Syriac Christian Polemic against Popular Religion

Abstract The article presents the editio princeps , translation, and commentary of three previously unknown compositions preserved in Syriac: On Sorcerers, Diviners and Charmers by Pseudo-Gregory of Nyssa, On Bathing in Springs and Sources by Pseudo-Basil of Caesarea, and an erotapocritic compilation drawn from the Questions of Basil and Gregory and the responsa of Jacob of Edessa to the priest Addai. Written during the Islamic period (possibly under the Abbasids), these works wage polemics against numerous customs related to popular religion among Syriac Christians, including bathing in natural water sources and various forms of divination.