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and at the end of the century John bar Serapion were
famous among Christians and Mussulmans for their
medical works and their translations into Syriac and
Arabic of the works of Dioscorides, Hippocrates, Ga-
len, and Paul of Agima. Honein was at once physi-
cian, philosopher, historian, grammarian, and lexicog-
rapher. His disciple Isho bar Ali is the author of a
voluminous lexicon (ed. Hoifmann, Kiel, 1874; Got-
theil, Rome, 1910). The patriarch, Isho bar Noun
(823-27), was esteemed as a theologian and canonist;
of his numerous works there remain juridical ques-
tions, questions of Scripture, funeral orations, and let-
ters. Ishodad of Merw, Bishop of Haditha, about the
middle of the century composed commentaries on the
Old and New Testaments, which are of great interest
in the history of exegesis. In 840 Thomas, Bishop of
Marga, a former monk of Beit Abe, wrote the history
of that famous convent which was located in his dio-
cese, and fortunately he inserted therein numerous
documents which would not otherwise be known to us;
hence his work sheds much light on the history of the
whole Nestorian Church during a period of three cen-
turies. It has been edited by Budge (London, 1893)
and by Bedjan (Leipzig, 1901).
The less numerous list of Jacobite writers of the ninth century opens with the name of Dionysius of Tell Mahre, who was elected patriarch in 815 and died in 845. He wrote an ecclesiastical history in two parts, each consisting of eight books divided into chapters. It extended from 581 to 833; unfortu- nately it is lost but is made known to us by the copi- ous extracts which Michael inserted in his own chron- icle (see below). This work is quite different from the chronicle which Assemani incorrectly ascribes to Dionysius. The latter, which stops at the year 775, is divided into four parts. The first (ed. Eulberg, Upsala, 1851) goes as far as Constantine, and relies chiefly on Eusebius; the second, as far as Theodosius the Younger, mainly follows Socrates; the third re- produces the second part (lost) of the history of John of Asia and the chronicle of Josue the StyUte (ed. Wright, London, 1882); the fourth (ed. Chabot, Paris, 1895) is the personal work of the author, prob- ably a monk at the convent of Touknin in Tour Ab- din. The work of Dionysius was dedicated to Iwannis (John), Bishop of Dara, one of the most es- teemed Monophysite theologians, of whom we possess a treatise on the priesthood, one of the Resurrection, one of the soul, and a commentary on the books of the Pseudo-Areopagite. Theodosius of Edessa, brother of the Patriarch Dionysius, executed a version of the poems of St. Gregory of Nazianzus. He was the close friend of a monk of Tagrit, Antonius, surnamed the Rhetorician, author of a treatise on rhetoric, a treatise on Providence, of panegyrics, letters, hymns, and prayers. Lazarus bar Sabtha, Bishop of Bagdad, de- posed in 828, was the author of a liturgy and an explanation of the offices of the church. Nonnius, Archdeacon of Nisibis, about the middle of the cen- tury wrote a controversy against Thomas of Marga and some polemical letters. The monk Romanus, who took the name of Theodosius when he became patriarch (887-96), compiled a medical collection (lost), a copious commentary on the book of Hiero- theus, and a collection of Pythagorean maxims (ed. Zotenberg, Paris, 1876). No writer of this century was so prolific as Moses bar Cephas (q. v.) who took the name Severus when he became bishop.
The next two centuries mark the lowest point of the period of decadence. Most of the ecclesiastical <lig- nitaries and the rare authors who concerned them- selves with learning xvrote chiefly in Arabic. There was not a single Jacobite writer during the whole of the tetith century; among the Ncstorians those wortliy of mention were Ilenanisho bar Sero.shwa, Bishop of Hira at the beginning of the century; he composed Scriptural disquisitions, and a lexicon, now
lost, but included almost in its entirety in that of Bar
Bahlul; Elias, Bishop of Perozshabur (c. 920), wrote
letters, homiUes, an apology, and a collection of
maxims known as "Centuries"; George, Metropoli-
tan of Arbella (d. 987), is the author of a canonical
collection and some hymns. To him is also attrib-
uted an interesting "Explanation of the hturgical
offices". Emmanuel bar Shahhare (d. 980) wrote a
treatise "On the six days of creation and Providence",
divided into four parts and twenty-eight books; the
second book is missing in all known MSS. Towards
the end of the century Andrew, a grammarian, com-
posed a treatise on punctuation and some hymns.
At the same period at Bagdad where he taught,
Abu' r Hassan, known as Bar Bahlul, compiled his
famous "Lexicon", a smaU encyclopedia in which he
collected, together with the lexicographical works of
his predecessors, numerous notices on the natural
sciences, philosophy, theology, and Biblical exegesis
(ed. Duval, Paris, 1888-1901). At the end of the
century John Bar Khaldon wrote the life of the monk
Joseph Bosnaya, in which he inserted a curious
treatise on mystical theology. The following are the
foremost Nestorian writers of the eh"-enth century.
Elias of Tirhan, who became patriarch (1028-49), is
famous for his treatise on grammar; he completed the
canonical collection made by Timotheus, adding
later decisions, and wrote legal treatises. Elias bar
Shinaya, Metropolitan of Nisibis, is the most remark-
able writer of this century. Appointed Bishop of
Beit Nouhadre in 1002, and of Nisibis in 1008, he
occupied the see more than forty years and survived
the Patriarch EUas. He is the author of a Syriac
grammar, an Arabic-Syriac grammar, hymns, met-
rical homilies, letters, and a collection of canonical
decisions. His most important work is his "Chronog-
raphy ", written in 1019; it includes a chronicle and a
treatise on the calendar (ed. Brooks-Chabot, Paris,
1909-10). Elias also wrote in Arabic several dog-
matic and moral treatises. Abdisho bar Baliriz, who
became Bishop of Arbela and Mosul in 1030, is the
author of a collection of "Laws and Judicial Sen-
tences". Among the Jacobites were: John of Maroun
(d. 1003), the author of a commentary on the Book of
Wisdom; and Isho bar Shoushan, Patriarch of An-
tioch under the name of John (1064-73). He com-
posed a liturgy, canons, a treatise in defence of the
Syrian custom of mixing salt and oil in the Eucha-
ristic bread, four poems on the pillage of Nelitene by
the Turks (1058), and several letters in Syriac or
Arabic. At the time of his death he was engaged in
collecting the works of St. Ephrem and Isaac of
Antioch.
In the thirteenth century the Nestorians also began to write in Arabic. Elias III Abuhalim, Metropoli- tan of Nisibis and afterwards patriarch (1176-90), composed pra.yers and wrote letters. John bar Malkon, who took the name of Ishoyahb when he Ijecame Bishop of Nisibis (1190), is the author of a grammatical treatise. The monk Simeon of Shank- lawa about the .same period wi-ote a chronological treatise and poem in enigmatic style. He is probably the author of the "Book of the Fathers", which has been ascribed to Simeon bar Sabbae (fourth century). His disciple John bar Zoubi is chiefly known for his grammatical works.
Tlic Jac<»l)if( s had able writers. John, Bishop of Ilarran and Mardin, wrote on the eapture of Edessa by Zangui (1144). James bar Sal ibi is the most prolific writer of the century. He took the name of Diony- sius when he became Bishop of Marasli in 1154; in 1166 Michael transferred him to .\mida, where he died in 1171. His mo.st important work is his com- mentary on the Old and New Testament, a vast com- pilation in which he cit'-s or reca))itulates the whole exegesis of the Western Syrians, .\mong his other writings were; a cpmmentary on the "Centuries" of
