Said Bar Sabuni

(d. 1095)

Said is one of the few eminent men of rhetoric, well-versed in theology and philosophy. He was born and raised in Melitene, became a monk of the Monastery of Arnish and acquired a great deal of Syriac, Greek and other philosophical sciences. He was consecrated metropolitan of Melitene by the name of John in the year 1095. He had not been in his new position forty days when he was murdered unjustly and arbitrarily by Gabriel the Greek governor on the fourth day of July. He died in the prime of his youth but divine justice took revenge on the tyrant, who was ignobly murdered six or seven years later.222

Bar Hebraeus said; "Said and his brother Abu Ghalib were the most distinguished of the people in their time."223 He also nicknamed Said as "The Writer of Sedras" and "The Saint Doctor who is most Astonishing." Following is a list of his writings:

l) Fifteen most eloquent husoyos in one hundred twenty pages of medium size. Two of the husoyos for the feast of Mar Barsoum, one for the evening, alphabetically written backward, and forward. It also includes a supplication, each verse of which begins with a letter of the author's name; a husoyo for each one of the mornings of the Sunday of the Dead, the Wednesday of King Abgar, the Thursday of the fourth week of Lent; two husoyos for the forty martyrs; four dialectical husoyos, one for the evening of the feast of Mar Gurgis (George), beginning thus: "Unceasing praises," one for the Dispensation of our Lord, one for the mornings of the eighth Sunday after the Resurrection, as well as the Transfiguration, beginning thus: "Praise Him who does exist" and one for the festival of the Cross, in which writing he achieved a great degree of excellence.224 The introductory phrases of the first three husoyos show their philosophical style. In the last two husoyos he incorporated Greek words. The remaining husoyos are: one for the morning of the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, one for the evening of Tuesday of the fifth week of Lent, and one for Pentecost.225

2) hymns known as the Canons, for the assuming of the monastic habit, composed on the second melody of the canons of the festival of Epiphany beginning thus: "Good Lord, Thou has strengthened our weak nature." In this one he mentioned his own name.226

3) The order of blessing of the branches on Palm Sunday. Also he vocalized and corrected the order of the Prostration for Pentecost.227

4) Revision of the annual calendar of the festival of saints by Jacob of Edessa, to which he added feasts such as those of John Bar Abdun the Confessor, Patriarch of Antioch, in the year 1030.228

5) A resounding ode which he composed on the twelfth meter, in which he mentioned the virtues of the Saint, Doctor Jacob of Saruj, and elaborated on his praise, in an answer to a request of Abda, bishop of Kharshana, who was a virtuous old man and who had resigned from his diocese. This ode, comprising two hundred twenty-nine lines and filling forty-two pages, is excellently composed, and since the composer followed the same style of preceding excellent poets, turned out to be one of the finest odes. The lines of this ode are alphabetically arranged with repetition in the beginning. In the copy of the Jerusalem MS. it begins thus, "O storehouse of treasures from which all those in need shall be enriched," while in the copy of Basibrina it begins thus, "O munificent God from whom all the needy shall be enriched." In this copy this ode has no rhyme, except in some places where rhyme has been perfunctorily and seldom used. This copy comprises eight pages, the rest of which is imperfect. The first copy is complete and was written in the twelfth century. In it the name of the composer is mentioned as "a stranger poet." On its margin is fixed the following statement in the hand writing of Metropolitan Sergius of Hah, "This stranger is Bar Sabuni, the author of magnificent husoyos, as I have read in an ancient manuscript." The copiest, however, erroneously mentioned that the author composed this ode in November of the year of the Greeks 1405,229 corresponding to A.D. 1143, to which he undoubtedly added fifty years. The correct date is 1405 of the Greeks, corresponding to A.D. 1093. The evidence can be deduced from the forty-second line of the ode, which states that 570 years have passed since the death of the Malphan (Jacob of Saruj). And if you add this number to 522 - because the Malphan passed away on the twenty-ninth day of November, the total will be A.D. 1092. That John composed this ode while in the prime of youth is attested by his statement in the 132nd line, "How could I equate myself with the rank and knowledge of this great doctor, since I am insignificant, weak, young and of little knowledge." Therefore, we are of the opinion that when he was murdered he was not exactly forty years of age but he was in the fourth decade of age. He also denied whether one of his disciples eulogized him, Jacob of Saruj, as is stated by him in the forty-second line, "570 years have passed since the time of the Malphan (Jacob of Saruj); how many erudite masters have shone and how many wise men have achieved fame but they dared not eulogize him because they found him far above their praise. Following is a part of the content of this excellent ode.

The Malphan (Jacob of Saruj ) was the one who invented the dodecasyllabic meter, which is the longest meter in Greek as well as Syriac poetry (line 80); he received the gift of the Holy Spirit in his youth (line 94); Severus the Patriarch of Antioch examined his learning ability (line 140); he informed him about Simon the Potter, and the Patriarch encouraged both of them to compose poetry (line 145)

In line 158 and the lines following it, he said:

God caused the springs of wisdom to erupt through the tongue of Mar Jacob and he poured forth his maymars (songs). From these maymars you would learn the profound secrets of the language, the miraculous classes of beings and their governor-man, the mysteries of the doctrines of monotheism, the Trinity and the Incarnation. You would also know about the description of prophets, Apostles and martyrs.

And if you were someone who is stricken by sins you will find in his songs thousands of remedies and consolation. Those who read his poems will be awed, yet they are so excellent, people can not emulate them. You will also discover that in his poems he admonishes worshipping men not to leave the church before the end of the Mass and from beautifying themselves. He also admonishes noble women to carry with their own hands the flour for making the eucharistic bread to church and not send it with their maids. He also taught people to say grace before meals and composed poems about the most important events in both Testaments, the annunciation of the Apostles, the Councils of Nicea and Constantinople, the queen Helen and seven poems of refutation of the Jews.