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293. The Priest Yaqub (Jacob) Saka (d. 1931)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:51:13 -0400

The Priest Yaqub (Jacob) Saka
(d. 1931)

Priest Yaqub is son of Butrus (Peter), son of the Deacon Saka (Isaac). He was born at Bartulli in 1864 and studied under some of his contemporaries, especially the Chaldean chorepiscopus Butrus of Karmlays. He became well-versed in etymology. He was ordained a deacon in 1906 and taught at the school of his village as well as at the school of St. Matthew's monastery. He became a priest in 1929 and died on April, 1931.
He was proficient in composing poetry and his early poems show the influence of old poets. However, his themes were restricted to friendship, congratulations, praise and eulogies. He also wrote an ode on divine wisdom. His verse would have been more pleasant if he had not adhered tenaciously to using rhyme. He composed an anthology comprising two hundred pages. This anthology survives in two copies.663

292. Deacon Naum Faiq (d. 1930)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:49:13 -0400

Deacon Naum Faiq
(d. 1930)

Deacon Naum is son of Elias Palach. He was born at Diyarbakr in 1868, where he studied and mastered the Syriac language, of which he became greatly fond. He also mastered the Turkish language. In 1889 he was ordained a deacon and for twenty years He taught in the school at Diyarbakr. In 1912 he immigrated to the United States and resided at west New York, New Jersey. He died on February 5, 1930. We have read twenty lines of verse of his which are a translation of some of the Rubaiyyat (Quatrains) of Umar-i-Khayyam into Syriac.662 He also composed rhymed song in the heptasyllabic meter on Beth Nahrin. He also compiled some Arabic and Turkish anthologies.

291. The Chorepiscopus Matta (Matthew) Konat (d. 1927)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:45:37 -0400

The Chorepiscopus Matta (Matthew) Konat
(d. 1927)

Corepiscopus Konat was born at Pampakoda in Malabar, India in 1860. He studied the Syriac language and religious sciences under some of his relatives. In 1883 he was ordained a priest and began teaching at the seminary in Kotaym. Then he established and operated a small seminary in his own village, from which a group of priests graduated. In 1926 he became a chorepiscopus and died in 1927.
Chorepiscopus Konat wrote a book on church festivities and letters. He translated from Syriac into Malyalim, chapters from Bar Salibi's Scholia on the Gospel according to St. Matthew, the Nomocanon by Bar Hebraeus, the New Testament (except Revelation) which was published in 1936, and a selection of church rituals and hymns. Furthermore, he published the Ishim (Regular Weekday Service Book of Prayers) some anaphoras, the service of deacons, the orders of baptism, marriage, and funerals as well as the service book for principal feasts and the service book for the Week of the Passion.

290. Metropolitan Zaytun of Inhil (d. 1855)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:44:03 -0400

Metropolitan Zaytun of Inhil
(d. 1855)

Metropolitan Zaytun was born at the village Inhil in Tur Abdin. He studied under teachers of his time, particularly the Metropolitan Abd al-Nur of Arbo. He also acquired a fair knowledge of literature, church rituals and calligraphy. He became a monk and was ordained a priest at the Qartamin Monastery. In 1848 he was ordained a metropolitan under the name Philoxenus and in 1851 he headed the diocese of Midyat. He died, a middle-aged man, in April 1855. He was a pious and venerable person. While still a monk, he composed an excellent ode comprising one hundred twenty-two lines in the dodecasyllabic meter praising the virtues of Saint Gabriel of Qartamin.660 While in Paris, I read an ode on Saint Philoxenus of Mabug. Although some of its lines are poor, I think it is the composition of our Metropolitan Zaytun.661

289. Bishop Gurgis of Azekh (d. 1847)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:42:45 -0400

Bishop Gurgis of Azekh
(d. 1847)

Bishop Gergis was a priest of the church of Azekh in 1832. After he became a widower he became a monk at the Zafaran Monastery. In 1842 he was ordained a bishop for Azekh under the name Cyril, to assist his brother Yeshu, metropolitan of the Jazira. Five years later he was treacherously and perfidiously murdered by the governor of the Jazira, Badr Khan Bey the Bakhti. He, may God have mercy on him, was a virtuous man. With his knowledge of Syriac, he composed an ode in the heptasyllabic meter on the invasion of Muhammad Pasha of Rwanduz of his country.659 It is also reported that he composed two lines of verse describing the water pipe.

288. Bishop Yuhanna al-Bustani of Manimim (d. 1825)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:41:12 -0400

Bishop Yuhanna al-Bustani of Manimim
(d. 1825)

Bishop Yuhanna is son of the priest Abd Allah, known as Ibn al-Bustani. He was born at Manimim and studied under masters in his native country and was ordained a priest. After he became a widower he was ordained a bishop in 1783 under the name Severus. For a time he resided at the villages of Arbo and later Hbab which became his diocese. He was a pious, God-fearing man who loved the poor. He died after August 11, 1825. He composed four odes consisting of forty-five pages, two of them in the hepta-syllabic meter. One of them, which he composed while still young, is on repentance. It is arranged according to the alphabet, six lines for each letter. He also commented on it.654 The second ode is in the form of a dialogue between wisdom and the composer.655 The other two odes are in the dodecasyllabic meter. One of them, his best, is a lengthy but fine ode on divine wisdom. He called it The Cream of Wisdom. It begins thus, "Delightful sun which has illuminated our land by its light."656 The other one which he composed in his youth is on repentance. It contains marginal notes explaining the strange terms in it.657 He also composed a piece on the conflict between the soul and the body.658 His verse is generally good and only slightly poor.

287. Metropolitan Yaqub Mirijan (d. 1804)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:39:44 -0400

Metropolitan Yaqub Mirijan
(d. 1804)

Metropolitan Yaqub Mirijan was born at the village Arnas. He became a monk in a monastery in his native country and was ordained a priest. About 1778, he was ordained a bishop and headed the diocese of Midyat. He died in 1804. I have read eleven odes composed by him in the three meters (the five, seven and dodecasyllabic meters) on repentance, on the vicissitudes of his time and on the two righteous men Job and Joseph. These odes are partly good and partly poor.653

286. The Chorepiscopus Yaqub (Jacob) of Qutrubul (d. 1783)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:34:20 -0400

The Chorepiscopus Yaqub (Jacob) of Qutrubul
(d. 1783)

The Chorepiscopus Yaqub is son of the Deacon Tuma (Thomas) known as Ibn al-Khawaja. He was born at Qutrubul, a village of Amid. He studied Syriac under masters of his time and mastered its fundamentals and literature. He was ordained a deacon and later an archdeacon. About 1771 he was ordained a priest and eight years later he became a chorepiscopus. He died in 1783. In 1764 he wrote a book on Syriac etymology, entitled The Rose of Learning. It consists of three hundred seventy-eight large size pages, divided into twenty-three parts, which in turn are subdivided into one hundred sixty-three chapters. It was studied by both students and teachers. Its original copy in his own handwriting is at Diyarbakr.649 From it he abridged a book on conjugation.650 Furthermore, he composed three fine rhymed odes, one of them in the heptasyllabic meter on the Trinity and the unity of God, arranged according to the alphabet. The second covered five pages on divine wisdom in the dodecasyllabic meter. It contains some good verse, and is appended to the book of his work.651 The third consists of eighteen lines in which he laments the decline of learning among the later Syrians.652 In 1766 he composed the obligatory prayer and five husoyos for the festival of Mar Malke, written in his very beautiful handwriting. They are extant at the Church of Diyarbakr. His composition is efficient but it is marred by complexity and his frequent use of Greek terms, which appear incongruous.

285. The Maphrian Shukr Allah of Aleppo (d. 1764)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:32:50 -0400

The Maphrian Shukr Allah of Aleppo
(d. 1764)

Maphrian Shukr Allah is son of the Deacon Musa al-Qasabji. He was born at Aleppo in which he also studied Syriac, becoming proficient in it and in Arabic, though not excelling in it. He also studied religious sciences, became a monk and later was ordained a priest. He was consecrated a maphrian for Malabar in India in 1748 under the name Basilius. He died in Malabar in 1764. He was of commendable deeds and character. His general knowledge was extensive. In 1751 he wrote his Journey to Malabar in Syriac, consisting of eleven pages, which we have published.647 He also wrote in Arabic a good book on the catechism.648

284. The Monk Abd al-Nur of Amid (d. 1755)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:31:23 -0400

The Monk Abd al-Nur of Amid
(d. 1755)

Monk Abd al-Nur, son of Nimat Allah of Amid, became a monk at Mar Malke's Monastery in Tur Abdin in 1700. After his ordination as a priest he traveled the countries, reaching Rome and Paris. He returned from his trip and resided at the Zafaran Monastery and for sometime at Mar Yaqub (Jacob) Monastery (from 1722 till his death in 1755). He had a good knowledge of Syriac and a mediocre knowledge of Arabic. He translated into Arabic Bar Salibi's scholia on the Gospel, and the book entitled The Cause of all Causes and Bar Kifa's A Commentary on the Mysteries, The Ranks of Angels and On Paradise.645 His translation is partly good and partly poor. But the handwriting in which he transcribed many manuscripts is good.646

283. The Chorepiscopus Abd Yeshu of Qusur (1750)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:29:56 -0400

The Chorepiscopus Abd Yeshu of Qusur
(1750)

Abd Yeshu is son of Nimat Allah. He was born at the village Qusur and studied the Syriac language and mastered its calligraphy. In 1718 he was ordained a priest for Diyarbakr and a chorepiscopus in 1738. He died after 1751. He composed six rhymed odes in the heptasyllabic meter in praise of some dignitaries of his time. In the first ode, which he composed in 1713 while still a deacon, he praised the achievements of the Patriarch Jurjis II.643 In another ode he eulogized the two martyrs Maphrian Shimun and Metropolitan Rizq Allah.644 His verse is good but involved in some parts.

282. Maphrian Shimun (Simon) (d. 1740)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:28:31 -0400

Maphrian Shimun (Simon)
(d. 1740)

Mar Basilius Shimun, son of Malke of Manimim, is a unique learned man of his time. He became a monk at a monastery in Tur Abdin before 1695, and was ordained a priest. Because of his ascetic and virtuous life, he was ordained a maphrian for Tur Abdin in 1710 under the name Basilius. In the following year he returned to his ascetical life and worship. About 1727, he resumed the administration of his diocese until he was killed by the tyrant Abdal Agha the Kurd on April 6, 1740. He died a martyr for his religion and canon law. He was a good church father who mastered the Syriac language in which he wrote and composed poetry. His poetry is clear and pleasant. He also obtained a fair knowledge of religious sciences by reading the books of the church learned men. Following are his books:
1. Theology, in twelve parts, each divided into ten chapters written in eloquent language. It discusses the Trinity and the unity of God, the procession of the Holy Spirit, the Incarnation, the Nativity, the Redemption, the refutation of purgatory, the end of the world, the resurrection, eternal bliss and hell. He finished it on July 15, 1719. It consists of three hundred seventeen pages. We found a copy of it in his neat handwriting at Mar Awgen Monastery.632
2. The Chariot of Mysteries, eight treatises, on the intellect, an interpretation of the cherubim chariot which Ezekiel saw, the creation of the world, angels, devils and Adam and the benefit we gained from the Incarnation of Christ, resurrection, the kingdom of heaven and hell.633
3. Silah al-Din wa Turs al-Yaqin (The Armor of Religion and the Shield of Conviction), in sixteen parts, on the Holy Trinity, Incarnation, that faith cannot be obtained through knowledge, a refutation of purgatory, a refutation of those who maintain that punishment and reward apply only to the soul and not the body, on repentance and on leavened bread for Communion. This book contains some weak and refutable ideas.634
4. Discourses or homilies on the interpretation of the wings of the Seraphim, the talents, the last farthing, the Lord's prayers, as well as a refutation of purgatory and the end of the world. These discourses consist of one hundred eighty pages.635
5. An anthology containing many odes in the three meters (the five, seven and twelve syllabic meters) most of which are of excellent quality with only some of mediocre quality. Of these we found more than one hundred fifteen odes, the most famous of which is his lengthy ode beginning thus: "Lord who through His Son created the world from nothing."636 The second famous ode is a rhymed one beginning thus: "The Father is light, the Son is light and the Spirit is light."637 The anthology also contains fine and pleasant pieces638 and a metrical discourse on repentance in the melody of "Qum Faulos" ("Rise, O Paul").639
6. An abridgement of Bar Bahlul's lexicon, made in 1724.640
7. Thirty-six homilies written in poor and ungrammatical Arabic.641 Nevertheless, some of his contemporaries translated his first two books.642

281. The Priest Yuhanna (John) of Basibrina (d. 1729)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:26:44 -0400

The Priest Yuhanna (John) of Basibrina
(d. 1729)

John is son of the priest Aziz, son of the priest Isaiah nicknamed Qardash the Qalanzi by origin but was born and raised in Basibrina. He studied under masters of his time and was ordained a priest in 1702. He died in 1729. He composed two rhymed odes, the first in the dodecasyllabic meter on prayer;630 the second, in the heptasyllabic meter, on the invasion of Tur Abdin in October, 1714.631 His verse is of mediocre quality.

280. Ishaq (Isaac) Patriarch of Antioch (1724)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:25:19 -0400

Ishaq (Isaac) Patriarch of Antioch
(1724)

Patriarch Ishaq is the son of Maqdisi Azar. He was born at Mosul and became a monk and was ordained a priest at St. Matthew's Monastery. He became a bishop of this monastery and was elevated to the maphrianate of the East in 1687 and later to the office of the patriarchate in 1709 and was named Ignatius. He resigned his position because of old age in 1724. He was an energetic church dignitary who performed good deeds.628 While still a maphrian before 1699, he wrote a little book in fifteen chapters,629 on Syriac etymology and derivatives.

279. The Bishop Hidayat Allah of Khudayda (1693)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:23:39 -0400

The Bishop Hidayat Allah of Khudayda
(1693)

Bishop Hidayat Allah is son of Shammo. He was born at Khudayda (the village of Qaraqosh near Mosul, Iraq) and studied Syriac under the priest Abd al-Masih Jumua. He was ordained a deacon and then a priest. When he became a widower in 1661 he became a monk at the Monastery of Mar Behnam. He moved to some other monasteries and in 1685 he accompanied Basilius Yalda the Khudaydi to Malabar in India. Yalda ordained him a bishop and named him Iyawannis. He succeeded Yalda in Malabar until his death in 1693. He composed an ode in the hepta-syllabic meter in praise of the Virgin and a letter containing general canons for the Malabar Church.627

278. The Deacon Sarkis ibn Ghurayr (d. 1669)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:22:06 -0400

The Deacon Sarkis ibn Ghurayr
(d. 1669)

Deacon Sarkis is son of the bishop Yuhanna, son of Abbud, son of Ghurayr al-Zirbabi. He was born at Damascus and under his father he studied the fundamentals of the Syriac language and its literatures. He was ordained a deacon. What attests to his proficiency in the Syriac language and its literatures is his venture, before 1661, to translate Bar Hebraeus's Lamp of the Sanctuaries into Arabic. His translation is partly good, partly of medium quality and partly poor because of his inadequate knowledge of the Arabic language. This translation is extant in several manuscripts, the oldest of which are the two manuscripts at Paris623 and Zafaran.624 Deacon Ghurayr died about 1669, a young man. His father, the Bishop of Damascus (1668-1684) composed a metrical discourse in the heptasyllabic meter criticizing a group who turned against Orthodoxy.625 But this discourse is in some ways poor. Deacon Ghurayr also wrote useful polemic letters in Arabic626 and made some poor translations.

277. Wanes (Iyawannis) Wanki Metropolitan of Cappadocia and Edessa (1624)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:19:56 -0400

Wanes (Iyawannis) Wanki Metropolitan of Cappadocia and Edessa
(1624)

Wanes is the son of Maqdisi Mardiros Najjar the Armenian. He was born at Wank, a village in Karkar, and in 1566 became a monk at the Virgin and Mar Zakka Monasteries situated in the mountains of the province of Karkar. He studied the Syriac language and literature and wrote in a pleasant style. He was ordained a priest and twice performed the pilgrimage to Jerusalem. For a while he resided at the Monastery of Mar Abhai, but he spent a great deal of effort in renovating the Monastery of Mar Zakka in 1588. In 1590 he became the abbot of Mar Barsoum Monastery, but later returned to his monastery. About 1599 he was ordained a metropolitan of Cappadocia and Edessa under the name Gregorius. He died about 1624. He was known for his piety. He mastered the fine yet beautiful Karkari script.619 We found in his own handwriting, in extremely fine script,620 four Gospels and a book of Psalms. He also wrote brief historical tracts and comments on the monasteries of Karkar621 as well as the events in his time, the most useful of which is the account of the trouble between the two Patriarchs Pilate and Hidayat Allah and their reconciliation in the year 1591-1593.622

276. The Patriarch Nimat Allah (1587)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:18:27 -0400

The Patriarch Nimat Allah
(1587)

Nimat Allah is son of the Maqdisi Yuhanna Nur al-Din. He was born at Mardin and in 1535, while still young, he went to the Zafaran Monastery where he became a monk. He studied church sciences and Syriac literature and was ordained a priest. He also studied a little of history, logic, astronomy, geodesy, medicine and the art of drawing. He was ordained a maphrian of the East in 1555 and later elevated to the Patriarchal throne at the beginning of 1557 under the name Ignatius. He resided at Amid but also administered the dioceses of Edessa and Syria. In 1562 he went to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage. He became popular for his good conduct, impressive stature and pleasant company. After having ordained nineteen metropolitans and bishops he was afflicted by a misfortune on March 10, 1576, which forced him to relinquish his position and leave secretly for a monastery near Sivas. He composed an ode eulogizing himself and his misfortune and his separation from his relatives. He left the East helpless and broken-hearted because of injustice, and arrived in Rome in October, 1576. In Rome he became known for his knowledge. He assisted astronomers in amending the Gregorian calendar. But he spent his life in grief. He most likely adopted the Roman doctrine and having become a Roman Catholic, died shortly after 1587.613
Patriarch Nimat Allah's prose is excellent although it is involved and intricate in some parts. One of his writings is a letter apologizing for himself614 and a tract he wrote in 1580 describing in detail the kingdoms of Europe, especially Italy,615 and a treatise on the Gregorian calendar.616 His Syriac poetry is clear and his rhymed ode in the twelve syllabic meter is a fine one. Only fifty lines of it have reached us.617 He also has some writings in Arabic which are not totally free from grammatical mistakes.618

275. Abd al-Ghani al-Mansuri, maphrian of the East (d. 1575)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:16:19 -0400

Abd al-Ghani al-Mansuri, maphrian of the East
(d. 1575)

Abd al-Ghani was born at the village Mansuriyya near Mardin. His father was the priest Istephan. He became a monk at the Monastery of Mar Hananya and studied Syriac grammar and etymology under some masters of his time. He devoted his time to the reading of religious sciences in which he became proficient and was made a priest. He was ordained a metropolitan and chosen as a deputy patriarch. At the beginning of 1557 he assumed the maphrianate of the East under the name Basilius. He died on June 19, 1575.
Maphrian Mansuri wrote a lengthy liturgy in seventy pages in which he used rhetorical ornamentation. It is a testimony of his profound knowledge in the Syriac language and composition. It is, indeed, unequalled among liturgies of the same kind. It begins thus, "Eternal intellect whose existence is imperative."612

274. Yusuf al-Gurji Metropolitan of Jerusalem (d. 1537)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:14:55 -0400

Yusuf al-Gurji Metropolitan of Jerusalem
(d. 1537)

Metropolitan Yusuf al-Gurji was born at Aleppo and was raised by the Patriarch Yuhanna (John) XIV after the death of his parents. He studied under the Patriarch Jacob I, became a monk at the Zafaran Monastery where he was ordained a priest in 1495.607 He became proficient in grammar, literature and calligraphy. We found precious manuscripts transcribed by him at the Church of Hisn Kipha and at the Oxford and Zafaran libraries. About 1510 or 1512 he was ordained a metropolitan for Jerusalem under the name Gregorius. For a time Hims, Damascus, Tripoli and Mardin were added unto his own diocese. He died in 1537, leaving behind great accomplishments to immortalize his name.608
Of his writings are three eloquent husoyos, one of them, written in 1507, in eight pages, is for the festival of Mar Zakhi (Nicolaus), was arranged according to the alphabet and could be read forward or backward.609 He also wrote comments on the chronicles of his contemporary fathers of the church and a neat and effective introduction to the Cream of Wisdom by Bar Hebraeus, which he transcribed in his own handwriting.610 Furthermore, in 1533, he revised the order of assuming the monastic leather habit by collating it with the Coptic and Ethiopian originals. He composed some rhymed verse on the path of the perfect ones, but they are forced and complicated.611

273. Jacob I, Patriarch of Antioch (d. 1517)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:12:27 -0400

Jacob I, Patriarch of Antioch
(d. 1517)

Jacob is son of the monk Abd Allah, known as Ibn al-Muzawwiq. He was born at al-Ahmadiyya village in al-Sawr and became a monk at the Monastery of Mar Musa (Moses) in al-Nabk. He studied under the Master and Metropolitan Musa Ubayd of Sadad.601 He became efficient in calligraphy. He was ordained a priest and went to the Monastery of Mar Hananya and then in 1480 to the Monastery of Mar Abhai. In 1496 he was ordained a metropolitan of Amid under the name Philoxenus.602 He was installed as patriarch in 1512 under the name Ignatius Jacob.603 He died in 1517.604 He was an efficient writer. One of his writings is a historical tract containing some of the chronicles of the monk David of Hims which we have copied from an old manuscript in his own handwriting.605 He also wrote comments on some festivals and composed a few verses in the twelve syllabic meter in which he calls himself to repentance.606

272. Patriarch Masud of Zaz (d. 1512)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:10:50 -0400

Patriarch Masud of Zaz
(d. 1512)

Patriarch Masud is son of Shimun (Simon). He was born at the village of Zaz in 1431. In 1453 he resided at the Monastery of the Cross in Bethel where he lived a strict ascetic life. At the beginning he was an illiterate but when he took to ascetic life in some caves he was enlightened through divine providence, and began to dictate to his companions wonderful spiritual treatises without his knowledge. Later he studied the Syriac language and was ordained a priest. In 1464 he was made the superior abbot of all the monks of Tur Abdin and trained more than a hundred men in the ascetic life, to follow strictly ascetic rules. For this reason, Patriarch Masud is considered an innovator of monasticism in his time. In 1481 he was ordained a metropolitan of Zarjal and Hisn Kipha under the name Basilius. Through his efforts the number of monks increased in Tur Abdin and its monasteries which were either built or renovated until they numbered more than two hundred by the end of his life. In 1493 he became the patriarch of Tur Abdin. But he made a mistake by ordaining a maphrian for Tur Abdin and twelve bishops, most of whom had no dioceses. As a result he was opposed by the incumbent bishops as well as by the dignitaries who paid allegiance to the Patriarch of Antioch. He shut himself for a time in a monastery in Kharput but later resumed his church affairs until his death on February 11, 1512.595
He wrote a book consisting of seven hundred pages entitled The Spiritual Ship, in a smooth style, into which he incorporated several treatises on asceticism, and worship. The original copy of this book is in the Sayyida (The Virgin) Monastery.596 It was completed in 1481, but is slightly imperfect. It has also a new copy597 and fragments as well.598 We found in Amid five odes composed by him: three in the twelve-syllabic meter and two in the heptasyllabic meter,599 as well as an ode in Paris.600 We read at the church of Qellith in 1909 his long liturgy beginning with "O Lord God who art the fountain of blessings and the sea of beneficence." This liturgy consist of thirty-five pages, transcribed in 1615. It is preceded by a husoyo beginning with, "Praise and thanks to the Holy Trinity," which was lost during the World War I. His biographer and some of his contemporaries mentioned that he had written several husoyos and two liturgies, one short and the other of medium length.

271. The Monk Aziz of Midyat (1510)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:09:06 -0400

The Monk Aziz of Midyat
(1510)

Monk Aziz is son of the monk Saliba, son of Basus. He was born at Midyat and later joined the staff of Patriarch Masud by whom he was trained for the ascetic life, and whom he served for forty-five years at the Cross Monastery and at Salh after he had become a monk in 1465 and a priest. In a polished style he wrote the biography of his instructor, Patriarch Masud, after he became a metropolitan. This biography consists of six pages. He compiled the ascetic treatises of Patriarch Masud in a book entitled The Spiritual Ship,593 which otherwise would have been lost. He also recorded the calamities which befell the Middle East in general and Tur Abdin in particular, together with political and ecclesiastical events from 1501 to 1510, in four tracts, which we copied from his manuscripts in Amid, Edessa and Tur Abdin.594 He died shortly after 1510.

270. Patriarch Nuh the Lebanese (d. 1509)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:07:15 -0400

Patriarch Nuh the Lebanese
(d. 1509)

Patriarch Nuh was a prominent church dignitary known for his piety and good administration. He was also a writer and a poet but some of his verse is marred by the unnaturalness of style which was prevalent in his time. He was at the village of Baqufa in the mountain of Lebanon in 1451 and was converted from Maronism to Orthodoxy. He studied the Syriac language and religious sciences under the monk-priest Tuma of Hims in the Monastery of Mar Musa the Abyssinian. He was ordained a priest and then a metropolitan for Hims in 1480 under the name Cyril. He was consecrated a Maphrian of the East in 1489 and ascended the patriarchal throne in 1493 and was named Ignatius. He died at Hama on July 28, 1509, after having ordained thirteen metropolitans and bishops.
Patriarch Nuh has an anthology in ninety-two pages, containing rhymed odes and verse pieces in the twelve-syllabic meter, some of which are arranged according to the alphabet as well as to his name. They are on supplication, repentance, the state of the soul and how to control it, complaint against vicissitudes and the injustices of the rulers who are the descendants of the Huns and Kurds, description of roses, sojourn and communication with friends. Among these are two odes which he delivered to Hims and Lebanon as well as eulogy of the ascetic priest Tuma of Hims. Another ode declares that the Lord is life and that He offers it to those who believe in Him; yet another, consisting of 136 lines on the universal and particular natures, which he composed in response to the request of Malke, metropolitan of Madan. It contains some poor usages as a result of his adherence to one rhyme. He also wrote some puzzles which are rather poor.592 A number of manuscripts in his neat handwriting have survived, as well as a hymn in Arabic on the Virgin and a very brief historical tract.

269. Metropolitan Sergius of Hah (d. 1508)

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 07:05:31 -0400

Metropolitan Sergius of Hah
(d. 1508)

Sergius is son of Yusuf (Joseph) Qaruna of Hah. He became a monk in 1470 at the Cross Monastery where he was trained in asceticism by Masud the head monk of Tur Abdin, and reached a high degree of ascetic life. He was ordained a priest and performed the pilgrimage to Jerusalem twice, in 1489, and 1495. He also visited Cyprus. He was consecrated a metropolitan of Hah in 1505 under the name Dionysius. He most likely died in 1508.
He was a good writer and calligrapher, praised by his contemporaries. He wrote a useful tract on his trip to Cyprus and Jerusalem in which he described some places and the holy shrines. Only a fragment of it survives in his own handwriting.590 He also drew up in 1504 two husoyos for the Epiphany and the Saturday of Lazarus and composed some metrical supplicatory prayers and a rather involved metrical puzzle on Jerusalem.591

268. The Priest Addai of Basibrina (d. 1502)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:41:12 -0400

The Priest Addai of Basibrina
(d. 1502)

Addai is son of the priest Malke, son of the priest Addai. He was born at Basibrina and studied Syriac under his uncles, Master Gurgis and the monk Yeshu. He was ordained a priest in 1464 and for a time taught at the school of his town which had more than three hundred pupils.583 He became reputed for his learning and many students were graduated under him. He was also known for his neat thick handwriting.584 In 1490 he went to Jerusalem to perform the pilgrimage and died shortly after 1502. Some of his sons became priests.

In correct but unsophisticated style, he wrote some husoyos, two of which are for the morning service of the Saturday of Lazarus,585 one for the festival of Mar Azazel, and eight for the festivals of the Saints Awgen and Basus, Thaddaeus, i.e. Addai of Basibrina.586 I have come to believe that he is the anonymous writer who continued the history of Bar Hebraeus. He is also to be commended for writing the history of a period when historical facts were rare.587 He wrote the biographies, which have been published, of patriarchs and maphrians from 1285 to 1496. Furthermore, He wrote three short tracts which have been appended to Bar Hebraeus's Chronicle. They are as follows:
1. The invasion of the (Huns) Moguls of Diyarbakr.
2. On the destruction of Tur Abdin by Timur Lang (Tamerlane).
3. A historical tract in thirty-seven pages covering the period from 1394 to 1492. These three tracts have two copies588 and were published by Burns in 1790. The third tract, which is the longest, was re-published by Behns in 1838. The correction of the relapses we found in his edition compared with the manuscripts we have come across are slight.589

267. The Monk Dawud (David) of Hims (d. 1500)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:38:39 -0400

The Monk Dawud (David) of Hims
(d. 1500)

Dawud is son of Abd al-Karim, son of Salah known as the Himsi (or the Phoenician).566 He was born at al-Qaryatayn in 1431 and moved to Hims when he was a young boy. He studied under the priest Musa Mukaysif and entered the Monastery of Mar Musa in al-Nabk where he became a monk and concentrated on learning. He was ordained a deacon. While still young he went to the Zafaran Monastery in 1459 to study. He remained at the monastery for a while, was ordained a priest and then he moved to the Monastery of the Cross near Hisn Kifa. For a time he became the secretary of the maphrian Aziz (Ibn al-Ajuz) and experienced changing vicissitudes until he reached Constantinople in 1481. He met with misfortune until he died around 1490 or about 1500.
Dawud was a man of learning. His verse and prose style are of good and bad quality, particularly his prose which is saturated with rhetorical techniques like paronomasia and juxta position of contrasting ideas.

Of his excellent writing are five husoyos for the saints Stephen and Aaron and three for Easter. One of these three, which is rather lengthy, is on the eighth Sunday after Easter. It closes with a supplicatory prayer arranged alphabetically. It has entered the church rite.567 He also has commentaries on the Chronicle, the seven times of prayer and the Psalms. He wrote his autobiography until his middle age568 and the biography of Yuhanna Dalyatha the Nestorian ascetic as related by his master.570 Furthermore, he abridged the commentary on the Psalms by Daniel of Salh, adding unto it some commentaries of Bar Salibi and Bar Hebraeus. In this abridged commentary he punctuated the Biblical verses following the method of Bar Hebraeus in his The Treasure-house of Secrets, and wrote an excellent introduction to it. Chabot thought that this abridgement was written in the tenth century. It has three old copies571 as well as new copies, the most recent of which are two in Boston.572 In this abridged commentary on the Psalms he related some of the affairs of Muhammad Bey ibn al-Rumi the philosopher.573
Of his excellent verse are two odes: the first on sojourn574 in ten pages in the heptasyllabic meter and rhymed; the second on repentance, alphabetically arranged,575 two odes in the twelve-syllabic meter on a eulogy of Patriarch Aziz Ibn al-Ajuz (Sobto),576 the second is a dismissary prayer at the end of the Mass;577 a few lines censuring those who seek learning because of their failure in life,578 an ode in the heptasyllabic meter composed in 1466 praising his contemporary ascetics of Tur Abdin,579 and a song to the tune of Qum Faulos ("Rise, O Paul"), lamenting the sciences of the Syrians and the loss of their manuscripts.580
Of his strange verse are two odes in the twelve-syllabic meter he composed in 1462. The words which begin the lines of these odes are arranged according to the letters of the alphabet. They also could be read forward and backward following the practice of al-Subawi,581 which is, in fact, a trivial ornamental style, in which he failed.582 He also wrote eulogies of this style to be said during their reading of the Gospel called Koruzutha which he filled with Greek terms, making them unpalatable. Thank goodness that these eulogies were dropped a long time ago. Finally he translated into mediocre Arabic two or three husoyos and wrote in Arabic a treatise on the priest, the Mass, vows, tithes which are not free from grammatical mistakes.

266. Metropolitan Gurgis of Basibrina (d. 1495)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:37:00 -0400

Metropolitan Gurgis of Basibrina
(d. 1495)

Gurgis became a monk at the Qartamin Monastery. In 1450 he was ordained a metropolitan with the name Yuhanna. He was the most prominent among the bishops of his time. Twice he performed the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and bought a house for two hundred golden dinars and made it an endowment of our St. Mark's Monastery in Jerusalem.563 He died at Mar Hananya Monastery in 1495. In 1462 he compiled a liturgy from nine liturgies by doctors of the church, all of which share the common name Yuhanna, including his own name. To this compilation he contributed five pieces. The compiled liturgy begins thus: "O Lord the giver of safety and the Lord of peace." It contains four prayers by a bishop named Yuhanna bar Butahi, who may be a fourteenth-century bishop from Tur Abdin. The composition of the two Yuhannas is good.564 Yuhanna also compiled a liturgy from seven liturgies written by seven fathers of the church, all of them named Jacob.565

265. Patriarch Yuhanna bar Shay Allah (d. 1493)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:35:42 -0400

Patriarch Yuhanna bar Shay Allah
(d. 1493)

Patriarch Shay Allah belongs to the family of the priest Abu al-Karam, originally from Bartulli. His father is Shay Allah son of Sad al-Din, who is also nicknamed Ibn al-Asfar. Patriarch Shay Allah was born at Mardin in 1442 and studied Syriac literature under the priests Shimun of Amid and Yuhanna of Mardin as well as the monks Yeshu of Basibrina and Dawud (David) bar Qashafo of Qalat al-Imra'a.560 He also studied astronomy, dialectics, philosophy and also theology in Mardin, Syria and Egypt. He was ordained a bishop of al-Sawr and Amid in 1471 and was elevated to the patriarchal throne in 1483 with the name Yuhanna XIV. He died in his middle age in 1493, after having ordained fourteen metropolitans and bishops. I found a few lines of verse of his in the heptasyllabic meter, expostulating his friend the monk Dawud of Hims.561 In 1496 an anonymous writer who may be one of his disciples or a relative wrote his life story in eighteen pages in a correct but rather involved and ungraceful style.562

264. Master Yeshu of Basibrina (d. 1492)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:33:51 -0400

Master Yeshu of Basibrina
(d. 1492)

Master Yeshu is son of the priest Isaiah of the Khughaym family. He studied the Syriac language and its literature under his father. He renounced worldly life and entered the Qartamin Monastery, where he led an ascetic life. He was ordained a priest before 1439 and for sometime he followed the life of a stylite. Under him studied a group of eminent church dignitaries as well as monks and priests from Tur Abdin. He lived much longer than his own colleagues and died at a very old age in 1492. He wrote the following:
1. Forty husoyos for the following: the Friday of Gold, the morning service of the Assumption of the Virgin, for the saints Philoxenus, Aaron, Barbara, Shimun Zaytuni, Shallita, Aho, Mary Magdalene, Simon and Quma the stylites, the Egyptian ascetics, Ibrahim the ascetic of the high mountain, Daniel, Malke, Demete, Addai, Sergius and Bachus and Jareth. He used Greek terms in the husoyo of Mar Aho and arranged it together with the husoyo of the evening of the festival of Mar Daniel according to the alphabet. We found these husoyos in Tur Abdin, particularly Basibrina. Yeshu's prose is good but inferior to that of Abu Nasr of Bartulli.
2. A complete order for the feast of Mar Dodo (David).556
3. An ode in the twelve-syllabic meter, covering fifty-three pages in praise of Mar Dodo557 and another ode in the heptasyllabic meter lamenting himself.558
4. Organization of the twenty-four Sundays following Easter.559
Yeshu's verse is mediocre but he has transcribed manuscripts which testify to his excellent calligraphy and punctuation of texts.

263. The Monk Malke Saqo (d. 1490)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:32:09 -0400

The Monk Malke Saqo
(d. 1490)

Malke is son of Yuhanna (John) Khughaym nicknamed Saqo. He was born at Basibrina and became a monk at the Qartamin Monastery and mastered the Syriac language and literature. He composed in the twelve-syllabic meter a good lengthy ode (25 pages) in praise of the Virgin Mary. In another copy this ode is entitled the Nativity of Our Lord in Human Body.553 Another ode is against those who deny the virginity of the Virgin Mary.554 He also compiled an order for the Friday of the White, from old copies and wrote some husoyos. We have read in the service book for the principal festivals of the whole year which he completed in 1484, a commentary on the meaning of the procession in the Church.555 According to the Book of Life and as stated by the priest Addai, he died in 1490, not 1400 as Mingana has erroneously stated.

262. Patriarch Aziz Ibn al-Ajuz (Bar Sobto) (d. 1481)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:12:07 -0400

Patriarch Aziz Ibn al-Ajuz (Bar Sobto)
(d. 1481)

Ibn al-Ajuz, also known as Abu al-Maani, was born at the village of Basila near Mardin. He became a monk at the Qartamin Monastery and followed a strict life of asceticism and austerity. He studied under Master Yeshu of Basibrina and became reputed for his virtue. He was ordained a priest and then a bishop for the diocese of Hah. On Maundy Thursday of the year 1461 he was invited to ascend the See of Tur Abdin. He died in 1481. He was very strict in observing church rules. In a correct but unsophisticated style he wrote the following:
1. A small book in seven chapters (covering forty-six pages) on spiritual revelations which an ascetic saw through the eye of his mind how God dwells in the hearts of the children of light, the earthly paradise and the souls which inhabit it, the creation of Angels, human souls, repentance, and the fires that burn sin. He called it The Ascent of the Mind.549
2. A book called The Path of Truth in fifty-five pages and slightly imperfect, containing useful knowledge for monks.550
3. A treatise on the Mass, on the person who does not deserve to receive the holy communion and on the priest.551
4. Two sermons for his parishioners: the first one on the passing away of this world and the immortality of the world to come. The second one contains an exhortation to the clergy and a warning against the evils of magic.552

261. The Monk Gharib of Manimim (1476)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:10:31 -0400

The Monk Gharib of Manimim
(1476)

Gharib is son of Barsoum of Manimim. He became a monk and then was ordained a priest. He studied at the Monastery of Qartamin. In 1470 he wrote an order for the festival of Mar Awgen, into which he incorporated the pseudo story of the saint.547 He participated with the monk Yeshu in writing husoyos for the festival of Mar Barsoum, bishop of Kafrtut and Khabura.548 He was still living in 1476.

260. Barsoum Madani, maphrian of the East (1455)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:01:51 -0400

Barsoum Madani, maphrian of the East
(1455)

Barsoum Madani studied under the priest Tuma (Thomas) and mastered the fundamentals of the Syriac language and its literature as well as religious sciences. He became a monk at the Monastery of Mar Yaqub (Jacob) in Salh and was ordained a priest. He became known for his ascetic life and piety and, therefore, was chosen by the patriarch Behnam to become the Maphrian of the East. He was consecrated on April 9, 1422 under the name Basilius. He fulfilled responsibilities of his office most appropriately and became reputed for his outstanding virtues and deeds. He died at the beginning of 1455.
In 1417 Maphrian Barsoum abridged Bar Salibi's scholia on the Gospels and added unto them useful information he had gathered from the writing of the doctors of the church. This abridgement in his own handwriting forms a thick volume and is preserved at our library. In it he recorded his genealogy and some aspects of his affairs. Two copies were transcribed from this manuscript, one at the end of the fifteenth century,544 and the second one in 1713.545 Both of these copies erroneously referred to Maphrian Barsoum as a monk, contrary to what is recorded in the margin of the original copy. We have read prose songs he composed, one on the woman sinner546 and the other on the consecration of the Holy Chrism and a metrical song to the tune of "Rise, O Paul."

259. Patriarch Behnam of Hidl (d. 1454)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:58:45 -0400

Patriarch Behnam of Hidl
(d. 1454)

Patriarch Behnam is son of Yuhanna of the Habbo Kanni family originally from Bartulli, but he was born at Hidl. He became a monk at the Qartamin Monastery and was ordained a priest. In 1404 he was consecrated a maphrian under the name Basilius and succeeded the Patriarch Ibrahim on the See of Mardin under the name Ignatius on July 24, 1412. After the death of Patriarch Basilius V, he was able because of his lenient policies to convince the diocese of the patriarch to proclaim him a legitimate patriarch. Thus in 1445 they proclaimed him Patriarch of Antioch. He died on December 10, 1454. Patriarch Behnam was one of the best writers and poets of his time. There is no little creativeness in his poetry.

1. He drew up ten husoyos in a pleasant style, three of which are alphabetically arranged. They are on the presentation of our Lord in the Temple, the morning of the festival of our Lady over the crops; three for Lent, and four for the festivals of the saints Asya, Abhai, Barsohde and Saba. In this latter husoyo he used Greek terms.531
2. He selected commentaries from the book of Daniel of Salh and fixed them with his reinterpretation on a manuscript containing the Psalms written and punctuated by him in 1425.532 Chabot thought that these commentaries were written in the tenth century.533 In 1901 Giesen published the introduction of these commentaries together with two treatises.
3. He drew up a liturgy arranged according to the Syriac alphabet, beginning thus: "O God who art the sea of safety and the unfathomable depth of the water of peace." To this he prefixed a husoyo beginning thus: "Praise to the bread of life,"534 and appended to it a dismissory prayer, which he composed in 1405, in the heptasyllabic meter arranged to the alphabet.
4. He composed eleven odes, five of which are in the twelve-syllabic meter. Two of these odes covering sixty pages in praise of the virtues of the martyr Mar Behnam,535 one rather lengthy in twenty-eight pages on the outstanding traits of the martyr Mar Basus,536 published by Chabot and then Bedjan anonymously. The former thought it was composed in the twelfth century,537 while Baumstark thought it was composed at the beginning of the Middle Ages.538 He also composed an ode on the martyr Mar Saba which has been lost, and another ode in thirteen pages on repentance in which he censures himself. It begins thus: "O Jesus who art the Light which illumined the world."539 He also composed three odes in the heptasyllabic meter on supplication to God540 and repentance, one of which begins thus: "What is it with you my soul that you have gone astray in deception."541 Furthermore, he composed three songs, one on the passion of Christ, arranged according to the alphabet,542 and the second in praise of the Virgin Mary, beginning thus: "I wonder if the mentioning of your beautiful traits." This song is still sung during the festivals of the Virgin before the reading of the Gospel. His third song is on repentance.543 If his poems were collected they would make a good anthology.

258. Quma the Patriarch of Tur Abdin (d. 1454)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:50:53 -0400

Quma the Patriarch of Tur Abdin
(d. 1454)

Quma is the son of the chieftain Jafal of Basibrina. At the beginning he was ordained a bishop for the Qartamin Monastery, but later was transferred to the diocese of Hah and then consecrated a patriarch for Tur Abdin in 1444.530 He died in 1454. He was knowledgeable in the works of many writers. He drew up a lengthy liturgy in good style, beginning thus: "O God who art thou the safety and peace of all people," followed by a husoyo beginning thus: "Blessed art thou inviting sacrifice."

257. The Priest Simon of Amid (1450)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:33:18 -0400

The Priest Simon of Amid
(1450)

Simon was ordained a priest by the Patriarch Behnam. He taught Syriac at the school of the Forty Martyrs in Mardin. He died about 1450. We read in an old manuscript in his own handwriting ten husoyos composed by him for the festival of the Cross and the Friday of Gold (the first Friday after Pentecost) and for the Sunday of the Dispensation of our Lord, the Saints Azazel, Cyriacus, Macarius and a certain martyr.529 But these husoyos did not enter the church rite.

256. The Priest Sahdo

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:30:39 -0400

The Priest Sahdo

Sahdo was a poet who lived in the first half of the fifteenth century. He composed a rhymed hymn on the end of the world in the heptasyllabic and pentasyllabic meters.528

255. The Priest Isaiah of Basibrina (d. 1425)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:28:30 -0400

The Priest Isaiah of Basibrina
(d. 1425)

The priest Isaiah is the son of the deacon Denha, son of Tuma (Thomas) Kughaym of Basibrina. He was a good writer and poet whose poetry is clear and natural. He flourished in the last two decades of the fourteenth and the first quarter of the fifteenth centuries. He travelled to Jerusalem on a pilgrimage, an unusual accomplishment in those times, in 1417 and died in 1425.522 He was the master of language in his time. He established a school in his town which was the center of the Syriac language. Many studied language and religious sciences under him. For generations his family inherited and preserved these sciences. He composed two odes in the twelve-syllabic meter describing the calamities inflicted by Timur Lang (Tamerlane) upon the Middle East in general and Tur Abdin in particular. In one of these odes he criticized those who are not qualified and yet fight for offices of the priesthood. The first one begins thus, "O God who art incomprehensible by mind."523 It was published by Qirdahi.524 The second one begins thus: "Hear my brethren and marvel."525 He also wrote a song beginning thus: "I am drunk with sorrow and torment." He drew up a husoyo for the festival of the martyrs Addai the Apostle, Abhai and Mama in 1391 beginning with: "Praise be to the shining sun,"526 and finally he organized the order for the marriage of widows and wrote an introduction for it.527

254. Philoxenus the Scribe (d. 1421)

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:24:52 -0400

Philoxenus the Scribe
(d. 1421)

Philoxenus was ordained a metropolitan and then consecrated Patriarch of Antioch in 1387 at the Kwaykhat Monastery. He is the second patriarch by this name. He resided in al-Sham (Syria) and died in 1421. The writer who continued Bar Hebraeus's Ecclesiastical History praised him greatly. He stated, "Philoxenus was an excellent writer and a competent doctor in both religious and secular sciences. He is only matched by the priest Isaiah of Basibrina."521 However, we have discovered none of his writings.

253. Patriarch Ibrahim ibn Gharib (d. 1412)

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:23:29 -0400

Patriarch Ibrahim ibn Gharib
(d. 1412)

Patriarch Ibrahim is a brother of the Metropolitan Yusuf (Joseph) ibn Gharib. He became a monk at the Mar Hananya Monastery and was ordained a priest before 1355. He loved learning and had a collection of books.518 About 1375 he succeeded his brother as Metropolitan of Amid, assuming the name Cyril. He compiled a liturgy containing anaphoras (liturgy or missal) of the Fathers of the Church, including one written by his brother in thirteen pages.519 He wrote a husoyo for the morning service of the Saturday of Lazarus.520 He was installed as a patriarch of Mardin in 1382 and died in 1412.

252. The Monk Daniel of Mardin (1382)

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:20:59 -0400

The Monk Daniel of Mardin
(1382)

Daniel, who is also known as Ibn Isa, is an eminent learned man. He was born at Mardin in 1327, became a monk and then was ordained a priest at the Qatra Monastery. He studied and excelled in the Syriac language. Burned by desire to continue his studies, Daniel went to Egypt in 1356, where he spent seventeen years studying Arabic literature, dialectics and philosophy. Later he returned to his own country.509 He wrote in pleasant Arabic Kitab Usul al-Din (The Book of the Fundamentals of Religion) for which he was persecuted by the tyrant ruler, but the people ransomed him in 1382. In a tract written in Syriac he related his adversity.510 He also abridged Bar Hebraeus's books Semhe (The Book of Lights), Ausar Roze (The Storehouse of Secrets) and the Ethikon, all of which are lost. He composed nine lines of verse rebuking a morally corrupt priest,511 and abridged in Arabic seventeen chapters of Bar Hebraeus's book Hudoye (Nomocanon),512 and wrote Arabic comments on a Syriac version of the same book,513 as well as dialectical and philosophical comments on the margin of Bar Hebraeus's The Cream of Wisdom.514 Furthermore, he wrote a book in Arabic entitled Usul al-Din wa Shifa Qulub al-Muminin (The Fundamentals of Religion and the Healing of the Hearts of Believers) of which five copies are extant.515 A commentary on the Nicene Creed has been ascribed to him.516 Some scribes, however, misidentified him with his namesake and master, Daniel ibn al-Hattab, a contemporary of Bar Hebraeus. It is also reported that he composed two lines of verse against Khamis Qirdahi, the Nestorian poet.517 The scribe who copied the letter of Yeshu bar Kilo in 1290 mentioned for him a book called The Verification of Our Belief which may be the same book written by Ibn al-Hattab.

1. Yusuf (Joseph) bar Gharib, metropolitan of Amid (d. 1375)

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:18:09 -0400

Yusuf (Joseph) bar Gharib, metropolitan of Amid
(d. 1375)

Joseph is the son of the noble elder Cyriacus, son of Gharib of Amid. He became a monk at the Monastery of Mar Hananya, was ordained a priest shortly before 1340 and then consecrated a metropolitan of Diyarbakr, assuming the name Dionysius. He most probably died shortly before 1375. A proficient writer, Bar Gharib wrote six husoyos for Lent and Palm Sunday. His name appears on these husoyos in ancient copies in Tur Abdin and the Zafaran Monastery. These husoyos have become part of the Church rite. In 1360 he wrote yet another husoyo in seventeen pages, beginning with: "O God the most holy and blessed, the ocean of mercy and spring of good."508

250. The Monk Ibrahim of Mardin (1365)

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:14:03 -0400

The Monk Ibrahim of Mardin
(1365)

Ibrahim lived in the middle of the fourteenth century. He wrote an eight-page historical tract as related to him by the priest Aaron of Arzinjan and the Metropolitan Jacob Haddad of Hattakh. In this tract he mentioned the family of the former, the church of Arzinjan and the fate of the magnificent church objects, the precious books which were at the Monastery of Mar Barsoum, the seat of the patriarch, and the manuscripts transcribed by the monk Zabina of Shalbdin. He also mentioned the library of the Syrian Monastery in Egypt. We found two copies of this tract in the villages Rizwan and Esther: one copy was transcribed at the end of the fourteenth century and the other at the end of the sixteenth century.507

249. Metropolitan Abu al-Wafa of Hisn Kifa

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:06:58 -0400

Metropolitan Abu al-Wafa of Hisn Kifa

Abu al-Wafa was born at Hisn Kifa, and was ordained a metropolitan for some of the dioceses in Tur Abdin, probably in the middle of the fourteenth century. We have read a husoyo by him in the book of Husoyos at the church of Hisn Kifa transcribed in 1507, praising Mar Nicolaus (Zakka), bishop of Mira. It begins thus: "Praise be to Him who glorifies the memory of his heroes in all the ages." This is all that we know about him.

248. The Deacon Abd Allah of Bartulli (1345)

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:03:44 -0400

The Deacon Abd Allah of Bartulli
(1345)

Deacon Abd Allah, son of Barsoum, son of Abdo of Bartulli, is a man of letters and a calligrapher. He was ordained a deacon before 1296. He transcribed two manuscripts of the offices of ordination by Gabriel, metropolitan of al-Jazira, in 1300 to which he appended two precise historical tracts which attest to his good handling of the language. Among other things, these tracts contain the wars between Argun and Qazan Khan the Mogul kings with the Egyptian army as well as the achievements of the Maphrian Barsoum al-Safi.505 He also served as a secretary of Gregory Matta I (Matthew), maphrian of the East (1317-1354.)506

247. Master Saliba Bar Khayrun (d. 1340)

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:30:17 -0400

Master Saliba Bar Khayrun
(d. 1340)

Master Saliba bar Khayrun is well-versed in the Syriac language and proficient in its calligraphy. He is the father of the monk Yeshu. He was born about 1253. When his wife died he became a monk and was ordained a priest at the Monastery of the Virgin in Sidos, where he was still living in 1323. At one time he traveled to the Qatra Monastery where he taught. Some clerics studied literature under him and his son. He was called the "Doctor of the East." He continued to transcribe manuscripts until 1340 and died long after this year an old man.502 He drew up a husoyo for the festival of St. Ephraim, beginning thus: "Praise is due to the teacher of divine wisdom." Also he wrote two prayers appended to some husoyos, and revised the calendar of the festivals for the whole year ascribed to Jacob of Edessa, and added into it the festivals of a group of saints, particularly the ascetics and martyrs of Tur Abdin, drawn from their histories. This calendar has five copies at Diyarbakr and the Vatican503 and our library. It was translated into Latin and published by Peters in 1908. He also composed an ode of mediocre quality and a long metrical dismissory prayer in the twelve-syllabic meter.504

246. The Monk Yeshu Bar Khayrun (d. 1335)

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:24:58 -0400

The Monk Yeshu Bar Khayrun
(d. 1335)

Yeshu is son of Master Saliba, son of the priest Ishaq bar Khayrun. He was born at the village of Hah around 1275 and became a monk at the Monastery of the Virgin near the village Sidos in the country of Manazgird shortly before 1299. He was ordained a priest and then accompanied his father to the Sayyida (Our Lady) Monastery known as the Qatra Monastery in the mountain of Mardin and died in it on August 19, 1335.495 He was a man of letters and a poet. He composed a husoyo for the night of the Wednesday of King Abgar beginning thus, "Praise be to the Eternal King," and comments on the lexicon of Bar Bahlul, a copy of which is at Zafaran. He also composed four odes in the twelve-syllabic meter, the first unrhymed containing advice to clerics;496 the second rhymed and perfect;497 the third on rebuking a treacherous pupil (most of it is good);498 and the fourth on the pillage of the church of the Forty Martyrs in Mardin and the destruction of the churches and monasteries of the East in 1333.499 Furthermore, He composed seven lines on flowers, poetical rhymed pieces of mediocre quality500 and some lines in the twelve-syllabic meter eulogizing the book Storehouse of Secrets.501

245. Bar Wuhayb (d. 1333)

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:17:20 -0400

Bar Wuhayb
(d. 1333)

He is Zakhi, or as it is reported, Yusuf Badr al-Din, son of Ibrahim, known as Bar Wuhayb. He was a native of Mardin and by origin from Korinsha in Tur Abdin. He became a monk and studied at the monastery of Mar Hananya.488 He was ordained a metropolitan for Mardin assuming the name Ignatius and then consecrated a patriarch of Mardin in 1293. He died in 1333 after he ordained twenty metropolitans and bishops. Although ambitious for higher position yet he was a man of great poise and learning.
He wrote a treatise on the dimensions of church prayers,489 a booklet in thirty pages called The Fundamentals, at the request of the monk Yusuf al-Kalshi, in which he interpreted the letters of the Syriac alphabet and included some spiritual themes. He wrote a similar book in Arabic in thirty-six pages,490 a tract on the six letters of the Syriac alphabet which are affected by hardness or softness. He also issued ten short canons in a council he held in 1303491 and in this same year he drew up a lengthy and eloquent liturgy in twenty-eight pages beginning thus: "O God the invisible and incomprehensible, the high and graceful who are above test,"492 and followed it by a husoyo beginning thus: "Praise to the divine nature, the high and invisible."493

244. Cyril Bishop of Hah (1333)

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:03:45 -0400

Cyril Bishop of Hah
(1333)

He is Cyril Shimun Alini of Tur Abdin, bishop of Hah. He was still living in 1333 and may have lived until the middle of the fourteenth century. He wrote a lengthy liturgy in forty-two pages, beginning thus: "O Eternal God who art above all,"486 and followed it by an excellent husoyo beginning with, "Praise to the only Father the holy"487 and a third husoyo for the Thursday of the Palm Sunday week, beginning thus, "Praise to the Almighty and powerful."