This paper explores the crucifixion of the self and the relationship between the cross and divine love in the writings of Saint Isaac of Nineveh (also known as Saint Isaac the Syrian) and his contemporary, Dadisho Qatraya. These common themes reveal a particular theological emphasis that arose in the flourishing intellectual envi- ronment of the region of Beth Qatraye, along the coast of the Persian Gulf, in the seventh century. This is the region in which Saint Isaac was born and educated before he was made Bishop of Nineveh. The shared intellectual heritage of these writers can be traced back to the spread of a reformist monastic movement developed by Abraham of Kashkar (d. 588) that reinvigorated monastic life in Beth Qatraye.