Sergius As Writer

chapter 2 Sergius as Writer

Many of the translations Sergius made and commentaries he composed were part of the Alexandrian curriculum. From his preface to the Commentary on the Categories (to Theodore), we understand that he had already translated some medical works before he wrote this philosophical text. A more recent evalua- tion of Sergius’ writings was done by Hugonnard-Roche in 1997 (reprinted in 2004: 123–142, and see now idem, 2016: 214–227).

2.1 Original Works

Sergius’ original works and translations will be arranged according to the sci- entific branch, dealing, in the first place, with the extant works, beginning with his philosophical production, which is most relevant to our study. The Syriac headings will also be given in order to illustrate how Sergius and his works are labelled:

2.1.1 Philosophical Works Here Considered Authentic

– Commentary on Aristotle’s Categories, to Theodore of Karkh Guddan,1 which in the later Syriac manuscripts (Paris and Mingana) bears the title: rܒܢ熏ܬܗ ̈ ܡqrܒܢ熏ܬܐܕܥܒq煟ܠܡrܝܣrܓq爿ܐܪqqqrܘܣܥ爏ܢqr焏ܕܡq

a city of Khurasan , ورم and ܘrܡ ) He was falsely identified with a Theodore, bishop of Merv 1 in today’s Turkmenistan, see Renan 1852a: 320 n. 1), until Hugonnard-Roche (2004: 126 n. 2) showed that he must be the little known Theodore, bishop of Karkh Guddan. This city is .Karḫ Ǧuddān (see e.g. Chronicle of Seert, 27.5, ed نادجخرك known from Arabic sources as ,Theodoros“ خركـلافقسأىرودايث Scher). In Hunayn ibn Ishaq’s famous Risāla, he is called 12.22, tr. Bergsträsser 1925: 10), but in a different/١٢ den Bischof von al-Karḫ” (Arabic text Theodore, bishop of Karḫ Ǧuddān’ is given‘ نادجخركفقساسروذايث recension of his Risāla (p. 80.21f., ed. Bergsträsser 1932, see also p. 51.13). And Fiey (1968: 71 n. 8) states correctly that Karkh Guddan is not the same city as Karkh Samarra, as some sources indicate (cf. e.g. Streck & Lassner 1978: 653), but it was located close to the border between Iraq and Iran, opposite to Ḫānaqīn), which forms the boundary between Shahrazur نيقناخ ) the landscape Khanaqin Šahrazūr) and Iraq (Fiey 1968: 71f.; cf. also Takahashi 2014b: 36 n. 12). Theodore روزرهش ) of Karkh Guddan was closely associated with Sergius, to whom he dedicated several of his

qܠ煿q爯ܕܐܪqܣqqܠq爿 ‘The writing composed by Mar2 Sergius the archiatros on the aim of all of Aristotle’s writings’. This is Sergius’ major extant philosophical work which, in spite of the Syriac title of these manuscripts, is a proper commentary on Aristotle’s Categories, both to contents and disposi- tion similar to those from the Alexandrian school of Ammonius. It is divided into seven books and is preserved in five manuscripts.3 There is a partial Italian translation of it by Furlani (1922) and also by Furlani (1937) an edi- tion and translation of the section on Bardaisan (L.47ra1-vb26/P.87v17–89r6, see comm. to §80–87). There is a French translation with discussion of its prologue, which treats many of the introductory themes of the Alexandrian introductions, by Hugonnard-Roche (2004: 165–186), and also of its first book (ibid, pp. 187–231), and an English translation of parts of its introduction and epilogue by Brock (1997: 201–204). Most recently, John W. Watt published an English translation of the greater part of book two with commentaries (Watt 2014a). Sergius’s account at L.3ra14–29/P.17v1–8 of Aristotle’s logical works is quoted almost word for word by Bar Bahlul (col. 289f.) in his lexicon under the entry ܐܪqܣq焏q熏ܠq爿 ‘Aristotle’. – Introduction to Aristotle and his Categories, to Philotheos, who is otherwise unknown, and it bears the Syriac title: ܡ焏ܡrܐܕܐܡqrܠܣrܓq爿 ܐܪqqqrܘܣܪqrܥqܢq焏ܥ爏ܩqܓrq熏ܣܕܐܪܣq熏qܠq爿ܦqܠܣ熏ܦ焏 ‘The memra said by Sergius the archiatros of Reshaina on the Categories of Aristo- tle the Philosopher’ in the unique Berlin manuscript (Petermann i 9, Sachau Syr. no. 88, fol. 83v–104r), which is the object of the present study. Though this is most likely written after the Commentary on Aristotle’s Categories (to Theodore) and is in fact an abridgment or epitome of it, it should be per- ceived as a general introduction to the philosophy of Aristotle, as stated by Hugonnard-Roche (2004: 152). As a compromise, I have chosen the title Introduction to Aristotle and his Categories. Most of its contents are to be found in his commentary proper on the Categories, but to its form it is more

writings and who is also said to have assisted Sergius with his translation of some of Galen’s works (see below at 2.1.7 and 4.8). 2 In spite of the unflattering description of Sergius by Pseudo-Zachariah, in some manuscripts, he bears the title ܡrܝ Mār(y) ‘my lord’, which is an honorific title given to saints (!), but also used before the assigned Christian name of bishops, being that of a saint. 3 These are: London bl Add 14658 (= L here), Paris BnF Syr. 354 (= P), Mingana Syr. 606, Baghdad Chaldaean Monastery 169 and 171, see Hugonnard-Roche (2004: 187f.). The famous manuscript of British Library,Additional 14658, is the oldest one and contains some of Sergius’ other texts. My readings from Sergius’ Commentary on the Categories, addressed to Theodore, are based on L and P manuscripts.