Mar Mattai and Tikrit

Having blown the greater part of last winter on the Oriental churches, I've this morning stumbled upon Marianna Mazzola in Le Museon 2019.

Ishoyahb as bishop in Nineveh, on its way to becoming "Mosul", dealt with two centres of "Heresy". One was Tikrit; the other, Mount Alfaf. Alfaf (we find elsewhere) is host to the monastery of saint Matthew, Mar Mattai in east-Syriac.

Mazzola calls this "Mor Matay" in a nod to the Western pronunciations - for my part, I grant to the Had-Qnoma more agency in the East (cf "Cave Of Treasures"). In fact Mazzola argues similarly: Athanasius blessed the new bishoprics in the East on condition he not subject these to the West. It seems Athanasius' sincere belief that an orthodox metropole look to its own hierarchy without a universal pope. The Nestorians, by then, looked up to a "Catholicos", at least ideally.

Mazzola would divide the post-Athanasian Orient further: that Alfaf was a metropole looking over the Jazira, whilst Takrit took on only the six episcopacies across the south. There might be a metropolitan in Tikrit with sufficient personality and wisdom that his opinions be respected in the north - Marutha assuredly fit this bill - but, sometimes, a "Matthean" bishop would assert himself as archbishop, to the irritation of the Takritis.

I will keep Mazzola in mind, when looking at Church politics from the seventh century onward. Although honestly as I read Ishoyahb, Tikrit does seem like the metropole. Alfaf acts as maverick: Ishoyahb can sometimes work with its leaders, but sometimes thinks he can appeal over/around them - at Tikrit. This may reflect the political realities of the Arabs who had sultan "KBB" (Khabib?) at Tikrit, with no direct presence at Alfaf.