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Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies is an electronic journal dedicated to the study of the Syriac tradition, published semi-annually (in January and July) by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. Published since 1998, Hugoye seeks to offer the best scholarship available in the field of Syriac studies.
History of the Life and Travels
of Rabban Sawma, Envoy and Plenipotentiary of the Mongol Khans
to three Kings of Europe, and Markos who as Mar Yahbhallaha III
became Patriarch of the Nestorian Church in Asia, as it was
titled in the first complete English translation by E.A.W.
Budge (London 1928). Budge's work followed a Neo-Aramaic
translation made in Urmia (Persia, North-West Iran) by a
certain priest Oshana and published in Zahrire d-Bahra
(Urmia 1885-1886), the French translation by J.B. Chabot
(Revue de l'Orient Latin 1893-1896) and the partial
English translation by J.A. Montgomery (London 1927). A number
of translations in other languages are available: Russian by
N.V. Pingulevskaja (Moscow 1958), German by F. Altheim (Berlin
1961), Neo-Aramaic (Kirkuk 1961), and the partial Arabic
translation by L. Sako (Bayn al-Nahrayn 1974).
JAOS 1889) and
soon aroused much interest both in the East and in the West.
The Lazarist Father Paul Bedjan corrected and published the
text of the History preserved in a single Urmi
manuscript (1888). A few years later, Bedjan prepared a
critical edition based on the collation of four other
manuscripts (Paris-Leipzig 1895). All manuscripts apparently
derive from one archetype and date from the Eighties of the
19th century.
History of Mar Yahbhallaha and Rabban
Sawma as a philologist and historian and covers the
temporal and spatial dimensions of the text with the curiosity
and enthusiasm of an experienced traveler.
terminus post quem is
November 1317 A.D., when Mar Yahballaha died. His death is the
last episode related by the author of the History. The
mention of an emir who died in 1319 A.D. is accompanied by the
formula ‘may he be preserved in life’ and gives the
terminus ante quem for the date of composition.
History is explained are particularly interesting
and very useful for the reader, specialist or non-specialist
alike. Borbone presents clear and well-informed surveys on the
following subjects: Mongolian rule over Iran (p. 27-32), the
Mongols in 13th-century European culture (32-34), the Church of
the East in the broader context of Syrian Christianity, its
literature and relationship with the Mongols and, more in
general, with Muslim rulers (34-42), the East-Syrian mission
and presence in China and Central Asia (42-49).
History of Rabban Sawma and Mar Yahballaha aims at
presenting a complete biography of the two protagonists,
together with an account of the most salient events of the
historical period in which they lived and acted (p. 55).
A Christian Mongol, called (Bar‑)Sawma, an East-Syrian
monk and therefore given the appropriate title Rabban, led a
diplomatic mission in Europe in 1287-1288 as an emissary of the
khan Arghun, Mongolian ruler over Iran. He visited
Constantinople, Naples, Rome, Genoa, Paris. In Naples he met
the king Irid Shardalo (a somewhat distorted rendering
of roi Charles II, read as deux; with a
prosthetic i before the r of roi, as is
common in Turkish and Mongolian, and the metathesis of
sharlado to shardalo: see p. 79 and 154). In Rome
Rabban Sawma brilliantly sustained a doctrinal discussion with
the cardinals. In the way the discussion and the cardinals'
positive reaction are reported, it is not difficult to
recognize a kind of apology by a proud member of the Church of
the East. In Paris he met the king of France (called
‘King Fransis’) and in Guascogne (ksonia)
the king of England (ilnagtar). The author of the
History says he has included a selection of Rabban
Sawma's travel report which was originally written in Persian
(p. 93).
History describes the work of Mark,
who was a Christian Mongol like Rabban Sawma, became monk and
was appointed as Patriarch of the Church of the East with the
name of Yahballaha III. He served his Church mostly in
diplomatic contacts with the court of the Mongols, trying to
defend himself and the Christian communities from the frequent
acts of harassment, extortion, ravage, torture, massacre
perpetrated by local Muslim rulers. The author lingers over the
description and comment on the siege and attack on the citadel
of Arbil, which ended in a tremendous massacre of the
Christians (p. 124-147).
History comes to the fore in the commentary and
appendices (p. 149-268) which are about the same length as the
translation (p. 53-148). The work of the historian is
characterized by a critical study of the available documents
and, accordingly, Borbone's commentary offers the reader a good
discussion of various sources: archaeological and epigraphic
evidence from Central Asia and China, travel reports of the
XIII-XIV centuries (Giovanni di Pian di Carpine, Guillaume de
Rubrouck, Marco Polo, Ricoldo da Monte Croce, Odorico da
Pordenone, Ibn Battuta), historiographical works (Bar Hebraeus,
‘Ata-Malik Juvaini, Rashid al-Din, Khwandamir, Grigor of
Akanc’, Hayton) and, of course, secondary literature on
the Mongols and the Church of the East. Texts are often
extensively reported in Italian translation.
Chronography (p. 253-254), and three diplomatic
documents (p. 255-259). Borbone then adds considerations on the
History as a piece of travel literature (p. 261-264), a
discussion of historical problems which will require further
research to find a definitive solution (p. 265-268), an
impressive bibliography (p. 269-293), index (295-297), and two
maps.
History as a historical document, here and
there containing information which can be regarded as
‘first-hand’ or very close to the events. More
attention might have been paid to the theological and religious
framework in which the narrative of contemporary history is
inserted. The author of the text clearly sees history as the
actual manifestation of God's plans and promises (p. 21-22).
This is evident not only in the introduction and in the almost
hagiographical account of the childhood of Sawma and Mark in
the far East, as observed by Borbone (p. 19, n. 2), but it also
informs the whole narrative: an angel saves the Patriarch (p.
74); the personages experience revelatory or therapeutic dreams
(e.g., p. 74 and 119). The frequent gnomic or moralistic
comments of the author certainly have a stylistic function (p.
24), but they also underline the author's faith in the leading
role of Divine Providence and Justice in human history.
Lamentations 1,19-22 adapted for his own day. In the
words of the prophet, the Patriarch would have prayed God to
look at the wickedness of ‘these Hagarens’ (the
Muslims): ‘Deal with them as you have dealt with me
because of all my sins’. Later on in the text (p.
144-145), the author takes over the role of interpreter himself
and writes a kind of collage of verses taken from the book of
Lamentations. This way of reading and retelling history
— catastrophic events, either natural or caused by Muslim
oppressors, befall Christian communities because of their sins
—is customary in the late East-Syriac liturgical texts
(see D. Bundy on the 13th-century author George Warda, more or
less contemporary with the History; The Harp 6
(1993) 7-20) and their Neo-Syriac continuation: hymns on
pestilence, wars, famines, etc. (Le Muséon 112
(1999) 478-479).
History and the
style of contemporary Persian and Arabic literature on history
and geography (p. 24-25). One might add that the rather vague
formulas which describe events preceding the year 1295 (p. 99)
have the flavor of astrological literature.
diibaaj probably derives from Persian diibaa (see
Brockelmann Lexicon Syriacum 138a, Steingass
Persian-English Dictionary, Redhouse A Turkish and
English Lexicon) and not Persian diibaa from Arabic,
as suggested by Borbone (p. 96, n. 4).
History of Rabban Sawma and Mar Yahballaha. Pier Giorgio
Borbone brings much new information about and around the text
and outlines new perspectives in research on the history of the
Middle East in the Mongolian period and on the Christian
presence in Central Asia and China. With improvements in the
system of transliteration of Classical Syriac and corrections
in the transcription of Arabic, an English edition is strongly
recommended so that it may reach the wider readership it
deserves.