Mar Mattai

No Ishoʿyahb ever mentions that other monastery by Nineveh . . . at least not by its saint, Mar Mattai. Hither came Maruta and hence he... went. Wiki tells me that this is Alfâf.

The life of Ahudemmeh knows of Mar Mattai... alongside Mar Sergius (probably Rusafa) and Sinjar. It tells most (in this saint's afterlife) of Bet-Asa next to the town Aqrunta. One event in life involves shah Khusro I so, that's the AD sixth-century / AG ninth-. Mar Mattai seems an also-ran in these times. At least we know its list of abbots.

Mar John Sedra found Alfâf's monks unpleased with the Eastern Church surrounding them, as of AG 936. There was a lot of dissension up around here by the Edessene border - Hnana of Nisibis being notorious.

Later Guidi's Khuzestan chronicle recalls Sinjar as the worst of the Had-Qnoma ratnests through one Gabriel, bigamist and apostate. This chronicle never mentions Tikrit, "Mar Mattai", or "Alfaf". Now: Gabriel had done his worst work AG 923ish. Gabriel, always good with the ladies, had got Queen Shirin's favour. He, however, may have overreached. Per Siʿrt #88, Sinjar will get a bishopric; but inasmuch as Athanasius didn't say so at the time, I doubt Gabriel got to be a bishop.

Alfâf proved bad. Tikrit proved worse. Maruta was smarter than Gabriel was, and - if Denha be guide - simply better. Heraclius may have been more of a force here than any Persian; if AG 940, the chief Persian was that child Ardashir III.