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 SYRIAC

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SYRIAN

Evagrius, a commentary on dialectics, letters, an abridgment of the histories of the Fathers, saints, and martyrs, a collection of canons, several theological treatises, two liturgies, an explanation of the Mass (ed. Labourt, Paris, 1903), a voluminous treatise against the heresies, a treatise on Providence, homi- lies, and occasional verses. His commentaries and most of his other works are extant. Michael the S\Tian (Michael the Great), the son of a priest of Nehtene, was Abbot of Barasuma when he was elected patriarch (1166-99). He is the author of several liturgical works, but his cliief work is his "Chronicle" (ed. Chabot, Paris, 189S-1911). It is the most voluminous historical compilation trans- mitted to us by the S\Tians; that of Bar Hebra?us is generally only a faithful abridgment of it. Manj' earlier documents are inserted or summarized in it; the author furnishes valuable information concerning the historians who preceded him, and for his own period furnishes interesting details concerning the occupation of Ede-ssa by the Crusaders, and the wars of the Mussulman princes who occupied Asia Minor, e.specially Cappadocia. Michael's "Chronicle" be- gins with the Creation and stops with the death of Saladin (1196). Theodore bar Wahhoun, a disciple of Michael, who rebelled against him and had him- self named patriarch by the di.ssatisfied bishops, is the author of a liturgy.

The thirteenth centurymarks the endof SjTiac liter- ature. Among the Jacobites were: James (Severus) bar Shakako, Bishop of Mosul (d. r2-ll), whose "Dia- logues" are a philosophical coiu-se, and his "Book of Treasures" a course in theology; Aharon (John) bar Madani, who was Bishop of Mardin, Maphrian (1232), later patriarch (12.52-61), and the author of numerous poems; and Maphrian Gregory bar Hebneus, a man of encyclopedic learning, whose name worthily terminates this hst (see B.\R Hebr.eus). Mention must be made of the book of the "Knowl- edge of Truth" (ed. Kayser, Leipzig, 1889), the author of which plans to assemble m one religious community Christians, Jews, and Mussulmans; also of the chron- icle, likewise anonj-mous, recently discovered by Mgr Rahmani. Among the Nestorians were Solomon, Bishop of Bassora (c. 1222) whose chief work is the "Book of the Bee", an historico-theological compila- tion in which he inserted numerous legends (ed. Budge, O.vford, 1886) ; George Warda and Khamis bar Kardahe, authors of numerous hymns in the Nestor- ian office. Gabriel Kamsa, author of a theological poem, and John of Mosul, who wrote edifying poems, belong to the second half of the century. The history of the Patriarch Vaballaha III (1281-1318) is a very curious document; his successor Tiraotheus II is the autlior of a book on the Sacraments. Addisho bar Brika is the last WTiter deserving of mention. He was Bishop of Nisibis and died in 1318. His most useful work is his "Catalogue of writers", a sort of literarj' history of the East Syrians (ed. Assemani, "Bibl. OrientaUs", III); he concludes with a list of his own numerous and various works: commentaries on the Old and New Testaments, a work on the Life of Christ, one against lieresies, one on the mysteries of the Greek philosophers, twelve treati.ses on the sciences. These works of his have been lost, but we possess his "Xo- mocanon", or methodical collection of canon law, and his theological treatise called "The Pearl" (both edited by Mai, Home, 18.38), his "Rule of Ecclesiasti- cal Judgments", a kind of code of procedure, fifty metrical homilies which form the "Book of flie Para- dise of Eden", and twenty-two poems on love and wisdom. From the fourteenth century Syriac liter- ature produced no works of value Tlie few authors who cultivated it showeil neither talent nor originality; nevertheless u.seful indi(tations concerning local his- tory may be foimd in their occasional writings.

The great .services rendered to scholarship by trans-

lations which form a large i>art of Syriac literature should not be lost sight of; they include both profane and Christian works. The former were chiefly Greek scientific and theological works, principally those of Aristotle and his school. It was tlu-ougli this inter- mediary that the Arabs became acquainted with scientific culture, and came into contact with Hel- lenic pliilosophy, so that the important part they played in the propagation of the sciences during the Middle Ages had its origin in Syriac hterature. The "Romance of Alexander" and that of "Kalila and Dimna" were both translated from the Pahlowi about the sixth century. A portion of the works of the most celebrated of the Greek fathers of the fourth and fifth centuries were translated into Sj'riac; they possess only a secondary importance where we have the orig- inal texts, but are of the greatest value when they represent lost works, as is the case with regard to the "Apology of Aristides", the festal letters of St. Athanasius, the treati.se of Titus of Bosra against the Manicha;ans, the Theophany of Eusebius, the com- mentaries of CjTil of Alexandria on St. Luke, the works of Severus of .\ntioch, the commentary of Theodore of Mopsuestia on St. John and his treatise on the Incarnation, the Apology of Nestorius, etc.

Powla hangnagelCuABOT, Le^langues et les Utteraiures arameennes (Paris, 1910); Xoldeke, Kurzge/asste syrische Gramijuitik (2nd ed., Leipzig, 1S9S); Duval, Traits de grammaiTe syriaque (Paris, 1881); Payne-Smith, Thesaurus suriacus (Oxford. 1868-1901).

Literature: Assemani. Bibliotheca orienlalis (Rome. 1719-28); BiCKELL. Conspectus rei Syrarum lillerarite (Munster, 1871); Nestle, LiUemtum Syriaca (Berlin, 1888); Wright, Syriae Lit- eralure (2nd ed.. London, 1894); DtrVAL, La Liltiralurc syriaque (3rd ed., Paris, 1907) : Brockelmann, Die Syrische und die christ- lich-arabische Lilleralur (Leipzig, 1907).

A romplcte and detailed biljliography wiJI be found in Nes- tle, Wright, and Dutal, op. cit.

J. B. Chabot. Syriac Versions of the Bible. See Versions of

THE BiBLK.

Syrian Rite, East, also known as the Chaldean, AssvRiAX, or Persian Rite.

History and Origin. — This rite Ls used by the Nestorians and also by the LTniat bodies in Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Malabar, who have sep.arated from them. Tlie SjTian and Alesopota- mian Uniats are now commonly called Chaldeans, or SjTO-Chaldeans; the term Chaldean, which in Syriac generally meant magician or .astrologer, denoted in Latin and other European languages SjTian nationality and the SjTiac or Aram;iie lan- gu.age (especially that form of the latter which is found in certain chapters of Daniel), until the Latin missionaries at Mosul in the seventeenth century- adopted it to (Ustinguish the Catholics of the East SjTian Rite from the West Syrian ITniats, whom they call "Syrians", and from the Nestorians. The last call themselves "Syrians" (.Suraj-i), and evea "Christians" only, though they do liot all repudiate the name "Nestoraj-i", and distinguish themselves from the rest of Christendom as the "Church of the East" or "Easterns", as oppo.sed to "Westerns", by which they denote Latin Catholics, Orthodox, Monophysites, and Protestants. In recent times they have been called, chiefly by .Anglii'ans, the ".\ssyrian Church", a name which can be (U-fentled on arch. em and Western", includes Chaldean and Malabar Uniats and Nestorians under "Persian Rite", and Bi.shop Arthur Maclean of Moray and Ro.ss (.\nglican) who is probably the liest liWng authority on the exist- ing Nestorians, calls them "Eiust Syrifins", which is perhaps the most .■ ' term. The catalogue of liturgies in the British Musctim has adopted the u.iual Catholic nomenclature, calling the rite of the East Syri.an Uniats and Nestorians the "Chaldean Rite", th.at of the South Indian Uniats .and schismat- ics the "Malabar Rite", and that of the West Sjrian Monophysites and Uniats the "Syrian Rite",.