The Syriac Chronicle of the Year 1234 records that the church dedicated to *Sergios (soldier and martyr of Rusafa, S00023) was built in Edessa (Mesopotamia) during the episcopate of Hiba (435-457). Written in the 13th c., but based on an earlier source.
Evidence ID
E01231
Type of Evidence
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Chronicle of the Year 1234, 43
ܐܬܒܢܝ ܬܘܒ ܗܝܟܠܐ ܫܒܝܚܐ ܥܠ ܫܡ ܣܗܕܐ ܢܨܝܚܐ ܡܪܝ ܣܪܓܝܤ܆ ܥܠ ܬܪܥܐ ܡܕܢܚܝܐ ܕܡܕܝܢܬܐ. ܒܛܘܦܣܐ ܕܗ̇ܘ ܕܫ̈ܠܝܚܐ. ܗ̇ܠܝܢ ܬܖ̈ܝܗܘܢ ܒܢܐ ܐܢܘܢ ܝܗܝܒܐ ܐܦܝܣܩܘܦܐ ܕܐܘܪܗܝ. ܗ̇ܘ ܕܢܦܠ ܒܗܪܣܝܤ ܕܢܣܛܘܪܝܘܤ܆ ܐܘܟܝܬ ܕܬܖ̈ܝܢ ܟ̈ܝܢܐ: ܫܢܬ ܫܒܥ ܡܐܐ ∙ܘܡܘ∙ ܒܝܘܡ̈ܝ ܝܗܝܒܐ ܐܦܝܣܘܘܦܐ ܗ̇ܘ ܕܩܡ ܒܬܪ ܪܒܘܠܐ.
'Again, the glorious church in the name of the victorious martyr Mar Sergios was built by the eastern gate of the city, similar to that (i.e. the church) of the apostles. These two were built by the bishop of Edessa Hiba, the one who fell into the heresy of Nestorius, that is of the two natures. The year 746 (AD 434/5), in the days of the bishop Hiba, who came after Rabbula.'
Text: Chabot 1916-1937, v. 1, p. 180.
Translation: Sergey Minov.
Cult Places
Cult building - independent (church)
Non Liturgical ActivityConstruction of cult buildings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Source
The Chronicle of the Year 1234 is a historiographical work that belongs to the genre of universal chronicle. It begins with the creation of the world and reaches the year 1234, covering events from both secular and ecclesiastical history. The Chronicle is an original Syriac composition, produced soon after the year 1234 by a Syriac-speaking author, who was a younger contemporary of the patriarch Michael the Great (1166-1199), the famous West-Syrian historian. The prominent role played in the Chronicle by Edessa, as well as the detailed description of events that took place in the city during the late 12th and early 13th centuries, suggest that its author was a citizen of this city.Syriac text: Chabot 1916-1937, vv. 1-2; Latin translation: Chabot 1916-1937, v. 3; French translation: Abouna and Fiey 1974. For general information, see van Ginkel 2011; Yousif 2002, 205-237; Hilkens 2014.
Discussion
The Chronicle reports that during the episcopate of Hiba (435-457), Rabbula's successor (see on him Rammelt 2008), the martyrium church dedicated to Sergios was built in Edessa. This church was located outside the eastern gate of the city (for its possible location, see Segal 1970, Plan I). It is unclear from where the medieval Syriac chronicler derives this information. However, since it is consistent with what we know about Hiba's building activities and about the church of Sergios, there is no reason to doubt this evidence.Bibliography
Main editions and translations:Chabot, J.B., Anonymi auctoris Chronicon ad annum Christi 1234 pertinens. 3 vols (CSCO 81, 82, 109, Syr. 36, 37, 56; Paris: Typographeo Reipublicae, 1916, 1920, 1937).
Abouna, A., and Fiey, J.-M., Chronicon anonymum ad annum Christi 1234 pertinens (CSCO 354, Syr. 154; Louvain: Secrétariat du CorpusSCO, 1974).
Further reading:
Hilkens, A., 'The Anonymous Syriac Chronicle Up to the Year 1234 and its Sources' (Ph.D. dissertation; Universiteit Gent, 2014).
Segal, J.B., Edessa, ‘The Blessed City’ (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1970).
van Ginkel, J.J., “Chronicle of 1234,” in: S.P. Brock, A.M. Butts, G.A. Kiraz and L. van Rompay (eds.), Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage (Piscataway, New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2011), 97.
Yousif, E.-I., Les chroniqueurs syriaques (Paris: L’Harmattan, 2002).
Record Created By
Sergey Minov
Date of Entry
30/03/2016
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00023 | Sergios, soldier and martyr of Rusafa | ܣܪܓܝܤ | Certain |
|---|
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Sergey Minov, Cult of Saints, E01231 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E01231