Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 22.djvu/884

 848 SYRIAC LITERATURE [9TH CENT.- Denha. Thomas = 823-824 A.D. 1 He sat for only four years, and was buried, like his predecessor, in the convent of Kelil-isho' at Baghdadh. Of bis ill-feeling towards Timothy I. we have already made mention ; bow he kept it up after Timothy's death, and what troubles be got into in consequence, may be read in the pages of Assemani (B.O., iii. 1, 165). Bar-Hebraeus has preserved some account of a disputa- tion between him and a Monophysite priest named I'iipa,- 'Abhd- isho' gives the following list of his works 3 a treatise on theology, questions on the whole text of Scripture, in two volumes, a collec- tion of ecclesiastical canons and decisions, 4 consolatory discourses, epistles, a treatise on the division of the services, turgdme or "interpretations," 5 and a tract on the efficacy of liyruiis and anthems. Of the questions on Scripture there is a copy in the col- lection of the S. P. C. K., and of the consolatory discourses a mutilated MS. in the British Museum, Add. 17217 (Wright, Gated., p. 613). 6 The replies to the questions of Macarius the monk seem to belong to the treatise on the division of the services (purrdsh teskmeshdthd), if one may judge by the first and only one quoted. 7 A disciple of Isho' bar Non was Denha, or, as be is otherwise called in some MSS. of 'Abhd-ish6"s Catalogue, Ihibha (or rather Hibha, Ibas). 8 Assemani places him under the catholicus Petition (died in 740), but we prefer to follow the authority of John bar Zo'bi in his Grammar. 9 Denha was the author of sermons and tracts on points of ecclesiastical law, and of commentaries on the Psalms, on the works of Gregory Nazianzen (as contained in two vols. in the translation of the abbot Paul), and on the dialectics of Aristotle. In 217 A.H. =832 A.D., the same year in which Sabhr-isho' II. ofMarga. succeeded to the patriarchate, 10 a young man named Thomas, the son of one Jacob of Beth Sherwanaye, in the district of Salakh, 11 entered the convent of Beth 'Abhe, which seems at this time to have fallen off sadly in respect of the learning of its inmates. 12 A few years afterwards (222 A.H. = 837 A.D.) we find him acting as secretary to the patriarch Abraham (also a monk of Beth 'Abhe, who sat from 837 to 850). 13 By him he was promoted to be bishop of Marga, and afterwards metropolitan of Beth Garmai, in which capacity he was present at the ordination of his own brother Theo- dosius (bishop of al-Anbar, afterwards metropolitan of Gunde- Shabhor) as catholicus in 85 2. 14 Thomas of Marga (as he is com- monly called), having been very fond from his youth of the legends and histories of holy men, more especially of those connected with his own convent of Beth 'Abhe, undertook to commit them to writing at the urgent request of the monk 'Abhd-isho', to whom he dedicates the Monastic History. Assemani has given a toler- ably full analysis of this work, with a few extracts, in the JB.O., iii. 1, 464-501, throughout which volume it is one of his chief authorities. The publication of it in a complete form is much to be desired. The MSS. available in Europe are Cod. Vat. clxv. (GataL, iii. 331), of which Codd. Vatt. ccclxxxi.-ii. are a copy (Mai, Scriptt. Vett. Nova Coll., v.) ; Paris, Ko. 286 in Zotenberg's Catal., p. 216 (also copied from Yat. clxv.) ; Brit. Mus. Orient. 2316 (if. 182, 17th century, imperfect) ; Berlin, Sachau 179 (copied in 1882). Thomas also wrote a poem in twelve-syllable metre on the life and deeds of Maran-'ammeh, metropolitan of Hedhaiyabh, which he introduced into his History, bk. iii. ch. 10 ; see B.O., iii. 1, 485. IshS'-diidh of Maru or Merv, bishop of Hedhatta or al-Hadlthah, was a competitor with Theodosius for the patriarchate in 852. 15 According to 'Abhd-isho', his principal work was a commentary on the New Testament, of which there are MSS. in Berlin, Sachau 311, and in the collection of the S. P. C. K. It extended, however, to the Old Testament as well, for in Cod. Vat. cccclvii. we find the portions relating to Genesis and Exodus. 16 In the B.O., iii. 1, 213, 'Abhd-isho' names a certain Kendi as the author of a lengthy disputation on the faith. 17 Assemani places this "Candius" or "Ebn Canda" under the catholicus John IV., apparently on the authority of 'Amr ibn Matta. We sus- pect, however, that the person meant is 'Abd al-MasIh (Ya'kub) ibn Ishak al-Kindl, the author of a well known apology for the Christian religion, which has been published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 18 The work dates from the time of the caliph Isho'- dadh of Merv. Kendi. 1 Bar-Hebreeus (toe. ci.)says 205 A.H. = 820-821 A.D. ; see above, p. 845. 2 Chron. Eccles., ii. 183-187. 3 B.O., iii. 1, 165-166. 'Amr ibn Matta says that he wrote a commentary on Theologus, i.e., Gregory Nazianzen, B.O., iii. 1, 262, note 1. 6 The pious Monophysites of St Mary Deipara cut up this volume for bind- ing, &c., as they did some other Nestorian books of value in their library. 7 Cod. Vat. Ixxxviii. 5(CafaJ., ii. 483) ; cl. 9(Catal., iii. 281) ; clxxxvii. 5(Catal, iii. 405). Assemani supposes that the next article in clxxxvii. does not belong to Theodore of Mopsuestia, but is taken from Isli5' bar Non's questions on Scripture 8 B.O., iii. 1, 175. Wright, Catal., p. 1176, col. 1. 10 B.O., ii. 435; iii. 1, 505 sq. 11 Ibid., iii. 1, 479; Hoffmann, Ausziige, pp. 244-245. 12 B.O., iii. 1, 488 ; comp. the ordinance of Sabhr-isho' pp. 505-506. B.O., iii. 1, 204 col. 1, 488 col. 2, 490 col. 2. " Ibid., iii. 1, 210, 510 col. 2. 16 Ibid., iii. 1, 210-212. 16 Mai, Scriptt. Vett. Nova Coll., v. The name of the author is there given as Icsciuaad, doubtless a misprint for dad. We are therefore surprised to find Martin writing " Ichou-had eveque d'Hadeth," Introd. a la Critique Textuelle du Nouveau Test., p. 99. 17 The correct reading is dhe-Jtaimdnutlid. 18 The Apology of El-Kindi, 1885. An English translation appeared in 1882, The Apology ofAl-Kiiuly, &c., l>y Sir W. Muir. al-Ma'mun (813-833), and therefore synchronizes with the disputa- tious of Theodore Abu Korrali, bishop of Harran. 19 Being written in Arabic, it hardly belongs to this place, but is mentioned to avoid misapprehension. Theodore bar Khoui is stated to have been promoted by his uncle Theo- John IV. to the bishopric of Lashom in 893.- He was the author dore bar of scholia (on the Scriptures), an ecclesiastical history, and some Khonl. minor works. To about this period probably belongs another historian, the loss Ahron. of whose work we have to regret. Tliis is a writer named Ahron or Aaron, who is mentioned by Elias bar Shinaya under 273 A.H. = 886-887 A.D. 21 In the 10th century the tale of Jacobite authors dwindles away Jacobite to almost nothing. Most of the dignitaries of the church composed authors their synodical epistles and other official writings in Arabic, and of 10th the same may be said of the men of science, such as Abu 'All 'Isa century, ibn Ishak ibn Zur'ah (943-1008) and Abii Zakariya Yahyii ibn 'Adi, who died in 974 at the age of eighty -one. About the middle of the century we may venture to place the deacon Simeon, Simeon, whose Chronicle is cited by Elias bar Shinaya under 6 A.H. =627- the dea- 6-28 A.D. and 310 = 922-923. 22 The llth century is somewhat more con. prolific. A Persian Christian _named Gisa, 23 leaving his native city of Ushnukh or Ushnu in Adharbaigan, settled, after several removals, in the district of Gubos or Gubtls, 24 one of the seven dioceses of the province of Melitene (Malatiah), and built there a humble church, in which he deposited sundry relics of St Sergius and St Bacchus, and cells for himself and his three companions. This happened in 958. " 5 As the place grew in importance, other monks gradually resorted to it, and among them "Mar(I) Yohannan de- John of MarSn," or John (the son) of Maron, 26 a man of learning in both Maroii. sacred and profane literature, who had studied under Mar Mekhn at Edessa. Gisii, the founder of the convent, died at the end of twelve years, and was succeeded as abbot by his disciple Elias, who beautified the church. Meantime its fame increased as a seat of learning under the direction of John of Maron, and many scribes found employment there. The patriarch John VII., da-serighla, "He of the Mat" (his only article of furniture), 27 was one of its visitors. Elias, on his retirement, nominated John of Maron as his successor, who, aided by the munificence of Emmanuel, a monk of Harran and a disciple of the maphrian Cyriacus, 28 rebuilt the church on a larger and finer scale, whilst a constant supply of fresh water was provided at the cost of a Taghritan merchant named Mariitha. This was in 1001. About this time Elias bar Gaghai, a monk of Taghrlth, founded a monastery near Melitene, but died before it was finished. His work was taken up by one Eutychus or Kulaib, who persuaded John of Maron to join him. Here again his teaching attracted numbers of pupils. At last, after the lapse of twelve years, when there were 120 priests in the convent, he suddenly Avithdrew by night from the scene of his labours and retired to the monastery of Mar Aaron near Edessa, where he died at the end of four years, about 1017. His commentary on the book of Wisdom is cited by Bar-Hebrseus in the Ausar Edze. 29 Mark bar Kiki was archdeacon of the Taghritan church at Mosul, Mark bar and was raised to the dignity of maphrian by the name of Ignatius KIkl. in 991. 30 After holding this office for twenty-five years, he became a Muhammadan in 1016, 31 but recanted before his death, which took place at an advanced age 32 in great poverty. He composed a poem on his own fall, misery, and subsequent repentance, of which Bar- Hebrfeus has preserved a few lines. 33 According to Assemani, B.O., ii. 317 and cl., Bar-Hebrams men- Joseph tions in his Chronicle that a monk named Joseph wrote three dis- of Meli- courses on the cruel murder of Peter the deacon by the Turks at tene. Melitene in 1058. The anecdote may be found in the edition of Brims and Kirsch, p. 252 (transl., p. 258), but the discourses would seem rather to have dealt with the retribution that overtook the re- tiring Turks at the hands of the Armenians and the wintry weather. Yeshu' bar Shushan (or Susanna), syncellus of Theodore or John Yeshu' IX., was chosen patriarch by the eastern bishops, under the name bar Sliu- of John X., in opposition to Haye or Athanasius VI., on whom the shan. choice of their western brethren had fallen in 1058. M He soon abdi- cated, however, retired to a convent, and devoted himself to study. 19 See Zotenberg, Catal., No. 204, 1 and 8, and No. 205. 20 B.O., ii. 440; iii. 1, 198. 21 See Baetligen, Fragmente, p. 3. 22 Ibid., p. 2 ; Bar-Hebrseus, CJiron. Eccles., ii. 126, note 1. 23 Others write Gaiyasa. 24 Bar-Hebraeus, Chron, Eccles., i. 401 sq. ; B.O., ii. 283, 350. 25 B.O., ii. 260. Gubos was on the right bank of the Euphrates, between the plain of Melitene and Claudia. 26 Abbeloos, in a note on Bar-Hebraeus, CJiron. Eccles., i. 404, raises the question what connexion there may be between this historical personage and the some- what shadowy " Joannes Maro," to whom Assemani has devoted a large space, B.O., i. 496-5-20. 27 B.O., ii. 132, 351. 28 Ibid., ii. 442. 39 B.O., ii. 283 ; see also p. cl. 30 Bar-Hebrseus, Chron. Eccles., ii. 257 ; B.O., ii. 443. 31 See Baethgen, Fragmente, pp. 105, 153 ; B.O., iii. 289, note 1. 32 According to Cardahi, Liber Thesauri, p. 140, in 1030 or 1040. 33 Chron. Eccles., ii. 289 ; B.O., ii. 443, and also p. cl. 34 Bar-Uelnu-us, Chron. Eccles., i. 437 sq.; B.O., ii. 141 (where there are errors, see Add., p. 475), 354.
 * Compare B.O., iii. 1, 279. 6 gee Badger, The Nestorians, ii. 19.