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The 6th century Saint’s life of the Nestorian Patriarch, Mar Aba, is an interesting document in that it contains real insights into the political maneouverings at the court of the later Sassanid kings. The Nestorian patriarch now had a very substantial following in Persia. Earlier Patriarchs were merely seen as the head of an unpopular sect [...]
The hagiographical life of Mar Aba continues. 35. While the King of Kings intended that he should remain a few days after his release, and then go to the cities of his throne, Satan stirred up unrest and rioting through the actions of the heathen in Bet Huzaye. The Magians accused the Blessed One before the King of [...]
The 6th century “Saint’s Life” of the East Syriac patriarch, Mar Aba, continues. He has been loaded with chains, and is now being marched along on an expedition that the Sassanid Persian King of Kings is making up-country. The Persian fire-priests at court are still trying to get him. After the Saint had been dragged [...]
The hagiographical Life of the East Syriac Catholicos Mar Aba continues thus: 33. After the Mobed spoke thus to the Lordly one, the latter instructed him extensively from the Holy Scriptures on the true faith, the permanence of Christianity, the greatness of the economy of God, about the resurrection and the judgement, about the blessings [...]
The hagiographical life of the 6th century East Syriac Catholicos Mar Aba continues. 32. At the time of the journey, when the King of Kings set out to go to Azerbaijan, the saint was led with him in his fetters, in great discomfort, over mountains and hills, in heat and drought, in thirst and hunger, [...]
31. Then they bound the saint hand and foot and neck with heavy iron fetters, and covered his face so that no-one would know him and no rebellion would break out, placed him on a mule and handed him over to the mobed who had oversight of the prison at court. The mobed did as [...]
Here is another chapter of the 6th century hagiographical life of the East Syriac patriarch, Mar Aba I. The text is valuable as it was clearly written in the Persian realm, and with knowledge of the political change going on in the mid-6th century. This is the period in which the Sassanid monarchs begin to see [...]
29. On the morning of the (following) day, when the blessed one in the company of the Christians went to the court in order to thank the King of Kings, the aforementioned magians sought for a way to kill him. They were afraid to seize him openly on account of the number of believers accompanying [...]
28. Then the King of Kings told him: “That you ignored our command and come here, we forgive you. But the four very serious accusations that the magians make against you are as follows: that you make magians leave their religion (dên) and into Christians; that you do not let your people marry many women as [...]
The story continues. A court intrigue has led a Christian renegade to Mar Aba’s place of exile, and witnessed an attempt on his life. It is clear that the place of exile is not secure. Some Persian terms are not translated in the Syriac, so remain just collections of consonants. 27. Afterwards the blessed one [...]