Patriarchal Funerary Inscriptions in the Monastery of Rabban Hormizd: Types, Literary Origins, and Purpose
Amir
Harrak
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
George A. Kiraz
James E. Walters
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Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
2003
Vol. 6, No. 2
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https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/article/hv6n2harrak
Amir Harrak
Patriarchal Funerary Inscriptions in the Monastery of Rabban Hormizd: Types, Literary Origins, and Purpose
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/pdf/vol6/HV6N2Harrak.pdf
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, 2003
vol 6
issue 2
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.
Syriac Studies
Funerary Inscriptions
Rabban Hormizd
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1. Introduction
[1] The
Monastery of Rabban Hormizd is located, like an eagle's nest,
on the mountain of Alqosh, about 26 miles north of Mosul in
Iraq. This mountain is part of a chain of mountains called
Qardû, famous for no other reason than welcoming the ark
of Noah or his Mesopotamian counterpart after the Flood,
according to the Babylonian priest Berossus (4th
century B.C.), and then Jewish, Christian and Islamic
traditions.
A. Harrak, “Tales about Sennacherib: The
Contribution of the Syriac Sources,” in P.M. Daviau et
al., The World of the Arameans: Studies in Honour of P.-E.
Dion, vol. III, Sheffield 2001, pp. 168-189.
The monastery was founded in the early
7th century, and was named after its founder
Hormizd, native of Persia and an important monastic figure in
Syriac Christianity.
The histories of Rabban Hôrmîzd the
Persian and Rabban Bar-`Idtâ: Syriac texts
edited and translated by E.A. Wallis Budge (New York: AMS
Press, 1976; reprint of the 1902 edition).
[2] The
monastery became the official residence of the patriarchs of
the Assyrian Church of the East (wrongly called Nestorian)
between 1551 and 1804, although it also served as the
patriarchal burial site before the end of the 15th
century. Nine such patriarchal graves are still located near
the grave of Rabban Hormizd, in the corridor that leads to the
cell of this holy man. Marble slabs, bearing lengthy Syriac
inscriptions, cover these tombs. The slabs are true
masterpieces: the inscriptions are carved in relief and the
Estrangela calligraphy is of immense beauty. Moreover, the
literary value of the inscriptions is of great interest. In
them the patriarchs speak in the first person, which is not
typical. Even more striking, though the inscriptions are
funerary in nature, their contents are mainly confessions of
faith, reflecting the theology and particularly the Christology
of the Assyrian Church of the East. In spite of their seemingly
repetitive nature, all the inscriptions will be offered here in
translation, so as to highlight the consistency and the purpose
that must have been employed in producing them.
A full edition of the inscriptions, with
photographs and English translations, will be found in my
Corpus of Syriac and Garshuni Inscriptions in Iraq, to
be published in Paris late in 2003 or at the beginning of
2004.
After subjecting
them to a literary analysis, we will attempt to explain why
such unique inscriptions came to exist in the first place.
2. The Funerary Inscriptions
2.1. The Inscription of Mār Henān-Īšōʿ
(died in 1497)
This date is problematic in light of other sources;
see Vosté, Le Muséon 43 (1930) pp.
284-5.
[3] In the
name of the Living One who is not mortal, and the wealthy who
cannot be impoverished. In the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit.
As soon as I existed—I Mār
Šimʿōn, Catholicos-Patriarch of
the East—I came to know God the first Light. I confessed
and believed in His Son Jesus Christ: perfect God and perfect
Man, two natures, two qnōmē, and one
parsōpā. I loved his
Spirit. I paid homage to his Cross. I shared his Body and
Blood. And I died on his hope that he would raise me up. The
ship arrived thus far, settling at the harbor of rest. They
buried me here in your trust, O Christ King, so that on your
Divine Day, I may see the light of your honorable and glorious
countenance. I departed from this life on the twentieth, in the
month of Šebāt
(February), in the year 1808 according to the computation of
the Greeks: Glory to God, and his mercy and compassion upon us
forever and ever amen.
Lord: Remember this servant of yours, young Mār
Henān-Īšōʿ,
when you come with your Kingdom. Make him worthy of the bliss,
along with the just and righteous ones who pleased your will,
amen.
2.2. The Inscription of Mār
Šimʿōn VI Denhā (died in 1538)
[4] The
Living One who is not mortal. In the name of the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit.
As soon as I existed—I Mār
Šimʿōn Catholicos-Patriarch of
the East—God the first Light, I came to know. I confessed
and believed in his Son Jesus Christ: perfect God and perfect
Man, two natures, two qnōmē, and one
parsōpā. I loved his
Spirit. I paid homage to his cross. I shared his Body and
Blood. And I died on his hope that he would raise me up.
At this point, the ship arrived, settling at the harbor of
rest. They buried me here in your trust, O Christ King, so that
on your Divine Day I may see the light of your honorable and
glorious countenance. I departed from this life on the fifth in
the month of Āb (August), in the year 1849,
according to the computation of the Greeks: Glory to God, and
his mercy and compassion upon us forever and ever amen.
The Priest Israel, foolish and sinner wrote (it).
2.3. The Inscription of
Šimʿōn VII bar Mama (died in
1558)
[5] In the
name of the Living One, who is not mortal. In the name of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
As soon as I existed—I Mār
Šimʿōn the Catholicos—I
came to know God the first Light. I confessed and believed in
his Son Jesus Christ: perfect God and perfect Man, two natures,
two qnōmē, and one parsōpā. I loved his Spirit. I paid
homage to his cross. I shared his Body and Blood. And I died on
his hope that he would raise me up.
At this point, the ship arrived, settling at the harbor of
rest. And here they buried me in your trust, O Christ King, so
that on your Divine Day, I may see the light of your honorable
and glorious countenance. I departed from this life on the
first of Second Tišrī (November), in the
evening of Wednesday, in the year 1870 of the Greeks: Glory to
God and upon us his mercy and compassion forever and ever
amen.
In the year 1870 of Alexander, on the first of Second
Tišrī (November), our venerated Father
Mār Šimʿōn the Patriarch, of
sweet name, departed from this world of grief. May the Lord
cause him to rejoice in the Kingdom along with the sons of
Zabedee.
2.4. The Inscription of Elijah VII (died in
1591)
[6] To
the left side of the cross placed in the center of the top
section of the slab:
This venerable one has served the bishopric rank for fifteen
years brilliantly.
[7] To
the right side of the cross:
This Father of ours led the patriarchal see for thirty-two
years.
[8] Along
the frame from the left side:
In the year nineteen hundred and two of Alexander, King of
the Greeks, left the world the Patriarch Mār Elijah, on
the twenty-sixth of Iyyār (May) Month of roses,
during the Week of the Apostles, on first Wednesday.
[9] The
funerary inscription inside the frame:
Since I—Mār Elijah Patriarch of the East thanks
to the Grace-existed, I confessed the three
qnōmē of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—One true God and eternal Nature. I believed in His
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, conjointly complete God and
complete Man, two natures and two
qnōmē
The expression was chiseled at a later
date.
in one parsōpā of one sonship and one
Will—he suffered, was crucified and was buried, but he
rose up on the third day as is written, and he ascended to
Heaven to his Father. I paid homage to his living and
life-giving cross, and partook of his body and blood in the
hope of the forgiveness of my sins. When the ship reached the
safety that is in the grave, I left this world at the sign of
the Most High, looking forward to the great day of
resurrection, so that our Lord may come and have mercy on me
through his mercy, through the "amen" of the entire church. I
beg you, reader: Pray, requesting from the Lord, and beseech
(him) with a pure heart, so that he may pardon my failures.
2.5. The Inscription of Elijah VIII (died in
1617)
[10]
Alongside the four arms of the cross, the following
inscription appears:
In you we fight our enemy and on account of your name we
trample on our foes. In the name of the Living One who is not
mortal, the wealthy One who cannot be impoverished. Look toward
him and have hope in him.
[11]
The main inscription:
Since I—Mār Elijah Patriarch of the East thanks
to the Grace-existed, I confessed the three
qnōmē of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—One true God and eternal Nature. I believed in His
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, conjointly complete God and
complete Man, two natures and two qnōmē in one
parsōpā of one sonship
and one Will—he suffered, was crucified and was buried,
but he rose up on the third day as is written, and he ascended
to Heaven to his Father. I paid homage to his living and
life-giving cross, and partook of his body and blood in the
hope of the forgiveness of my sins.
When the ship of the body reached the safety that is in the
grave, I left this world at the sign of the Most High, on
Monday after the Sunday (called) "Unending Glory,"
The Sunday before Pentecost.
in the
month of Iyyār (May), the 26th day of
it, the year 1928 of the blessed Greeks. I am looking forward
to the great day of resurrection, so that our Lord may come and
have mercy on me through his mercy. Pray, my lord the reader,
beg with a pure heart, implore and ask the Lord so that he may
show pardon of my failures.
The end. Glory to God and upon us his mercy and compassion
forever and ever. Pray for the sinner, who wrote (this).
2.6. The Inscription of Elijah IX
Šimʿōn (died in 1660)
[12]
Alongside the four arms of the cross:
In the name of the Living One who is not mortal, the wealthy
One who cannot be impoverished.
[13]
To the right side of the cross:
This Father of ours led the patriarchal see for forty-three
years.
[14]
The main inscription:
Since I—Mār Elijah Patriarch of the East thanks
to the Grace-existed, I confessed the three
qnōmē of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—One true God and eternal Nature. I believed in His
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, conjointly complete God and
complete Man, two natures and two qnōmē in one
parsōpā of one sonship
and one Will—he suffered, was crucified and was buried,
but he rose up on the third day as is written, and he ascended
to Heaven to his Father. I paid homage to his living and
life-giving cross, and partook of his body and blood in the
hope of the forgiveness of my sins.
When the ship of the body reached the safety that is in the
grave, I left this world at the sign of the Most High, on
Sunday of the second Week of the Apostles, in the month of
Hezīrān (June), the 18th in it, the
year 1971 of the blessed Greeks. I am looking forward to the
great day of resurrection, so that our Lord may come and have
mercy on me through his mercy, through the "amen" of the entire
Orthodox church, indeed, and forever, amen. Pray, my lord the
reader, beseech with a pure heart, beg and ask the Lord so that
he may pardon my failures.
The end. Glory to God and upon us his mercy and compassion
forever amen.
[15]
Around the slab from the right side:
Let there be good and acceptable memory before the Lord for
our honourable Father the Catholicos, and may the base and
foolish writer of this computation be worthy of mercy and
forgiveness on the Last Day.
2.7. The Inscription of Elijah X (died in
1700)
[16]
Top Line:
In the name of the Father, who is immortal.
[17]
On the left side of the cross:
May our Lord make an acceptable and favorable remembrance
before him for this blessed Father of ours, who departed in a
heavenly hope.
[18]
On the right side of the cross:
This father of ours led the patriarchal see for forty
years.
[19]
The main funerary inscription:
Since I—Mār Elijah Patriarch of the East thanks
to the Grace-existed, I confessed the three
qnōmē of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—One true God and eternal Nature. I believed in His
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, conjointly complete God and
complete Man, two natures and two qnōmē in one
parsōpā of one sonship
and one Will—he suffered, was crucified and was buried,
but he rose up on the third day as is written, and he ascended
to Heaven to his Father. I paid homage to his living and life
giving cross. I partook of his body and blood in the hope of
the forgiveness of my sins.
When the ship of the body reached the safety that is in the
grave, I left this world at the sign of the Most High, on
Friday before Pentecost, in the month of Iyyār
(May), on the 17th of it, the year 2011 of the
blessed Greeks. I am looking forward to the great day of
resurrection, so that our Lord may come and have mercy on me
through his mercy, through the "amen" of the entire Orthodox
church, indeed, and forever, amen. Pray, O my lord the reader,
beseech with a pure heart, beg and ask the Lord so that he may
pardon my failures. The end. Glory to God and upon us his mercy
and compassion forever.
[20]
Along the frame of the inscription from the left, then right
and bottom sides:
Our Father Mār Elijah, the glorious shepherd, died and
departed, trusting in Christ the King in the year 2011 of the
Greeks, a famous nation, the 17th in computation, in
the month of Iyyār (May). The departure of this
venerable one took place four years after he built the great
sanctuary of the Martyrs and the baptistery of Rabban Hormizd,
which was the year 2007.
2.8. The Inscription of Elijah XI (died in
1722)
[21]
Above the cross:
In the name of the Living One who is immortal.
[22]
To the left side of the upper cross:
May our Lord make an acceptable and favorable remembrance
before him for this blessed Father of ours, who departed in a
heavenly hope.
[23]
To the right side of the cross:
This Father of ours, worthy of blessing, led the venerable
and elevated see of the patriarchate for twenty-three years.
Blessed be God.
[24]
The main funerary inscription:
Since I—Mār Elijah Patriarch of the East thanks
to the Grace-existed, I confessed the three
qnōmē of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—One true God and eternal Nature; I believed in His
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, conjointly complete God and
complete Man, two natures and two qnōmē in one
parsōpā of one sonship
and one Will—he suffered, was crucified and was buried,
but he rose up on the third day as is written, and he ascended
to Heaven to his Father. I paid homage to his living and life
giving cross. I partook of his body and blood in the hope of
the forgiveness of my sins.
When the ship of the body reached the safety that is in the
grave, I left this world at the sign of the Most High, while
looking forward to the great day of resurrection, so that our
Lord may come and have mercy on me through his mercy, through
the "amen" of the entire Orthodox church, indeed, and forever,
amen. Pray, O my lord the reader, beseech with a pure heart,
beg and ask the Lord so that he may pardon my failures.
The end. To God, who gives power, unceasing glory and
honour. May he cover the deceased one with mercy and make him
worthy of the eternal blessing. This late and honourable Father
of ours duly led and served the elevated and sublime
Metropolitan see for seven years.
[25]
Along the frame of the inscription from the left
side:
Trusting on the heavenly King, our venerable and blessed
shepherd, Mār Elijah, died and departed, in the year 2034,
on the fourteenth day, in the First Kānōn
(December). May Christ make him take delight in the bliss.
2.9. The Inscription of Elijah XIII (died in
1804)
[26]
Top line:
In the name of the Living One, who is immortal.
[27]
Around the four arms of the cross:
The cross was victorious, the cross is victorious.
[28]
On the left side of the cross:
Our venerable father Išōʿyahb
duly led and served the respectable and sublime Metropolitan
rank for thirty-four years.
[29]
To the right side of the cross:
He led and served the glorious see of Peter—the
elevated rank of the Catholicos-Patriarch (until) the year
2115, according to the computation of the Greek nation. May his
remembrance be made among the just ones in the Kingdom.
[30]
The main funerary inscription:
Since I—Mār Elijah Patriarch of the East thanks
to the Grace-existed, I confessed the three
qnōmē of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—One true God and eternal Nature; I believed in His
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, conjointly complete God and
complete Man, two natures in one parsōpā of one sonship and one
Will—he suffered, was crucified and was buried, and rose
up on the third day as is written, and he ascended to Heaven to
his Father. I paid homage to his living and life-giving cross,
and partook of his body and blood in the hope of the
forgiveness of my sins.
When the ship of the body reached the safety that is in the
grave, I left this world at the sign of the Most High, and they
placed me here on the hope of resurrection. I am looking
forward to the great day of resurrection, so that our Lord may
come and have mercy on me through his mercy, through the "amen"
of the entire church. Pray, O reader, and beseech with a pure
heart, beg and ask Christ, the Living Lord, so that he may
overlook, remiss, and pardon my failures; may he count me with
his chosen ones, and place me on his right side on the Last
Day.
The end. To God, who gives power, unceasing glory and
honour. May he cover the deceased one with mercy and make him
worthy of the eternal blessing. Our venerable Father and chosen
shepherd, Mār Elijah, died and departed on the heavenly
trust in the year 2115 of Alexander, the Greek king. May Christ
the King expiate his faults that are both hidden and
undisclosed, thanks to the "amen" of the entire Orthodox Church
and Christian nation.
[31]
To the left side of the Funerary inscription:
May our Lord make an acceptable and favorable remembrance
before him for this blessed Father of ours, who departed in a
heavenly hope.
[32]
On the right side of the funerary inscription:
May the compassionate Lord associate him with Simon son of
Yona and the Sage Virgins. Make him take delight in your bridal
feast.
[33]
Inside the bottom frame:
Know, O reader, that Mār Elijah (XII), who was the
predecessor of the present one, had served the Metropolitan
rank for three years, led the Patriarchal see for fifty-five
years, and died in the year 2089 of the Greeks (AD 1778). May
forgiveness be for the writer, amen.
3. Literary Analysis
3.1. Content
[34] The
nine funerary inscriptions are copies of each other for the
most part. Each can be divided into two main sections. The
first section is a profession of faith, where the difference
consists in the name of the patriarch making the profession.
The names are either Simon or Elijah, and both became titles
for successive patriarchs as early as the patriarchates of
Simon IV (1437-1497?) of Bēth Sayda
(near Erbil) and Elijah VI (1558-1591). The preservation of
both names has probably been strengthened by the fact that the
patriarchate of the church of the East became officially
hereditary under the afore-mentioned Simon IV.
But note that the East Syriac (Chaldean) patriarchs
also adopted the same patriarchal name, in this case Joseph,
from Joseph I to Joseph IV (1681-1781).
The latter
sanctioned that this highest ecclesiastical authority must be
transmitted from brother to brother or from brother to
nephew.
[35] The
profession of faith deals first with the belief in the Trinity,
beginning with God the Father, "the first light". The
profession dealing with Jesus is very elaborate. He is said to
be the Son of the Father and "complete God and complete Man".
In other words, Jesus was truly God and truly Man, and this is
in line with the mainstream Christian Christology. Moreover,
all the inscriptions consistently state that Jesus was "two
natures, two qnōmē and one parsōpā". This belief is not a novelty of
the patriarchs of Rabban Hormizd, since its wording is attested
as early as the time of Mār 'Abdā (died in
420/1),
Chronique de Seert XIII, p. 548.
and was used by other East Syriac Theologians
until it was canonized in the synodical confession of 612, made
at the court of the Sassanian king Khusrau Parviz.
J. Chabot, Synodicon Orientale pp.
564-582.
[36] It
is not very clear whether or not this wording literally
corresponds to the "two physes, two hypostases,
and one prosopon" of Nestorius. Nestorius himself was
misunderstood as far as these terms were concerned, since the
Council of Ephesus (431) accused him of dividing Jesus into
"two Sons" (=two persons). Thus, other Christian Churches
throughout the centuries considered both Nestorius and the
theology of the Church of the East heretical. It is important
to note in this context that the words "two
qnōmē" in the 4th patriarchal
inscription were chopped from the slab sometime later, and that
inscriptions # 4 to 9 further developed the general patriarchal
profession. These inscriptions state that the Trinity was of
three qnōmē, but altogether one True God and
one eternal nature. About Christ, they added that he was "one
sonship" (one Son of God the Father) and "one will". Other
details known in the Nicene Creed were also added such as "he
(Jesus) suffered, was crucified and was buried, but he rose
up". The mention of the Holy Spirit is made in a statement
shared by all the inscriptions: "I loved his (Christ's)
Spirit".
[37] The
second section in the funerary inscriptions provides details
about the death of the patriarchs. All of them compare the
death and the rest of the body inside the grave with the
arrival of the ship to the harbour of safety. Inscriptions # 4
to 9 use the analogy "body-ship". The patriarchs died on the
hope to see the "radiant countenance" of Jesus on the day of
the resurrection. Though here the wording is probably biblical
(see Ps 4:6 and elsewhere in the Psalter), one cannot resist
its echo in the native concept melammu in Mesopotamia.
In line with the profession of faith made in the first person,
the deceased patriarchs provide the day, month, and the
Seleucid year of their individual "departure from this present
life".
[38]
Inscriptions # 1 to 3 end with a few words made by the scribes,
either a wish for the deceased patriarch for final rest, or a
"signature" of the writer ("Priest Israel, sinful and foolish;"
inscription # 2). Inscriptions # 4 to 9 are also typical in
that a concluding request is made to the reader to pray for the
soul of the deceased speaker, and that the prayer not only
rhymes, but also that each stanza consists of six
syllables.
3.2. Genre
[39] The
inscriptions of Rabban Hormizd were, quite obviously, written
and erected sometime after the burial of the patriarchs. The
problem is that the deceased patriarchs speak of their own
death, giving pertinent chronological details, such as the day,
month and year of their passing. The profession of faith could
have originally been some kind of a last will in which the
patriarchs expressed their basic theological beliefs. In this
case, the monastic community would have inscribed the last will
on tombstones, following the death of each patriarch.
Nonetheless, the speech of the patriarchs in the first person,
including chronological details of death and burial, is a
literary device that came to the attention of the ecclesiastic
and monastic community of Rabban Hormizd.
[40]
Funerary inscriptions with the speech in the first person are
rather rare in Syriac Christianity, though they are widely
known in the Classical and Near Eastern worlds. The earliest
case is the Aramaic inscription of Agbar, the priest of the
moon-god in Nerab (near Aleppo), dated to the 7th
century BC. In it he says:
On the day of my death, my mouth was not shut from (saying)
words, and with my own eyes I saw my children of the fourth
generation weeping for me.
M. Lidzbarski, Handbuch der
nordsemitischen Epigraphik, II: Tafeln, (Weimer, 1898), pl.
XXV:2 lines 4-6.
[41]
Tabnit and Eshmun'azar, kings of Sidon during the early
5th century BC, both begged the readers not to open
their sarcophagi and disturb them:
I have been snatched away before my time… I am lying
in this casket and this grave, in a place which I myself
built" (Eshmun'azar).
Lidzbarski, Handbuch, pl. IV:1 lines
2-3.
Do not, do not open it (i.e.
sarcophagus), and do not disturb me (Tabnit).
Lidzbarski, Handbuch, pl. IV:2 lines
5-6.
[42] In
Greek and Latin epitaphs, the speech of the dead in the first
person is well documented. True, most of the cases consist of
stereotyped formulae, all having death as the main theme, or
treating it as a lesson to learn. A good example in this
category is a Greek epitaph found in Rome and dated to the
Christian era:
Wayfarer, do not pass by my epitaph, but stand and listen,
and then when you have learned the truth, proceed…
[43]
After telling the reader that there was no life after death
(note the anti-Christian polemic), the dead concluded:
Now withdraw, wayfarer, so that you will not think that, even
though dead, I talk too much!
R. Lattimore, Themes in Greek and Latin
Epitaphs, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1962, p.
75.
[44] The
following Greek statement, like most of the Greek and Latin
epitaphs, as well as the early Aramaic and Phoenician formulae,
curses the one who disturbs the grave, and wishes blessings
upon the one who does not harm it: "Whoever does not harm my
gravestone, may he have the same fate as I."
Lattimore, Themes, p. 107.
(We assume that
the lady-speaker in this instance had a positive fate.) There
are also several Greek and Latin epitaphs that contain
biographical details not necessarily related to death, a
literary style reminiscent of the patriarchal
inscriptions.
Lattimore, Themes, pp. 266ff.
[45]
Though few Syriac funerary inscriptions exist in which the dead
talk in the first person, the numerous cases attested in
Aramaic, Phoenician, Greek and Latin epitaphs strongly suggest
that the device was rather common in antiquity and in medieval
times, and hence, the patriarchal funerary inscriptions are not
unique in this regard. What makes the patriarchal inscriptions
unique, however, is the fact that they contain a theological
summa, which, though concise, covers the Christian dogma
concerning the Trinity and, most importantly, Christology. Such
highly technical details seem unusual and even unwarranted in
the sepulchral context. A historical survey of the time between
the end of the 15th and beginning of the
19th centuries may be able to explain these
details.
4. Historical Analysis
[46] The
middle of the second millennium witnessed events that heavily
and negatively affected Syriac Christianity. In 1445 the union
of the so-called "Nestorians" of Cyprus with the Roman Catholic
Church was undertaken. The long-lived Mār
Šimʿōn Bēth Sayda (1437-1476), patriarch of the so-called
"Nestorian" Church, took notice of this event. During the
second half of the 16th century, the forced
Latinization of the "Nestorian" Christians of Malabar by the
Portuguese invaders also took place and the shift of a large
part of Malabar to Rome was also felt in Mesopotamia.
Concomitantly, a forceful attempt to carve a Roman Catholic
entity out of the Church of the East also happened in the
heartland of Assyria. The patriarchs of the latter Church were
forced to bitterly admit to new historical realities.
[47] As
mentioned above, it was Patriarch Mār
Šimʿōn Bēth Sayda who made the East Syriac patriarchate
hereditary, on the basis of an accidental patriarchal
succession of related individuals, beginning with Patriarch
Timothy II (1318-1332). One of the followers of Mār
Šimʿōn Bēth Sayda, who took the name Mār
Šimʿōn too, is the speaker of the
first funerary inscription under study. Not much is known about
the latter and his dates are subject to controversy. He was
followed by Elijah V (1502-1503),
Elijah V was buried in the church of Saint
Meskenta in Mosul, though no remains of his burial are
found.
whose successor was
Šimʿōn VI
The order of the various patriarchs bearing
the name Šimʿōn is confusing and
in this article I follow the list of J.-M. Fiey, Oriens
Christianus Novus: Répertoire des diocèses
syriaques orientaux et occidentaux (Beirut 1993), pp.
36-39.
(1504-38), author
of the second funerary inscription in Rabban Hormizd. He
himself was followed by Šimʿōn
VII bar Mama (1551-1558), author of the 3rd funerary
inscription.
[48]
Šimʿōn VII bar Mama witnessed
with much disappointment the secession of a sizable East Syriac
community that signed its union with the Catholic church of
Rome. The bishops of Erbil, Salamas, and Adhurbaijan revolted
against Šimʿōn VII, electing the
Abbot of the monastery of Rabban Hormizd, Sūlāqā
by name, to lead the newly born uniate church.
Sūlāqā was established Patriarch in Rome in 1553
by Pope Julius III, after the former presented to the Pope his
confession of faith in line with the theology of the Roman
Catholic Church. Then he returned to the Near East, accompanied
by a Roman Catholic delegation made up of three Maltese
clergymen, Ambrosius Boutitic (the Pope's delegate), Father
Antonio Zahra and a third one named Mattai, and set his seceded
patriarchal seat in Amida (Diyār Bakr, in south-east
Turkey). The bitterness that the division of a long-lived and
once glorious church created among its leaders and the faithful
at large, and the subsequent assassination of the uniate
patriarch Sūlāqā at the hands of the Ottoman
lord of ʿAmādiyya Pasha Hussein Beg in
1555, are subjects beyond the scope of the present paper.
Suffice to say that the history of the East Syriac Church in
following centuries would be dominated by controversies and
difficulties generated by the union with Rome of portions of
this old church.
[49]
While Šimʿōn VII bar Mama must
have been a staunch opponent of union with Rome, Elijah VII
(1576-1591), the author of the 4th funerary
inscription, sent his confession of faith to Pope Sextus V in
1586, who judged it Nestorian in tendency. The Pope's position
explains why the same Elijah left on his own grave an
inscription declaring the traditional nature of his Christian
faith. It is interesting to note here that the expanded
profession of faith found in five funerary inscriptions of
Rabban Hormizd is first detected in the grave of this
Elijah.
Vosté, who offered an edition of the
inscriptions of Rabban Hormizd, wrote: “A noter dans
cette confession, outre l’erreur nestorienne des deux
qenōmē (hypostases=personnes) dans le Christ,
l’erreur monothélite clairement
exprimée.” Le Muséon 43 (1930), p.
290. One would understand the historical misunderstanding as
far as the theological nomenclature used by the East Syriac
Church is concerned, but it is interesting to compare between
Vosté’s attitude and that of the Roman delegation
in 1615.
Elijah VIII (1591-1617), the author of the
5th funerary inscription, succeeded Elijah VII.
While Rome believed that he too took steps toward union, he in
fact refused to compromise his "Nestorian" faith before the
Roman Catholic delegation that met with him in the monastery of
Mār Pethion (between Mardin and Amida) in 1615. The
delegation was so disappointed with him that it declared that
there was not one single true Roman Catholic in Diyār
Bakr!
[50]
Elijah IX (1617-1660) does not seem to have had any interest in
union either. When he met two Franciscan Friars in 1629, he
reiterated that his profession of faith echoed the principles
of the Catholic faith; but then he denied the Virgin Mary her
title "Mother of God", insisting that she was a mere human
being. He added that that was the faith of his forefathers, and
that he would die for it. He even claimed that the members of
the uniate church usually returned to their original faith and
kept it to death. Though this may not be true of every member
of the uniate church, it was certainly true of Patriarch
Elijah, since his profession of faith is inscribed on the
marble covering his very grave, as is seen in the
6th funerary inscription above. The 15-year-old
nephew of Elijah IX followed him on the patriarchal throne,
taking the name Elijah X Yōhannā Marrōgui (1660-1700). In 1669 he
wrote a letter to Pope Clemens IX, signed by him and three of
his Metropolitans; in it he asked the Pope to help deliver his
two envoys, whom he had sent to Rome but who fell in the hands
of pirates. His correspondence with Rome may be seen as a sign
that Elijah X was open to the idea of joining the Catholic
Church but in his funerary inscription, the 7th in
this article, he confessed none other than the faith of his own
church.
[51] His
follower Elijah XI Marrōgui (1700-1722) bitterly opposed
his Metropolitan of Amida when the latter submitted to the
Roman Catholic faith in 1672 at the hands of the Capuchin
Friars. His confession of faith found in the 8th
inscription indicated that he was as attached to his
"Nestorian" faith as his predecessor. The last patriarch
commemorated in Rabban Hormizd is Elijah XIII
Išōʿyahb (1778-1804), owner of
the 9th and last funerary inscription. He discussed
with his predecessor the possibility of union with Rome, and
indeed as soon as he became Patriarch, he declared his
allegiance to the See of Peter. But when he obtained his
confirmation as Patriarch from the Ottoman Sultan, he returned
to his old faith, a fact that led the people of Mosul to depose
him from the patriarchal throne with the help of European
missionaries. Thanks to the protection of
Ismaʿīl Pasha of Amadiyya, he kept his
control over the East Syriac dioceses of the mountains.
5. Conclusion
[52] In
the previous section we surveyed the bilateral relations that
existed between the Roman Catholic Church and the Assyrian
Church of the East. The relations were mostly marked by mutual
mistrust, misunderstanding of each other's religious beliefs,
and sometimes even violence. One can then understand why the
patriarchs, who experienced first hand these difficult
relations, insisted on having their traditional theological
beliefs inscribed on stone and placed on their graves. There is
even a correlation between the funerary inscription of Elijah
IX and his public declaration before the Franciscan Friars in
1629 that he would die for the faith of his forefathers. Since
funerary inscriptions bearing confessions of faith are not
frequent in Syriac Christianity, one can safely conclude that
the inscriptions of the Assyrian patriarchs originated in
historical events that compromised their religious beliefs as
well as their independence._______
Notes
_______
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