The Greek Life of *Phōkas (martyr of Sinope, S00052) is translated into Syriac during the 5th or 6th century.
E05829
Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom
The two earliest textual witnesses of the Syriac translation of the Greek Life of Phokas [for a description and discussion, see E01962] are found in ms. Vatican Syr. 160, a composite manuscript comprised of three parts. The first witness appears on ff. 205r-211r of the second part, dated to the fifth or sixth century. The second witness appears on ff. 224v-231v of the third part, dated to the sixth century.
Both witnesses represent the same translation of the Greek text of the Life, closely related to the version printed in Acta Sanctorum [BHG 1536; for the text, see Mensis Iulius III (Antwerp, 1723), pp. 639-645]. Phokas is represented as the bishop of Sinope, who was martyred under the emperor Trajan for refusing to sacrifice to the pagan gods. In the final paragraph, Phokas' renown among seafarers and the extent of his fame are mentioned. In the headings of both witnesses, the date of the saint's martyrdom, and, presumably, commemoration, is given as 13th October.
The Syriac text of the Life was published in Brock 2013, together with English translation and discussion of its relation to the Greek version.
Composing and translating saint-related texts
Discussion
The Syriac translation of the Life bears witness to the spread of the 'Western' cult of Phokas among Syriac-speaking Christians during the fifth or, at latest, the sixth century, and is the earliest witness of the saint's cult in this milieu.Bibliography
Editions and translations:Brock, S.P. (ed.), The Martyrdom of St Phokas of Sinope (Texts from Christian Late Antiquity 31; Piscataway, New Jersey: Gorgias Press, 2013).
Sergey Minov
19/06/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00052 | Phokas, martyr of Sinope | ܦܘܩܐ | Certain |
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