The Canadian Society for Syriac Studies JOURNAL Volume 6 2006 ●Adel al-Jadir - University of Tunis ●Muriel Debié - CNRS Paris ●Richard Burgess - University of Ottawa ●Geoffrey Greatrex - University of Ottawa ●Jan van Ginkel - Leiden University ●Witold Witakowski - University of Uppsala Toronto - Ontario - Canada Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies/ de la Société Canadienne des Etudes Syriaques The JCSSS is a refereed journal published annually, and it contains the transcripts of public lectures presented at the Society and possibly other articles and book reviews Editorial Board General Editor: Amir Harrak, University of Toronto Editors Sebastian Brock, Oxford University Marina Greatrex, University of Ottawa Sidney Griffith, Catholic University of America Adam Lehto, University of Toronto Lucas van Rompay, Duke University Publisher Antoine Hirsch, University of Toronto The Canadian Society for Syriac Studies La Société Canadienne des Etudes Syriaques Society Officers 2005-2006 President: Amir Harrak Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer: Khalid Dinno Members of the Board of Directors: Samir Basmaji, Khalid Dinno, Grant Frame, Geoffrey Greatrex, Amir Harrak, Antoine Hirsch, Robert Kitchen, Adam Lehto, Albert Tarzi The aim of the CSSS is to promote the study of the Syriac culture which is rooted in the same soil from which the ancient Mesopotamian and biblical literatures sprung. The CSSS is purely academic, and its activities include a series of public lectures, one yearly sympo- sium, and the publication of its Journal. The Journal is distributed free of charge to the members of the CSSS who have paid their dues, but it can be ordered by other individuals and institutions for the following fees: $35.00 for individuals and $50.00 for institutions. Payment must be made in US dollars for orders from outside Canada. See the address of the CSSS on the back cover. Syriac Historiography Historiographie Syriaque Papers presented at a Symposium on “Syriac Historiography” November 12, 2005 Sponsored by The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and The Department of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa The Canadian Society for Syriac Studies Table of Contents From the Editor 1 Adil al-Jadir, Numbers and Dating Formulae in the Old Syriac 3 Inscriptions Muriel Debié, L’héritage de la chronique d’Eusèbe dans 18 l’historiographie syriaque Richard Burgess, A Chronological Prolegomenon to Reconstructing 29 Eusebius’ Chronici canones: The Evidence of Ps-Dionysius (the Zuqnin Chronicle) Geoffrey Greatrex, Pseudo-Zachariah of Mytilene: 39 the context and nature of his work Jan van Ginkel, Michael the Syrian and his Sources: Reflections on the 53 Methodology of Michael the Great as a Historiographer and its Implications for Modern Historians Witold Witakowski, The Ecclesiastical Chronicle of Gregory Bar‘Ebroyo 61 Members of the CSSS for 2005-2006 82 © The Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 2006 ISSN 1499-6367 Cover Picture “In the month of Adar (March), a shining sign was seen in the sky before dawn on the northeast side which is called Ram in the Zodiac, to the north of the three most shining stars. Its shape resembled a broom. On the twenty-second day of the month, it was still at the Ram at its head, in the first degree (of the Zodiac circle), the second after the wandering stars Kronos and Ares, somehow slightly to the south...” The Chronicle of Zuqnin (written 774/775). ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ FROM THE EDITOR he articles published in this issue centuries of our era) is a good beginning for of the Journal of the CSSS are all this series of lectures. The dating system in papers presented at the CSSS Edessa, the birthplace of Syriac Christian Symposium entitled “Syriac His- literature, was largely adopted by later Ttoriography/Historiographie Syriaque,” held Syriac Chroniclers and historiographers, at the University of Ottawa on Saturday No- although these also followed other systems vember 12, 2005. We are all grateful to of Greek origin. Prof. Geoffrey Greatrex, Department of Eusebius of Caesarea greatly influenced Classics and Religious Studies, University Syriac historiography. It is not surprising, of Ottawa, for organizing a very stimulating then, that two papers deal with this author in and very successful conference, as testified the present volume. Dr. Muriel Debié as- by the quality of the papers published in this sesses the role of Eusebius in Syriac histo- issue. All the papers are based on current riographical tradition, noticing that the lat- research on Greek and Syriac histo- ter’s Chronicle was not adopted by Syriac riographies conducted by the presenters, historiographers in its original form, either in thus giving us a glimpse of recent develop- form or content. While they relied on him in ments in this important discipline. discussing ancient and biblical history, they viewed history as a whole from their own * * * geographical and theological perspectives. The paper by Prof. R. Burgess compares the The Conference was financially supported chronologies of three “translations” of Euse- by the Social Sciences and Humanities Re- bius: Jerome, the 8th century Syriac Chroni- search Council of Canada, and the Depart- cle of Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre (the ments of Classics and Religious Studies, Zuqnin Chronicle), and an Armenian ver- University of Ottawa. sion. In doing so, Burgess engages in some necessary preliminary work before attempt- * * * ing the much more daunting task of recon- Chronology is the backbone of historiogra- structing the original Greek version of Euse- phy; thus Prof. A. Al-Jadir’s paper on the bius’ Chronici canones. The author stresses numbers and dating formulae found in Old the importance of Ps.-Dionysius, little ex- Syriac inscriptions and parchments (1st to 3rd ploited thus far in this kind of research. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 6 (2006) - Page 1 From the Editor ___________________________________________________________________________________ he also provides information relevant to the Professor Geoffrey Greatrex examines Church of the East (so-called “Nestorian”), the 6th century work of Pseudo-Zachariah of a rare phenomenon in West Syriac historiog- Mytilene, based largely on the work of the raphy. It seems that the ecumenical spirit of genuine Zechariah originally written in this author had a bearing on his work as a Greek. A close examination of the contents historiographer. and an analysis of the literary genre of the Syriac work leads Greatrex to argue that the *** work of Pseudo-Zachariah should be seen as a church history rather than as a chronicle, As is clear from the papers published in this though these sub-genres are closely intercon- issue, Syriac historiography is heir to Se- nected. mitic and especially Greek heritages: Se- The chronicle of Patriarch Michael the mitic in its tongue, Syriac (a dialect of Ara- Syrian or Michael the Great (12th century) is maic proper to Edessa), and Greek, in its the largest of all Syriac chronicles, and literary genre and to a great extent, contents. makes use of a great number of early There were several chronicles and ecclesias- sources, some now lost, some in fragmentary tical histories produced between the 6th and form. Dr. J. van Ginkel’s paper deals with the 13th centuries, some short and local, as the author’s way of selecting and using his in the case of the Edessan chronicle wrongly material. To what extent can the fragmentary attributed to Joshua the Stylite, and others sources be used to elucidate the mind and quite voluminous, as in the case of the attitudes of the original authors? The paper Chronicle of Michael the Great. Most of calls for careful analysis of these fragments these important sources are little known and before reconstructing them, while acknowl- inadequately exploited, due to outdated edi- edging their importance as source material. tions or translations, and to the general inac- The Maphrian Bar-Hebraeus was the cessibility of these sources. One wishes for last major chronicler and historiographer, standard editions of Syriac historiographical living during the Mongol period. Dr. W. works accompanied by translations into Witakowski devotes his paper to this poly- modern languages, something like the Loeb math, especially his two-part Chronography, Classical Library. Without such editions, the general and ecclesiastical histories, con- our knowledge of Near and Middle Eastern centrating on the latter part. While this part and World histories will remain incomplete. is a continuing history of the Syriac Ortho- Such new editions and translation remain a dox Church—Bar-Hebraeus’ own Church—, constant desirata. A.H. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 6 (2006) - Page 2 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NUMBERS AND DATING FORMULAE IN THE OLD SYRIAC INSCRIPTIONS* A. AL- JADIR UNIVERSITY OF TUNIS he city of Edessa (modern Urfa in economic and administrative operations.2 south-east Turkey) has yielded a The peoples of the ancient Near East had number of ancient Syriac inscrip- methods of employing different signs to de- tions through which one may form note numerals without