Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Roger Pearse · 11-03-2009, 07:37 AM

I don't know if this announcement is useful here, but I thought I'd make it and let people decide. It is, after all, a primary source, and one that Moslems rely on (apparently) for evidence about Mohammed. Do people want announcements of stuff coming online here?

I've just placed online an English translation of the table of years and events in the Chronicle of the Syriac writer James of Edessa. This continues the table in the Chronicle of Eusebius of Caesarea from where that ends, in 325 AD, down to the early Islamic period ca. 700 AD. Naturally it focuses on eastern events, and includes one of the earliest mentions of Mohammed.

The material is here:

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/in...essa_Chronicle

The original publication of this material was frankly a mess. I've written a preface explaining a bit more clearly what we're looking at. I've also uploaded the translator's preface, and also translated the Latin preface by the same editor to his publication of a Latin translation some years later. In addition I've added fragments from Elias of Nisibis scattered across the publications.

All this material is public domain, so please help yourselves, do whatever you like with it, place copies online and so on.

What is NOT in it is a translation of the preface in which James explains why Eusebius got the numbers wrong in one place. The reason is that no such translation exists. Unfortunately shortness of money means I can't sensibly commission one just at the moment. It's about 18 pages.

Working with it, I quickly realised that the chronicle needs a new edition. With modern technology we could probably read most of the lacunas.

Other free material by the fathers can be found in the same collection:

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/index.htm

I hope I may be allowed to say that, if you want to support the work of the site, a CDROM is available for $37:

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/al...hers_on_cd.htm

Funds from sales are currently going to pay translators to do the homilies on Ezechiel of Origen, the Gospel problems and solutions of Eusebius, and a 13th century catalogue of Arabic Christian literature by Abu'l Barakat which should help us see what patristic material got into that language. None of these have been translated before.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

avi · 11-04-2009, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Pearse

I don't know if this announcement is useful here,...

Absolutely.
Thank you very much, Roger, outstanding work.
Much Appreciated,

avi

Solo · 11-04-2009, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Pearse

I don't know if this announcement is useful here, but I thought I'd make it and let people decide. It is, after all, a primary source, and one that Moslems rely on (apparently) for evidence about Mohammed. Do people want announcements of stuff coming online here?

Good stuff, Roger. Frankly, I did not know that James of Edessa registered Mohammed. When I was in Toronto last spring I went over a recent (Canadian) publication of The Zuqnin Codex in a UofT bookstore. I thought (or was led to believe) that was the first surviving notice of Mohammed in the Christian world.

So, this is big news to me. Thanks.

Jiri

Roger Pearse · 11-04-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avi

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Pearse

I don't know if this announcement is useful here,...

Absolutely.
Thank you very much, Roger, outstanding work.
Much Appreciated,

avi

Thank you for your kind words - much appreciated!

Roger Pearse · 11-04-2009, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Pearse

I don't know if this announcement is useful here, but I thought I'd make it and let people decide. It is, after all, a primary source, and one that Moslems rely on (apparently) for evidence about Mohammed. Do people want announcements of stuff coming online here?

Good stuff, Roger. Frankly, I did not know that James of Edessa registered Mohammed. When I was in Toronto last spring I went over a recent (Canadian) publication of The Zuqnin Codex in a UofT bookstore. I thought (or was led to believe) that was the first surviving notice of Mohammed in the Christian world.

So, this is big news to me. Thanks.

I didn't know either; and it's not exactly easy to find out from the publications. I found out when I visited an Islamic site which listed early references. I saw James of Edessa listed twice, and that sparked my interest.

Your comment on "the Zuqnin codex" is interesting -- any idea what you were looking at? I believe that we are talking about the Syriac "Chronicle of Zuqnin", better known as the "Chronicle of ps.Dionysius of Tel-Mahre." This includes the Chronicle by Joshua the Stylite.

The 8th century Chronicle, which is attributed to Dionysius of Tel-Mahre (but wrongly, in the opinion of scholars) is preserved in a single manuscript, Codex Vaticanus Syriacus 162. Apparently a translation of parts III and IV was made by English translation, with notes, by Amir Harrak, "The Chronicle of Zuqnin, Parts III and IV : A.D. 488-775" Toronto, 1999. Part III finishes sometime ca. 560, as I have Witold Witakowski's translation of this. Zuqnin was a monastery near Amida(=Diyarbekir in Turkey), so I suspect the ms. comes from there.

I can't find any indication online of where in this work Mohammed is mentioned. It can't be the first Christian mention, surely?

All the best,

Roger Pearse

Roger Pearse · 11-04-2009, 12:07 PM

The Chronicle is in four parts. I've written some notes on it here:

http://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/?p=2852

Part 4, which starts just before the Moslem period, is online with French translation here:

http://books.google.com/books?id=s5UWAAAAIAAJ

although unless you're in the US, Google show you only the snippet view. p.4-5 of the French mention Mohammed, although this can hardly be an early mention. (p. 51 of the PDF).

Roger Pearse · 11-04-2009, 02:03 PM

Here's the opening section of part IV of the Chronicle of Zuqnin, from the French of Chabot:

Quote:

This chronicle begins with the origin of the world and runs until the birth of Abraham and the kingdom of Ninus who founded Nineveh and reigned fifty-two years. But the patriarch Abraham was born in the forty-second year of the reign of Ninus, according to the testimony of Eusebius from whom we have borrowed the materials of this history until the times of the faithful Emperor Constantine.

From that time, until Theodosius the Younger, we followed the Novatian Socrates.

From the Emperor Theodosius to Justinian, that is to say until the year 885 of the Greeks, we have been guided by John, bishop of Asia.

From that time until the year in which we are now, that is to say the year 1086 of Alexander, 158 of the Hegira, we have found no-one who, like the ancient writers, has carefully described the history and the cruel disasters that occurred in the time of our fathers or our own, including the storm of tribulation that we have suffered because of our sins when we were delivered into the hands of the Assyrians and Barbarians.

However, to preserve the memory of those calamitous times and the cruel affliction that the earth has suffered today from the Assyrians – whom the prophet means when he says: “Assyria is the rod of my fury, the stick of my indignation is in their hands, I will send them to a deceiving nation and give them orders affecting the people of my vengeance,”-- we have made known the rod, the stick of the Lord, which he has delivered to Assur to punish the earth, and which has even appeared in the sky for several days. Perhaps those who come after us will tremble, will fear the Lord, and walk before him in justice, lest they themselves come as we are into the hands of this rapacious wolf.

It is written: “Tell your son,” and again: “Ask your father and he shall teach you; ask your ancestors and they will tell you.” Now, after we travelled through many countries and did not find an accurate history of events but only the annotation of some particular facts, we formed the plan to unite in order in one book the things we have learned from elderly eyewitnesses or which we have seen ourselves. Whoever finds [this book] and looks with contempt should know that these so various events did not take place in one place or in one kingdom, nor in a single region. If then he meets another chronicle that does not agree with this, let him remember that earlier writers themselves do not agree among themselves, but one minimises, another exaggerates, one writing on ecclesiastical history, another on other topics.

It matters little to wise and God-fearing men [to know] whether an event happened a year or two earlier or later, but it suffices to know the punishments of past generations so as to distance themselves from inequity for fear of attracting the same troubles.

Take care of yourself and fear the Lord your God, lest he send these afflictions on you.

We will begin in the year 898.

Year 898, the emperor Justinian died and Justinian IV reigned with Tiberius Caesar.

Year 901 (589-590), Justinian died and Tiberius reigned alone.

Year 902 (590-591), the holy patriarch of Antioch, Peter, died.

Year 905 (593-594), Tiberius died. He had for successor Maurice, who reigned eight years.

Year 912 (600-601), in the middle of the day there was great darkness: the stars rose and appeared as during the night. They remained around three hours, after which the darkness disappeared and the day shone as before. – This year Maurice died. Another Maurice and Theodosius reigned for twelve years.

Year 914 (602-003), Narses, the general of the Persians, captured Edessa. After entering the city, he had the bishop Severus seized and stoned, who died in his surplice.

Year 915(603-604), holy Athanasius was made patriarch of Antioch.

Year 916 (604•605), Edessa was taken.

Year 923 (611-612), Maurice was put to death with Theodosius, his son, and Phocas reigned eight years.

Year 928 (616-617). The emperor Phocas ordered that all the Jews living under his dominion should receive baptism. He sent the prefect George to Jerusalem and into all of Palestine to constrain them to receive baptism. The latter came down [into the country] and gathered all the Jews of Jerusalem and its environs. The principals among them came into his presence. He challenged them, “Are you the servants of the emperor?” – “Yes”, they replied. He responded, “The lord of the earth has ordered that you should be baptised.” – They kept silent and didn’t reply a word. The prefect demanded of them, “Why don’t you say anything ?” One of the principals among them, named Jonas, replied, “We will consent to do everything that the lord of the earth has ordered ; but the present thing we cannot do, because the time of holy baptism has still not come.” The prefect, hearing these words, went into a violent rage; he got up, struck Jonas in the face, and said to him, “If you are servants, why don’t you obey your master?” Then he ordered them to be baptised and forced them all, willing or not, to receive baptism.

At that time James the Jew, Athanasius, patriarch of Antioch, John, bishop of the Arabs, Simeon, [bishop] of Harran, and Cyriacus [bishop] of Amida, were famous.

Year 932(620-621) The Arabs captured Palestine and [the whole region] as far as the great river Euphrates. The Romans retreated and passed into the eastern region of the Euphrates, of which the Arabs also made themselves masters.

These had as their first king one of them named Mohammed, whom they called the Prophet, because he had diverted them from various religions, had taught the existence of one God, Creator of the Universe and given them laws, when they were addicted to the worship of demons and the worship of idols, especially trees. Because he taught them the unity of God, under his leadership they triumphed over the Romans, and as he gave them laws according to their desires, they called him Prophet and Messenger of God also. The people were very sensual and carnal. They despised and rejected any legislation that did not aim at the satisfaction of their desires, that they had been given by either Mohammad or any other God-fearing man, but they received ones that were to the satisfaction of their will and their desires, even when it was imposed upon them by the vilest of them. They said: "It has been established by the Prophet and Messenger of God," and even "So God commanded him. "

Mohammed governed them for seven years.

Year 933 (621-622), the emperor of the Romans, Phocas, died, and Heraclius reigned in his place for thirty-one years.

Year 934 (622-623), Mar Cyriacus, bishop of Amida, died, he had Mar Thomas for successor.

Year 937 (625-626), the stars of the sky spun about and headed northwards, like ????. They gave the Romans a terrible omen of defeat and the invasion of their lands by the Arabs, which in fact came about very shortly afterwards, and without delay.

Year 938 (626-627), the king of the Arabs died, i.e. their prophet, Mohammed, and Abubekr reigned over them for five years.

Year 940 (628), the emperor of the Romans, Heraclius, began to construct the great church of Amida.

Solo · 11-04-2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roger Pearse

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solo

Good stuff, Roger. Frankly, I did not know that James of Edessa registered Mohammed. When I was in Toronto last spring I went over a recent (Canadian) publication of The Zuqnin Codex in a UofT bookstore. I thought (or was led to believe) that was the first surviving notice of Mohammed in the Christian world.

So, this is big news to me. Thanks.

I didn't know either; and it's not exactly easy to find out from the publications. I found out when I visited an Islamic site which listed early references. I saw James of Edessa listed twice, and that sparked my interest.

Your comment on "the Zuqnin codex" is interesting -- any idea what you were looking at? I believe that we are talking about the Syriac "Chronicle of Zuqnin", better known as the "Chronicle of ps.Dionysius of Tel-Mahre." This includes the Chronicle by Joshua the Stylite.

The 8th century Chronicle, which is attributed to Dionysius of Tel-Mahre (but wrongly, in the opinion of scholars) is preserved in a single manuscript, Codex Vaticanus Syriacus 162. Apparently a translation of parts III and IV was made by English translation, with notes, by Amir Harrak, "The Chronicle of Zuqnin, Parts III and IV : A.D. 488-775" Toronto, 1999. Part III finishes sometime ca. 560, as I have Witold Witakowski's translation of this. Zuqnin was a monastery near Amida(=Diyarbekir in Turkey), so I suspect the ms. comes from there.

Yes, it's the same thing. The book was

Amir Harrak (editor and translator), The Chronicle of Zuqnin, parts III and IV: A.D. 488-775. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1999. ISBN 0-88844-286-6

Quote:

I can't find any indication online of where in this work Mohammed is mentioned. It can't be the first Christian mention, surely?

Ah, found a google version of Harrak's book and did an inventory for "Muhammad".

As for the first mention, the Zuqnin Codex was a discovery for me. I thought - and I really only have an amateur, comparative religion angle on this - that the first surviving Christian records came from Nicephorus and Theophanes the Confessor, both early 9th century.

Now, James of Edessa. What's next I wonder; monk Bahira's notebooks ?

Best,
Jiri

11-03-2009, 07:37 AM	#1
Roger Pearse Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: N/A Posts: 4,370	Chronicle of James of Edessa I don't know if this announcement is useful here, but I thought I'd make it and let people decide. It is, after all, a primary source, and one that Moslems rely on (apparently) for evidence about Mohammed. Do people want announcements of stuff coming online here? I've just placed online an English translation of the table of years and events in the Chronicle of the Syriac writer James of Edessa. This continues the table in the Chronicle of Eusebius of Caesarea from where that ends, in 325 AD, down to the early Islamic period ca. 700 AD. Naturally it focuses on eastern events, and includes one of the earliest mentions of Mohammed. The material is here: http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/in...essa_Chronicle The original publication of this material was frankly a mess. I've written a preface explaining a bit more clearly what we're looking at. I've also uploaded the translator's preface, and also translated the Latin preface by the same editor to his publication of a Latin translation some years later. In addition I've added fragments from Elias of Nisibis scattered across the publications. All this material is public domain, so please help yourselves, do whatever you like with it, place copies online and so on. What is NOT in it is a translation of the preface in which James explains why Eusebius got the numbers wrong in one place. The reason is that no such translation exists. Unfortunately shortness of money means I can't sensibly commission one just at the moment. It's about 18 pages. Working with it, I quickly realised that the chronicle needs a new edition. With modern technology we could probably read most of the lacunas. Other free material by the fathers can be found in the same collection: http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/index.htm I hope I may be allowed to say that, if you want to support the work of the site, a CDROM is available for $37: http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/al...hers_on_cd.htm Funds from sales are currently going to pay translators to do the homilies on Ezechiel of Origen, the Gospel problems and solutions of Eusebius, and a 13th century catalogue of Arabic Christian literature by Abu'l Barakat which should help us see what patristic material got into that language. None of these have been translated before. All the best, Roger Pearse

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11-04-2009, 12:07 PM	#6
Roger Pearse Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: N/A Posts: 4,370	The Chronicle is in four parts. I've written some notes on it here: http://www.roger-pearse.com/weblog/?p=2852 Part 4, which starts just before the Moslem period, is online with French translation here: http://books.google.com/books?id=s5UWAAAAIAAJ although unless you're in the US, Google show you only the snippet view. p.4-5 of the French mention Mohammed, although this can hardly be an early mention. (p. 51 of the PDF).

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