great work is a Chronicle, only lately discovered.[1] This is now the chief source for Nestorian and Jacobite history.[2] A liturgy is also ascribed to him.[3] The most notable, perhaps the greatest man they ever had, is Barhebræus. His original name was John Abū-lFarāǵ; he was of Jewish descent, hence his nickname Barhebræus.[4] He was born at Meliṭene on the Euphrates (north of Edessa) in 1226; after many troubles at the time of the Tartar invasion (1243), he came to Antioch. Here he became a monk, no doubt in order to qualify for the episcopate. He went to Tripolis (then under the Franks), where he had a Nestorian teacher. At Antioch and Tripolis he studied medicine, rhetoric, philosophy and many things, so that he became one of the most learned men of his age. In 1246 the Jacobite Patriarch (Ignatius II, 1222-1252) ordained him bishop, when he took the name Gregory; in 1264 he became Mafrian. In spite of his numerous duties as Mafrian he found time to write on philosophy, theology, physics, astronomy, mathematics. He knew Syriac, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, but not much Greek. He was a famous physician, and wrote on medicine too; he composed a Syriac grammar, commentaries on the Bible, and a collection of Jacobite Canons. But to us his most valuable work is his Universal History, in great part adapted from Michael I's Chronicle. Parts II and III of this are an invaluable source for Jacobite and Nestorian history, from their first schisms down to his own time (13th century).[5] He has not as much prejudice against the Nestorians as one would expect. He died in 1286, respected by everyone. Orthodox, Jacobites, Nestorians and Armenians for once joined to honour the memory of so learned a man. He is buried at Mar Mattai.[6]
- ↑ A bad Armenian version was already known (Duval: op. cit. p. 207).
- ↑ Edited with a translation by J. Chabot (p. 323, n. 1).
- ↑ Renaudot: Lit. Or. Coll. ii. 437-447 (see below, p. 347).
- ↑ Syriac: Bar 'Ebrâyâ.
- ↑ Continued by others down to 1496 (see p. 323, n. 1).
- ↑ Badger describes his tomb: The Nestorians and their Rituals, i. 97. For Barhebræus see Duval: Littér. syriaque, 208-210, 409-411; Wright: Hist. of Syriac Literature, 265-281; and his own work: Chron. Eccl. ii. 431-486. There is a sketch of Barhebræus in Th. Nöldeke's: Orientalische Skizzen (Berlin, 1892), 253-273. His brother says of Barhebræus: "I am not able to define nor to describe in a book his kindness, humility and
