E01217: After the news of the abolition of the chrysargyron tax by emperor Anastasius reaches Edessa (Mesopotamia) in the year 498, its citizens in thanks process to the martyrium church of Sergios (soldier and martyr of Rusafa, S00023) and Symeon the Elder (stylite of Qal‘at Sim‘ān, ob. 459, S00343), located outside of the city, where a solemn Eucharist is performed. Record in the Syriac Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite (6th c.).

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Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite 31

ܒܗ̇ ܕܝܢ ܒܗܕܐ ܫܢܬܐ ܐܬܐ ܦܘܩܕܢܐ ܕܐܢܣܛܘܤ ܡܠܟܐ. ܕܢܫܬܒܩ ܕܗܒܐ ܕܝܗܒܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܐܘܡ̈ܢܐ ܚܕܐ ܠܐܖ̈ܒܥ ܫ̈ܢܝܢ. ܘܢܬܚܪܪܘܢ ܡܢ ܡܐܕܬܐ. ܠܐ ܗܘܐ ܠܐܘܪܗܝ ܒܠܚܘܕ ܐܬܐ ܗܘܐ ܗܢܐ ܦܘܩܕܢܐ. ܐܠܐ ܠܟܠܗܝܢ ܡܕܝ̈ܢܬܐ ܕܐܘܚܕܢܐ ܕܖ̈ܗܘܡܝܐ. ܝܗܒܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܕܝܢ ܐܘܖ̈ܗܝܐ ܚܕܐ ܠܐܖ̈ܒܥ ܫܢ̈ܝܢ. ܠܝܛܖ̈ܐ ܕܕܗܒܐ ܡ̈ܐܐ ܘܐܖ̈ܒܥܝܢ. ܘܚܕܝܬ ܟܠܗ̇ ܡܕܝܢܬܐ. ܘܠܒܫܘ ܚܘܖ̈ܐ ܟܠܗܘܢ. ܡܢ ܪܒܐ ܘܥܕܡܐ ܠܙܥܘܪܐ. ܘܛܥܢ ܩܖ̈ܝܘܢܐ ܟܕ ܢܗܖ̈ܝܢ ܘܦܝܖ̈ܡܐ ܟܕ ܡܥܛܖ̈ܝܢ. ܘܢܦܩܘ ܒܡܙܡܘܖ̈ܐ ܘܒܬܫ̈ܒܚܬܐ. ܟܕ ܡܘܕܝܢ ܠܐܠܗܐ ܘܡܩܠܣܝܢ ܠܡܠܟܐ. ܠܒܝܬ ܣܗ̈ܕܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܣܪܓܝܤ ܘܕܡܪܝ ܫܡܥܘܢ. ܘܩܪܒܘ ܬܡܘܢ ܩܘܪܒܢܐ. ܘܥܠܘ ܠܡܕܝܢܬܐ ܘܥܒܕ ܥܐܕܐ ܕܚܕܘܬܐ ܘܕܒܣ̈ܡܐ ܟܠܗ ܫܒܬܐ. ܘܐܩܝܡܘ ܕܢܗܘܘܢ ܥܒܕܝܢ ܠܗ ܠܥܐܕܐ ܗܢܐ ܟܠ ܫܢܐ ܒܫܢܐ. ܘܓܢܝܢ ܗܘܘ ܘܒܣܡܝܢ ܟܠܗܘܢ ܐܘ̈ܡܢܐ. ܘܣܚܝܢ ܘܣܡܟܝܢ ܒܕܪܬܐ ܕܥܕܬܐ. ܘܒܟܠܗܘܢ ܐܣ̈ܛܘܐ ܕܡܕܝܢܬܐ.

'The edict of the emperor Anastasius arrived this year, remitting the gold which tradesmen paid every four years and freeing them from the tax. This edict did not go only to Edessa, but to all cities of the Roman domain. The Edessenes’ four-year payment had been one hundred and forty pounds of gold, and the whole city rejoiced (at its remission). They all dressed up in white, from the greatest to the least, and carrying lighted candles and burning censers, to the accompaniment of psalms and hymns, they went out to the martyrion of Mar Sergios and Mar Simon, thanking God and praising the emperor. There they held a eucharist, and on coming back into the city they extended the feast of joy and pleasure for a whole week, and decreed that they would celebrate this feast every year. All the tradesmen sat around and had a good time, [bathing and] relaxing in the courtyard of the (City) Church and all the city’s colonnades.'

Ed. Chabot 1927-1949, v. 1, pp. 257-258; trans. Trombley and Watt 2000, p. 30.

History

Evidence ID

E01217

Saint Name

Sergios, martyr in Syria, ob. 303-311 : S00023 Symeon the Elder, stylite of Qalat Siman, ob. 459 : S00343

Saint Name in Source

ܣܪܓܝܤ ܫܡܥܘܢ

Related Saint Records

Type of Evidence

Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)

Language

Syriac

Evidence not before

506

Evidence not after

600

Activity not before

498

Activity not after

498

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 - Liturgical Activity

Eucharist associated with cult

Cult activities - Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Cult activities - Activities Accompanying Cult

Feasting (eating, drinking, dancing, singing, bathing)

Cult Activities - Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Merchants and artisans Crowds

Source

The Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite is a historiographical work that deals for the most part with the events in the city of Edessa and the neighbouring region during the period 494-506. It is an original Syriac composition, most likely produced not long after the year 506 by a Syriac-speaking citizen of Edessa. In its present form, it is preserved as a part of a larger historiographic work, the Chronicle of Zuqnin (known also as the Chronicle of Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre), an 8th c. West-Syrian composition. Syriac text: Martin 1876, 1-82; Wright 1882, 1-92; Chabot 1927-1933, v. 1, 235-317; English translation: Wright 1882, 1-84; Trombley and Watt 2000; French translation: Martin 1876, ix-lxxxvi; German translation: Luther 1997. For general information, see Trombley and Watt 2000, xi-lv; Luther 1997, 1-32; Watt 1999.

Discussion

The Chronicle reports that when the emperor Anastasius (r. 491-518) abolished the chrysargyron tax in the year 498, the citizens of Edessa celebrated by making a procession to the martyrium church dedicated to Sergios and Symeon the Stylite, where a solemn eucharist liturgy was performed. This church, located outside the eastern gate of the city (for its possible location, see Segal 1970, Plan I), was built during the episcopate of Hiba (435-457) and originally dedicated to Sergios; see E01231. Simeon was added to its dedication at some point between the death of the stylite in 459 and 498, since this is the first attestation of the joint dedication (see Fowden 1999, 119). The chronicler may have been an eyewitness of the events described: there is no reason to doubt this information.

Bibliography

Main editions and translations: Chabot, J.B., Incerti auctoris Chronicon Pseudo-Dionysianum vulgo dictum. 2 vols (CSCO 91, 104, Syr. III.1-2 [43, 53]; Paris: Typographeo Reipublicae, 1927, 1933). English translation: Trombley, F.R., and Watt, J.W., The Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite (Translated Texts for Historians 32; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2000). Others editions and translations: Luther, A., Die syrische Chronik des Josua Stylites (Untersuchungen zur antiken Literatur und Geschichte 49; Berlin / New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1997). Martin, J.-P.P., Chronique de Josué le Stylite écrite vers l’an 515 (Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes 6.1; Leipzig: F.A. Brockhaus, 1876). Wright, W., The Chronicle of Joshua the Stylite Composed in Syriac A.D. 507 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1882). Further reading: Fowden, E.K., The Barbarian Plain: Saint Sergius between Rome and Iran (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1999). Segal, J.B., Edessa, ‘The Blessed City’ (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970). Watt, J.W., “Greek Historiography and the “Chronicle of Joshua the Stylite”,” in: G.J. Reinink and A.C. Klugkist (eds.), After Bardaisan: Studies on Continuity and Change in Syriac Christianity in Honour of Professor Han J.W. Drijvers (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 89; Louvain: Peeters, 1999), 317-327.