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Syriac Sources for Seventh-Century History

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

S. P. Brock
S. P. Brock*
Affiliation:
The Oriental Institute, Oxford
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Extract

In view of the paucity of other sources for this century, so momentous in the history of the Near East, the Syriac materials take on a particular importance for both Byzantine and Islamic historians. While some of these sources, such as Michael’s Chronicle, are well known to all, others lie as yet unexploited and ignored. The purpose of the present article is to collect together in convenient form details of all the main Syriac sources available for the seventh century, listing standard editions, translations and the more important discussions. Fuller information on authors and secondary literature can readily be found by reference to the following works: A. Baumstark, Geschichte der syrischen Literatur (Bonn, 1922); I. Ortiz de Urbina, Patrologia Syriaca, 2nd ed. (Rome, 1965); C. Moss, Catalogue of Syriac Printed Books and Related Literature in the British Museum (London, 1962); S. P. Brock, ‘Syriac Studies 1960-1970: a classified bibliography’, Parole de l’Orient, IV (1973), 393-465. For the topographical history ot the area now covered by Iraq, J. M. Fiey’s Assyrie chrétienne, 3 vols. (Beirut, 1965-8), is an invaluable compendium.

Type
Research Article
Information
Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies , Volume 2 , 1976 , pp. 17 - 36
Copyright
Copyright © The Centre for Byzantine, Ottoman and Modern Greek Studies, University of Birmingham 1976

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References

1. Brief surveys of the Syriac sources for this period will be found in Hage, W., Die syrisch-jakobitische Kirche in frühislamischer Zeit (Wiesbaden, 1966), pp. 4–7 Google Scholar, and Fiey, J. M., Jalons pour une histoire de l’église en Iraq (CSCO Subsidia 36 [Louvain, 1970)), pp. 14–31 Google Scholar.

2. Page numbers of editions and translations refer to the portion of the work dealing with the seventh century.

3. This edition and translation supersedes that of Land, J. P. N., Anecdota Syriaca, (Leiden, 1862), pp. 1–24, 103–22 Google Scholar.

4. The underlying Greek text (LXX) was edited by Tisserant, E., Codex Zuqninensis rescriptos Veteris Testamenti (Studi e Testi, 23 [Rome, 1911])Google Scholar. Tisserant gives a good description of the manuscript on pp. v-xxxii.

5. Cf. Buk, H., ‘Zur ältesten christlichen Chronographie des Islam’, BZ, XIV (1905), 532–5 Google Scholar.

6. See Chabot, Chronique, I, pp. xliii–l, who states that it must have been made from the Urfa manuscript.

7. See Chabot, Chronique, I, pp. I-li; cf also Haase, F., ‘Die armenische Rezension der syrischen Chronik Michaels des Grossen’, OC, n.s. V (1915), 60–82, 271–84 Google Scholar. There is a French translation by Langlois, V., Chronique de Michel le Grand, traduite pour la première fois sur la version arménienne du prêtre Ishok (Venice, 1866), and another, covering the years 573–717 Google Scholar, by Dulaurier, E. in JA, 4 ser., XII (1848), 281–334, and XIII (1849), 315–76 Google Scholar.

8. Cf. Gelzer, H., ‘Das Geschichtswerk Mar Michael des Grossen’, in Sextus Julius Africanas und die byzantinische Chronographie, II (Leipzig, 1898), pp. 431–58 Google Scholar.

9. This replaces the older (partial) edition by Rahmani, I., Chronicon civile et ecclesiasticum (Charfet, 1904)Google Scholar.

10. There is a good introduction, and index to both volumes, in the recent French translation of volume II by A. Abouna and Fiey, J. M. (Scr. Syri 154 [Louvain, 1974])Google Scholar.

11. A Turkish translation of Budge’s English version was published in Ankara (1945/50).

12. For other manuscripts see Brock, S. P., ‘Notes on some texts in the Mingana Collection’, Journal of Semitic Studies, XIV (1969), 221 Google Scholar.

13. For the manuscript tradition see Jansma, T., ‘Projet d’édition du Ketaba de Resh Mellé de Jean bar Penkayé’, L’Orient Syrien, VIII (1963), 87–106 Google Scholar. An analysis of Books XIII-XV will be found in Scher, A., ‘Notice sur la vie et les œuvres de Yohannan bar Penkaye’, JA, 10 ser., X (1907), 161–78 Google Scholar. Cf. also Crone, P. and Cook, M., Hagarism (Cambridge, 1976)Google Scholar.

14. Published by Abramowski, , Dionysius von Tellmahre, pp. 138–42 Google Scholar (with German translation) and by Brooks, E. W. in CSCO Scr. Syri 39 (Louvain, 1921), pp. 219–24 Google Scholar (Latin translation in Scr. Syri 42 [Louvain, 1924]).

15. Originally covering A.D. 582-842.

16. The section covering the seventh century is published by Scher, A., in Patrologia Orientalis, XIII (Paris, 1919), pp. 435–639 Google Scholar (Index in Fiey, J. M., ‘Table des noms propres de la seconde partie de la Chronique de Séert’, Mélanges de l’Université Saint Joseph, XLII (1966), 201–18 Google Scholar). On this chronicle, see also under II (2) below.

17. Fiey, Cf., Assyrie chrétienne, I, pp. 130–7 Google Scholar.

18. Cf. Scher, A., ‘Analyse de l’histoire du couvent de Sabrisho de Beith Qpqa’, ROC, 2 ser., I (1906), 187–97 Google Scholar; also Fiey, , Assyrie chrétienne, I, pp. 137–52 Google Scholar.

19. ‘L’auteur de la chronique de Séert: Ishodenah de Basra’, Revue de l’histoire des Religions, CLXXXVI (1974), 113-26. Cf. note 16.

20. Cf. Fiey, J. M., ‘Isho ‘dénah, métropolite de Basra et son œuvre’, L’Orient Syrien, XI (1966), 431–50 Google Scholar.

21. Fiey, Cf., Assyrie chrétienne, I, pp. 236–48 Google Scholar.

22. In both printed editions the two works have been run together and placed in the wrong order: the earlier History of the monastery of R. Cyprian appears as Book VI, while the Book of Superiors features as Books I-V in the editions.

23. Cf. Fiey, J. M., ‘Thomas de Marga; notule de littérature syriaque’, Le Muséon, LXXVIII (1956), 361–6 Google Scholar.

24. Cf. Gribomont, J., ‘Documents sur les origines de l’Église maronite’, Parole de l’Orient, V (1974), 95–132 Google Scholar.

25. So correctly (see ROC, XVI (1911), 281) Nau on p. 767 of his edition, but on p. 698 he describes the life as ‘Jacobite’. On purely internal grounds it can hardly be a text of Jacobite provenance (see Paret, R. in REB, XV (1957), 72 Google Scholar), although it does happen to survive also in a Jacobite manuscript (unknown to Nau), Harvard syr. 59, written in Midyat in 1857.

26. Fiey, Cf., Assyrie chrétienne, III, pp. 56–9 Google Scholar.

27. Cf. Fiey, J. M., ‘Autour de la biographie de Bar Éta’, L’Orient Syrien, XI (1966), 1–16 Google Scholar, and Assyrie chrétienne, II, pp. 269–83.

28. Fiey, Cf., Assyrie chrétienne, II, pp. 534–41 Google Scholar.

29. Ed. Bedjan, P., in Acta Martyrum et Sanctorum, IV (Paris, 1894), pp. 201–7 Google Scholar.

30. Fiey, Cf., Assyrie chrétienne, I, pp. 46–7 Google Scholar.

31. Cf. Partsch, J., ‘Neue Rechtsquellen der nestorianischen Kirche’, Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtswissenschaft, XXXIII (1909), 355–98 Google Scholar.

32. Cf. Young, W. G., ‘The Church of the East in 650 A.D. ’, Indian Church History Review, II (1968), 55–71 Google Scholar, and Patriarch, Shah and Caliph (Rawalpindi, 1974), pp. 85-99; Fiey, J. M., ‘Isho ‘yaw le Grand. Vie du Catholicos nestorien Isho ‘yaw III d’Adiabène (580-659)’, OCP, XXXV (1969), 305–33, XXXVI (1970). 5–46 Google Scholar.

33. By this time the A.H. reckoning was in general use (e.g. BM. Add. 14666, fo. 56, of A.D. 682/3, dated A.G. 993 and A.H. 63), and P.J. Alexander is misled in his dates, basing them on the conquest of Iraq: see his ‘Medieval apocalypses as historical sources’, AHR, LXXIII (1968), 1001.

34. See Dennett, D. C., Conversion and Poll Tax in early Islam (Cambridge Mass., 1950), pp. 45–6 Google Scholar.

35. Cf. Kmosko, M., ‘Das Rãtsel des Ps. Methodios’, B, VI (1931), 273–99 Google Scholar; Czeglédy, K., ‘Monographs on Syriac and Muhammadan sources in the literary remains of M. Kmosko’, Acta Orientalia, IV (1954), 36–9 Google Scholar; Alexander, P. J., ‘The Syriac original of Ps. Methodius’ Apocalypse’, Proceedings of the twenty-seventh International Congress of Orientalists (Wiesbaden, 1971), 106–7 Google Scholar.

36. For earlier editions see Brock, S. P., ‘The Laments of the Philosophers over Alexander in Syriac’, Journal of Semitic Studies, XV (1970), 217 Google Scholar.

37. Cf. Czeglédy, K., ‘The Syriac legend concerning Alexander the Great’, Acta Orientalia, VII (1957), 246–9 Google Scholar, and ‘Monographs’, pp. 35-6.

38. Cf. Czeglédy, K., ‘Monographs’, pp. 34–5 Google Scholar.

39. Now Harvard syr. 93 (formerly Harris syr. 85).