Two questions

[Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth]

Dear All,

I would ask your esteemed opinion on two issues that perplex me. 

In a manuscript that I'm working on, I encountered a rather curious introductory formula which I have never seen before. Does anybody know if it points to a specific denominational background?

بسم الاب البسيط والابن الوسيط وروح القدس البارقليط

My second question is related to epithets used in hagiographies. The form I usually see is البار after the name, but I'm working on something where I have what appears to be البادر, which does not make sense, but this is what I have in two manuscripts containing the same text. The only solution I can think of is that it's باذر - someone who sows, disseminates (the good example or the faith, I assume), but can anyone confirm if it is indeed used in hagiographies and not some corrupted form?

Thank you,

Adam

[Martino Diez]

What about Latin “Pater”? Of course, it depends on the epoch and church affiliation of the hagiographies you are working on.

All my best,

Martino 

Il giorno 24 ott 2025, alle ore 20:06, Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth <adam.gac...@gmail.com> ha scritto:



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[Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth]

Hi Martino,

I've received the same suggestion off-list. For the sake of simplicity, I did not mention that this is a female hagiography, the actual form is البادرة, so I doubt they added the Arabic feminine ending to the Latin pater, but I appreciate your help anyway.

Best wishes,

Adam

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[Yulia Petrova]

Dear Adam,

It is the feminine form الباررة (in MSA البارّة), where the double "r" is written separately. This phenomenon is found in Paul of Aleppo's Journal as well. I suppose that the first ر may look closer to د, that's why this question arose.

Best wishes,

Yulia.

сб, 25 окт. 2025 г. в 11:27, Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth <adam.gac...@gmail.com>:

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Yours sincerely,
Yulia P.

[Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth]

Dear Yulia,

I actually have the article that you wrote on his journal, I quickly read it through again, but I cannot find which manuscript(s) use(s) this orthography. Can you please let me know?

Thank you,

Adam

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[Yulia Petrova]

The Paris (BnF) Ms Arabe 6016. In the 2024 Brill edition of the Journal this form is present on p. 728:

 قديسه اسمها يولياني بارره جديده - "...a saint called the Righteous Iuliana the New" (translation, p. 729).

сб, 25 окт. 2025 г. в 14:32, Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth <adam.gac...@gmail.com>:

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[Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth]

Thank you so much!

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[Habib Ibrahim]

I found the expression بسم الاب البسيط والابن الوسيط وروح القدس البارقليط in the edition of Sulayman al-Ghazzi's ردّ عَلى المخالفين الأمانة المستقيمة الأرثوذكسيَّة . However, I checked all the manuscripts and none of them has the expression.

Habib

[Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth]

Dear Habib,

Thank you for looking into this. So once again we see how untrustworthy published versions can be...

Best regards,

Adam

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[Josh Mugler]

Dear Ádám,

I have seen this basmalah formula on several manuscripts. I have not considered the sectarian implications of the formula before, and it would take an extensive survey to confirm this, but my instinct would be that it would primarily appear in Melkite and Rūm Orthodox manuscripts. These churches use Arabic more extensively than most others, and the Greek loanword at the end of the formula would seem more likely in those Greek-heritage communities as well. The same basmalah appears on BALA 00038 in HMML: https://w3id.org/vhmml/readingRoom/view/107705.

Josh Mugler

HMML

[Jean G. VALENTIN]

Dear colleagues,

This basmala is unknown to me, but may be I have an element.

As to الوسيط for naming the Son, I have met this in a handful of lectionaries: in John 1,41 "the Μεσσιας which is translated Χριστος" we find "المسيح which is translated الوسيط".

My conjecture: it might be an attempt to translate etymologically from the Greek instead og from Aramaic/Hebrew: phonetically, Μεσσιας resembles Μεσιτης "the Mediator", it could be inspired by 1 Timothy 2,5 where Christ is called "the Mediator" - Μεσιτης.

I do not know what it's worth, it's just a conjecture, but who knows?

If you want to know in which lectionaries I found it... it's been along time, but I can search in my notes. It could take some time, though.

Sincerely yours,

Jean V., Brussels

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[Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth]

Dear Josh and Jean,

These are really helpful, I'm very grateful for your help. 

Jean, if you could search through your notes, I would appreciate it, but of course, no need to hurry.

Thank you again,

Adam

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[Jean G. VALENTIN]

Dear Adam,

I have looked at my notes: it was years ago, and my memory betrayed me!

The correct verse is not in John 1, but it is John 4,25 in lectionary Sinai ar. 121, folio 13 recto.

Here it is:

الوسيط الذي يقال له المسيح 

Please excuse me fro the wrong reference, but at least here it is :-) Μεσσιας is translated الوسيط probably due to the phonetic resεmblance with Μεσιτης, while Χριστος is as usually translated by المسيح.

Sincerely yours,

Jean V., in Brussels

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[Ádám Gacsályi-Tóth]

Dear Jean,

This is great, thank you so much!

Best regards,

Adam

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