Bishop Titus of al-Hadîtha

The Church of the East recalls Bishop Titus of al-Hadîtha. He built its (Nestorian) cathedral and did his best to convert the heretics and Jews.

Per Siʿrt #64 the Severans and Jacobites drifted into al-Hadîtha. Despite being under Hidyab's metro' the Catholicos got involved: Siʿrt has an actual date (AG 966) so marks Ishoʿyahb [III], Ishoʿdnah says the much-earlier Ezekiel (d. AG 892).

Later Thomas of Marga will cite a strategem by metropolitan Ishoʿyahb on the rebuilding of the Bet-Abe, telling the flock that catholicos Ishoʿyahb III had quarried the mud of it from that town.

Note that Ishoʿyahb III never mentioned this town, himself, at least not in his extant letters. No "Titus", neither. Siʿrt also involves the famous Yazdin active mainly up to AG 930s. Siʿrt's all over the place.

Addai Scher got there first - and attempted to fix this mess, thus: These details obviously show that the above date of 966 (AD 655) is incorrect. The catholicos Ishoʿyahb who consecrated Titus is doubtless the first of this name, who led the Nestorian Church from 582 to 595; Kosrau II, accompanied by Yazdin, seized Dara in 604. The year 966 of the Greeks would therefore be for the year 866 (555), the period in which Jacob Baradaeus endeavored to raise the Monophysite party everywhere.

Further to Ishoʿdnah's pre-Athanasian date, consider that Jacobite literature exists for the Bet-ʿArabaye. And that in Siʿrt's context #64 is a mite early for post-966 lore. As for AD 555, well... Justinian wasn't making it easy in Egypt, but from Âmid we do have the epitome and extension of Zacharias so why not.