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E00081: The Chronicle of Edessa, written in Syriac in the 6th c., records that Nonnos built a church dedicated to *John the Baptist (S00020) in Edessa, after becoming bishop in 457.

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posted on 2014-10-13, 00:00 authored by pnowakowski

Chronicle of Edessa 68

ܫܢܬ ܫܒܥܡܐܐ ܘܫܬܝܢ ܘܬܫܥ ܒܐܝܪܚ ܬܫܪܝܢ ܩܕܡ ܒܥܣܖ̈ܝܢ ܘܬܡܢܝܐ ܒܗ ܐܬܬܢܝܚ ܗܝܒܐ ܐܦܝܣܩܘܦܐ ܒܐܘܪܗܝ. ܘܐܬܐ ܠܕܘܟܬܗ ܢܘܢܐ. ܘܒܢܐ ܒܝܬ ܡܪܝ ܝܘܚܢܢ ܡܥܡܕܢܐ ܘܐܓܘܪܣܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܡ̈ܣܟܢܐ ܡ̈ܢܣܝܐ ܠܒܪ ܡܢ ܬܪܥܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܫܡܫ. ܒܢܐ ܕܝܢ ܒܗ ܒܐܓܘܪܣܐ ܕܡ̈ܣܟܢܐ ܒܝܬ ܣܗ̈ܕܐ ܠܡܪܝ ܩܘܙܡܐ ܘܡܪܝ ܕܡܝܢܐ. ܒܢܐ ܕܝܢ ܐܦ ܕܝܖ̈ܬܐ ܘܦܘܖ̈ܩܣܐ. ܘܥܒܕ ܓܝܫܖ̈ܐ ܘܫܝܢ ܐܘܖ̈ܚܬܐ

'The year 769 [AD 457], in the month Tishrin the former [October], on the twenty-eighth, Hiba, bishop of Edessa, went to rest; and Nonnos came into his place, and built the house of Mar John the Baptist, and a place for poor invalids, outside the gate of Beth Shemesh; and in the place for the poor he built the house of the martyrs to Mar Cosmas and Mar Damian. Now he built also convents and towers, and made bridges, and levelled the roads.'

Text: Guidi 1903, p. 8. Translation: Cowper 1864, p. 35, slightly adapted.

History

Evidence ID

E00081

Saint Name

John the Baptist : S00020

Saint Name in Source

ܝܘܚܢܢ ܡܥܡܕܢܐ

Related Saint Records

https://oxford.figshare.com/articles/John_the_Baptist/13729156

Type of Evidence

Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)

Language

Syriac

Evidence not before

540

Evidence not after

600

Activity not before

457

Activity not after

471

Place of Evidence - Region

Mesopotamia

Place of Evidence - City, village, etc

Edessa

Place of evidence - City name in other Language(s)

Edessa Edessa Edessa Ἔδεσσα Edessa

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Cult activities - Non Liturgical Practices and Customs

Construction of cult buildings

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - bishops

Source

The Chronicle of Edessa is a collection of mainly short entries, most of which are related to the history of the city of Edessa. It is an original Syriac composition, produced in the second half of the 6th century by a pro-Chalcedonian Syriac-speaking author. Syriac text: Guidi 1903, vol. 1, 1-13; English translation: Cowper 1864, 30-39; German translation: Hallier 1892, 84-138; Russian translation: Пигулевская 1959. For general information, see van Rompay 2011; Witakowski 1986.

Discussion

The Chronicle reports that after Nonnos became bishop of Edessa on 28 October 457 he build a church in the city dedicated to John the Baptist.

Bibliography

Editions and translations: Guidi, I., Chronica minora, Pars prior. 2 vols (CSCO Syr. III.4; Paris: Typographeo Reipublicae, 1903). Cowper, B.H., “Selections from the Syriac. No. I: The Chronicle of Edessa,” Journal of Sacred Literature and Biblical Record NS V, 9 (1864), 28-45. Hallier, L., Untersuchungen über die Edessenische Chronik, mit dem Syrischen Text und einer Übersetzung (Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur 9.1; Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs, 1892). Пигулевская, Н.В., “Эдесская хроника,” Палестинский сборник 4 [67] (1959), 79-96; reprinted in: Пигулевская, Н.В., Сирийская средневековая историография. Исследования и переводы (С.-Петербург: Дмитрий Буланин , 2000), 468-476. Further reading: Rompay, L. van, “Chronicle of Edessa,” in: S.P. Brock, A.M. Butts, G.A. Kiraz and L. van Rompay (eds.), Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2011), 97-98. Witakowski, W., “Chronicles of Edessa,” in: T. Kronholm and E. Riad (eds.), On the Dignity of Man: Oriental and Classical Studies on Honour of Frithiof Rundgren (Orientalia Suecana 33-35; Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1986), 487-498.