Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 22.djvu/880

 844 SYRIAC LITERATURE CEXT.- in the convent of Jonah. 1 Besides composing homilies, sermons, and epistles, he was the author of a life of Sergius Dewiidha 2 of Darankarah or Daukarah, near Kashkar, who was a contemporary of his.' He also wrote a treatise On the Twofold Use of the School or university, as a place of moral and religious training as well as of instruction in letters, and a commentary on the Analytics of Aristotle. 3 Alaha- Presumably to this century belong two ecclesiastical historians zekha. who are known to us only from the Chronicle of Elias bar Shlniiva. Alaha-zekha is quoted by him in regard to events that took place in 594-596 and 606. 4 Perhaps he is identical with that Alaha- zekha to whom we find Isho'-yabh III. writing a letter whilst he was yet bishop, consequently in the earlier part of the century. 5 Mikha. Mikha or Micah is cited by Elias as an authority for the years 594- 596 and 60S. 6 David of Passing over into the 8th century, we may mention David of Beth Beth Rabban, that is, of the convent of Zekha-isho', afterwards of Beth Rabban. 'Abhe, who was the author of a monastic history, called The Little Paradise, which is frequently cited by Thomas of Marga. Its first chapter contained anecdotes relative to George Neshraya, Nathaniel, and other monks of Beth 'Abhe, who lived under Henan-isho' I., towards the end of the 7th century. 7 David attained episcopal dignity, though we do not know the name of his see. He wrote also a geographical treatise Upon the Limits of Climates or Countries, and the Variations of the Days and Nights. 8 Babliai Babhai bar Nesibhnaye (so called because his parents were of bar Nisibis) flourished under the catholicus Selibha- zekha (713-729), Nesibh- the successor of Henan-isho'. 9 He was a native of Gebhilta or nay'e. Jabilta in Tirhan,' 10 and is described by Thomas of Marga as being a tall, powerful man, with a magnificent voice, gentle and modest, and learned withal. He devoted himself to the reformation of the musical services of the Nestorian Church, which had fallen into sad confusion, and founded many schools, more particularly in the dioceses of Hedhaiyabh and Marga, with the special object of pro- moting the study of church music. The most important of these were at Kephar-'Uzzel u in Hedhaiyabh and Bashiish in the district of Saphsapha in Marga. 12 At the former he took up his residence, but used to visit and inspect the others once a year. In his latter years he returned to Gebhilta and died there. He wrote discourses and homilies of different kinds, numerous hymns for various occa- sions, histories (of holy men), and letters. 13 Bar- Bar-Sahde of Karkha dhe-Bheth Selokh flourished, according to Sahde. Assemani, under the catholicus Pethion (731-740). 14 'Abhd-isho' states that he wrote an ecclesiastical history 15 and a treatise against the Zoroastrian religion. Abra- When Babhai the Nisibene was residing at Kephar-'Uzzel (see ham bar above), a woman from the village of Beth Saiyadhe brought to him Dashan- her crippled son, whom she called "only half a man," and begged dadh. him to bless him. "This is no half man," was the gentle monk's reply ; " this shall be a father of fathers and a chief of teachers ; his name and his teaching shall be famous throughout the whole East." 16 This was Abraham bar Dashandadh "the Lame," whose works are enumerated by 'Abhd-isho' as follows 17 a book of exhort- ation, discourses on repentance, 18 letters, the book of the king's way, a disputation with the Jews, and a commentary on the dis- courses of Mark the monk. 19 He was teacher at the school of Bash fish in Saphsapha, where the future catholicus Timothy I. received his early education, as well as his successor Isho' bar Non and Abu Nuh al-Anbari. 20 Mar- Mar-abha, the son of Berikh-sebhyaueh, was a native of Kashkar, 21 abha II. and became bishop of that town. From this see he was promoted 1 His Arab biographer and co-religionist adds that his grave was opened 650 years afterwards, and his body found undecayed and looking as if he slept. 2 Not Diidha. The word means "liable to fits," " epileptic," " crazy." 3 B.O., iii. 1,154. 4 See Bar-Hebraeus, Chron. Eccks., ii. 106 note 3, 107 note 3. 6 B.0.,iii. 1,141, No. 35. 6 See Bar-Hebrseus, Chron. Eccles., ii. 106 note 3, 107 note 2. 7 B.O., iii. 1, 217 col. 2, 218 col. 1 ; see also pp. 49 note 1, 184 col. 1, 1. 1. 8 B.O., iii. 1, 255. The poems referred to by Assemani in note 1 are no doubt of much later date. The first of them is edited by Cardahl in his Liber Thesauri, pp. 41-46. Cardahl places David's death " in the year 800." Twenty-two very artificial poems "on the love of wisdom," ascribed to him, are printed in tht Directorium Spirituale of John of Mosul, edited by the bishop Elias John Millos 1868, pp. 172-214. 9 According to Elias bar Shinaya, in Baethgen, Fragmente, pp. 42, 47, 122, 124 Assemani (B.O., ii. 430) gives 714-728. 10 Hoffmann, Auszuge, p. 188. 11 Ibid., p. 236 53. 12 Ibid., p. 223. '3 See B.O., iii. 1,177-181. Of his hymns a few are still extant; see Bickell, Con spectus, p. 38 ; Brit. Mus. Add. 7156 (Rosen, Catal., p. 14, v, x, y, z), Add. 14675 (Wright, Catal., p. 131, col. 1), 17219(iMrf.,p.l36,col. 1); Paris, Suppl. 56 (Zoten berg, Catal., p. 9, col. 1, t) ; Munich, Cod. Syr. 4 (Orient. 147). 14 B.O., ii. 430 ; Baethgen, Fragmente, pp. 49, 125. 13 Cited by Elias bar Shinaya ; see Bar-Hebraeus, Chron. E<-cles., ii. 65, note 1 1 B.O., iii. 1, 179. 37 /&,-rf iii. i, 194. 18 According to another reading on desire or cupidity. 19 See Brit. Mus. Add. 17270 (Wright, Catal., p. 482). 20 Assemani (B.O., iij. l i 196, note 4) says that Timothy I. was a pupil of Abra ham bar Liphah, but Isho' bar Non and Abu Nuh are expressly stated to hav been pupils of Abraham " the Lame," ibid., p. 165, note 4, and p. 212, note 2 ; se also p. 486, col. 1. 21 Others say of Daukarah, in the neighbourhood of Kashkar, B.O., ii. 431. n 741 to the dignity of catholicus. 22 At first he had some diffi-
 * ulties with the emir Yusuf ibn 'Omar ath-Thakafi, but these were

ettled by a visit to al-Kufah, which gave him an opportunity of joing also to al-Hlrah, where he was received with great honour by the aged bishop John Azrak. He shortened his name to Abha, lie better to distinguish himself from his predecessor Mar-abha I. see above, p. 836). In the sixth year of his patriarchate he got into dispute with his clergy about the management of the school at Seleucia, and withdrew to Kashkar, but returned to Seleucia before lis death, which took place in 751, at the age, it is said, of 110 years. According to Bar-Hebneus, "he was learned in ecclesi- astical works and in dialectics, and composed a commentary on Theologus (i.e., Gregory Nazianzen), 23 and all his time he was occu- pied in reading books." 'Abhd-isho' mentions him in two places, is Abha of Kashkar 24 in B.O., iii. 1, 154, and as Abha bar Berikh- sebhyaneh at p. 157. In the former place he ascribes to him xpositions, letters, and a commentary on the whole Dialectics of Aristotle,' 25 and in the latter, The Book of the Generals, or Military Governors, 26 and other works. Simeon bar Tabbakhe (the Butcher) of Kashkar held the im- Simeon portant post of chief officer of the treasury under the caliph al-barTab- Mansur, 27 about the same time that his co-religionist George bar bakhe. Bokht-ishS' of Gunde-Shabhor or Beth Lapat, 28 in Khuzistan, was court physician. 29 The only work of his mentioned by 'Abhd-isho' is an ecclesiastical history, which from his position at Baghdadh doubtless contained much valuable information. Suren or Siirin, 30 bishop of Nisibis and afterwards of Halah or Suren. Ilolwan in Beth Madhaye, 31 was raised to the patriarchate in 754, by the orders of Abiin, the Mulianimadan emir of al- Madam (Seleucia). The bishops appealed to the caliph 'Abdallah as- Saffah, 32 and not in vain. The election was cancelled, and Jacob, bishop of Gunde-Shabhor, was chosen in his place (who sat till 773). Their continued squabbles, however, so irritated al-Mansur that he gave orders to throw them both into prison. Suren made his escape in time, but Jacob was caught and spent the next nine years under strict ward, during which time "the second Judas," 'Isa ibn Shahlatha or Shahlafa, 33 deacon and physician, trampled the rights of the bishops under foot. On his release, he sent Suren as bishop to al-Basrah, at the request of some of the Christian citizens, but others would not receive him, and their quarrels once more attracted the caliph's attention. Suren, warned by 'Isa, again made his escape, but was captured by the emir of al-Madain and died in prison. 34 The epithet of JKj)hashshek-and, given to him by 'Abhd-isho', 35 implies that he was either a commentator on Scrip- ture or a translator of Greek works into Syriac. He composed a treatise against heretics, but the remainder of 'Abhd-isho"s text is not clear in Assemani's edition. 38 Cyprian, bishop of Nisibis, was appointed to that see in 741. 37 Cyprian The great event of his life was the building of the first Nestorian of Nisi- church in the Jacobite city of Taghrith, jiist outside of the walls, bis. on the banks of the Tigris. The idea originated with Selibha- zekha, bishop of Tirhan, but would never have been realized, had not Cyprian allowed the Jacobites to resume possession of the church of Mar Domitius at Nisibis. The building of the church at Taghrith was commenced in 767. 38 Cyprian also erected a magni- ficent church at Nisibis, on which he expended the sum of 56,000 dinars, in 75S-759. 39 After this time it so happened that the patri- archs of the three Christian sects, Th'eodoret the Malkite, George the Jacobite, and_ Jacob the Nestorian, were all in prison at once at Baghdadh. 'Isa the physician, thinking to improve the occa- sion to his own advantage, wrote to Cyprian that the caliph al- Mansur coveted some of the golden and silver vessels of the church of Nisibis, hinting at the same time in pretty plain language that a handsome present to himself might be of some avail at this junc- ture. Cyprian had the courage to go straight to B_aghdadh with the letter and show it to the caliph, who disgraced 'Isa and confis- cated his property, 40 releasing the three patriarchs at the same time. 41 Cyprian died in 767. 42 According to 'Abhd-isho', he wrote a com- 22 Baethgon, Fragments, pp. 50, 125; Bar-Hebrseus, Chron. Eccles., ii. 153; B.O., ii. 431, iii. 1, 157. 23 gee B.O., iii. 1, 157, col. 2. 24 Whom Assemani takes for Abraham of Kashkar (see above, p. 837) ; for what reason we cannot see. 25 See B.O., iii. 1, 157, col. 2. 26 Perhaps a chronicle of the Muhammadan governors of al-'Irak. 27 B.O., iii. 1, 206, col. 1, 11. 4, 5. 28 Noldeke, Gesch. d. Perser w. Arabcr, p. 41, note 2. 29 B.O., iii. 1, 205, col. 2, note 4 ; Baethgen, Fragments, pp. 59, 60, 129 ; Bar- Hebraeus, Hist. Dynast., 221 ; Wiistenfeld, Gesch. d. arab. Aerzte, No. 26. 30 On the name see Noldeke, Gesch. d. Perser u. Araber, p. 438, note 4. 31 See Hoffmann, Ausziige, p. 120. 32 He died in June of this same year. 33 See Bar-Hebraus, Hist. Dynast., p. 221 ; Wustenfeld, Gesch. d. arab. Aerzte, No. 26. 34 B.O., ii. 431 ; iii. 1, 168, 205-206. 35 Ibid., iii. 1, 168. 36 mil., iii. 1, 169. 37 Baethgen, Fragmente, pp. 50, 125 ; Bar-Hebraus, Chron. Eccles., ii. 154, note 1. 38 Bar-Hebrseus, Chron. Eccles., ii. 155-157. 39 Baethgen, Fragmente, pp. 57, 128. 40 Bar-Hebrseus, Hist. Dynast., p. 224. 41 Bar-Hebrseus, Chron. Eccles., ii. 101-163 ; B.O., iii. 1, 111-112. 42 Baethgen, Fragmente, pp. 60, 129.