- Aug 27, 2014
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Hi all,
I'm not sure where else to put this, but I figured I'd try it here first, since you EO are probably a lot more familiar with 'Greek stuff' than I am.
I've recently acquired a rather antiquated (1913) collection of English translations of Syriac-language writings concerning the Syriac Orthodox from 8th-10th centuries, primarily commentaries on the liturgy by George, Bishop of the Arabs (d. 724) and Moses Bar Kepha (d. 903). One of the documents in this collection is a copy of what is known as The Book of Life, a kind of alternative diptych for the departed that used to be said after the kiss of peace in the Syriac Orthodox liturgy in Moses Bar Kepha's time, but had fallen out of use by the time of Dionysius Bar Salibi (12th century).
For what is essentially just a very long list of names, it is a fascinating little book, so I'm trying to date it properly, but the only thing I have to go by is the colophon that appears on the outside of the cover of the original manuscript, which reads "This Book was written by the command of Mar Ignatius, Patriarch of Antioch of Syria, who is Simon, in the year of the Greeks 1959."
Seeing as how the book it is contained within was itself published in 1913, it obviously can't be talking about 1959 AD. I tried to cross reference it with the list of Patriarchs of Antioch found on Wikipedia, but the only Patriarchs I could find with that name don't really match up with the other information about when it was in use, seeing as they're either after Bar Salibi (d. 1172), as in the case of Baselius IV Simon (d. circa 1444) and Ignatius Simon (d. 1653), or were rivals to the men who were then considered legitimate patriarchs, as in the case of one Simeon who apparently attempted to usurp the patriarchate c. 837, during the time of Patriarch Dionysius of Tel Mahre (r. 818-845).
So does anyone here have some idea as to when 1959 "of the Greeks" would have been relative to any of these potential time periods (prior to the 12th century AD), or where I might find that information? Thank you.
I'm not sure where else to put this, but I figured I'd try it here first, since you EO are probably a lot more familiar with 'Greek stuff' than I am.
I've recently acquired a rather antiquated (1913) collection of English translations of Syriac-language writings concerning the Syriac Orthodox from 8th-10th centuries, primarily commentaries on the liturgy by George, Bishop of the Arabs (d. 724) and Moses Bar Kepha (d. 903). One of the documents in this collection is a copy of what is known as The Book of Life, a kind of alternative diptych for the departed that used to be said after the kiss of peace in the Syriac Orthodox liturgy in Moses Bar Kepha's time, but had fallen out of use by the time of Dionysius Bar Salibi (12th century).
For what is essentially just a very long list of names, it is a fascinating little book, so I'm trying to date it properly, but the only thing I have to go by is the colophon that appears on the outside of the cover of the original manuscript, which reads "This Book was written by the command of Mar Ignatius, Patriarch of Antioch of Syria, who is Simon, in the year of the Greeks 1959."
Seeing as how the book it is contained within was itself published in 1913, it obviously can't be talking about 1959 AD. I tried to cross reference it with the list of Patriarchs of Antioch found on Wikipedia, but the only Patriarchs I could find with that name don't really match up with the other information about when it was in use, seeing as they're either after Bar Salibi (d. 1172), as in the case of Baselius IV Simon (d. circa 1444) and Ignatius Simon (d. 1653), or were rivals to the men who were then considered legitimate patriarchs, as in the case of one Simeon who apparently attempted to usurp the patriarchate c. 837, during the time of Patriarch Dionysius of Tel Mahre (r. 818-845).
So does anyone here have some idea as to when 1959 "of the Greeks" would have been relative to any of these potential time periods (prior to the 12th century AD), or where I might find that information? Thank you.