elias of nisibis

[Sasha Treiger]

Dear Colleagues,

Thank you for your help with Christian Arabic translations into Ge'ez.

On a totally different subject: does anyone have access to the Arabic
text of Elias of Nisibis' Kitab al-Majalis? I am particularly
interested in Majlis 1.

Is there any edition of this Majlis later than Cheikho?

I have checked Samir's article on Elias of Nisibis in the
Bibliographie du dialogue islamo-chrétien, but it was written in the
70s, and I'm wondering if there is anything more recent than that.

Thank you in advance,
Sasha

[Bertaina, David]

Greetings Sasha,

Fr. Samir completed a critical edition of the first majlis. I will get back to you with the citation when I'm at my office (I think it is Melanges Univ. S.J. I have made preliminary translations of all seven sessions, and hope to do more on Elias in the near future, so please let me know if you have any questions.

All the best,
David

[Sasha Treiger]

Dear David,

Many thanks for this! I knew Fr Samir was working on this (from his
important entry on Elias of Nisibis in Bibliographie du dialogue
islamo-chrétien), but I wasn't aware of this publication. I would
appreciate the reference.

Perhaps you can help me with the following issue. There is a passage
which E.K. Delly says (La théologie d’Élie bar-Šénaya, Rome, 1957, pp.
77-78) he translates from the first majlis, but which is not, as far
as I can see, in Cheikho's edition of that majlis. Delly's work is not
accessible to me right now. So I was wondering if he was using a more
complete manuscript of the text than the ones used by Cheikho.

The passage is important for the history of the condemnation of
several East-Syriac mystics by the Catholicos Timothy in 786. Here it
is (in my free translation from the French):

At the time of [the ‘Abbāsid caliph] Hārūn al-Rašīd (r. 786-809), God
have mercy on him, there was a certain number of Christians who
believed and publicly proclaimed that the man taken from Mary [i.e.
Christ’s human nature] saw the eternal God [i.e. the divine nature].
The Catholicos of that time period, whose name was Timothy, assembled
more than sixteen metropolitans, thirty bishops, and a great number of
monks, scholars, and Christian dignitaries. They excommunicated and
banned whoever believed that Jesus, who is the man taken from Mary,
saw God, who is the eternal Word, in this world or would see Him in
the world to come, either with a material or with an intellectual
vision. They relied in this on the traditions and the doctrine [of the
Church], fearing lest a creature come to share with God, may He be
exalted, some of His essential attributes, such as the vision of God.

I would appreciate any help. Thank you in advance.

With best wishes,
Sasha

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[Bertaina, David]

Greetings,

The critical edition of the first majlis was published as:

Samir K. Samir, “Le premier Entretien d’Élie de Nisibe,” Islamochristiana 5 (1979), 31-117.

The passage you mention on the condemnation is included in his edition. I don't have the text with me, but his edition will mention which manuscripts include this condemnation. I recall other sources in Assemani referring to this synod's decision as well, although I'm away from the office and don't have access to my data.

All the best,
David


-----Original Message-----
From: nas...@googlegroups.com on behalf of Sasha Treiger
Sent: Wed 8/12/2009 12:13 AM
To: North American Society for Christian Arabic Studies
Subject: [nascas] Re: elias of nisibis


Dear David,

Many thanks for this! I knew Fr Samir was working on this (from his
important entry on Elias of Nisibis in Bibliographie du dialogue
islamo-chrétien), but I wasn't aware of this publication. I would
appreciate the reference.

Perhaps you can help me with the following issue. There is a passage

which E.K. Delly says (La théologie d'Élie bar-Sénaya, Rome, 1957, pp.

77-78) he translates from the first majlis, but which is not, as far
as I can see, in Cheikho's edition of that majlis. Delly's work is not
accessible to me right now. So I was wondering if he was using a more
complete manuscript of the text than the ones used by Cheikho.

The passage is important for the history of the condemnation of
several East-Syriac mystics by the Catholicos Timothy in 786. Here it
is (in my free translation from the French):

At the time of [the 'Abbasid caliph] Harun al-Rasid (r. 786-809), God

[Sasha Treiger]

Dear David,

 

Many thanks -- this solves the riddle. Now I just need to find this edition.

 

I do have the passage from Assemani.

 

Yours

Sasha

[Sasha Treiger]

Thank you again, David and everyone who helped out.

 

In case you and others are interested, here is the Arabic text of the passage as given by Samir (p. 115 of his edition; cf. also his important comments on pp. 38-39):

 

وقد كان في ايام هرون الرشيد رحمه الله ظهر في النصارى قوم كانوا يعتقدون ان البشري الماخوذ من مريم يرى الرب الازلي، فجمع جاثليق الوقت وكان اسمه طيماثاوس ستة عشر مطرانا ونيفا وثلاثين اسقفا وجمعا عظيما من الرهبان والعلماء واماثل النصارى وحرم جميعهم ولعنوا من كان يعتقد ان ايشوع الذي هو البشري الماخوذ من مريم راى الرب الذي هو الكلمة الازلية في الدنيا او يراه في الاخرة رؤيا العين او رؤيا العقل. اعتمدوا في ذلك متابعة الشرع وتنزيه الباري تعالى من ان يشركه بعض المخلوقين ببعض صفاته الذاتية التي بعضها رؤيا الرب

 

Yours with best wishes,

Sasha