|
Muslim Arab armies invaded the area occupied by Syriac speaking Christians from the early 7th century AD onwards. According to an ancient account by Michael the Syrian, the Christians had been oppressed so hard by the Persians in the East and the Byzantines in the West that they welcomed the Muslims! |
[22] |
|
|
c. 645 AD |
`Anan Isho`of Hedhaiyabh (i.e. of Adiabene), (later called Shenna dheBheth Remman) was a distinguished scholar who studied in Nisibis. He became an East Syrian monk when he entered the Great Monastery of mount Izla. Afterwards, according to Wright [24], `Anan Isho` travelled to Egypt and Palestine gathering information about ascetic life in those regions. According to Thomas, bishop of Marga, (via Budge) `Anan Isho` then returned to Mesopotamia and came to the convent of Beth `Abhe whilst his friend Isho`yahb was still Metropolitan of Arbela, that is to say, before Isho`yahb became the Catholicos, Isho`yahb III. When `Anan Isho` came to the convent of Beth `Abhe he assembled his version of 'The Paradise of the Fathers' from the sources which he had collected during his travels in Scete, (Egypt) and in Jerusalem. `Anan Isho`'s recension of the 'Paradise' is a large work in two volumes. These volumes contain around 80 scattered quotations taken from an Old Syriac gospel manuscript. According to [38], `Anan Isho`'s name was Enanisho and he worked for a later Catholicos, Gewargis I. However, according to Thomas bishop of Marga, `Anan Isho` came to Beth `Abhe before Isho`yahb III became Catholicos. Therefore, it is most probable that `Anan Isho` edited the Paradise whilst the information which he had gathered during his travels was still fresh in his mind. Therefore, `Anan Isho` probably completed his recension of the Paradise in around AD 645, soon after he came to the convent of Beth `Abhe rather than 15 years later during the patriarchate of Giwargis I. |
[24], pp. 174 –
175 |
|
647 AD |
Isho`yabh III of Hedhaiyabh (i.e. of Adiabene) who had formerly been Metropolitan of Arbela and bishop of Nuhadraye was elected Catholicos of the East. This Isho`yabh ordered the (re-)arrangement of the Hudhra, (or order of service) and seems to have suffered widespread dissent from his bishops. Also attributed to Isho`yabh is a theological and liturgical series of questions and answers which includes historical details, see for example Ms Mingana Syriac 566. The actual work on the Hudhra was done by Isho`yabh's friend, the distinguished scholar `Anan Isho` of Hedhaiyabh. As the Hudhra introduction informs us, this project was completed in the Dayra `Alita or 'The Upper Monastery' of Mar Gabriel of Kashkar and Mar Abraham bar Dashandad, at Mosul. Given that he edited the Hudhra during the Patriarchate of Isho`yabh III, this work would have been completed between AD 647 and 657. According to several ancient sources reported in [57], p. 349 this editing of the Hudhra included the abbreviation of the anaphora of the apostles Addai and Mari. As with `Anan Isho`'s other works, when the Hudhra alludes to the gospels, which it often does, it exhibits an Old Syriac text type. Many copies of the Hudhra survive in the manuscript record and there was an edition based on the Mss at Trichur published by Mar Thoma Darmo in India, 1960, 1961, 1962, (3 volumes). A bibliography of the known Mss of the Hudhra has been published by W.F. Macomber, 'A list of the known manuscripts of the Chaldean Hudra,' Orientalia Christiana Periodica 36, 1970, 139 and by Anton Baumstark, 'Geschichte der syrischen literatur' Bonn, 1922. Some example Mss are; Mardin 22 dated AD 1287 [57], Mingana Syriac 512, which dates from the early 15th century [46], [57], British Library Add. 7177 dated AD 1484, Vatican Syriac 83 dated AD 1538, Trichur Syriac Ms 27 (after the list of Mar Aphrem, metropolitan of Trichur) or Ms 11 (after Ploeg, [51]) dated AD 1598, Mingana Syriac 542 dated AD 1601 [46], Cambridge Add. 1981 dated AD 1607, [40] and Harvard Syr 12 dating from the 17th century, (see Goshen-Gottstein's catalogue, p. 42). The Hudhra was adapted by the Catholic church to remove references to Nestorius and an edition was produced in Leipzig called 'Breviarium Chaldaicum', 1886. `Anan Isho` also produced some lexical books. One such book explains how to pronounce difficult Syriac words used by the church fathers based upon pioneering work by Joseph Huzaya, who was the first Syriac grammarian and a disciple of Mar Narsai. Another is a lexical work which survives with the additions made by Honain ibn Ishak al-`Ibadi of Herta who died AD 873. This has been published by Hoffmann, 'Opuscula Nestoriana' from two Mss, [24]. Another Ms copy can be found in Mingana Syr 420. |
[24], pp. 115, 116,
172, 174, 175 |
|
Saturday |
Died Mar Maroutha, who had been Syrian Orthodox metropolitan of Tagrit and all the East since AD 628 and Maphrain of the East since AD 629. He was succeeded by Denha. The latter wrote a biography of his predecessor in which he also commented upon the situation in the East Syrian church in his area, (this has been edited by Françoise Nau, [71]). He said that the East Syrian monks were very keen to establish schools in every settlement and that very many schools were established and ran by them. One of the most famous of these founders of schools in and around Marga was Rabban Babai of Gebiltha. It is highly likely that the monks taught from their Old Syriac gospel texts in these schools. |
[24], pp. 136,
137 |
|
650 AD |
Many monks and ascetics were killed by the army of Sa'd along the Byzantine border, especially in the monastery called "The daughters of Five Churches" at Ra's Ayn (in modern Syria). |
(Michael G. Morony, Iraq after the Muslim Conquest, 1984, p. 379, Also J.B. Chabot, CSCO, Scr. Syri 56, Louvain, 1937) |
|
653 or 654 AD |
Gabriel was consecrated bishop of the Syrian Orthodox monastery of Mar Gabriel at Qartamin in Tur `Abdin by Athanasius the patriarch. This monastery was however very old even then. It was founded in AD 397, which see. The consecration of Mar Gabriel happened at this date during the caliphate of Omar. As appears from the gospel quotations in the 13th century manuscript which preserves this record, the gospel text in use at Qartamin at this time was an Old Syriac text of considerable age. |
[38], p. 115 |
|
657 or 658 AD |
Died East Syrian Catholicos Isho`yahb III, formerly Metropolitan of Arbela. Many of his letters survive. These contain gospel quotations partly from the Peshitta and partly from Old Syriac texts. One of Isho`yahb's works, presumably written around AD 640 before his elevation, was a biography of Isho`sabran who was the last martyr of the Sassanid era, (the power of the Sassanids ended in AD 637). This earlier work exhibits quotations from an Old Syriac gospel. |
[38], p. 102 |
|
658 AD |
Mar Gewargis I, (George) succeeded Isho`yahb III as Patriarch. He sat until AD 680 – 681. Reference [50] gives the date of his election as either 658 or 660 AD. Gewargis had been a monk of Beth `Abe. |
[38], p. 102 |
|
3rd
November |
According to Bar Hebraeus, Mar Denha, Syrian Orthodox metropolitan of Tagrit died on this day. |
[38], p. 131 |
|
660 AD |
Died Isho`yabh III of Hedhaiyabh Catholicos of the East, [60]. He was succeeded by Giwargis of Kaphra in Beth Garmai who sat until AD 680, [63]. |
[60],
p. 80 |
|
667 AD |
Died the eminent Syrian Orthodox Christian scholar and scientist Severus Sabukht. Sabukht was born in Nisibis and became a monk at Qinnesrine where he received an education. He was a physician, a mathematician, a philosopher and a pioneer of astronomy and science. |
[70], p. 70 |
|
668 or 669 AD |
Athanasios, a Syrian Orthodox priest from Nisibis translates the letters of Severus, Patriarch of Antioch from Greek into Syriac. Athanasios used the Peshitta gospel text to replace the gospel quotations in the Greek original. |
[38], p. 101 |
|
676 AD |
The Catholicos Mar Gewargis I ordained Isaac bishop of Nineveh in the monastery of Beth `Abe. He resigned after only 5 months to resume his solitary life in the mountains of Khuzistan. Isaac was one of the most important east Syrian ascetic authors. His extensive Syriac works were written in the last two decades of the seventh century. These were quickly translated into many other languages and distributed around the world. Isaac's many Syriac works have been published in two stages. The Syriac text of the first part was published by Paul Bedjan, 'Mar Isaacus Ninivita de perfectione religiosa' Paris and Leipzig 1909. This was translated into English by A. J. Wensink in 1923. The second part was published by Sebastian Brock, 'Isaac of Niniveh (Isaac the Syrian) the second part' Publ. CSCO vols. 554, Syr. 224 (Syriac text) and 555, Syr. 225 (Translation) Leuven, Belgium 1995 ISBN 906831708-3 & 906831709-1. |
[61], p. 242 |
|
May |
There was a synod under the East Syrian catholicos Giwargis I. The synodal canons are dated in the month Iyar = May of the Islamic year AH 57, [50]. Now, the year AH 57 began on the 12th November 676 AD, (see details under AD 622 above). The synodal canons quote the gospel using the Peshitta text, however a number of Old Syriac variants are also present. Reference [38] gives two differing dates for this synod, or perhaps two synods actually occurred? The canons of this synod indicate that the clergy were still trying to subordinate the monks and anchorites under their own authority. The monks had essentially split away from the church hierarchy following years of persecution at the hands of the clerics. This situation was very important for the history of the Old Syriac gospel text which was the gospel text preferred by the monks. As was typified by the gospel quotations in the canons of this synod, the clerics increasingly preferred the Peshitta text. |
[38],
p. 102, 125, 126 |
|
c. October |
Catholicos Giwargis I wrote a treatise in reply to several letters from Mina who was a priest and bishop in the Church of the East. |
[50], p. 490 |
|
c. 680 AD |
Flourished Shem`on of Taybutheh surnamed 'Luka' who was a monk and a physician, (hence the surname) and a disciple of Rabban Shabor Huzaya. A treatise by him survives in Mingana Syr 601 part E. |
[46], volume 1, column 1148 |
|
680 or 681 AD |
Died East Syrian catholicos Mar Gewargis I. He was succeeded by John bar Marta, [Borgia Syr. 60, p. 532 column 2] |
[50],
p. 480 |
|
684 - 687 AD |
Ya`qob, (Jacob) was consecrated as Syrian Orthodox bishop of Edessa by the Patriarch Anastasius II who ruled AD 683 or 684 until his death on 11th September AD 687, (i.e. he died on the 11th Illul AG 998, [53]). Jacob had been a disciple of Severus Sabukht, (see above under AD 667, [60]). Jacob sat as bishop only four years and then he resigned in order to teach. Jacob was a distinguished scholar both in Syriac and in Greek. Jacob wrote a history and in AD 705 he was also engaged in various projects to create new Syriac revisions of Old Testament books whilst living and working in the Monastery of Tell `Ada. He died on June 5th, AD 708. |
[24], p. 142 |
|
Between |
An East Syrian recluse and monk, Johannan Bar Penkaye, also known as Johannan of Beth Zabhdai completed a large work called, 'The history of the temporal world'. What follows is a translation of a description of Ms 25 made by Archbishop Addai Scher in his catalogue of the Mss at Alqosh, [66]. “This work is divided into two parts. The first part contains 9 chapters, and the second six. The work begins with a Hexameron describing the six days of creation and then moves on to the Flood, the people of Isra'el, the scriptures, virtuous doctrine, the gentiles, the trinity, the incarnation, the redemption etc. The two last chapters are devoted to a history beginning with the Apostles and including the persecution of the church under Shapur king of Persia as well as a history of Constantine and the Romans of the same period, the council of Ephesus, the end of the Persian kingdom, then the Arab kingdom up to this year, AH 67 during the lifetime of the author.” Of this large work, chapters 1 to 9 are in Rylands 43, [56]. Also, as mentioned in [38] and [56], chapters 10 to 15 have been edited by Alphonse Mingana, 'Sources Syriaques', Published Leipzig 1908 and also by the Dominican Press at Mosul 1908. Vööbus notes that the gospel is quoted many times in this historical work and also in Penkaye's treatise on chastity and holiness preserved in BL Orient 9385. He says that the quotations are sometimes from an Old Syriac gospel and sometimes from the Peshitta. Amongst his other works, John bar Penkaya composed 15 metrical works in seven syllable metre, (unpublished, but see Mingana Syr 488 B, CUL Add. 1998, CUL Add. 2018, Rylands Syr 68, HSM Syr 42) and a book called, 'The Merchant' of which a large fragment can be found in Mingana Syr 47. |
History of the
temporal world:
|
|
November |
Giwargis (George) became Syrian Orthodox bishop of the Christian Arab tribes. Giwargis had been a disciple of Ya`qob of Edessa, [53]. He wrote many metrical (poetical) works which preserve allusions to an Old Syriac gospel text. From comments made in [38] his gospel text may have been the Diatessaron harmony. |
[38], pp. 100 –
101 |
|
687 AD |
Henanisho I became East Syrian Catholicos. |
[46], volume 1, column 54 |
|
688 AD |
Mar Denha II was ordained as Syrian Orthodox metropolitan of Tagrit and all the East. He died in AD 727. |
[71], p. 51 |
|
c. 690 AD |
Flourished Dadisho` Qatraya an East Syrian ascetic recluse who nevertheless resided in, or near, the convent of Rabkenara [64] and later in his life at the monastery of Rabban Shabor, [38]. Rabkenara is thought to be situated somewhere in Northern Iraq in the vicinity of Beth `Abe where according to his own words, Dadisho` began his career as a monk, see [64], p. 300 line 16f in the edition and p. 232 lines 20f in the translation. Dadisho` was a very learned man. Dadisho`'s date can be fixed approximately based upon his cherished memories of Rabban Koudhoy who, according to Archbishop Addai Scher, died around AD 680, see [64], p. 231 in the translation and Scher, (see reference opposite) p. 112. He wrote a commentary on the asceticon of Abba Esha`ya (Abba Isaiah = Isaiah of Scete?) which has been published by CSCO, (vols. 326, 327). Another unedited work by Dadisho` on a similar theme can be found in Mingana Ms Syr 60. As well as quoting from Abba Esha`ya, in [64], he quotes extensively from many earlier authors including Anthony of Egypt, (pseudo-) Macarius the Great (= She`mon Messalaya, see under AD 370), Evagrius of Pontus, Theodore of Mopsuestia, John Chrysostom, John of Apamea, Babai the Great, Barhadbeshabba and others. He also quotes the gospel text frequently and from a very old Syriac text. This Old Syriac text is still evident, even though the manuscripts used in the CSCO edition were copied in the 19th century, [47] including Vatican Syr. 496, see [47] and [64] p. 8* in the introduction to the Syriac text. Dadisho` Qatraya translated or edited a commentary upon the 'Paradise of western monks' probably that of Palladius and Jerome, [24]. A manuscript copy of his commentary on the Paradise is preserved in the British Library, BL Add. 17264, [48]. Even though the Ms dates from the 13th century, it is full of Old Syriac gospel readings, (an example of a Diatessaron quotation can be found edited in [42]). Dadisho` Qatraya composed a number of other treatises on various aspects of the ascetic life, [24], [61], funeral sermons and some letters, [24]. A treatise on solitude an prayer by Dadisho` was edited and translated by Mingana, A. 'Woodbrook studies' volume 7, 1934 and another English translation by Sebastian Brock in [61]. Vööbus reports that the gospel texts he found in this treatise have been adapted to the Peshitta, [38] but even a translation of this treatise [61] demonstrates that the Old Syriac gospel quotations remain, [61], p. 308. |
[24], p. 131 |
|
c. 700 AD |
Flourished John of Dalyatha, also known as John Saba a monk and a mystic of the Church of the East who lived in on Mount Qardu in northern Iraq. John wrote 22 homilies, [61] [66] and 51 short letters, [61] which have all been edited by Robert Beulay, [69] and his work was appreciated and copied in the Syrian Orthodox manuscript tradition as well as in the Church of the East. Two of John's letters have also been translated into English by Brock, [61]. |
[61], pp. 328
f. |
|
c. 700 AD |
Jacob of Edessa and John the Stylite corresponded about this time. Jacob was busy revising the Peshitta version of the Old Testament. |
[32] |
|
700 AD |
Died East Syrian Patriarch Henanisho` I. Letters, civil and synodal canons written by Henanisho` survive in Mingana Syr 586. He was succeeded by Pition, [See the Beth Gazza, e.g. Borgia Syr. 60, p. 532, column 2]. According to Wright, his name was pronounced, 'Pethion' and he died in AD 740, [24]. |
[24], p. 218 |
|
705 AD |
Ya`qob (Jacob)
of Edessa completed his revised Syriac text of the Old
Testament. |
[33], p. 211 |
|
June 5th |
Died Ya`qob, (Jacob) who was for a few years, Syrian Orthodox bishop of Edessa. |
[24], p. 143 |
|
714 - 718 AD |
Giwargis, (George) Syrian Orthodox bishop of the Arabs wrote in a letter about the identity of the fourth century 'Persian sage' we know as Aphrahat. This letter was part of an important cycle of his correspondence written between AD 714 and 717, [53]. |
[53], p. 98 |
|
724 AD |
Died Giwargis, Syrian Orthodox bishop of the Christian Arab tribes. According to Spencer-Trimingham, [35] Giwargis was born c. 640 AD. He was based at `Aqula, (later known as Kufa and famous as the source of the Arabic Kufic script) not far from the centre of Arab Christianity affiliated to the Church of the East at Hira, [35]. |
[35],
p. 176 f. |
|
740 AD |
Died Pition, Catholicos of the East. |
[24], p. 218 |
|
c. 740 AD |
Flourished the East Syrian Mystical writer Abraham Bar Dashandad. A letter of his survives in Mingana Syr 601 part C. |
[46], volume 1, column 1147 |
|
741 AD |
Mar Abha Bar Berikh-sebhyaneh of Kashkar bishop of Kashkar became East Syrian Catholicos. He sat until his death in AD 751 at an age of 110 years. He is quoted at least ten times by Isaac Shebadhnaya, also known as Asco in his sedras, see AD 1440 and Wright's catalogue of the Cambridge Mss, page 441. Also, it is mentioned in the Beth Gaza, for example Borgia Syr. 60, p. 532, column 2 that this Mar Abha wrote the Turgame, or exegetical anthems which are chanted before the gospel readings in the liturgy of the Church of the East. Mar Abha of Kashkar was succeeded by Sourin as catholicos of the east, [50]. |
[24],
p. 186 f. |
|
750 AD |
The Abbasid Islamic caliphate is established in Iraq |
[60], p. xxiv |
|
c. 754 AD |
Sourin catholicos of the east was deposed, [50]. |
[50], p. 515 note 4 |
|
758 AD |
Giwargi was elected Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. He sat until AD 790. |
[62], p. 5 |
|
Between |
Ya`qob metropolitan of Gundi-Shapor was elected Ya`qob II Saba Brika catholicos of the east. His election ended a four year gap which began with the deposition of his predecessor, Sourin. |
[50], p. 515 note 4 |
|
759 or 760 AD |
A dated inscription in a stone sepulchre was found near Amida containing three quotations from an Old Syriac gospel. |
[38], pp. 110 - 111 |
|
760 AD |
Was born Job of Edessa. |
[33], p. 212 |
|
Between |
Ya`qob II catholicos of the east was imprisoned and within two years, he died. After his death, there was no catholicos of the east for nine years until the election of Henanisho` II. |
[50], pp. 515, 515 note 4 |
|
767 AD |
An East Syrian copy of the Peshitta NT was copied in the convent of Rabban Mara Sabar Yeshua, or Beth Quqa near the river Zaba Rabba in Adiabene. |
Hatch 'Album', p. 214 |
|
773 or 774 AD |
Lazar of Qandasa, (or Kandasa), a Syrian Orthodox monk who lived in the mountains near Edessa wrote a commentary upon the gospels of Mark and John. From these it is clear that Lazar used the Peshitta text. |
[38], p. 113 |
|
774 - 779 AD |
When the Caliphs conquered the old Sassanid (Persian) metropolis of Seleucia-Ctesiphon and built Baghdad their new capital between the years 762 and 766, the East Syrian catholicos Henanisho` II (774-9) considered it expedient to move the Patriarchate in 775 to that city though still reserving the old title of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. As head of one of the richest and influential communities in the Islamic Empire, his position in the central administration became one of relative importance, sometimes through favour with the Caliphs themselves and sometimes through bribery and gifts, [Atiya]. Henanisho` II died in AD 780, [46]. |
Atiya, Aziz S., 'A
History of Eastern Christianity' Methuen, London, 1968 |
|
775 AD |
Mohammed El-Mahdi became Islamic Caliph of Baghdad. |
[50], p. 516 |
|
Between October
29th |
The East Syrian catholicos Henanisho` II held a synod. The synodal acts contain gospel quotations which mainly follow the Peshitta text, though a few Old Syriac variants are still to be seen. The synodal record is dated to 'AG 1087 which is also AH 159', [50]. This provides an early confirmation of the mathematical link between the Greek and Islamic calendars in use at that time. Henanisho` had been bishop of Lashom prior to his election as catholicos. His election was schismatic: not all east Syrian bishops supported him. Nevertheless, according to [50], it is his name which appears on the Singan-fu Syriac inscription found in China which is dated AD 781. The present author has not yet been able to verify this claim, or the date of the inscription. |
[38], p. 116 |
|
775 - 776 AD |
A monk from a monastery near Amida writes 'The chronicle of Zuqnin', which covers the period AD 488 - 775. |
[32] |
|
September 779 AD |
Died east Syrian catholicos Henanisho` II. Henanisho` was poisoned and died when he tried to recover some church property lost during the interregnum. |
[46], volume 1,
column 1202 |
|
Sunday 7th
May |
After 8 months of wrangling, Henanisho` II was succeeded by Timothy I Catholicos of the East. He was elected on Sunday 7th May AD 780. Prior to his election, Timothy had been bishop of Beth Bagash. Timothy came originally from Hazza in Adiabene. |
[50], p. 603 note
5 |
|
780 to 823 AD |
Timothy Catholicos of the Church of the East corresponded with Sergius who was later metropolitan-bishop of Bet-Lapat or Gundishapur in the Persian province of Elam. Timothy was a favourite of the Caliphs al-Mahdi and Harun al-Rashid. About 200 of Timothy's letters survive and when he quoted the gospel, he quoted from the Peshitta. Some of these letters can be found in Mingana 47, section mm. |
[32], paras
24ff. |
|
22nd
May |
Mari Giwargi Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch held a synod in the village of Kaper-nabu in the district of Serug. The synodal canons are preserved in a Damascus Patriarchate Ms which has been edited and published in [68]. the date given in the synodal letter is Pentecost Sunday, 22nd day of the month Iyar in the year of the Greeks 1096. |
[62],
p. 5 |
|
785 AD |
Died Mohammed El-Mahdi, Islamic Caliph of Baghdad. He was succeeded by Harun al-Rashid, (see above). |
[50], p. 516 |
|
790 AD |
End of the see of Giwargi Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. |
[62], p. 5 |
|
Between May 19th
|
Timothy I catholicos of the east, held the first of two synods. Catholicos Timothy I tried a cleric, Nestorius priest of the Monastery of Mar Yozedeq, [50] who was accused of being a Messalian, that is to say, a member of an ascetic sect which originated in the 4th century AD, [46]. Nestorius subsequently retracted this belief in a letter dated in this year, AH 174, [50]. Subsequently, Nestorius was made bishop of Beth Nuhadran or Nuhadraya. A treatise by this Nestorius can be found in Mingana Syr 601 part S, [46]. The writings of John Dalyatha who flourished c. AD 700 were also condemned by Timothy at the same synod and for the same reason, [69]. This condemnation was rescinded by Timothy's successor, Isho` bar Nun, [69] see under AD 823. Also, according to Beulay, during this synod, some words written by Yoseph Hazzaya recommending prayer in the monk's cell as more important than church services were condemned. As one might expect, this sort of teaching was always condemned as 'Messalian' by the Church of the East. See P. Harb, 'Lettre..', p. 269 referring to the ancient text edited in §102 which is on pp. 376 f. Yoseph was from Hazza in Adiabene, hence his name, and he was born around AD 710, [61]. He wrote many books, most of which are now lost but some were transmitted under the pseudonym of his brother `Abdisho` (See Mingana Ms 601). An excellent critical edition of three of his letters based upon 12 manuscripts has been published by Harb. This edition preserves some teaching by Yoseph on the monastic life. |
[46], volume 1,
column 1115, 1118-9 |
|
791 or 792 AD |
The scholar Theodore bar Koni of Kashkar nephew of (presumably Catholicos) John IV, completed his 'Liber Scholiorum'. This book contains much theological, apologetical and historical information. The text is richly studded with the gospel text quoted from a revised version of the Peshitta. Vööbus shows that the Peshitta text used by Theodore had been revised towards the Greek text, [38]. Theodore was promoted by his uncle to be bishop of Lashom in AD 793. In his 'Liber Scholiorum' Theodore gives an account of the Diatessaron and a brief quotation. He says, (I translate from the Syriac): ‘And finally came Tatianos the Greek, and he saw in the Separate Gospels that the episodes were described two or three times, and he took to write them down, one by one, and gathered from the four of them, one book. He called it "Diatessaron". And when he came to the reading of the resurrection, he saw that the testimonies of the four differed, because each caused to write that He was risen from the dead at the time that our Lord appeared to him. And, so as not to have to choose one testimony and omit three, he spoke thus in order to take account of the testimony of all four: "In the night when the first day of the week dawned, our Lord rose from the dead." ‘ |
[24], p. 222 |
|
793 AD |
Quriaqos or Cyriacus became Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. Cyriacus had been a monk at the convent of Bizona or 'the pillar' near Callinicus. He sat until AD 817 when he died in Mosul. His patriarchate was fraught with serious divisions caused or exacerbated by him in the Church. This situation even led to the appointment of a schismatic patriarch and the mediating intervention of the Islamic Caliph, Harun al-Rashid. |
[24], p. 165 f. |
|
November |
Quriaqos or Cyriacus Patriarch of Antioch held a synod in the village of Beth-bethyan in the region of Harran. The synodal canons are edited in [68]. |
[62], p. 6 |
|
After 797 AD |
A work written about the three founders of the Syrian Orthodox monastery of Qartamin in Tur `Abdin which quotes the gospel from an Old Syriac text. |
[38], p. 113 |
|
c. 800 AD |
Died David, an East Syrian monk of Beth Rabban Paulos, i.e. of the convent of Zekha-isho` who later moved and lived in the convent of Beth `Abhe. David wrote a monastic history called 'The little paradise' used as a source by Thomas bishop of Marga. He also wrote a geographical treatise and some poorly styled acrostic poems on wisdom and learning. |
[24], pp. 183
f. |
|
Between |
Lived the East Syrian Catholicos Timothy I, see above under AD 780. Civil and ecclesiastical canons created by Timothy were enacted in a second synod which occurred in this year, (AH 189, [50]). A large collection of 59 letters and some canons written by Timothy are preserved in Mingana Syr 587. The treatise by Timothy on ecclesiastical law dated AD 805 and another treatise on the soul can also be found in Mingana 47, sections jj and ll, [46]. |
[46], volume 1,
column 1115, 1118-9 |
|
812 or 813 AD |
Quriaqos or Cyriacus Patriarch of Antioch held another synod in Harran. The synodal canons are edited in [68]. |
[62], p. 6 |
|
817 AD |
End of the see of Quriaqos or Cyriacus, Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. |
Bar Hebraeus,
“Nomocanon” |
|
c. 817 AD |
Job of Edessa, (or Job al-Abrash) the East Syrian, teaches Syriac studies in Baghdad, and wrote 'The book of treasures', (essentially a Syriac encyclopedia). |
[33], p. 212 |
|
October |
Dionysius Tell-Mahraya became Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. He sat until AD 845. He had been a student at the Monastery of Kenneshre and then at the Monastery of Mar Jacob at Kaisum in the district of Samosata. Dionysius wrote histories that preserved the Chronicle of Edessa and the chronicle of Joshua Stylite. He dedicated his historical work to Iwannis Patriarch of Dara, (see below). Mar Dionysius held a synod in the city of Qalinicos during October AD 817 and the dated synodal canons are edited in [68]. The synodal letter contains a number of gospel quotations from an Old Syriac gospel, including Mt18v20, = ‘Where two and three are gathered in my name, there I am between them.’ see [68], p. 26 and compare the same variant quoted by Aphrahat who lived in the 4th century AD as edited by Wright, p. 69 lines 4, 6, 16 and p. 71 line 7. These quotations demonstrate that the Syrian Orthodox church was not only using the Peshitta version, but also Old Syriac gospels as authoritative texts in it's official documents even as late as the 9th century AD. |
[24], p. 196
ff. |
|
819 AD |
Jacob became patriarch of Alexandria. He sat until AD 836 |
Hatch, “Album” p. 114 |
|
820 AD |
Died Theodore Abu Qurra, bishop of Harran. Abu Qurra was from Edessa and had been a monk at the monastery of Saba. He says of himself that he wrote both in Syriac and in Arabic. His Arabic works are extant and display clear Old Syriac gospel quotations [38] [24]. Interestingly, he tells us that he is quoting from the separate gospels because he explicitly mentions the end of Matthew's gospel in connection with one of his quotations. So we have here some evidence that the early Arabic gospels were translated from the Syriac Evangelion daMepharreshe, not from the Peshitta. |
[38], pp. 158 –
159 |
|
5th
May |
Lived Theodosios Metropolitan of Edessa. An aged manuscript of Mor Jacob's Hexameron, records that Theodosios was Metropolitan of Edessa at this date, during the see of Dionysios patriarch of Antioch. |
[72], p. 340 |
|
Friday 9th
January |
Died Timothy I, Catholicos of the East aged 95 years. He had been catholicos for 43 years and 7 months. (There is an uncertainty in [50] here due to conflicting information from the ancient sources, [53]. Either Timothy died on 9th January 824 after he had been catholicos for 43 years and 7 months, [50], or he died on 9th January 823, [50], after he had been catholicos for 42 years and 7 months.) Timothy was succeeded as Patriarch by Isho` Bar Nun who ruled from Baghdad, Iraq, [53]. Isho` had been tutored by Mar Abraham bar Dashandad, 'The Crippled' of Bet Sayyada the celegrated teacher who taught him in the Upper Monastery at Mosul, [53]. |
[50],
p. 603 note 5 |
|
823 AD |
Date of the earliest extant Ms containing the Philoxenian version of 1, 2 and 3 John, James, 1 and 2 Peter and Jude. Written in Egypt by Aaron, a monk from Dara, near Mardin, and presented 30 years later to the monastery of Theotokos in the Nitrian desert. Br. Lib. Add. 14623 and acquired from Nitria by the British Museum between 1839 - 47. |
[34], pp. XXIII, XLIII |
|
828 AD |
Died the East Syrian patriarch Isho` Bar Nun. According to the Beth Gazza, he was succeeded by Giorgis, [Borgia Syr. 60 p. 532 column 2]. |
[46], volume 1,
column 1212 |
|
fl. c. 830 AD |
Iwannis (Syrian Orthodox) Bishop Metropolitan of Dara, (or John of Dara). Iwannis wrote (amongst other things) four books on the Priesthood. In these particular books, he quotes a large amount of Gospel text taken from an Old Syriac, gospel including variants not found in the Sinaitic or Curetonian manuscripts. |
[24], pp. 200,
204f. |
|
fl. c. 830 AD |
Nonnos, a contemporary of Iwannis and an arch-deacon of the Syrian Orthodox Church at Nisibis wrote a theological treatise whilst in prison. From his treatise it can be seen that Nonnos used the Peshitta gospel text. |
[24], pp. 205 –
206 |
|
830 AD |
Died Basil, bishop of Tagrit. |
Hatch 'Album' p. 114 |
|
832 AD |
Sabhr-isho` II became East Syrian Catholicos, he sat until AD 836. In this same year, Thomas who was later bishop of Marga, entered the convent of Beth `Abhe. |
[24], pp. 216, 219 |
|
837 AD |
Abraham became East Syrian Catholicos and had Thomas as his secretary, promoting him to be bishop of Marga and afterwards metropolitan of Beth Garmai. |
[24], pp. 206,
219 |
|
fl. c. 837 to 858 AD |
Thomas bishop of Marga and East Syrian metropolitan of Beth Garmai wrote his 'Historia Monastica' or 'Book of Governors' in the Monastery of Beth `Abhe at the request of a friend, the monk `Abhd-isho` about AD 840, [63]. According to Vööbus, [38] the Historia Monastica uses the Peshitta gospel text and there are only 'a small number of Old Syriac variants'. However, when the present author analysed all 36 gospel allusions found in the Historia Monastica, only 11 (i.e. 30%) agreed with the Peshitta. Furthermore, some of the other 25 gospel allusions contain outstanding variants consistent with an ancient Old Syriac gospel text, even older than the Sinaitic and Curetonian codices. For example on page 380, line 10 of the Syriac text, [63] Thomas quotes from John 17v21, 'As that I and you my Father we [are] one'. The theology underlying this reading is very different to that which lies behind the reading found in the Sinaitic Old Syriac codex and in the Peshitta; 'As that you my Father [are] in me and I [am] in you.' It is tempting to see Thomas' words as a misquotation from memory, but a wider examination of his quotations shows otherwise. For example, in the Sinaitic and Curetonian Old Syriac codices and the Peshitta of Luke 15v7, 10 Yeshu`a allegedly said either 'there will be joy in heaven' (v7) or 'there will be joy before God's angels' (v10) but in [63], p. 349 Thomas quotes Yeshu`a in a different way. He says, 'The angels who are in heaven rejoice'. A misquotation? No, not at all. This same text was alluded to as early as the 4th century AD by Aphrahat, (Wright, p. 276) and by Ephrem Syrus, (Leloir, CSCO vol. 180 quotations 544, 546 with others). Thus, the Historia Monastica enables us to enter the Monastery of Beth `Abhe and look over Thomas' shoulder at his familiar gospel text. In his gospel codex we can see glimpses of an ancient gospel text, quite unlike that found in the Peshitta or in the Greek and one having it's own distinctive text type and theology. |
[24], pp. 205 –
206, 220 |
|
845 or 846 AD |
Ephraem Stylite from the village Kephar-Tauetha near Zeugma copied a manuscript BL. Add. 12153 partly using Serta, and partly using the Estrangela Syriac script. |
Hatch, “Album” p. 152 |
|
845 AD |
Dionysius Tell-Mahraya Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch died on 22nd August AD 845 and he was buried in the Monastery of Kenneshre, [24]. In November AD 846 a synod was held in the Monastery of Mar Shila in the region of Serug and during this synod, Yohannan (John) III was elected as his successor, [62]. He sat until AD 873, [62]. |
[33], p. 212 |
|
847AD |
Start of the reign of the Caliph al-Mutwakil who began a systematic ideological attack on the Christians in Iraq. He also outlawed and began persecuting a number of Islamic schools including the Sufis who had engaged with Christians and debated their ideas in a constructive way. This caliph died in AD 861. |
[60], p. 88 |
|
850 AD |
End of the see of Abraham, Eastern Catholicos. |
[24], p. 206 |
|
852 AD |
Theodosius (who was the natural brother of Thomas b. of Marga) became East Syrian Catholicos. Prior to his elevation he was bishop of al-Anbar (also known as Piruz-Shabor, [65]) and then metropolitan of Gunde-Shabhor. A rival of Theodosius for the post of Catholicos was Isho`dad of Merv, bishop of Hedhatta. Isho`dad wrote commentaries on each book of the Peshitta New Testament and (at least) Genesis and Exodus in the Old. There are some Old Syriac relics in his work which he inherits from older authors, but in general his great work demonstrates the decline of the Old Syriac gospel text type in use amongst the East Syrian clergy. Nevertheless, Isho`dad makes some interesting comments about the Diatessaron in the prologue to his commentary upon Mark. He says, (I translate from the Syriac): ‘Tatianos who was the disciple of Justianos the philosopher and martyr, he selected from the four evangelists. And he mixed [them] and set down the gospel. And he called it "Diatessaron," that is "The mixed". And upon the divinity of the Christ he did not have cause to write. And Mari Ephrem commented to this.’ Isho`dad implies from his remarks that the Diatessaron had an Arian or low christology. This remark is not born out by the fragments of the Diatessaron which survive. Isho`dad's comment and the way he occasionally quotes excerpts from the Diatessaron in his commentaries of the gospels and Acts suggest that he had no complete copy of the Diatessaron to study. On the other hand, Isho`dad often quotes verbatim from a copy of Ephraem's commentary. This suggests that Ephrem's critical analysis was his primary window upon the Diatessaron. So, despite what he tells us about his strenuous efforts to locate manuscripts, it would seem unlikely that Isho`dad found even a single copy of the Diatessaron. This demonstrates the scarcity of Diatessaron manuscripts by the mid 9th century. |
[24], pp. 206,
220 |
|
858 AD |
End of the see of Theodosius, Eastern Catholicos. According to the Beth Gazza, he was succeeded by Sargays of Nisibis, and next by Mari Anush who was from Beth Garmai and next by John IV bar Narsay who appears below under AD 893, [Borgia Syr. 60 p. 532 column 2 – p. 533 column 1]. |
[24], p. 206 |
|
861 AD |
Severus, a monk who lived in the monastery of Barbara in the hill of Edessa during the days of Johannan the Patriarch wrote a catena patrum, that is to say, a collection of sayings by the church fathers. The compilation was completed in AD 861. This work contains gospel quotations using the Peshitta text. |
[38], p. 113 |
|
c. 863 AD |
Moshe bar Kepha was born in Balad in about AD 813. He was taught from his early youth by Rabban Cyriacus who was abbot of the convent of Mar Sergius near Balad where Moshe became a monk. Later he became Syrian Orthodox bishop of Mosul, Beth Kiyonaya and Beth Raman and took the name Severus. He sat for 40 years until his death in AD 903. Moshe was a prolific Syriac author, but his principal work was his commentary upon the bible. Fragments of his gospel commentaries are preserved in only two European Mss; BL Add. 17274 and Cambridge Syr. 1971 and in a single Harvard Ms, Syr 41. In these he quotes the Peshitta text. He also wrote metrical homilies which also contain gospel quotations. It is noticeable that some of the shorter quotations in his homilies were taken from an Old Syriac gospel source. |
[24], p. 207
f. |
|
873 AD |
Died Honain ibn Ishak al-`Ibadi of Herta who was born in AD 803. He was a Syriac speaking Arab from Al-Hira who belonged to the Church of the East. He was a famous physician, an eye specialist and also a master translator of Persian, Greek and Syriac works into Arabic. He taught methods of collating sources and translation technique which were essential to the accurate transmission of knowledge. Honain also invented a scientific and philosophical terminology for the Arabic language, this too was essential for the understanding and transmission of knowledge. |
[24], pp. 211,
215 |
|
873 or 874 AD |
Died Yohannan (John) III, Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. [62] has AD 873. |
Hatch, “Album”,
p. 156 |
|
June 5th |
Ignatios was elected Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch during a synod held at the Monastery of Mar Zakkai near Qalliniqos. He sat until AD 883. |
[62], p. 8 |
|
887 AD |
Romanus the physician, a monk from Kartamin was elected as Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, ([24] says Amid) and took the name Theodosius. He wrote a commentary on a work called 'Pseudo-Hierotheos' which he dedicated to Lazarus, bishop of Cyrrhus. Both Theodosius' commentary and the book he commented upon, quote many times from the Diatessaron gospel harmony. The textual pattern of the gospel quotations has been ascertained from agreements with earlier Diatessaron witnesses, from the free harmonizations found and also from some non-canonical elements only found in the Diatessaron. Theodosius died in AD 896. He was succeeded by Dionysios in the same year, [62]. |
[24], p. 206 |
|
c. 880 - 890 AD |
Flourished the distinguished Syrian lexicographer Isho` Bar `Ali Arabic name, Isa ibn `Ali who was a pupil of Honain ibn Ishak al-`Ibadi of Herta the famous physician, (Honain died in AD 873). An example of his lexical work based upon earlier lexicographers can be found in Mingana Syr 474. Isho` Bar `Ali also created a new Syriac recension of the Diatessaron by vulgarizing its readings using the Peshitta. This vulgarized Syriac recension was used later in the 11th century to create the Arabic Diatessaron, (see below, under AD 1043). |
[24], pp. 211,
215 |
|
893 AD |
The East Syrian Catholicos John IV bar Narsay, who is mentioned in the Beth Gazza, [Borgia Syr. 60 p. 533 column 1] appointed his nephew, Theodore bar Koni as bishop of Lashom. Theodore authored a book of scholia on the scriptures, (published by CSCO from 1910 onwards) and an ecclesiastical history. According to the list of patriarchs in the Beth Gazza, John IV was succeeded by Yuwannis and then by John bar Abgar, (see below under AD 900). |
[24], p. 222. |
|
896 AD |
Died Theodosius Syrian Orthodox patriarch of Antioch. During a synod held at the Monastery of Mar Shila of Serug, Theodosius was succeeded by Dionysios in April of the same year, [62]. |
[62], p. 8 |
|
900 AD |
John bar Heghire [24] also known as John V bar Abgare [52] became East Syrian Catholicos. He sat until his death in AD 905, [52]. Included in the Nomocanon of Eliya of Damascus is a treatise on the Rogations of the Ninevites written by the patriarch in AG 1214 = 902 or 903 AD, [72]. |
[24], p. 230 |
|
903 AD |
Died Moshe bar Kepha, Syrian Orthodox bishop of Mosul, Beth Kiyonaya and Beth Raman. After he became bishop, he was known as 'Mar Severus'. |
[24], p. 208 |
|
905 AD |
Died John bar Heghire, also called John V bar Abgare, East Syrian Catholicos, he was succeeded by Abraham. Abraham sat until AD 936 or 937. The ancient sources of this data are Bar Hebraeus, from his 'Chron. Eccl.' and the Mss of the Mingana collection, [46]. |
[24], p. 230 |
|
22nd March 914 AD |
Kristophoros was ordained as Mar Sargis, Syrian Orthodox Metropolitan of the Mar Matti Monastery in Persia. The date given is 22nd of the month Adar in the year 303 AH. This occurred during the tenure of Denha, Maphrian of the East and Yohannan bishop of Mar Matti and Huran who was Abbot of the same monastery. |
[62], p. 10 |
|
c. 922 AD |
Flourished Elias of Anbar, the East Syrian bishop of Peroz-Shabhor, (the older name of Al-Anbar, see [65]). He corresponded with Catholicos Abraham. He wrote a collection of metrical homilies, an apology, letters and some prose discourses. There is a legible photograph in the BFBS catalogue of two pages from his collection of memre upon knowledge and wisdom called the 'Duresha'. Other Ms of this work; One dated AD 1554 can be found in Jerusalem, [65] another of the 16th century can be found at Alqosh, Ms152, [66]. There is also an edition of the Duresha by Juckel A, CSCO vols 559, 560 published by Peeters 1996. |
[24], pp. 228,
230 |
|
932 AD |
Moses of Nisibis, (906 - 943 AD) had a library of over 250 manuscripts. There was also a large library at Dayr al-Suryan in the Monastery of Theotokos of the Syrians in the desert of Scetis, (lower Egypt). Many of the surviving Mss were bought by the British Museum in two batches, the first in 1842. These Mss form the majority of the Syriac Mss now in the British Library. |
[32] |
|
937 AD |
Died Abraham, East Syrian catholicos. According to the Beth Gaza, [Borgia Syr. 60 p. 533 column 1], Abraham was succeeded by Emmanuel. and then (in AD 961) by Israyel Karkaya. |
[24], p. 230 |
|
c. 945 AD |
Emmanuel the Catholicos of the East appointed George metropolitan of Mosul and Arbel. George's chief work was an exposition of the ecclesiastical offices for the whole year, written in seven sections, (these have been published by Connolly R. H., CSCO 2 vols. 1912, 1913 and another in 1915). George also wrote Turgame which can be found in Vat. Syr. 150 and 151 and in Berlin Sachau 167 section 2. |
[24], p. 231 |
|
961 AD |
Israyel Karkaya was elected Catholicos of the East. |
[24], p. 230 |
|
963 AD |
`Abhd-Isho` I was elected East Syrian Catholicos. He sat until AD 968. Present at his consecration was Emmanuel bar Shahhare. Also known as Emmanuel of Mosul, [65] he was the teacher in the school of Mar Gabriel in the convent of Daira `Ellaita (the 'Upper Monastery') at Mosul. He died in AD 980. He wrote 28 metrical discourses upon the six days of creation called the 'Hexaemeron'. This work survives in many manuscripts (see the oldest Ms dated 1288 in [65]) and includes gospel readings from the Peshitta as well as a significant number of Old Syriac readings and even some Old Syriac variants not found in the Sinaitic and Curetonian Old Syriac gospel manuscripts, [38]. Also present at `Abhd-Isho`'s consecration was the scholar Isho` bar Bahlul, whose Arabic name was Abu 'l-Hasan 'Isa ibn al-Bahlul. Bar Bahlul created an important Syro-Arabic lexicon. Mss copies of his lexicon can be found in Mingana Mss Syr 249 B and 571. |
[24], pp. 228, 230
– 231 |
|
969 AD |
The Greeks recaptured Antioch from the Muslims. Afterward, Antioch became a centre for the Melkite Christians in Palestine. The gospels and other parts of the NT originally used by the Melkites were written in Christian Palestinian Aramaic, (CPA). CPA is a dialect of western Aramaic, similar to the Samaritan and Jewish Palestinian dialects which were current before the Muslims invaded Palestine. CPA has its own distinctive semi cursive script, which looks like an Estrangela written with much squarer letters |
Hatch 'Album', pp. 249, 250 |
|
979 AD |
Died Rabban Joseph Busnaya in the East Syrian monastery of Rabban Hormizd situated near Alqosh. Around this time, Joseph's biography was written by one of his disciples, Johannan or John bar Kaldun. The biography is long, 242 folios [46] or about 200 folios, [66] and in it Johannan quotes the gospel text from an Old Syriac manuscript. Examples of Old Syriac readings, one of Lk17v21 and another of Jn3v16 have been edited from Ms Orient 9387 by Vööbus, [38], pp. 137, 197. The Syriac text of this biography may not have been edited, but a French translation is available published by J-B Chabot in Revue de l'Orient chrétien; 2 (1897) pp. 357-409; 3 (1898) 77-121, 168-190, 292-327, 458-480; 4 (1899) pp. 384-414; 5 (1900) pp. 118-143, 182-200 and again by Placide Deseille, 'L'evangile au désert', Paris 1965, pp. 213-267. |
[38], pp. 137 f.,
197 |
|
987 AD |
Mari bar Tobi, Atoraya or 'The Assyrian' was elected Catholicos of the East. According to the Beth Gazza, Mari was succeeded by Iwannis III. |
[24], p. 231 |
|
c. 990 AD |
John was bishop of the convent of Qartamin in Tur `Abdin at the end of the 10th century AD, (source Barhebraeus). At this time, John revived the Estrangela script which was used for copying manuscripts once more. |
Hatch 'Album' p. 26 |
|
1001 AD |
Nathaniel, bishop of Shenna was elected East Syrian Catholicos under the name John V. He sat until AD 1012. Curiously, the Beth Gazza mentions this person as Iwannis III here in the sequence of patriarchs. |
[24], p. 235 |
|
1008 AD |
Eliya or Elijah Bar Shinaya became East Syrian Metropolitan of Nisibis in AD 1008. Elias wrote that within 40 years of `Abhd-Isho`'s episcopate, that is by AD 1008, Eastern Syrian monasticism had collapsed to a very small contingent of monks and monasteries, [38]. According to Wright, [24] Elias Bar Shinaya was born in AD 975. He became a monk near Mosul and was later appointed Bishop of Beth Nuhadhre in AD 1002 and then Metropolitan of Nisibis on AD 1008. He was a prolific author who wrote many works both in Arabic and in Syriac. His greatest work was a history called, 'Annals' or Chronicle', (according to Wright, the only copy is found in BL Add. 7197). These important histories have been published by Chabot and Brooks, CSCO 1909, 1910. Eliya also wrote four volumes on the decisions of ecclesiastical law, an apology for the truth of the faith, hymns, metrical homilies and a lexical work which survives in Mingana Syr 420 E. |
[24], p. 235 –
238 |
|
Wednesday 19th
November |
Johannan VI Bar Nazol was promoted from Bishop of Herta to become East Syriac Catholicos. He sat until AD 1020, ([72] records an end of this see in 1023 AD). During his days there were mass conversions of Christians to Islam following many losses from Arab tribal warfare and Kurdish raiding parties. |
[24], p. 236
f. |
|
1020 AD |
Isho`yabh IV Bar Ezekiel became East Syriac Catholicos. He sat until AD 1025. |
[24], p. 236 |
|
1028 AD |
Elias I or Eliya I of Karkha d'Gheddan in Beth Garmai became the East Syrian Patriarch. Eliya collated the East Syrian synodicon and the canons of the church, (see Mingana Syr Mss 586, 587). He was previously bishop of Tirha and during this time he composed grammatical treatises. He sat until AD 1049. |
[24], pp. 233, 236 |
|
1043 AD |
Died `Abdu’llah ibn at-Tayyib who had been the secretary of the East Syrian Patriarch, Eliya I. `Abdu’llah translated a Syriac copy of the Diatessaron into Arabic. Unfortunately the critical value of this translation was diminished because the majority of the Syriac readings in the copy he used had already been adapted to the Peshitta. The vulgarized Syriac Diatessaron had been created earlier by the distinguished Syrian lexicographer’ Isa ibn `Ali who flourished around AD 890. |
[24], p.
238 |
|
1049 AD |
Died Catholicos Eliya I of Karkha d'Gheddan. According to the Beth Gazza [Borgia Syr. 60, p. 533 column 1], Eliya was succeeded by Yohannan and then by Sabr-Isho`. There then seems to be a significant gap in the Beth Gazza list, because the next patriarch mentioned in |
[24], p. 233 |
|
1049 AD |
`Abdisho` II Atoraya of Nisibis was elected Catholicos of the East. In the Borgia Beth Gazza, [Borgia Syr 60, p. 533 column 1] this `Abdisho` is the last patriarch in the main list. This historical detail indicates that the patriarchal list in the Beth Gazza service book was compiled at the latest during the patriarchate of `Abdisho` between 1049 and 1090 AD. However, it is perhaps more likely that the list of patriarchs was originally compiled during the patriarchate of Eliya I. The Borgia Gazza does list later patriarchs, but these are rather obvious later additions. |
|
|
1052 or 1053 AD |
The colophon of a dated Ms mentions John the Syrian Orthodox patriarch of Antioch. |
[72], p. 333 |
|
1089 AD |
The governor of Tikrit attacked the Syrian Orthodox Christians in that city and burned and looted the Cathedral of Mar Ahudama, also known as the Green Church. The Syrian Orthodox Maphrian, Yuhanna II Saliba and many others, escaped to Mosul. After an attempt to return failed, Tikrit was abandoned by the Syrian Orthodox Christian community. |
[60], p. 68 |
|
1089 AD |
The monasteries of Tur `Abdin were destroyed and the monks were killed. This catastrophe was recorded in a dated inscription. Even so, there is manuscript evidence that not everything was destroyed, see under AD 1133 and 1184 below. |
[38], p. 140 |
|
1090 AD |
Died East Syrian Catholicos `Abdisho` II. |
[46], volume 1, column 1158 |
|
1125 AD |
Mar Johannan became Metropolitan of Marde. He wrote that in the year he became metropolitan there was not one monk in Marde nor any at all in Tur `Abdin and that no one even remembered how the monks had lived. |
[38], p. 141 |
|
1133 AD |
Lazarus bar Saba, a native of Beth Severina in Tur `Abdin recorded his name and address in the colophon of a manuscript, BL. Add. 14498. This manuscript contains anaphoras and prayers from the liturgy and demonstrates that perhaps not all of the Syriac books at Tur `Abdin were destroyed in the disaster 44 years earlier, (see above AD 1089). |
Hatch 'Album' p. 178 |
|
1138 AD |
`Abhd-Isho` bar Mukl of Mosul became Catholicos of the East. He sat until AD 1147. |
[24], p. 255 |
|
1152 or 1153 AD |
Yohannan bishop of the Monastery of Mar Hananya also known as Deir Za'faran, 'The Safron Monastery' held a synod there. Copies of the synodal acts survive in Damascus Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate Ms 8/11 ff. 215a – 216b (dated May 5th AD 1204 published by Voobus, CSCO vol. 367 etc.) and Ms Mardin Orth. 176 ff. 143a – 151b, a Ms of the 15th century. |
[62], pp. 24 f. |
|
1156 AD |
Mosul becomes the main centre of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Iraq and the Maphrain Ignatius Li'azir was called, 'The Maphrain of Tikrit, Nineveh, Mosul and all the East'. |
[60], pp. 68 - 69 |
|
1166 AD |
Michael the Great became Michael Patriarch of Antioch. He sat until AD 1199. Michael's most important work was a chronicle from the creation down to AD 1196. This chronicle survives in Armenian and in AD 1894 a Syriac copy was said to exist in the library of the Zafaran monastery near Mardin, Turkey, [24]. According to Bar Hebraeus, Michael also wrote an ecclesiastical history, (now lost). However, it is likely that the contents of Michael's ecclesiastical history were re-used by Barhebraeus in his own historical writings. |
[24], p. 251
ff. |
|
1166 AD |
Dionysius bar Salibi of Melitene, was Syrian Orthodox metropolitan of Amid from 1166 until his death in 1171 AD. He wrote an important commentary on the four gospels in Syriac. Much but not all of his material comes from an earlier commentary written by Moshe bar Kepha in the 9th century AD. For Dionysius' gospel commentary, see the following Mss; BL Add. 7184, Vat. Syr. 155, 19-24, Vat. Syr. 156, 275 to 279, Paris Anc. fonds 33, 34 = Zotenberg catalogue numbers 67 – 68, Bodleian Lib. Ms Or. 703, 2, St Matthew, Bodleian Hunt. 247. According to Zotenburg's catalogue p. 35, the Ms, Paris 67 is a copy of the gospel commentaries which was completed and dated only 3 years after the decease of the author on Saturday 27th Tammuz AG 1485 which corresponds to Saturday 27th July AD 1174. Ms Paris 68 is also a dated Ms: Friday 13th Kanun II in AG 1768 = Friday 13th January AD 1457. These commentaries have also been published by CSCO, Peeters, Louvain. Dionysius Bar Salibi also wrote commentaries upon the Acts, letters of Paul and the Revelation, (these can be found in Bodleian Lib. Ms Or. 560 and Brit. Lib. Ms Rich 7185) and upon the Old Testament, (see Paris Syriac Ms 66). All the NT commentaries are based upon the Peshitta text, however Old Syriac gospel quotations and variants can still be found. In Bar Salibi's gospel commentary we find the following words about the Diatessaron, (I translate his words into English from the Syriac found on folio 182a of Ms Paris Syriac 67):”Tatianos the disciple of Justinos the philosopher and martyr selected from the four evangelists, and he mixed [them] and composed a gospel and he called it, 'Diatessaron' that is, 'The mixed' and Mari Ephrem wrote his commentary on this. It's start was; 'In the beginning he was, the Word'.” These words differ slightly from the description of the Diatessaron given by the earlier East Syrian Isho`dad bishop of Merv, which see above. |
[24], p. 247 |
|
1171 AD |
Died Dionysius bar Salibi, Syriac author, biblical commentator and bishop of Amid. |
[32], para 51 |
|
1171 AD |
The patriarchal seat of the Syrian Orthodox Church was moved and established in Mardin. |
[60], p. 93 |
|
July |
According to the colophon of Paris Syriac 67 copied at this time, (Zotenberg 1874, p. 35) Michael was Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Mark was Patriarch of Egypt, John was Maphrain of the Orient and Athanasius was Metropolitan of Edessa. |
Zotenberg's catalogue of the Paris Syriac Mss, 1874. |
|
1175 AD |
Eliya III, Abu Halim ibn al-Hadithi of Maiperkat, metropolitan of Nisibis became Catholicos of the East. He sat until AD 1190, [57]. Abu Halim mostly wrote in Arabic, but he also gave his name to one of the service books in Syriac, the 'Abu Halim' which contains collects and prayers for the whole year. Example Mss are Rylands Syr 27 dated 17th February AG 2051 = AD 1740 and the Cambridge Mss; Add. 1978, [40], [56] and Add. 2038, [40]. |
[24], p. 255
f. |
|
1177 AD |
Athanasius Abu Ghalib, bishop of Gihan wrote a work on chastity in AD 1177 which is preserved in Mingana Syr 118. He was ordained by Michael the Great in AD 1169. It is stated in this work that the West Syrian monks of this time were engaging in unchastity. This is probably the same cleric who is mentioned in Paris Syriac Ms 67 as Metropolitan of Edessa when the Ms was completed in July AD 1174. |
[46], volume 1, column 281 |
|
1184 AD |
A book of hymns was copied and dated in the village of Kaper Rac`a in Tur `Abdin. BL. Add. 14719 |
Wright 'Catalogue' p. 275 |
|
1190 AD |
Yabh-Alaha II bar Kayoma of Mosul became Catholicos of the East, [24]. Reference [57] has the date as AD 1191. |
[24], p. 255 |
|
1190 or 1191
AD |
Mar Iwannis (John LXXIV) was elected Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and all Egypt. The date given is year 905 according to the era of the martyrs, (see above under AD 286). He died in year 932 of the same era, i.e. around AD 1217 or 1218. This same Mar Iwannis is mentioned again in the colophon of a Ms dated 18th Tammuz, AG 1503 = 18th July AD 1192 and which also mentions that Basil was Metropolitan of Edessa, [72]. This same Mar Iwannis is mentioned again in the colophon of Paris Ms 289 which is dated 8th Shabat, AG 1507 = 8th February AD 1196 and which also mentions Athanasios Syrian Orthodox patriarch of Antioch and another Iwannis (John) who was metropolitan of Amid, (Chabot 1896, p. 235). |
[62], p. XII |
|
1196 to 1211 AD |
An East Syrian gospel lectionary manuscript, BL. Egerton 681 was copied in AD 1206 or 1207, during the days of Yabh-alaha II Catholicos of Seleucia Ctesiphon. The lectionary was arranged after the usage of the lections in the convent of Beth `Abhe which was founded by Rabban Jacob, (see earlier under AD 630). A similarly dated gospel lectionary from Beth `Abhe can be found below, see under AD 1218. Mar Yabh-alaha is mentioned again in other Ms colophons; one dated AG 1508 = AD 1196 or 1197 and another dated AG 1522 and AH 607 = AD 1210 or 1211, [72]. |
Wright “Catalogue”
p. 193 |
|
1196 or 1197 AD |
Mar Emmanuel, Metropolitan of Nisibis is mentioned in a Ms colophon dated AG 1508 = AD 1196 or 1197 . |
[72], p. 336 |
|
November |
Died Michael Patriarch of Antioch or Michael the Great, who had been Syrian Orthodox bishop of Amid and who moved his see from Amid to Mardin. Michael was a very important Syriac author. He created a NT in Syriac except the book of Revelation. He also wrote a valuable chronicle of events down to the year 1194 AD which preserves much earlier Syriac historical materials which are now lost. Michael the Great was succeeded by his nephew Isho` Setana, see under AD 1204 below. |
[32] |
|
c. 1200 AD |
Flourished John bar Zubi, an East Syrian monk of Beth Kuka in Hedhaiyabh (=Adiabene) who tutored Shakko or Shikko, also known as Severus, bishop of Mar Matthew, (see below under AD 1241). John wrote a Syriac grammar, a number of copies of this work survive in the Mingana collection. John's teacher was Shem`on Shaklawaya, i.e. from Shaklabad who composed a work on church Chronology in response to a request from John, [46]. |
[24], p. 258 |
|
1202 AD |
At around this time in the Upper Monastery of Mar Gabriel near Mosul, the liturgy was restructured. Vööbus, [38] asserts that all the Old Syriac elements were removed from the lectionary in favour of the Peshitta as well as from all the other liturgical books. However, contrary to the second part of this assertion, the surviving Mss of the Hudhra (the East Syrian office book used by the choir arranged by `Anan Isho` of Hedhaiyabh in the mid seventh century AD) and the Mss of the Beth Gaza demonstrate beyond any doubt that the Old Syriac text was not in fact removed from every liturgical book, only from the gospel lectionary. Vatican Syriac Ms 42 contains a Taksa (i.e. a service book or Euchologion) for the Priest's use whilst celebrating the East Syrian mass. This East Syrian Taksa was revised in AD 1202. This date correlates with the date that the lectionary system of the East Syrian liturgy was revised using the Peshitta by the Upper Monastery of Mar Abraham and Mar Gabriel at Mosul. The revision of the gospel lectionary required a large manuscript copying effort to replace the older lectionaries. A number of dated examples of these replacement lectionaries can be found mentioned below. |
Date according to
the introduction provided for Vat. Syr. 42 as found in the
facsimile edition of 33 Mss from the Vatican Library produced by
the BYU. |
|
5th
May |
According to the colophon of Damascus Patriarchate Ms 8/11 reported in [62] at this time, Isho` Setana also called Mika'el like his great uncle Michael the Great, was Patriarch of Antioch, Mar Iwannis (John LXXIV) was Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria and all Egypt and Mar Grigorios was Maphrian of Tagrit, Nineveh, Mosul and all the East, (for whom see more details below under AD 1214). Assemani (BO II, p. 230 ff.) and also Baumstark (Geschichte Syr. Lit., p. 302) thought that Isho` became Patriarch in AD 1207, but this colophon shows that he is more likely to have become Patriarch of Antioch around the turn of the year AD 1200 soon after the death of Michael the Great. Isho` was from the Monastery of Barsauma and he reigned until his death in AD 1214. |
[62], p. XI (in the intro to the Syriac text) |
|
Saturday August 4th 1212 AD |
Sabr-Isho` bar Pawlos of Mosul was rector, (Syriac: Yasopa) of the Church of Meskenta in Mosul when the Ms Mosul 13 was copied, (according to the date 609 AH given in the Ms colophon). This Sabr-Isho` wrote an anthem on the [Divine] Economy which was recited at the fast called the Rogation of the Ninevites. This anthem is included in the 13th century appendix of the 11th century Mar Eshaya Hudhra. |
[57], p. 353 note 4 |
|
1214 AD |
Died Mika'el also known as Isho` Setana Patriarch of Antioch. |
[62], p. XI (in the intro to the Syriac text) |
|
1214 or 1215 AD |
Isho` (or Ya`qob) bar Abraham bar 'Elija of Bet Qandasi near Melitene who was Mar Grigorios Maphrian of Tagrit died in AD 1214 [62] or AD 1215, [46]. He was a nephew of Michael I, also known as Michael the Great, [46], [62]. He wrote anaphora which are preserved in Ms Berlin Sachau 196 folios16a ff., [62] and a treatise on Good Friday preserved in Mingana Ms Syr. 112 folios 92a – 107b, [46] |
[46], volume 1,
column 273 |
|
Between March and September1218 AD |
An East Syrian lectionary of the gospels was written in the convent of Beth `Abhe which was founded by Rabban Jacob, (see earlier under AD 630). The dates given in the Ms are AG 1529 and AH 615. These two dates narrow down the date of the manuscript to between March and September AD 1218. A similarly dated gospel lectionary from Beth `Abhe can be found above, see under AD 1206. |
CBL Ms 704 |
|
1222 AD |
Died Yabh-Alaha II bar Kayoma of Mosul, Catholicos of the East, [57]. |
[57], p. 353 note 4 |
|
1222 AD |
East Syrian Patriarch Yabh-Alaha III or Sabrisho` IV was elected. He sat until AD 1225. |
[46], volume 1, column 998 |
|
1225 AD |
Flourished Giwargis Warda from Erbil who wrote Syriac poems, (two are dated; AD 1225 and AD 1254, [46]) and hymns. According to Vööbus [38], some of these are based on the Old Syriac gospel and some on the Peshitta. The Mss studied by Vööbus were Cambridge Syr 1982 and Vatican Syr 184 with an edition by Hilgenfeld. Other Mss include Mingana Syr 197 C and Mingana Syr 505 dated around AD 1500. |
[32], para 55 |
|
1225 AD |
Died Sabrisho` IV Catholicos of the East. |
See above under 1222 AD. |
|
28th
February |
A Ms dated 28th Shabat, AG 1551 mentions the patriarch of the Church of the East, Mar Sabrisho Bar Meshihaya. |
[72], p. 356 |
|
1241 AD |
Died the West Syrian author and disciple of the John bar Zubi, Jacob bar Shakko, or more exactly, Ya`qob of Bartilla, Bar Shikko, also known as Severus, bishop of Mar Matthew. Some of his work called, The 'Treasures' written in AD 1231 can be found preserved in Mingana Syr 100. Note that Shikko was a West Syrian, despite being a disciple of John bar Zubi who was an East Syrian. Again, according to the patriarch Barsaum, (Barsaum 1967, p. 511 – 514), Jacob was the metropolitan of the Monastery of Mar Matta, [51]. |
[32], para 52 |
|
1249 AD |
Died the West Syrian Patriarch Michael II, formally known as Isho` Bar Shushan. His copy of the gospels was Old Syriac in character as can be seen from a gospel interpolation after Mt20v28 which can be found copied into Mingana Syr 497, a copy of the Harklean gospels. The same interpolation can be found in the Curetonian Old Syriac codex which dates from the 5th century AD. |
[46], volume 1, column 917 |
|
1256 AD |
Died East Syrian Patriarch Sabrisho` V Bar Meshihaya. |
[46], volume 1, column 931 |
|
1258 AD |
The Abbasid Islamic caliphate was ended by the invasion of the Mongol Khan Hulago who conquered and sacked Baghdad. The Khan spared the Christians in Baghdad because many Mongols were already Christians. |
[60], pp. xxiv, 90 |
|
1260 AD |
The Mongol Khan invaded Syria and took Nisibis, Edessa, Harran, Aleppo and Damascus. |
[60], p. 91 |
|
1264 AD |
Gregory Barhebraeus Abdu al-Faraj, (AD 1226 – 1286) became primate of the Syrian Orthodox Church. Gregory was the son of a physician who after studying medicine in Antioch and Tripoli turned to theological studies and the priesthood. See also below under AD 1286. |
[60], p. 71 |
|
November 1265 AD |
Denha I became East Syrian Catholicos. |
[40], volume 1, p. 39 |
|
1270 AD |
Died John of Mosul who was an East Syrian monk in the monastery of Mar Michael near Mosul. John wrote a work entitled 'Book of good manners' in AD 1245. Several Mss are known to the present author, BL Orient 2450 and Mingana Syr 488 A, 493 A. An edition of unknown exactness was published by Millos, E. J., Archbishop of Akra, 'Directorium spirituale', Rome 1868. |
[24], p. 285 |
|
1271 AD |
Died East Syrian Metropolitan `Abdisho` Bar Mashk who renovated the church of the Monastery of Mar Eugenius. This monastery was situated on Mount Izla. |
[46], volume 1, column 373 |
|
February 1281 AD |
Died Denha I East Syrian Catholicos. He was succeeded by Mar Yahb-Alaha III. He sat until AD 1317, [24]. |
[40], volume 1, p.
39 |
|
1286 AD |
Died Gregory Barhebraeus Abdu al-Faraj, Syrian Orthodox Maphrian of the East and a prolific Syriac author, biblical commentator and scholar. On-line biographies of Gregory Barhebraeus including lists of his many scholarly works are available on the Internet, see link1 and link2. Gregory exclusively used the Peshitta text of the gospels in his many works. His most important historical work was his, 'Book of Directions', more commonly known as 'The Nomocanon'. This is a large collection of synodal canons from previous eras. In Erbil at this time and writing hymns was Khamis bar Qardahe or Kardahé. Khamis' life can be pinned down to the vicinity of this date because he wrote a metrical eulogy in memory of Barhebraeus which is preserved in Mingana Syr 156, a 19th century Ms copied from an exemplar dated AD 1293, i.e. a Ms roughly contemporary with the author. A complete collection of Khamis' works can be found in Mingana Syr 149B and some hymns of his can also be found in Mingana Syr 130. |
[32], para 52 |
|
1294 AD |