THE MELAMMU PROJECT http://www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/ “The Assembly of Seleucia on the Tigris according to the Syriac ‘Acts of Mār Māri’” AMIR HARRAK Published in Melammu Symposia 3: A. Panaino and G. Pettinato (eds.), Ideologies as Intercultural Phenomena. Proceedings of the Third Annual Symposium of the Assyrian and Babylonian Intellectual Heritage Project. Held in Chicago, USA, October 27-31, 2000 (Milan: Università di Bologna & IsIao 2002), pp. 109-18. Publisher: http://www.mimesisedizioni.it/ This article was downloaded from the website of the Melammu Project: http://www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/ The Melammu Project investigates the continuity, transformation and diffusion of Mesopotamian culture throughout the ancient world. A central objective of the project is to create an electronic database collecting the relevant textual, art-historical, archaeological, ethnographic and linguistic evidence, which is available on the website, alongside bibliographies of relevant themes. In addition, the project organizes symposia focusing on different aspects of cultural continuity and evolution in the ancient world. The Digital Library available at the website of the Melammu Project contains articles from the Melammu Symposia volumes, as well as related essays. All downloads at this website are freely available for personal, non-commercial use. Commercial use is strictly prohibited. For inquiries, please contact [email protected]. HARRAK T HE ASSEMBLY OF SELEUCIA ON THE TIGRIS AMIR HARRAK Toronto The Assembly of Seleucia on the Tigris according to the Syriac Acts of M r M r I. Introduction iscussing the Christianization of ver. M r decided to have his first con- Babylonia at the beginning of the tact with the people of Seleucia, and Dsecond century of our era, a rela- found no better place to talk to them than tively late Syriac account, the Acts of the local popular assembly. The Acts of Mr M r,1 claimed that Seleucia on the Mr M r named that assembly, descri- Tigris witnessed the first Christian mis- bed it, and commented on its activities. sionary activities in Babylonia. A disci- More than a century ago, Franz Cumont, ple of M r Addai, who was sent by Saint a Belgian scholar of Classics and Syriac, Thomas the Apostle to Christianize the published an article 2 in which he identi- kingdom of Edessa, dispatched his own fied the assembly of Seleucia as Helle- disciple, M r by name, to spread Chris- nistic, not much different from the his- tianity in Mesopotamia. M r took an iti- torical assemblies attested in Anatolia nerary that led him to Nisibis, Erbil, Da- during the Roman period. The present sen (west of the Upper Z b), B th Gar- paper will propose that the assembly was mai (east of the Tigris, from the Lower Babylonian both in name and nature on Zb to Diyala), the region of Radan (bet- the basis of another Christian source that ween Diyala and al- !dhim), and finally escaped the attention of Cumont. Moreo- B th Aramaye, “land of the Arameans,” ver, it will suggest that the assembly may which corresponds to Babylonia proper. have been a literary motif, giving context Babylonia was at that time under Par- to a traditional claim within the Syriac thian rule. It was governed by a “king” church, that M r M r was the first to named Aphrahat son of Aphrahat, whose Christianize Babylonia. First, let us give seat was in Seleucia-Ctesiphon, two cit- the literary contexts in which the issue of ies that were separated by the Tigris Ri- the assembly is found. II. The Sources The two main sources that mention in character. The first text, the Syriac the assembly of Seleucia are religious Acts of M r M r, discusses the intro- 1 The Acts of M r M r in P. Bedjan, ed., Acta Marty- My English translation of the Acts (forthcoming). rum et Sanctorum Syriacae , vol. 1 (Leipzig 1890), 2 F. Cumont, “Note sur un passage des Actes de St pp. 70ff. The actual text must be dated between the Mâri,” Revue de l’Instruction Publique en Belgique , 5th and 9th centuries; see J.-M. Fiey, Jalons pour une Tome 36 (1893), pp. 373-378. Histoire de l’Église en Iraq (Louvain 1970), p. 40. A. Panaino & G. Pettinato (eds.) MELAMMU SYMPOSIA III (Milano 2002) ISBN 88-8483-107-5 109 HARRAK T HE ASSEMBLY OF SELEUCIA ON THE TIGRIS duction of Christianity in Upper Syria very moment, the sick man saw Heaven and Mesopotamia during the apostolic opening up! He saw a man, looking like age. The second text, the Christian Ara- the blessed M r M r , coming down and taking his hand to make him rise. The bic Kit b al-Majdal “Book of the To- man was immediately healed and he left wer,” offers a list of the East Syriac ec- his bed. clesiastical leaders starting with Addai and M r, and ending with the leaders Then the blessed M r M r spoke to of the early 12th century. him, saying: “Become a Christian!”. He replied: “What is Christianity? Are you introducing a new god into the world?” Mr M r said to him: “God is not new, II.a. The Syriac Acts Of M r because he exists from the beginning 3 and he is everlasting. He created he- Mr aven, the earth, the seas and all that is in them. He cannot be understood nor When the blessed M r M r realized can he be comprehended. And the Son that he had nowhere to go, he pondered who was begotten of him shares his about what he would do. Now there nature, and his generation cannot be were three assemblies ( pu fr) in Seleu- probed or understood by humans, for he cia, one for the elders, one for the is the light of His divinity. He sent him young people, and one for the children, to the world so that through him it for this is how they organized their as- (Humanity) would come to know His semblies ( pu fr). The blessed one Father and that (through) one Holy thought to stir up controversy at the as- Spirit, who had spoken through the sembly of the elders ( pu fr d-s b ): “If prophets, eternal salvation would take it would be possible, I would hunt their place. They are three true persons, souls starting from this place!”. He equal in every regard, containing all went to them and they seated him below that is seen and unseen, almighty, jud- all of them, saying: “This man is for- ging everyone. This is the salvation of eigner.” And he joined them in singing the Christians and in the name of this and in merriment everyday. one (Christ) we do everything: healing the sick and expelling evil spirits from After a while, the president of the as- people.” Then the president of the as- sembly ( qašš š pu fr) fell sick. He sembly ( r š pu fr) believed in the gave an order to his household con- words of the blessed M r M r, who cerning who among his family would converted him along with the members inherit from him; and necessities for the of his family. He baptized them in the burial were even prepared for him. The name of the Father, the Son, and the whole city came to visit him, and when Holy Spirit. Then the man rose up and the crowds departed from such visits, went to his assembly ( pu fr), and re- the blessed M r M r went in to pay mained there as he had in the past. him a visit too. When the sickness per- sisted, the blessed M r M r said to After some time, the deputy ( r š dr ‘) him: “I shall put my hand on you in the became sick to death. In like manner, name of the true God and you shall be the blessed M r M r accompanied healed.” Because the man could not an- those who went to visit him. M r M r swer, for he was near death, M r M r said to him: “I shall put my hand on got up and put his hand on him in the you in the name of my God and you name of our Lord Jesus Christ. At that shall be healed!”. That man could not 3 Bedjan, Acta Martyrum I, pp.70ff. 110 HARRAK T HE ASSEMBLY OF SELEUCIA ON THE TIGRIS talk to him because he was about to die. and hills that are in it! And you wrote Now before his eyes he looked and he to me: ‘You have no right to come here too saw Heaven opening up, and a man, or to go elsewhere until you have sub- looking like the blessed M r M r, jected the mountains and the hills that coming down and taking his hand to are in it, have sown in it the living make him rise, and he and the members seed, and have sent from the fruits of of his family were converted. And he its produce to Heaven!’ When I realized went to the assembly ( pu fr), and re- that I had no other choice except to do clined on his seat as before. The so, I went to take my seat in the assem- blessed M r M r too went and reclined bly of the elders ( pu fr d-s b ), and on his seat in his place as before. The associated myself with them in eating people who were converted said to each and drinking.