István Perczel (; born 1957) is a Hungarian scholar of
Byzantine history
The Byzantine Empire's history is generally periodised from late antiquity until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. From the 3rd to 6th centuries, the Greek East and Latin West of the Roman Empire gradually diverged, marked by Diocletian's (r. ...
and
early Christianity
Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the History of Christianity, historical era of the Christianity, Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Spread of Christianity, Christian ...
Central European University
Central European University (CEU; , ) is a private research university in Vienna. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in the social sciences and humanities, which are accredited in Austria and the United States. The univ ...
in
Vienna, Austria
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
. He holds a doctorate from the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( , MTA) is Hungary’s foremost and most prestigious learned society. Its headquarters are located along the banks of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. The Academy's primar ...
. He is one of the leading experts on
Dionysius the Areopagite
Dionysius the Areopagite (; ''Dionysios ho Areopagitēs'') was an Athenian judge at the Areopagus Court in Athens, who lived in the first century. A convert to Christianity, he is venerated as a saint by multiple denominations.
Life
As rel ...
and the
Saint Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...
of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
. Since 2000 he has led a project to explore and digitalize the Syriac and Malayalam manuscripts of the
Saint Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...
He has initiated the study of Classical Syriac as a modern Indian lingua franca and of Garshuni Malayalam.
According to his university profile, he knows Ancient Greek, Latin, Classical Syriac,
Garshuni
Garshuni or Karshuni (Syriac alphabet: , Arabic alphabet: ) are Arabic writings using the Syriac alphabet. The word "Garshuni", derived from the word "grasha" which literally translates as "pulling", was used by George Kiraz to coin the term " gar ...
Malayalam and Church Slavonic, speaks Hungarian, English, French, Modern Greek, Russian, Italian, German and Ktobonoyo and has a working knowledge of Hebrew, Malayalam and Old Portuguese.
Most important publications
* "Malayalam Garshuni: A Witness to an Early Stage of Indian Christian Literature," in ''Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies'' 17, 2 (2014): 263–323.
* "The Pseudo-Didymian ''De trinitate'' and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite: A Preliminary Study", in: ''Studia Patristica'' 58/6: ''Neoplatonism and Patristics'' (Leuven-Paris-Walpole, MA: Peeters): 83–108.
* "Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and the Pseudo-Dormition of the Holy Virgin," in: ''Le Muséon'' 125/1-2 (2012): 55–97.
* "Classical Syriac as a modern lingua franca in South India between 1600 and 2006," in: ''Modern Syriac Literature, ARAM'' Periodical 21 (2009): 289–321.
* ''The Nomocanon of Metropolitan Abdisho of Nisibis: A Facsimile Edition of MS 64 from the Collection of the Church of the East in Thrissur'' (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005), 426 pp.
* ''The Eucharist in Theology and Philosophy: Issues of Doctrinal History in East And West from the Patristic Age to the Reformation'', ed. István Perczel, Réka Forrai, and György Geréby (Leuven: University Press, 2005), 474 pp.
* ''Incomprehensibility and condescension. Metaphysics and Mysticism in Saint Augustine and Saint John Chrysostom,'' Atlantisz Publishers, Budapest, 1999, , 248 pp.
See also
*
Synod of Diamper
The Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor Synod) (), held at Udayamperoor (known as Diamper in non-vernacular sources) in June 1599, was a diocesan synod, or council, that created rules and regulations for the ancient Saint Thomas Christians (also ...