennial meeting of the North American Syriac Symposium, (Yale University) Connecticut.
Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies, 2023
This article presents an important source penned by Gewargis Warda on the Mongol invasion in Nort... more This article presents an important source penned by Gewargis Warda on the Mongol invasion in North Mesopotamia, composed in 1237AD. Three Chaldean towns in the Nineveh Plains are lamented on by the author, including Bet Qoqa (Baqofa), Telesqopa (Teleskof), and Karamlish (Karamles). Overall, Warda's poem serves as a remarkable source on the early Mongol invasion of the Nineveh Plains, offering a remarkable perspective on the East Syriac Christian community's experiences with the military campaigns during the first couple of decades of the 13th century.
The Syriac Annals of the Romanian Academy, 2024
The paper examines the formative stages of Islamic governance in Mesopotamia and its impact on th... more The paper examines the formative stages of Islamic governance in Mesopotamia and its impact on the East Syriac leadership during the First and Second Fitnahs. It discusses the evolution of succession practices, contrasting a foundational social contract or a decentralized model that reinforced local autonomy in exchange for tax obligations with a change in strategy marked by 'Abd al-Malik's increasing intervention in Christian leadership. This shift represents a transition from a model of indirect control to one of direct intervention. Furthermore, the paper illustrates the development of relations between the Catholicos-Patriarchs and the Caliphs from their initial encounters up to the Second Fitnah. It explores the ecclesiastical leadership of Ishoʿyāhb III, Giwargis I, and Hananishoʿ I, highlighting their institutional responses to the various challenges of the time.
Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies, 2022
This research article provides a comprehensive examination of female inheritance traditions withi... more This research article provides a comprehensive examination of female inheritance traditions within Rabbinical, East Syriac Christian, and Islamic legal traditions, from Late Antiquity (AD 224-651) to the Late Middle Ages (AD 1300-1500) in the Near East. The institution of female inheritance, focusing predominantly on daughters, wives, and mothers within a nuclear family, has been relatively unexplored and lacks comparative analysis across these major monotheistic traditions. The study employs various legal sources, including Rabbinical texts like the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Midrashe Halakhah, East Syriac canonical and lawbook literature, and Islamic legal sources developed post the Islamic conquest of the Near East. The article delves into the intricate legal structures, doctrinal developments, and the interplay of customs, precedents, and scriptural interpretations within each tradition. The Rabbinical tradition, explored through diverse sources, uncovers various aspects of Jewish life and legal pronouncements from the Geonic period. East Syriac Christian sources, deeply rooted in early Christian communities and traditions, focus on the canonical reflections and ecclesiastical synods which occasionally undertook civil issues, such as inheritance. Islamic sources illustrate the evolving role of qāḍīs (judges) and the increasing reliance on the Qurʿān as a legal source by the early eighth century. This comparative approach to understanding female inheritance across these traditions elucidates convergences and divergences in legal models and provides unprecedented insights into the construction and development of legal models relating to female inheritance and intestate succession in the Near East throughout the studied periods. The paper aims to fill the existing gap in historical scholarship by bringing forth an encompassing inquiry into the institutional framework and practical implications of female inheritance in these distinct yet interconnected traditions.
Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies, 2021
New Testament Apocrypha : More Noncanonical Scriptures, 2023
James Toma, “The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles,” in New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Sc... more James Toma, “The Gospel of the Twelve Apostles,” in New Testament Apocrypha: More Noncanonical Scriptures (vol. 3), (ed.), Tony Burke. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2023, 12-35.
North American Syriac Symposium (Yale University), 2023
Toma, J. (2023, June). The Road to Judicature: Tracing the Development of the Early Medieval East... more Toma, J. (2023, June). The Road to Judicature: Tracing the Development of the Early Medieval East Syriac Judge’s Office. Paper presented at the quadrennial meeting of the North American Syriac Symposium, (Yale University) Connecticut.