On Epistles 42 and 45

These two letters #42 and #45 go together. Both refer to the uniting of a town without a bishop, and a bishop without a town; under a metropolitan who may or may not agree with uniting them. #42 delivers the content (eventually). But, whilst everyone was awaiting word from the metropolitan - Cyriacos of Nisibin - or, perhaps, waiting for him to wade through Ishoʿyahb's bloated prose: the city Balad went ahead to have their chosen bishop carry out his duties anyway. That other bishop agrees with their choice in #45, and blesses them all; albeit is a mite worried about the precedent set. (Which, he doesn't say, is the precedent of Armenians and of Mar Mattai.)

Scott-Moncrieff delivered fair summaries for "XL" and "XLIII". #42 is, indeed, full of "eloquence" so, I confess, about after the second please I left my translation to Google. As for #45 I saved my efforts for the second paragraph onward.

Ishoʿyahb knows the catholicos in the royal city, still Mahoze / Seleucia, as famed among "foreigners". Not - I must point out - pagans or impious or Persians or even Tayyaye. For his Nisibene audience those foreigners would be the Greeks. So this letter was issued after the embassy to Aleppo to which, we have noted, Cyriacos was a direct party. #42 also should precede the Catholicate moving to Bet-Garmay but then, I expect Cyriacos himself won't live to see that, either. Mahoze looks like still the royal city, although these letters don't say which royal.

As style goes Ishoʿyahb in #42 abases himself in keeping with the post-#15 corpus. He doesn't bow nearly so low in #45 but then, the Baladenes haven't exactly worked within the rules - so the properly-installed bishop doesn't much want this town with its selfmade man to put on further airs.

I do not know if Ishoʿyahb from this point of Ninevene history answers to Cyriacos. I actually suspect he might. Once Cyriacos is out, Nisibis has no metropolitan. We shall see Ishoʿyahb address other letters upstairs up different stairs - like Beth Garmay. As usual, Mar Paul of Arbela isn't mentioned; #42 does note a Paul but he seems a man of the past.

How a bishop got consecrated without a see is a... good question. Ishoʿyahb #42 hints at a scandal. The Baladenes presumably know, too - and don't care. The best answer is that the man had a see but lost it. The real scandal, then, is little more than the loss of his appointed see, itself.

The migratory bishop's name is Maruzan. Based on Maruzan's name his parents were Iranian. I do not read that the Tayyaye were those who turfed him out. The Had-Qnoma is more likely: if a mountain site I am tempted to see Sinjar, after George's disgrace from there. Points to the Oriental Church for the effort.

AG 942-5, I think.

DAMNATIO MEMORIAE 3/27: The Baladenes kept a diptych: Vosté 150 > Mingana 564 > Brock 1971 10.1484/J.ABOL.4.02898. Mar Paul is remembered, as is local-boy-made-good future Ishoʿyahb II. Maruzan is NOT remembered; Ishoʿyahb is followed by Sisan then Gabril. Note that this MS acknowledges Cyriacos for overlord, which not all Nisibenes will stomach. This diptych smells like something imposed from above. I cannot see metro' Isaac or his popes Maremmeh or Ishoʿyahb III imposing this memory upon Balad; it all has the stink of Catholicos George.

FIEY 4/16/23: E. XLII and XLV are summarised ch. V, p. 18 in French, looking back.