Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 22.djvu/879

 TTH CENT.] SYHIAC LITERATURE 843 the metropolitan of Rev-Ardasher 1 in Pcrsis and of the Katruye, 2 who refused obedience to him as his diocesan ; and this led to a lengthy correspondence, regarding which see B.O., iii. 1, 127-136. ] lis" works, as enumerated by 'Ablid-Isho', are Huppakh HiisJishabhe or "Refutation of (Heretical) Opinions," 3 written for John, metro- politan of Beth Lapat, 4 and other controversial tracts, consolatory and other discoiirses, various hymns, 5 and an exhortation to cer- tain novices. He arranged the Hudhra 6 or service-book for the Sundays of the whole year, for Lent, and for the fast of Nineveh, 7 and drew up offices of baptism, 8 absolution, 9 and consecration. 1 " He also wrote a history of the monk Isho'-sabhran, a convert from the religion of Zoroaster and a Christian martyr. 11 A large collec- tion of his letters is extant in Cod. Vat. clvii. (Catal., iii. 299), a judicious selection from which would be worth printing. 12 'Jinau-Lsho' 13 of Hedhaiyabh and his brother Isho'-yabh were fellow -students at Kisibis with Isho'-yabh III., and afterwards entered the great convent on Mount Izla. u Isho'-yabh subsequently became bishop of Kardaliyabhadh 14 ; but 'Anan-Isho' was seized with a fit of wandering, and visited Jerusalem, whence he went on to the desert of Skete in Egypt, and made himself thoroughly acquainted with the lives and habits of its monks, regarding whom he had read so much in the Paradise of Palladius. On his return he soon forsook the great convent, because of dissensions that had arisen iii it, and betook himself with his brother to the convent of Beth 'Abhe, where he devoted himself to study, and so distinguished himself that he was employed by Isho'-yabh III. to assist in arrang- ing the Hudhra (see above). 'Xnan-isho' wrote a volume of philo- sophical divisions and definitions, with a copious commentary, dedicated to his brother, 15 and compiled a work on the correct reading and pronunciation of difficult words in the waitings of the fathers, 16 thus following in the footsteps of Joseph Huzaya (see above, p. 836), and anticipating Jacob of Edessa and the monks of the convent of Karkaphetlia (see above, p. 826). He was also the author of a treatise entitled Liber Canonum cle sEquilittcris, i.e., on the different pronunciation and signification of words that are spelt with the same letters. This has been published, with the additions of Ilonain ibn Ishak of al-Hirah (died in 873) and another compiler, by Hoffmann, Ojmscula Jfcstoriana, pp. 2-49. 17 His greatest work, however, was a new recension or redaction, in two volumes, of the Paradise of Palladius and Jerome, with additions collected by himself from other sources and from his own experience. 18 This he compiled at the request of the patriarch George, and it became the standard work on the subject in the Nestorian convents. 19 John of Beth Garmai (Garmekaya), called John the Elder, was a disciple of Jacob of Beth 'Abhe, and his successor as abbot of that co_nvent. After a few months, however, he secretly fled from Beth 'Abhe and betook himself to a hill near Daktika 20 in Beth Garmai, where the monastery of Ezekiel 21 was soon afterwards built, in which he ended his days. 22 His works, according to 'Abhd- isho', 23 are a collection of heads of knowledge or maxims, rules for novices, a brief chronicle, histories of Abraham, abbot of the great convent on Mount Izla, of the monk Bar-'idta, 24 and of Mar Khodhahwai, the founder of the convent of Beth Hale (near al- Iladithah, by Mosul), with a discourse and hymns on the last named. Sabhr-isho' Rustam 23 was a native of a village called Herem, in Jledhaiyabh, and entered the great convent on Mount izla under the abbot Narsai, the successor of Babhai. Here, at the request of the monks, he wrote a tract on the occasion of the celebration of Golden Friday, and also a large volume of disputations against heresies and other theological questions. He migrated thence, 1 Or Reshahr (Yakut) ; see Ncildeke, (,'<>'/<. ,/. ]; r*T u. Amber, p. 19, note 4. 2 Or Arabs of Katar, on the Persian Gulf, and the adjacent districts. See B.O., iii. 1, 136. ]'..<>., iii. 1, 137, note 1. 4 n.O., iii. 1, 138, col. 1 ; Noldeke, Gesch.d. J'erser v. Amber, p. 41, note 2; lloll'mann, Ausziige, p. 41, note 351. 5 The composition on the martyr George quoted by Cardahi (Liber Thes., pp. 124-125) is probably of much later date. At least we should not expect such arti- ficial riming in the 7th century. 6 B.O., iii. 1, 139, 144, col. 2. 7 See Badger, The Nestorians, ii. p. 22. 8 Brit. Mus. Add. 7181 (Rosen, Catal., p. 59). Mai, Kcriptt. Vett. Nora Coll., v. 11 Catal. Vat., iii. 328 ; B.O., iii. 1, 2S5, note 2, and p. 633. 12 B.O., iii. 1, 14_0-143. 13 Properly 'Ana-n(i)-isho' ; see B.O., iii. 1,144-146; Hoffmann, fuse. Nestor., p. iv. 14 The older name of Shenna dhe-Bhcth Rcmman, in Arabic Sinn Ba-rimma, or simply as-Sinn ; see Hoffmann, Ausziige, pp. 1S9, 253. 15 .B.O., iii. 1, 144, col. 2, near the foot. 16 Jbi<?., iii. 1, 144. 17 From a MS. in the India Office library, London. There is another copy in the collection of the S.P.C.K., now at Cambridge. 18 See B.O., ii. 493 ; iii. 1, 49, 145 col. 2, 151 col. 1, middle. 19 The Illustrations ofth<? Book of the Paradise in Brit. Mus. Add. 17263, 17264 (Wright, Catal., pp. 1078-80) and Orient. 2311 seems to be a different work. The author of it is said to have been a Katrayfi, "a native of Katar," which 'Anta-tehS' was not. 20 Hoffmann, Ausziige, p. 273." 21 So called from its founder ; see Hoffmann, op. tit., p. 274, note 2154. 22 B.O., iii. 1,203-204, 474. But he must have lived till after 6(51, for Mar Kho. dhahwai was still alive in that year (H.O., iii. 1, 151, near the top). 23 B.0.,iii. 1,204. 24 2bid., iii. 1,467, col. 2,ch. 4. 25 2bid., iii. 1, 454-455. perhaps along with Narsai, to Beth 'Abhe, where, however, he resided only for a short time, being invited by the monks of Beth Kiika 26 to become their prior. Here he composed eight discourses on the dispensation of our Lord, the conversion of the various countries by the Apostles, and on continence and the monastic life. Further, at the request of Mar Kardagh, the syncellus of Isho'- yabh III., he wrote lives of Isho'-'Zekha (of the co_nvent of Gassa), of Isho'-yabh III., of Abraham abbot of Beth 'Abhe, who came thither from the convent of Zekhii-isho', 27 of Kam_-isho' abbot of Beth 'Ablie,'- 8 of Abraham of Nethpar, of rabban lyobh (or Job) the Persian, and of the elder Sabhr-Isho", the founder of the convent of Beth Kukfi,- 9 to which may be added the lives of the brothers Joseph and Abraham. 30 George, the pupil and successor of Isho'-yabh III., was a native of Georgeof Kaphra in Beth Gewayii, a district of Beth Garmai. 31 His parents Kaphra. were wealthy, and owned two farms in the neighbourhood of the convent of Beth 'Abhe. Being sent to take charge of these, he got acquainted with the monks and ultimately joined their body. When Isho'-yabh was promoted to the patriarchate, he appointed George to be metropolitan of Iledhaiyabh in his stead 32 ; and, on the death of his friend, George succeeded to the patriarchate in 661, and sat till 680. As an author he is not of much account, having written merely a few homilies, with hymns and prayers for certain occasions, and published nineteen canons. 33 His too in all probability is the " epistola dogmatica " contained in Cod. Vat. cccclvii., p. 360. 34 Elias, bishop_of Marii or Merv, was one of those Avho were present Elias of at the death of Isho'-yabh III. and elected George as his successor. 38 Merv. He compiled a Catena patrum (AfallZphdnuthd dhZ-Kadhmaye) on the four Gospels, and wrote commentaries on Genesis, Psalms, Pro- verbs, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, Ecclesiasticus, Isaiah, the twelve minor Prophets, and the epistles of St Paul. His letters Avould probably be of some interest to us, and the loss of his ecclesi- astical history, to which 'Abhd-isho' applies the epithet of " trust- worthy," is to be regretted. 36 Of Daniel bar Maryam we can only say that he flourished under Daniel Isho'-yabh III. of Hedhaiyabh, about 650. 37 He wrote an ecclesi- bar astical history in four volumes, and an explanation of the calendar. Maryam. The history is cited by George of Arbel in the 10th century for the date of the destruction of Jerusalem. 38 Gabriel, surnamed Tauretha, was a native of the province of Gabriel Siarzur or Shahrazur. 39 He studied at Nisibis, and then entered Tauretha. the great convent on Mount Izla, where he took part in a contro- versy with the Monophysite monks of the convent of Kartamin (near Mardiu) and against Sahdona. He afterwards migrated to Beth 'Abhe, where he wrote a life of Mar Narsai the abbot, an account of the martyrs of Tur Be.ra'in or Tnr Keren (Adhurpanva, Mihrnarsai, and their sister Mahdokht, in the ninth year of Sapor II.), a homily for the washing of the feet, &c. 40 He became abbot of Beth 'Abhe under the catholicus Henan-isho' I. (686-701). 41 Henan-isho' I., 'called the Elder or the Lame (heghlra), was ap- Ilenan- pointed catholicus in 6S6, 4 ' 2 in succession to John bar Mart;!, 43 the fol- isbo' I. lower of George. He was opposed by Isho'-yabh of al-Basrah, whom he threw into prison, but afterwards released on his making his sub- mission. A more serious rival was John of Dasen, bishop of Nisibis, surnamed the Leper, who curried favour with the caliph 'Abd al- Malik ibn Marwan and procured the deposition of Henan-isho', whose place he occupied for nearly two years. 44 Bar-Hebrams adds 45 that John put him for some days into prison, and then sent him off to a convent among the mountains in charge of two of his dis- ciples, who threw the luckless catholicus down a precipice and left him there for dead. Luckily he was found by some shepherds, who took good care of him, though he seems to have been lame ever after. On his recovery he withdrew to the convent of Yaunan (or Jonah) 46 near Mosul, where he stayed till the death of his rival. He continued to rule the Nestorian Church till 701, 47 and was buried 26 On the Great Zab, in Iledhaiyabh ; see Hoffmann, Ausziige, p. 215, note 1715 27 B.O., iii. 1, 468, col. lj at the top. 28 Who died in C>52 ; see Baethgen, Fragments, pp. 21, 112. 29 B.O., ii. 418, col. 2. ^ Ibid., iii. 1, 22S, col. 1, near the foot. 31 B.O., ii. 421, iii. 1, 149 ; Bar-Hebrtens, Chron. Eccles., ii. 131, 133 ; Hoffmann, Ausziige, p. 277. 32 He must be distinguished from two other Georges, Persians by race, also fatal., Cod. Syr. 4, p. 11-2. 33 B.O., iii. 1, 153. 34 Mai. ttr/y/. Vett. Nova Coll.,. 35 B.O., ii. 420. 36 ibid., iii. 1, 148. 37 11,1,1., ii. 4-20 ; iii. 1, 231. 38 ma., iii. 1, 521. 39 See Hoffmann, Ausziige, p. 43, notes 364, 3(i5, p. 254 sq. 40 B.O., iii. 1, 456-458 ; Hoffmann, Ausziige, pp. 9-16, from Brit. Mus. A. Id. 12174 (Wright, Catal., p. 1133). 41 Bar-saumii was abbot at the beginning of IIenan-Isho"s patriarchate ; see jR.O.,iii. 1, 457, col. 1. 42 Bar-Hebnvus, Chron. Eccles., ii. 135; Baethgen, Fragmente, pp. 32, 117; B.O., ii. 423. 43 He sat 6SO-6S2 ; B.O., ii. 422, iii. 1, 615 ; Bar-Hebraeus, Chron. Eccles., ii. 133. 44 Baethgen, Fmgmente, pp. 34, 35, 118, 119. 45 Chron. En-les., ii. 135 .;.; B.O., ii. 423. 4" According to Elias bar Shlnava in Baethgen, t'raijmente, pp. 38, 120. Others sav O'J'J.
 * 6 B.O., ii. 424, note 3. Bar-Hebnfus calls it " the convent of John."