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 SYRIAC

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SYRIAC

Nisibis and the Tigris), and in Kurdistan, especially in the neighbourhood of Ournuah. The language of this city is even in process of becoming a literary tongue, through the efforts of the missionaries (Amer- ican Protestants and French Lazarists), who print numerous works in this dialect, Bibles, text-books, prayer-books, and even reviews.

The v.'orks transmitted to us in the Syriac language form an essentially and almost exclusively Christian rehgious hteraturc. After Latin and Greek there is none more useful to the excgete, the theologian, and the ecclesiastical historian. We know of more than 1.50 authors who enriched it from the fourth to the thirteenth century. The libraries of Europe and those of some eastern monasteries which are of easy access possess nearly 3000 MSS., containing the greater part of these works. Our short list will take only the best-known authors and the most important works. Of pagan literature there remain only a few short inscriptions, most of them funereal, and a letter from Mara bar Serapion, Stoic philosopher of Samo- sata, to his son, written probably in the course of the third century (ed. Curcton, "Spicelegium Syr.", Lon- don, 18.55). The writings of the Gno-stic Bardesanes of the same period, with a Gnostic hymn inserted in the Acts of St. Thomas, form a sort of transition between Pagan and Christian literature. The earliest monu- ment of the latter is the version of the Bible called the Peschitta (simple), which is treated elsewhere (see Versions of the Bible). It suffices to mention also the two oldest ortliodox WTiters, Aijhraates the Per- sian Sage (d. 3-50), and St. Ephraem, the most brilliant of the Fathers of the SjTian Church (d. 373). Among the disciples of F^phraem was Mar Aba, the author of commentaries on the Gospels and of a homily on Job; Zenobius, deacon of Edessa, who wrote treatises against Marcion and Pamphylus and a "Life of St. Ephraem"; Paulinus, who possibly fell into heresy after ha\'ing •nTitten against Marcion and the sceptics. Abamya, a nephew of Ephraem, has been wrongly identified with Cyrillona, an unknown author who WTote in 397 a poem on the two plagues of that period, the locusts and the Huns.

At the beginning of the fifth century there flourished at Edessa the famous school of the Per- sians, in which the doctrines of Theodore of Mop- suestia and Nestorius found fervent adherents. The bishop then was Rabbula, son of a pagan priest of Kenncshrin (Chalcis). He was con\erted by Eusc- bius, bishop of that city, distributed his goods to the poor, and embraced the ascetic life. In 412 Acacius of Aleppo appointed him Bishop of Edessa; he died in 43.5. After inclining to Nestorianism he became an ardent partisan of St. Cyril of Alexandria. His sever- ity made him formidable to his clergy, and won for him the title "tjTant of Edessa". At Constanti- nople he delivered a discourse against Nestorius, which was translated into SjTiac, as well as several of his letters. He himself translated the treatise "Of the Orthodox Faith" which CjTil addressed to him. His extant works were translated by Overbeck (Oxford, 1865). His sncce.ssor was the famous Ibas, or Hiba, who favoured the Xestorians. Mari the Persian of Re%vard;ushir, to whom the celebrated letter of Ibas was addreased, wTote a comment ary on Daniel and a controversial treatise against the Ma- gians. He also commentaterl the (lost) letters of Acacius of .Vmida (Diarbekir), an avowed Nestorian, less noted for his writings than for his charity, which won him a place in the Roman Martyrolog^- (<) April). He must not be confounded with .\c.acius of Melytene who joined Rabbula in his w.irfare against Xestorian- ism, nor with .\cacius of Seleucia, jiatriarch of the Nestorians (484-0(i), author of homilies on fasting and of treatises against the Mf)nophysites; he .also trans- lated into Persian the treatiseon faith of Osee, Bishop of Xisibis, who in 496 promulgated the statutes of the

school of that city (ed. Guidi). About the middle of the century lived Isaac of Antioch, called the Great, and regarded as a saint. His history is unknown. The Syrians have attached his name to a considerable collection of metrical homilies (partly edited by Bickell, Giessen, 1873-77, and by Bedyan, Paris, 1903), but it is certain that the works of several au- thors of the same name have been attributed to him.

Among these are Isaac of Edessa, a Monophysite of the end of the sixth centurj-, and Isaac of Aniida. The last-named is the author of a poem on secular games (414) and on the taking of Rome (410). In the first half of the century lived Balai, chorepiscopus of Aleppo, the author of numerous poems which have been preserved in part. At the deat h of Ibas the doc- tors of the school of Edessa were exiielled, and with- drew to the Persian Empire. Among them were Barsauma, who became Bishop of Xisibis and was noted for his despotism; we have six of his letters addressed to the Patriarch Acacius. He also wTotc exhortations, funeral orations, and hymns; Xarsai joined him and was the real founder of the School of X^isibis which continued the tradition of that of Edessa; he taught there for more than forty years. He was praised in most exalted terms by his co- religionists, who called him "the Tongue of the East", "the Poet of Religion", "the Harp of the Holy Ghost". The Monophysites nicknamed him "the Leper". He died about 502. He is said to have composed commentaries on most of the books of the Old Testament, and 360 metrical discourses. Many of them have been edited by Mingana (Mossoul, 1905). Mana, who became a bishop in Persia, was distinguished at Edessa for his translation of the works of Theodore of Mopsuestia.

Eliseus bar Kozbaye and Abraham of Beit Rabban, the successors of Xarsai in the direction of the school, wrote Biblical commentaries antl numerous treatises against the Magians. Most of the Xestorian authors of the sixth century proceeded from this school. One of the most famous was the Patriarch Mar Aba L (540-52), a convert from Zoroastrianism; he studied at X^isibis, leamerl Greek at Edessa, and went to Con- stantinople; later he founded the School of Seleucia. He preached boldly against the Magi; Khusrau I ex- iled him; on his return to Seleucia he was thrown into prison, where he died. He is credited with a transla- tion of the Scriptures, but there is no trace of it; he wrote Biblical commentaries, homilies, and synodal letters. He also translated into Syriac the liturgy of Nestorius. Paul the Persian, veiy learned in profane philosophy, composed a treatise on the "Logic" of Aristotle, dedicated to King Khusrau (eil. Land), and several other didactic works, preserved in part. His namesake, Paul of Xisibis, a disciple of Mar .\ba, was the author of Biblical commentaries. Theodore, made Bishop of Merw in 540, wrote a commentary on the Psalms and a reply to ten questions of Sergius of Reshayna. His brother Gabriel, Bishop of Horniis- dardashir, wrote controversial books against the Manichajans, and the solution of difficult Scriptural questions. To .Miraham bar Kardahe, of Nisibis, are attributed homilies, funeral orations, sermons, and a letter against Shisban, probably a Magian. Anothe- .Abraham, of Kashkar, founded and governed on Mount Izla near Xisibis a famous mona.stery called the Great Convent. The niles he established in 571 were published (Chabot, Rome. 1898) with those of Daflisko, his successor (588-604).

The physician Joseph, the successor of Mar Aba (5.52-67), is sjwken of as the author of an apocryphal correspondence attributed to the Patri.arch Papa (fourth centun,'). .Joseph Houzaya of .\l-.\hwaz was then teaching .at Xisibis; he is credited with the oldest grammatical treatise known to Syriac literature, and is regarded as the inventor of the system of punctua- tion in use among the Xestorians, compiled in imita-