Mar John wrecks the Orient

The great bane of the reconstituted Catholicate from AG 940 (AD 628) was the haeresiarch of the Syrians. Andrew Palmer's 1993 selection of west-Syrian chronicles make much of Mar Athanasius, as you can imagine. He followed Julian in AG 915 and after a long career, died 28 July 942 in "Indiction IV" of the Roman tax-cycle, AD 631. So Thomas priest of (probably) Reshʿayna (the AD 819/846 synopsis agrees on the year). The chronicler of Zuqnîn doesn't pin the date, but for AG 955 notes the transfer to John, his "disciple" from the monastery Eusebona, near Aleppo. Most likely John was that bishop of Cyrrhus who came to Mabbug and, possibly, retained his see in this "orthodoxy" - which other bishops could not.

Thomas has John elevated "Indiction V the next year" (AG 943, after October 631); 819/846 has his death AG 960. Dionysius of Tel Mahre like Zuqnîn may have been vague since the 1234 Chronicle slips up here (Palmer, 188).

[SPLIT OUT 5/16/23: John's memory. Needs its own page.]

In the East, they remembered John too ... for helping to mess the place up. Here is Siʿrt #110:

This man, surnamed Camel (Jamal), was patriarch of the Jacobites for fourteen years: He had an intelligent disciple, named John. He sent him to Persia with Maroutha the monk, metropolitan of Tagrit. Athanasius, after his death, was succeeded by this John, who occupied the seat for 17 years. It was he who composed most of the Jacobites' prayers, the mass of the consecration of anointment, the blessing of water and other things.

Denha's biography notes also Maruta's investiture by means of the deceased and thrice blessed patriarch Mar Athanasius, by the order and the choice of the patriarch and by the solicitude of him who was in truth a good heir and a faithful imitator of his master: Mar John, who was patriarch after Athanasius.

Michael the Syrian 11.4 inserts after a saecular chronicle up to AG 945, this:

When the patriarch Athanasius sent John, his syncellus, to the Porte of the Persian king, having finished his business, John journeyed through the country of Athor and Nineveh, and went up to the monastery of Mar Mattai to receive the blessing of the saints who were there. There he met Metropolitan (sic) Christophorus, and he rejoiced to see the doings of the monks there. He talked with them about the restoration (of the union) and (showed them) how weakened they had been since they had separated from the see of Antioch; and they consented to go with him to the patriarch. John took Christophorus and three monks: Marouta, Aha and Aitallaha. — They came to Antioch, in the year 940 of the Greeks, to be ordained bishops by the patriarch. What happened after they arrived, we can learn from the following letter -

This letter by Athanasius relays some words of John Sedra:

But, since our son and syncellus, the friend of God, the priest Mar John has returned to us, he has told us of your love for all the saints and above all for our baseness - your humility, your docility, your patience, your vigils, your long nocturnal stations, your fasting, your abstinence, and, above all, your ardent zeal for the faith; how you were prepared to suffer rather than allow the orthodoxy of the faith to be altered, or the canons to be trampled upon. He has seen in you many times twice what we had heard of you; and we rejoiced in you in these hard times.

Then Athanasius lays it down:

Mar Marouta has been ordained for Tagrit; Aitallaha, for Marga and Gomal; Aha, for lower Péroz-Sabour, and the people of Taiyayê Namirayê. We have ordained Mar Christophorus, Metropolitan for the province of Athor only.

This letter was most famous and may be read in Latin now as well. It was not lost on its editor.

Elias bar Shenaya gives some basics AG 935, crediting Ishoʿdnah of the Mayshanite Furat. Siʿrt #88 tells most:

The Jacobites had no known seats in the Persian Empire where they could establish bishops. Ever since the Emperor Justinian had driven them out, they wandered at random. Athanasius became their leader in the thirty-fourth year of Kosrau which is AG 936 {ed.: Scher footnotes this} and the third of the appearance of the legislator of Islam in al-Madina (peace be upon him). They met in the convent of Mattai in the region of Nineveh, where they established the sees. The first see was Tikrit for which they ordained a metropolitan, Maruta. #2 Bet-'Arbaye, #3 Sinjar . . . [ten in all]

Siʿrt translates Elias' source for Ishoʿdnah's record. Unless it translates Ishoʿdnah's own source. Scher has good reason to distrust Siʿrt's dates and I agree Siʿrt is loose with its sources; pace Scher, I suggest the Syriac intended that Athanasius assumed command over the East in 34 Anno Khosrae. Siʿrt further quotes Athanasius' letter as far as it assured the ʿIraqis that Maruta was Athanasius' "vicar" over them. Oh, and John will remind Maruta of the aforementioned in a later request for more martyrology - adding that one Mar Addai had been Alfâf's archimandrite.

Athanasius, again, styled this one the "Metropolitan", granting said title to Maruta; I still don't see "Maphrian" (yet). Maruta's own successor Denha will plump for AG 940 for this formal installation. Like Bar-Hebraeus.

Inasmuch as Siʿrt #109 claimed that Mar John came to Tikrit and not to Nineveh, these accounts are in conflict. Then there's the year: Michael is like Denha's hagiography of Maruta for AG 940; Siʿrt #88 hits the 34th year of Khusro II like Elias AG 935.

Now: I like Siʿrt and Elias. And only Denha comes remotely from the same timespan. I had last week suspected that one's "AG 940" of being a round number and noted how Denha himself saw Maruta's settlement as slow to attract the Tikritis' respect. But here Siʿrt and Elias compile for the "Enemy" and, in Siʿrt's case, by translation (to Arabic) at that. And Siʿrt #88 implies Athanasius himself went to Mar Mattai, rather than John. Michael's account, transcribed right from Athanasius' Syriac, is to be preferred. Especially since Siʿrt's source had read it!

The Orientals' date will be John's mission to Mount Alfâf, which is really where Siʿrt #88 starts; the Occidentals' date will be the date of Athanasius' letter.

ALSO 4/23: Marianna Mazzola.