Thoughts on Antiquity, Patristics, putting things online, freedom of speech, information access, and more
Two very early manuscripts exist of a Syriac translation of the “Church History” of Eusebius. One of these dates from 462 A.D. It was bought from the monks of the Nitrian desert in Egypt, and destined for the British Library; but the middleman, a certain Pacho, double-crossed his masters and instead sold it, together with [...]
It’s pretty hard to find out what the libraries in St Petersburg hold. But today I discovered that Gregory Kessel produced an abbreviated translation of the 1960 catalogue by N. V. Pigulevskaya. Better yet, he made it available online. It’s here.
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 [...]
Via AWOL I learn that an edition and translation of Bar Hebraeus’ scholia on the Old Testament is now available in PDF form online from the University of Chicago. The PDF is here (linked on that page under the red down-arrow next to the text “Terms of Use”. In addition, an interesting volume, The Early Text of [...]
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, [...]
Adam McCollum is the dedicated cataloguer of manuscripts at the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library run by Fr. Columba Stewart. The latter is doing an enormously valuable job; of getting copies of all the Syriac and Arabic manuscripts located in oriental monasteries in places like Syria and Iraq. The urgency and importance of this task should [...]
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 [...]