Record | The Cult of Saints

The Syriac Chronicle of Edessa records that in 457 Nonnos became bishop of Edessa (northern Mesopotamia), and built there a church dedicated to John the Baptist (S00020) and another to Kosmas and Damianos (brothers, physician martyrs of Syria, S00385). Written in Edessa, in second half of 6th c.

Evidence ID

E00081

Type of Evidence

Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)

Chronicle of Edessa 68

ܫܢܬ ܫܒܥܡܐܐ ܘܫܬܝܢ ܘܬܫܥ ܒܐܝܪܚ ܬܫܪܝܢ ܩܕܡ ܒܥܣܖ̈ܝܢ ܘܬܡܢܝܐ ܒܗ ܐܬܬܢܝܚ ܗܝܒܐ ܐܦܝܣܩܘܦܐ ܒܐܘܪܗܝ. ܘܐܬܐ ܠܕܘܟܬܗ ܢܘܢܐ. ܘܒܢܐ ܒܝܬ ܡܪܝ ܝܘܚܢܢ ܡܥܡܕܢܐ ܘܐܓܘܪܣܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܡ̈ܣܟܢܐ ܡ̈ܢܣܝܐ ܠܒܪ ܡܢ ܬܪܥܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܫܡܫ. ܒܢܐ ܕܝܢ ܒܗ ܒܐܓܘܪܣܐ ܕܡ̈ܣܟܢܐ ܒܝܬ ܣܗ̈ܕܐ ܠܡܪܝ ܩܘܙܡܐ ܘܡܪܝ ܕܡܝܢܐ. ܒܢܐ ܕܝܢ ܐܦ ܕܝܖ̈ܬܐ ܘܦܘܖ̈ܩܣܐ. ܘܥܒܕ ܓܝܫܖ̈ܐ ܘܫܝܢ ܐܘܖ̈ܚܬܐ

'The year 769 [AD 457], in the month Tishrin the former [October], on the twenty-eighth, Hiba, bishop of Edessa, went to rest; and Nonnos came into his place, and built the house of Mar John the Baptist, and a place for poor invalids, outside the gate of Beth Shemesh; and in the place for the poor he built the house of the martyrs to Mar Cosmas and Mar Damian. Now he built also convents and towers, and made bridges, and levelled the roads.'

Text: Guidi 1903, 8. Translation: Cowper 1864, 35, lightly modified.

Cult Places

Cult building - independent (church)

Non Liturgical Activity

Construction of cult buildings

Protagonists in Cult and Narratives

Ecclesiastics - bishops

Source

The Chronicle of Edessa is a collection of mainly short entries, most of which are related to the history of the city of Edessa. It is an original Syriac composition, produced in the second half of the 6th century by a pro-Chalcedonian Syriac-speaking author.

Syriac text: Guidi 1903, vol. 1, 1-13; English translation: Cowper 1864, 30-39; German translation: Hallier 1892, 84-138; Russian translation: Пигулевская 1959. For general information, see van Rompay 2011; Witakowski 1986.

Bibliography

Editions and translations:
Guidi, I., Chronica minora, Pars prior. 2 vols (CSCO Syr. III.4; Paris: Typographeo Reipublicae, 1903).

Cowper, B.H., “Selections from the Syriac. No. I: The Chronicle of Edessa,” Journal of Sacred Literature and Biblical Record NS V, 9 (1864), 28-45.

Hallier, L., Untersuchungen über die Edessenische Chronik, mit dem Syrischen Text und einer Übersetzung (Texte und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen Literatur 9.1; Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs, 1892).

Пигулевская, Н.В., “Эдесская хроника,” Палестинский сборник 4 [67] (1959), 79-96; reprinted in: Пигулевская, Н.В., Сирийская средневековая историография. Исследования и переводы (С.-Петербург: Дмитрий Буланин , 2000), 468-476.

Further reading:
Rompay, L. van, “Chronicle of Edessa,” in: S.P. Brock, A.M. Butts, G.A. Kiraz and L. van Rompay (eds.), Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage (Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2011), 97-98.

Witakowski, W., “Chronicles of Edessa,” in: T. Kronholm and E. Riad (eds.), On the Dignity of Man: Oriental and Classical Studies on Honour of Frithiof Rundgren (Orientalia Suecana 33-35; Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell, 1986), 487-498.

Record Created By

Sergey Minov

Date of Entry

13/10/2014

Related Saint Records

ID	Name	Name in Source	Identity
S00020	John the Baptist	ܝܘܚܢܢ ܡܥܡܕܢܐ	Certain
S00385	Kosmas and Damianos, brothers, physician martyrs of Syria		Certain

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Sergey Minov, Cult of Saints, E00081 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E00081

The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world

The Syriac Chronicle of Edessa records that in 457 Nonnos became bishop of Edessa (northern Mesopotamia), and built there a church dedicated to John the Baptist (S00020) and another to Kosmas and Damianos (brothers, physician martyrs of Syria, S00385). Written in Edessa, in second half of 6th c.

E00081

Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)

Cult building - independent (church)

Construction of cult buildings

Ecclesiastics - bishops

Source

Bibliography

Sergey Minov

13/10/2014

The Syriac Chronicle of Edessa records that in 457 Nonnos became bishop of Edessa (northern Mesopotamia), and built there a church dedicated to *John the Baptist (S00020) and another to *Kosmas and Damianos (brothers, physician martyrs of Syria, S00385). Written in Edessa, in second half of 6th c.

E00081

Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)

Cult building - independent (church)

Construction of cult buildings

Ecclesiastics - bishops

Source

Bibliography

Sergey Minov

13/10/2014

The Syriac Chronicle of Edessa records that in 457 Nonnos became bishop of Edessa (northern Mesopotamia), and built there a church dedicated to John the Baptist (S00020) and another to Kosmas and Damianos (brothers, physician martyrs of Syria, S00385). Written in Edessa, in second half of 6th c.