In Syriac literature, an ʿeltā (plural ʿellātā) is a work explaining the reasons behind feast days, aspects of the liturgy or some other part of church tradition., citing , Preface: "a lengthy theological discourse that explained both the reasons for some liturgical or other celebration and different aspects of the theological mystery that lay behind it". It is a distinctive literary genre of the Church of the East and is strongly associated with the schools, such as the School of Nisibis and the School of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. It flourished between the 6th and 8th centuries.
The word ʿeltā is Syriac for "cause" or "explanation". The genre may be called "cause literature" in English.
Works Most surviving examples of the genre are derived from a single 16th-century manuscript collection called "Explanations of the Feasts of the Economy". All of these date to the 6th century:
Cyrus of Edessa On the Fast On the Pascha On the Passion On the Resurrection On the Ascension On Pentecost Thomas of Edessa On the Birth of Christ On the Epiphany Ishai On the Feast of the Martyrs Henana of Adiabene On Good Friday On the Rogation Posi On the Fast Anonymous On the Commemoration of Mary
Outside of this collection are the ʿeltā on the Trisagion by the 6th-century Patriarch Ishoyahb I and the Cause of the Foundation of the Schools by a certain Barhadbshabba, either Barhadbshabba of Hulwan or Barhadbshabba Arbaya.
Many ʿellātā were written that no longer survive. They are known only through the bibliography compiled in the early 14th century by Abdisho bar Brikha. These include:
Henana of Adiabene On the Friday of Gold On the Discovery [of the Cross] Babai the Great On Palm Sunday On the Feast of the Cross Book of Causes on Matthew the Wavering, Abraham of Nisibis and Gabriel Qatraya Joseph Hazzaya On the Glorious Festival Abraham of Mahoze On All the Festivals Cyriacus of Nisibis On the Birth of Christ On the Epiphany Gregory of Shushtre On the Festivals
Abdisho also records that Shallita of Reshaina in the 8th century, the Patriarch Isho bar Nun in the 9th and the Patriarch Abdisho I in the 10th wrote ʿellātā, without specifying on what topics.
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