Friday, March 18, 2022

On Metropolitan Epistles 14 and 20

I'd "scanlated" metropolitan letter #14 a week ago; #20 yesterday - after rereading Bcheiry, 100-1, 101-2. Bcheiry held them as related, on which assumption I assemble them here.

These letters treat Moses and Sergius (respectively) as old friends. Moses would then be the chief-priest of bishop-free-now Nisibin; one or more Sergius is/are a recurrent name throughout those letters before Ishoʿyahb went to Arbela as metropolitan.

Ishoʿyahb's metropolitan letters #14 and #20 represent internal "pings" about whether this metropolitan in particular is happy with his pope. Given Ishoʿyahb’s history, given that Isaac hasn't taken up the seat in Nisibin, and given the general anxiety upon ʿUmar's passing - this pope will be the new one: Maremmeh winter AD 644-5 / AG 956.

Moses technically just a priest shouldn’t be privy to this gossip; but, as we know well, gossip happens, especially among Christian clerics, and Moses owns a particular interest if this pope be better than the previous one. Ishoʿyahb tells Moses of miracles ascribed to the new pope, which he does not tell Sergius. This may be because Moses is getting a later letter, implying that Ishoʿyahb had received Moses’s letter later. Or maybe Moses needs the boost.

As these things go, we may allow that Sergius’ inquiry had come with his diocese’s fiduciary collection; Moses’ not so much. Harvest season in Asorestan - what's now the Kurdestan - starts mid-May. So, let #20 be sent June and then #14 soon afterwards whilst this archbishop is still in a good mood.

FIEY 4/17/23: M. XIV is discussed ch. II as retrospect to earlier times. M. XX goes unremarked.

No comments:

Post a Comment