Bar Hebraeus

"Abulpharagius" redirects here. For the 11th-century Nestorian philosopher, see Ibn al-Ṭayyib.

ܓܪܝܓܘܪܝܘܣ ܒܪ ܥܒܪܝܐ Gregory Bar Hebraeus
Born	1226 Ebro, near Malatya, Sultanate of Rûm
Died	30 July, 1286 (aged 59–60) at Maraga, Persia
Era	Medieval era
Region	Christian theology, Western philosophy
School	Syriac Orthodoxy
Main interests	Christian theology, Logic, Metaphysics, Medicine, History

Gregory Bar Hebraeus (Classical Syriac: ܓܪܝܓܘܪܝܘܣ ܒܪ ܥܒܪܝܐ, b. 1226 - d. 30 July 1286), known by his Syriac ancestral surname as Bar Ebraya or Bar Ebroyo, and also by a Latinized name Abulpharagius, was a Maphrian (regional primate) of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1264 to 1286. He is noted for his works concerning philosophy, poetry, language, history, and theology; he has been called "one of the most learned and versatile men from the Syriac Orthodox Church" (Dr. William Wright).

Bar Hebraeus collected in his numerous and elaborate treatises the results of such research in theology, philosophy, science and history as was in his time possible in Syria. Most of his works were written in Syriac. However he also wrote some in Arabic, which had become the common language in his day.

Name

It is not clear when Bar Hebraeus adopted the Christian name Gregory (Syriac: ܓܪܝܓܘܪܝܘܣ Grigorios, Ġrīġūriyūs), but according to the Syriac Orthodox tradition of naming high priests, it may have occurred at the time of his consecration as bishop. Throughout his life, he was often referred to by the Syriac nickname Bar ʿEbrāyā (Syriac: ܒܪ ܥܒܪܝܐ, which is pronounced and often transliterated as Bar Ebroyo in the West Syriac dialect of the Syriac Orthodox Church), giving rise to the Latinised name Bar Hebraeus. It was previously thought that this name, which means 'Son of the Hebrew', was a reference to his Jewish background. Modern scholarship has moved away from this affirmation, because it is not substantiated by other facts. The name may refer to the ancestral origin of his family from ʿEbrā, a village by the Euphrates near Malatya, the city in which he grew up. A few Syriac sources give Bar-Hebraeus's full Arabic name as Jamāluddīn Abū'l-Faraj Ġrīġūriyūs bin Tājuddīn Hārūn bin Tūmā al-Malaṭī (Arabic: جمال الدين ابو الفرج غريغوريوس بن تاج الدين هارون بن توما الملطي). However, all references to this longer name are posthumous. The Syriac nickname Bar ʿEbrāyā is sometimes arabised as Ibn al-ʿIbrī (Arabic: ابن العبري). E.A.W. Budge says Bar Hebraeus was given the baptismal name John (Syriac: ܝܘܚܢܢ, Yōḥanan), but this may be a scribal error. As a Syriac bishop, Bar Hebraeus is often given the honorific Mār (Syriac: ܡܪܝ, pronounced Mor in West Syriac dialect), and thus Mar/Mor Gregory.</ref> He is also known as Abu'l Faraj (in Latin, Abulpharagius).

Life

Mor Gregorios Bar Ebraya
Maphrian of the Syriac Orthodox Church
Church	Syriac Orthodox Church
See	Syria
In office	1266–1286
Predecessor	Ignatius Sleeba III
Successor	Gregorius bar Souma
Orders
Consecration	1266 by Ignatius IV Yeshu
Rank	Maphrian
Personal details
Born	Hārūn bin Tūmā al-Malaṭī 1226 near Melitene, Sultanate of Rûm
Died	30 July 1286 Maraga, Persia
Sainthood
Feast day	30 July
Venerated in	Syriac Orthodox Church
Shrines	St. Matthew's Monastery

A Syriac bishop, philosopher, poet, grammarian, physician, biblical commentator, historian, and theologian, Bar Hebraeus was the son of a Jewish physician, Aaron (Hārūn bin Tūmā al-Malaṭī, Arabic: هارون بن توما الملطي). Bar Hebraeus was born in the village of ʿEbra (Izoli, Turk.: Kuşsarayı) near Malatya, Sultanate of Rûm (modern Turkey, now in the province of Elazig). Under the care of his father, he began as a boy (a teneris unguiculis) the study of medicine and of many other branches of knowledge, which he never abandoned.

A Mongol general invaded the area of Malatya, and falling ill, sought for a physician. Aaron, the Hebrew physician, was summoned. Upon his recovery, the Mongol general and Aaron, who took his family with him, went to Antioch. There Bar Hebraeus continued with his studies and when he was about seventeen years of age he became a monk and began to lead the life of the hermit.

From Antioch Bar Hebraeus went to Tripoli in Phoenicia, and studied rhetoric and medicine. In 1246, he was consecrated bishop of Gubos by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius II, and in 1252 he was transferred to Aleppo. In 1255 was transferred to the see of Laqabin and finally was made primate, or maphrian, of the East by Ignatius IV Yeshu in 1264. His episcopal duties did not interfere with his studies; he took advantage of the numerous visitations, which he had to make throughout his vast province, to consult the libraries and converse with the learned men whom he happened to meet. Thus he gradually accumulated an immense erudition, became familiar with almost all branches of secular and religious knowledge, and in many cases thoroughly mastered the bibliography of the various subjects which he undertook to treat. Bar Hebræus preserved and systematized the work of his predecessors, either by way of condensation or by way of direct reproduction. Both on account of his virtues and of his science, Bar Hebræus was highly esteemed. He died in Maraga, Persia, and was buried at the Mar Mattai Monastery, near Mosul. He left an autobiography, to be found in Assemani, Biblioth. Orient., II, 248-263; the account of his death was written by his brother, the marphian Gregory III (Grigorius bar Saumo) (d. 1307/8).

Works

Encyclopedic and philosophical

Bar Hebraeus' great encyclopedic work is his Hewath Hekhmetha, "The Cream of Science", which deals with almost every branch of human knowledge, and comprises the whole Aristotelian discipline, after Avicenna and Arabian writers. This work, so far, has not been published, with the exception of one chapter, by Margoliouth, in Analecta Orientalia ad poeticam Aristoteleam (London, 1887), 114-139.

The Kethabha dhe-Bhabhatha, ("Book of the Pupils of the Eyes") is a compendium of logic and dialectics.

The rest is to be found only in manuscripts, preserved at Florence, Oxford, London, and elsewhere. (3) Teghrath Teghratha, "Commerce of Commerces", a résumé of the preceding, also unpublished. (4) Kethabha dhe-Sewadh Sophia, "Book of Speech of Wisdom"; compendium of physics and metaphysics. To these should be added a few translations of Arabic works into Syriac, as well as some treatises written in Arabic.

Biblical

The most important work of Bar Hebraeus is Awsar Raze, "Storehouse of Secrets", a commentary on the entire Bible, both doctrinal and critical. Before giving his doctrinal exposition of a passage, he first considers its critical state. Although he uses the Peshitta as a basis, he knows that it is not perfect, and therefore controls it by the Hebrew, the Septuagint, the Greek versions of Symmachus, Theodotion, Aquila, by Oriental versions, Armenian and Coptic, and finally by the other Syriac translations, Heraclean, Philoxenian and especially the Syro-Hexapla. The work of Bar Hebræus is of prime importance for the recovery of these versions and more specially for the Hexapla of Origen, of which the Syro-Hexapla is a translation by Paul of Tella. His exegetical and doctrinal portions are taken from the Greek Fathers and previous Syriac Orthodox theologians. No complete edition of the work has yet been issued, but many individual books have been published at different times.

Historical

Bar Hebraeus has left a large ecclesiastical history called Makhtbhanuth Zabhne (Chronicon), in which he considers history from the Creation down to his own day. Bar Hebræus used almost all that had been written before him, showing particular favor to the now lost chronographic records published by Theophilus of Edessa (late 8th century, although he has this only through Michael the Syrian and other dependents). The work is divided into two portions, often transmitted separately.

The first portion deals with political and civil history and is known as the Chronicon Syriacum. The standard edition of the Chronicon Syriacum is that of Bedjan, Gregorii Barhebraei Chronicon Syriacum (Paris, 1890). An English translation by E. A. Wallis Budge was published in 1932.

This was to give context to the second portion, known as the Chronicon Ecclesiasticum and covering the religious history. That section begins with Aaron and consists of a series of entries of important individuals. The first half covers the history of the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Patriarchs of Antioch, while the second half is devoted to the Church of the East, the Nestorian Patriarchs, and the Jacobite Maphrians. The current edition of the Chronicon Ecclesiasticum is that of Abbeloos and Lamy, Syriac text, Latin translation. An English translation by David Wilmshurst was published by Gorgias Press in February 2016.

Bar Hebraeus towards the end of his life decided to write a history in Arabic largely based on the Chronicon Syriacum, adapted for a wider Arabic-reading readership rather than solely for Syriac-literate clergy. The work became known under the name al-Mukhtaṣar fi-l-Duwal. This was first published by Edward Pococke in 1663 with Latin comments and translation. A modern edition was first published by Fr. Anton Salhani in 1890.

Theological

In theology Bar Hebræus was a Miaphysite. He once mused: When I had given much thought and pondered on the matter, I became convinced that these quarrels among the different Christian Churches are not a matter of factual substance, but of words and terminology; for they all confess Christ our Lord to be perfect God and perfect human, without any commingling, mixing, or confusion of the natures... Thus I saw all the Christian communities, with their different christological positions, as possessing a single common ground that is without any difference between them.

In this field, we have from Bar Hebraeus Menarath Qudhshe, "Lamp of the Sanctuary", and the Kethabha dhe-Zalge, "Book of Rays", a summary of the first. These works have not been published, and exist in manuscript in Paris, Berlin, London, Oxford, and Rome. Ascetical and moral theology were also treated by Bar Hebræus, and we have from him Kethabha dhe-Ithiqon, "Book of Ethics", and Kethabha dhe-Yauna, "Book of the Dove", an ascetical guide. Both have been edited by Bedjan in "Ethicon seu Moralia Gregorii Barhebræi" (Paris and Leipzig, 1898). The "Book of the Dove" was issued simultaneously by Cardahi (Rome, 1898). Bar Hebræus codified the juridical texts of the Syriac Orthodox, in a collection called Kethabha dhe-Hudhaye, "Book of Directions", edited by Bedjan, "Barhebræi Nomocanon" (Paris, 1898). A Latin translation is to be found in Angelo Mai, "Scriptorum Veter. Nova Collectio", vol. x. Bar Hebræus has left besides many other works. On grammatical subjects we have the "Book of Splendours" and "Book of the Spark", both edited by Martin, "Oeuvres grammaticales de Aboul Faradj dit Barhebræus" (2 vols., Paris, 1872); also works on mathematics, astronomy, cosmography, and medicine, some of which have been published, but others exist only in manuscript.

Other works

A full list of Bar Hebraeus's other works, and of editions of such of them as have been published, will be found in W. Wright's Syriac Literature, pp. 268–281. The more important of them are:

• Kethabha dhe-Bhabhatha (Book of the Pupils of the Eyes), a treatise on logic or dialectics
• Hewath Hekmetha (Butter of Wisdom), an exposition of the whole philosophy of Aristotle
• Sullarat Haunãnãyã (Ascent of the Mind), a treatise on astronomy and cosmography, edited and translated by F. Nau (Paris, 1899)
• various medical works
• Kethabha dhe-Zalge (Book of Rays), a treatise on grammar
• ethical works
• poems
• Kethabha dhe-Thunnaye Mighaizjzikhanl (Book of Entertaining Stories), edited and translated by E. A. Wallis Budge (London, 1897).

Veneration

He is regarded as a saint by the Syriac Orthodox Church, who hold his feast day on July 30.

Sources

• Brock, Sebastian P. (1989). "Three Thousand Years of Aramaic Literature". Aram Periodical. 1 (1): 11–23.
• Budge, Ernest A. Wallis, ed. (1932a). The Chronography of Gregory Abû’l Faraj, the Son of Aaron, the Hebrew Physician, Commonly known as Bar Hebraeus. Vol. 1. London: Oxford University Press.
• Budge, Ernest A. Wallis, ed. (1932b). The Chronography of Gregory Abû’l Faraj, the Son of Aaron, the Hebrew Physician, Commonly known as Bar Hebraeus. Vol. 2. London: Oxford University Press.
• Conrad, Lawrence I. (1994). "On the Arabic Chronicle of Bar Hebraeus: His Aims and Audience" (PDF). Parole de l'Orient. 19: 319–378.
• Farina, Margherita (2017). "The Syro-Arabic Glosses to Barhebraeus' Metrical Grammar". Language and Identity in Multilingual Mediterranean Settings: Challenges for Historical Sociolinguistics. New York: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 157–170.
• Hambye, Édouard R. (1990). "Bar Ebroyo and the Byzantine Empire". V Symposium Syriacum 1988. Roma: Pontificium institutum studiorum orientalium. pp. 403–408.
• Bar Ebroyo. Published collection of poems.
• Bar Ebroyo. Makhtbanooth Zabney (The Chronography of Bar Ebroyo).
• Bar Ebroyo. "Al Mukhtasar Fid-Dual".
• Takahashi, Hidemi (2005). Barhebraeus: A Bio-Bibliography. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press. ISBN 1-59333-148-7.
• Takahashi, Hidemi (2007). "Barhebraeus: Gregory Abū al‐Faraj". The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. New York: Springer. pp. 94–95. ISBN 978-0-387-31022-0. (PDF version)
• Takahashi, Hidemi, (2011). Bar `Ebroyo, Grigorios, in Sebastian Brock et al. (eds.), Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of Syriac Heritage, Piscataway, Gorgias Press.
• Teule, Herman G. B. (2009). "Reflections on Identity: The Suryoye of the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries: Bar Salibi, Bar Shakko, and Barhebraeus". Church History and Religious Culture. 89 (1–3): 179–189.
• Todt, Susanne Regina (1988). "Die Syrische und die Arabische Weltgeschichte des Bar Hebraeus - ein Vergleich". Der Islam: Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur des Islamischen Orients. 65 (1): 60–80.
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Bar Hebræus" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

External links

• Introduction of: Ernest A. Wallis Budge, The Chronography of Gregory Abû’l Faraj, the Son of Aaron, the Hebrew Physician, Commonly known as Bar Hebraeus, London: Oxford University Press, 1932.
• Gregorii Barhebraei Chronicon ecclesiasticum: quod e codice Musei britannici descriptum conjuncta opera ediderunt, Latinitate donarunt annotationibusque ...illustrarunt Jean Baptiste Abbeloos, Thomas Joseph Lamy Also at Archive.org here.
• Gregorii Barhebraei Chronicon Syriacum
• Encyclopaedia of Bar-Hebraeus (Abu al-Faraj) / SuryoyoNews.
• Gregorii Bar-Hebraei Scholia in Psalmum LXVIII. e codicibus mss. syriacis Bibliothecae Florentinae et Clementino-Vaticanae et Bodleianae Oxoniensis primum edita et annotationibus illustrata, Vratislaviae 1852.
• The Laughable Stories of Bar-Hebraeus, 1897 tr. by E.A.W. Budge, at sacred-texts