■
NEW FINDS OF SYRIAC MANUSCRIPTS IN THE
MIDDLE EAST
BY William F. Macomber, S. J., Rom
I have been asked to give you a report on my activities with regard to
Syriac manuscripts in the Middle East. I shall add to it brief indications
of my plans and hopes for the futme.
Fom years ago I conceived the project of gathering information on the
location and contents of the collections of Syriac manuscripts in the Middle
East. Since I am simultaneously a professor at the Pontifical Institute of
Oriental Studies in Rome and a member of the Iraq Mission of the Society
of Jesus, I am frequently obliged to make trips to and from the Middle East.
1 have, therefore, profited from these opportunities and have visited a large
number of libraries that contain Syriac manuscripts. I have seen well over
2 300 manuscripts that were previously unknown in the West, and of these
more than 2000 were Syriac.
1 must say at once, however, that my researches up to now have been
mostly limited to libraries in Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. I can name three
important collections elsewhere in the Middle East that have yet to be
catalogued*, the libraries of the Maronite Patriarchate at Bkerke with at
least 118 manuscripts*, the Syrian Orthodox (Jacobite) Patriarchate at
Damascus with 323*, and tho Maronite archiepiscopal residence at Aleppo
with, it is said, 1500*. Probably important, too, are the 130 manuscripts
of the two Syrian Orthodox churches of Urfa in Turkey, that have been
* Tbe Syrian Orthodox Monastery of St. Mark in Jerusalem has an important
collection of 260 manuscripts for which a manuscript checklist exists. I do not
hst it here because its contents have been incorporated into A. Baumstark,
Geschichte der syrischen Literatur, Bonn 1922.
2 That is, 118 is the highest number of the manuscripts indicated by P.-E.
Gemayel, Avant-messe maronite, histoire et structure (= Orientalia Christiana
Analecta, 174), Rome 1965, pp. ix-x.
* I was shown a manuscript list at the library that gives the totals for each
of the main divisions: Scripture - 19 manuscripts; scriptural commentary - 27;
memre and homilies - 21; theology - 50; hturgy - 77; philosophy - 17; grammar
and lexioa - 18; canon law - 12; history - 29; asceticism - 14; Islamic - 14;
ancient - 25.
* This information was kindly communicated to me by the Rev. Jean Tabet,
O. L. M., professor of liturgy at the University of the Holy Spirit, Kaslik,
Lebanon.
474 William F. Macomber
transferred to Aleppo*. Out of all these coUections I have personally examin¬
ed only 9 manuscripts, all of them of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate at
Damascus, which include an 8th centmy manuscript of Pseudo-Denis, an
8th century manuscript of writings of Athanasius, two volumes of a 9th
or 10th centmy collection of lives of Saints and Martyrs, and fom manu¬
scripts of the memre of Ephrem and James of Sarug of the 10th to 12th cen¬
turies.
For Iraq, on the other hand, I have a view of the collections owned by
churches and monasteries that is nearly complete. As for the private col¬
lections here and elsewhere in the Middle East, they are difficult to locate.
I have visited a number of them, but I have yet to be shown a manuscript
of an importance great enough to deserve mention here. One collection said
to be of considerable interest was at Erbid in Jordan, where it may have
been destroyed by the recent Israeli bombardment'.
The only libraries in Iraq for which catalogues have been published are
those of the Chaldean Patriarchate, formerly located in Mosul', the Monaste¬
ry of Notre-Dame des Semences at Alqos*, and the Chaldean episcopal re¬
sidences at 'Aqra° and Kerkuk*". All of these collections have been divided
for one reason or another. On the other hand, all of them now contain many
manuscripts not mentioned in the catalogues, partly, perhaps, because
they were incomplete in the first place, but partly because new codices have
been added.
* Cf. I. A. Barsaum, Histoire des sciences et de la litterature sjrriaque (in
Arabic with the title, Kitäb al-Lu'lu' al-Manthür), 2nd edition, Aleppo 1956,
p. 35 (nr. 23). W. Baars of the Peshitta Institute of Leiden informs me that some
manuscripts remain in one of the churches at Urfa, but that permission to see
the manuscripts cannot be obtained from the Turkish authorities. I must ex¬
press my deepest gratitude to the Peshitta Institute for all the information that
has been so generously communicated to me about this and many other collec¬
tions of Syriac manuscripts.
« It was owned by the Assyrian leader Daniel de Baz. His brother, Rabi
Yohannan de Baz of Baghdad also has a private collection, said to be of value,
but the owner is very reluctant to show it to anyone.
' A. Scher, Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques conserves dans la biblio¬
theque du patriarcat chaldöen de Mossoul, in Revue des Bibhotbeques 17 (1907),
227-60.
* J.-M. VosTfi, Catalogue de la bibliotheque syro-chaldöenne de Notre-Dame
des Semences prös d'AlqoS (Iraq), Rome/Paris 1929 (reprinted from Angelicum
5 [1928], 3-36, 161-94, 325-58, and 481-98).
' J.-M. VosT^:, Catalogue des manuscrits syro-chald^ens conserves dans la
bibliotheque öpiscopale de 'Aqra (Iraq), in Orientalia Christiana Periodica 5
(1939), 368-406.
*" J.-M. VosTE, Catalogue des manuscrits syro-chaldeens conserves dans la
bibliotheque de rarcheveche chaldöen de Kerkouk (Iraq), in Orientalia Christiana Periodica 5 (1939), 72-102.
New Finds of Sjrriao Manuscripts in the Middle East 476
The library of the Chaldean Patriarchate was transferred to Baghdad
about nine years ago. However, since 14 of the manuscripts listed in the
catalogue belonged, not to the patriarchate, but to the cathedral of Mosul,
they were left behind when the patriarchate was moved". I have been un¬
able to locate 15 manuscripts described in the catalogue**, but in at least
fom cases this may have been because the description was inadequate or
erroneous**. Fortunately, only two of the missing codices are of great value,
an 11th centmy copy of the spiritual works of Gregory of Cyprus** and a
12th centmy manuscript that contained the capita scientiae of Simeon
d-Taybüteh**, this latter being a tragic loss, for it was unique according to
Baumstark**.
Through the kindness of His Beatitude Paul II Cheikho, the actual
Chaldean Patriarch, I have been able to examine all of the manuscripts now
in the patriarchal library and to take copious notes. It is my hope eventually
to publish a new catalogue, but this will not be possible in the immediate
future. The present library includes 336 manuscripts of which 279 are, at
least in part, Syriac. 19 codioes derive from the archiepiscopal library of
Diarbekir*', and one, an interesting funeral ritual of the 17th centmy, is
from the library of Seert. The other new codices are rather disappointing.
There are a few liturgical manuscripts of the 16th century of some interest
to the liturgist and others that contain odd items of the recent history of
** MSS. 13, 16-8, 28, 41, 48A (a two volume MS. of which the second volume
was moved to Baghdad), 49, 51, 56-7, 87, 90, and 106. It may be noted in passing
that the dating of MS. 28, Solomon of Basra's Book of the Bee, which Scher
assigns to the 14th century, making it the oldest known MS. that survives,
seems excessive to me; I would assign it rather to the 16th century.
** MSS. 9, 27, 46, 53, 62, 64, 68, 76, 89, 91, 96-7, 104, 108, and 111.
*ä MS. 9 should perhaps be identified with MS. 264, which, though not of the
Harqlensian version, is of the same date and of Jacobite origin. MSS. 62, 89,
and 91 might possibly be identical with MSS. 252, 167, and 312.
** MS. 96. According to A. van Lantschoot, Inventaire des manuscrits
syriaques des fonds Vatican (490-631) Barberini Oriental et Neofiti (= Studi e
Testi, 243), Gitta del Vaticano 1965, p. 161, Vatican Syriac 629, which consists
of 28 parchment leaves that contain fragments of the writings of Gregory of
Cyprus, was given to the Vatican Library in July 1904 by the Procurator of the
Chaldean Patriarch. Even though Scher's catalogue was published three years
later, an identification of the two manuscripts is not excluded because the cata¬
logue was based on notes taken in 1902. On the other hand, Scher's rather vague
description, „Parchemin. Sans date, ficriture du XI« siecle; plusieurs cahiers
et bien des feuillets manquent.", would lead one to expect a larger fragment than a mere 28 leaves.
15 MS. 97.
1" A. Baümstabk, op. cit., p. 210 n. 4.
1' Cf. J.-M. VosTÄ, Notes sur les manuscrits syriaques do Diarbekir et autres localitös d'Orient, in Le Museon 50 (1937), 345-9.
476 William F. Macomber
the Church in the Middle East. Only four manuscripts have an importance
worthy of mention here, the only complete copy of the cathedral gospel
lectionary system (a 13th centmy parchment codex partially written in
gold)**, a 13th century copy of Moses Bar Kefa's Hexaemeron^^, a 13th or
14th century manuscript of Barhebraeus' Book of the EthicovP, and a 14th
century copy of the first volume of Bar Bahlul's dictionary**.
The library of the Monastery of Notre-Dame des Semences at Alqos
has also been divided, but for a different reason. What were considered the
more precious manuscripts were removed for safekeeping around 1960 to
the Monastery of St. George, just outside the ancient city of Niniveh.
Presumably the division is only temporary, but it was still in effect at the
time of my last visit at the beginning of 1966. I found 121 of the 330 ma¬
nuscripts in Voste's catalogue at St. George's**, plus 55 others not in the
catalogue, none of which was of great value. At our Lady's Monastery itself
I found 137 of Vost6's manuscripts**, which, with the manuscripts at St.
George's added in, leaves 72 unaccounted for**. Since Vost6 did not put
his new numbers on the manuscripts themselves, it is quite probable that
I merely failed to identify several. Others may well have been in the cells
of some of the monks and others on loan outside the monastery. Fortunately,
only two of the missing manuscripts are of much value, a 14th century
codex of the office of solitaries and a 14th century life of St. Saba**. On the
other hand, I found roughly 370 uncatalogued manuscripts, mostly of
minimal value. To be noted are a collection of ascetical excerpts in a West
*' MS. 265. Cf. W. F. Macombeb, The Chaldean Lectionary System of the
Cathedral Church of Kokhe, in Orientalia Christiana Periodica 33 (1967),
483-516.
*»MS. 271.
2» MS. 297.
** MS. 317.
" MSS. 1-2, 4-9, 11, 15-6, 20-4, 26-7, 29, 32-4, 36-7, 43-7, 49-53, 55, 58, 60, 69, 71-3, 75, 80, 82, 88, 93, 97, 100, 119-20, 131, 146, 150, 153, 155-8, 160-3, 165, 167, 169-70, 174, 180, 184-5, 189-91, 194-5, 197-8, 202-3, 210-1, 214, 218,
227-8, 234, 237-8, 240, 242, 246-8, 250, 252-4, 256, 259-62, 266, 269, 271-2,
280, 284-5, 287-8, 293-4, 302, 304, 309, 311, 315, 322-3, and 327.
" MSS. 3, 10, 13-4, 17-9, 25, 35, 40-1, 48, 54, 63-8, 70, 74, 76, 81, 83-4, 86-7,
90-2, 94, 98-9, 101-8, 110, 112, 115-8, 121-7, 129-30, 132-7, 139-41, 144-5,
147-8, 151, 154, 159, 166, 168, 172-3, 175-7, 181-2, 187, 192, 199-201, 205, 208,
212-3, 215-7, 219, 223-6, 229, 231-3, 236, 239, 245, 249, 251, 258, 265, 268,
273-9, 281-2, 286, 289, 291-2, 295-6, 298-300, 305, 307, 310, 312, 317, 319, 324, 326, and 328.
" MSS. 12, 28, 30-1, 38-9, 42, 56-7, 59, 61-2, 77-9, 85, 89, 95-6, 109, 111, 113-4, 128, 138, 142-3, 149, 152, 164, 171, 178-9, 183, 186, 188, 193, 196, 204, 206-7, 209, 220-2, 230, 235, 241, 243-4, 255, 257, 263-4, 267, 270, 283, 290, 297, 301, 303, 306, 308, 313-4, 316, 318, 320-1, 325, and 329-30.
" MSS. 149 and 188.
New Finds of Syriac Manuscripts in the Middle East 477
Syrian hand of the 11th or 12th century, a 15th century copy of ISo'yahb
Bar Mqaddam's Book of Introduction, a 14th or 15th centmy manuscript
that contains the Book of Before and After, the Ahu Hcdim^^, and memre
on the Saints, and, finally, a 15th centmy collection of hpäkäiä, qänöne
da-lbäktä^'' , and other variable pieces of the Chaldean divine office.
The episcopal library of 'Aqra was divided for the same reason as that
of Our Lady's Monastery. In this case, only 29 of the 67 manuscripts describ¬
ed by Voste have been moved and deposited for safekeeping at the former
Patriarchal Seminary at Mosul**. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the
opportimity of visiting 'Aqra, so that it is impossible for me to say whether
any of Voste's manuscripts are missing. In addition, there are 17 uncatalo¬
gued manuscripts in Mosul, one of which, an unidentified commentary on
the Psalms of the 15th or 16th centmy, may possibly be of value.
The archiepiscopal library of Kerkuk is also divided, but only in the
sense that a few of the manuscripts have been left at the cathedral, which
I was unable to visit, whereas the bulk of the manuscripts are at the new
residence, which is located on the outskirts of the city. I found 12 of Vost6's
49 manuscripts missing**, of which all but three or four are probably at the
cathedral. In this library there were 50 uncatalogued manuscripts that
include a few litmgical manuscripts of the 16th and 17th centmies that
have a certain interest and a 13th or 14th centmy biblical manuscript of
the so-called Book of Sessions**.
The as yet uncatalogued libraries in Iraq are numerous. I have visited
all that I have knowledge of save what may be the most important of all,
the Syrian Orthodox Monastery of St. Matthew, which is completely in¬
accessible to outsiders**. The next library in importance is that of the Syrian
Orthodox episcopal residence at Mosul. In it I found 54 Syriac manuscripts
that included a 10th or 1 1th century codex of the writings of John of Dara,
a copy of Bar Salibi's commentary on the Gospels dated 1220 A. D., a 13th
or 14th century manuscript of his commentary on the Old and New Testa¬
ments, and a 13th or 14th ascetical collection that contained writings of
Isaiah of Scete. In addition, I found 34 liturgical manuscripts in the attached
*' Cf. A. Baümstabk, op. cit., pp. 53 n. 9, and 289.
*' Cf. J. Mateos, Lelya-Sapra: essai d'interpretation des matines chaldöennes
(= Orientalia Christiana Analecta, 156), Roma 1959, pp. 488 and 490.
** MSS. 1-2, 4-9, 12, 18, 21-2, 24, 27-8, 31, 49, 51-5, 57, and 61-6.
2» MSS. 15, 17, 19-22, 32, 34-5, 37, 44, and 46.
Among the Chaldeans (and Nestorians), the Old Testament was usually
divided into four volumes, the Pentateuch, the Prophets, the Book of Sessions
(roughly the protocanonical historical and sapiential books, plus Ben Sirach),
and a fourth volume without a special name (deuterocanonical historical and
sapiential books). The Psalms, of course, were written separately in the Psalter.
** Cf. I. A. Babsaum, op. oit., p. 32 (nr. 12); he gives the number as „about 60".
478 William F. Macombeb
cathedral that included 10 manuscripts of different volumes of the Fanqitho
according to the rite of Tikrit** that date from the 13th centmy. Next door,
the Sjrrian Cathohc Church of St. Thomas has 46 Syriac manuscripts;
besides three more 13th century codices of the Fanqitho of Tikrit, there is
a gospel lectionary of the Harqlensian version dated 747 A. D., an 11th cen¬
tmy manuscript of the West SjTian Massora, a 12th centmy collection of
the memre of James of Sarug, and a 13th centmy funeral ritual. Also to be
mentioned here is the Syrian Cathohc Monastery of Mar Behnam, that has
a collection of 102 manuscripts, but its only manuscripts of importance are
four 11th centmy volumes of the Fanqitho in such a lamentable state of
preservation that they are practically useless.
Most of the Chaldean and Syrian parish chmches in Northern Iraq have
their own libraries. I have taken notes on all the manuscripts that I have
seen and hope eventually to pubhsh checklists. The libraries of AlqoS,
Batnaye, Tell Kef, Bartella, Karamles, and QaraqoS are worthy of mention,
especially for their size. The manuscripts of significance, however, are
rather rare. The most important of all that I have found is the 10th or 11th
centmy hudra of the Church of St. Isaiah in Mosul**. Beyond that, liturgists
may find interest in eight 13th centmy volumes of the Tikrit Fanqitho
at the Tahira Church, QaraqoS, and another at St. George's Church, Bartella.
Iran proved even more disappointing than the parish churches of Iraq.
The 232 manuscripts of the American Mission at Rezaeyeh** have dis¬
appeared since 1918, almost without a trace; the only one of value that is
known to have survived is the oldest manuscript of the Oannat Bussäme,
now at Princeton Theological Seminary in the United States**. There are
small libraries at the residences of the Chaldean archbishops at Teheran
and Rezaeyeh, and the coadjutor at Teheran also has a private collection,
but none of the manuscripts that I have seen would be worth mentioning
here.
'* The origin and contents of the Fanqitho, or Penqittä, is discussed by
A. Baumstark, Festbrevier und Kirchenjahr der syrischen Jakobiten (= Stu¬
dien zur Geschichte und Kultur des Altertums, 3), Paderborn 1910, pp. 44-84.
The part of the Syrian Orthodox Church that was formerly subject to the
Catholicos or Maphrian of Tikrit has its own rite for the divine office that
differs substantially from the rite followed elsewhere.
*' Described in W. Macombeb, The Oldest Known Text of the Anaphora of
the Apostles Addai and Mari, in Orientalia Christiana Periodica 32 (1966), 349-
54.
" Described by O. Sabau, Catalogue of the Manuscripts in the Library of the
Museum Association of Oroomiah College, Oroomiah (Persia) 1898 (in the ver¬
nacular Aramaic of Azerbaijan).
'5 MS. 180 in the catalogue of Sarau; now Speer Library, Cabinet C, MS. 28.
For the others I have identified, cf. art. cit., p. 335 n. 2.
New Finds of Syriac Manuscripts in the Middle East 479
The situation in Turkey is quite different from the disappointment of
Iran. Here, however, my researches are very incomplete because of the
large numbers of manuscripts that are still to be found and the brevity of
the time that has up to now been at my disposal. Catalogues have been
published for only three libraries, those of the Chaldean episcopal residences
at Mardin**, Diarbekir*', and Seert**. The last named, alas, which was the
most important of the Chaldean libraries in the Middle East, except for
one manuscript that went to the Chaldean Patriarchate** and 23 that were
sold to the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris before 1915**, has completely
disappeared**.
The library at Diarbekir was also thought to have been destroyed, but,
thank God, this impression has proved unfounded. The Chaldean priest
tells a story of the hbrary having been transferred to a private house dming
*• A. Scher, Notice sur les manuscrits syriaques et arabes conserves dans la
bibliotheque de Tevechö chaldeen de Mardin, in Revue des Bibhotheques 18
(1908), 64-95.
A. Scher, Notice sm les manuscrits syriaques et arabes conserves k I'arohe- veche ohaldeen de Diarbekir, in Journal Asiatique, ser. 10, vol. X (1907), 331-62 and 385-431.
** A. Scher, Catalogue des manuscrits syriaques et arabes conserves dans la
bibliotheque öpisoopale de Seert, Mossoul 1905.
*^ MS. 58, the funeral ritual mentioned above. It must have been loaned to
tbe Patriarch for the preparation of the 1907 edition of the funeral ritual.
" MSS. 1 (Paris Syriac 372), 2 (341), 7 (342), 8 (360), 9 (367), 10(362), 11(343),
12 (363), 13 (364), 14 (365), 17 (355), 24 (366), 29 (367), 85 (368), 91 (354),
98 (369), 101 (370), 104 (353), 110 (371), 128 (Paris Arabic 6653), 129 (Arabic 6501), 130 (Arabic 6654), and 134 (Arabic 6502).
** Two apparently independent witnesses, one at 'Aqra that was interviewed
by Jules Leroy, Les manuscrits syriaques a peintures conserves dans les bib¬
liotheques d'Europe et d'Orient (Institut Francais d'Archeologie de Beyrouth,
Bibliotheque Archeologique et Historique, t. LXXVII), Paris 1964, p. 212 n. 3,
and the other in Beirut, a former servant of Archbishop Scher, whose witness
has been related to me by friends in Baghdad, have reported that at least some
of the manuscripts of this library were buried in wooden cases and leathern
sacks in the courtyard of the residence. The servant indicates the precise loca¬
tion of the burial, before the door of the residence that led into the courtyard.
Travellers to Seert (Siirt) report that the Turkish government has turned the
residence into a school for children and that the original level of the eourtyard has been considerably raised. Even if the story of the servant be true, therefore,
it is quite possible that the hiding place of the manuscripts has already been
discovered. Nonetheless, the importance of the coUection was so great, con¬
taining, as it did, the only known copy of the De incarnatione of Theodore of
Mopsuestia, that it would seem a great pity if steps were not taken to obtain
permission from the Turkish authoritiers to excavate the site. The sight of the
work of excavation, moreover, might persuade citizens of Seert who may happen
to have acquired some of the manuscripts to declare themselves, at least secretly, in the hope of making a profitable sale.
34 Or.-Tg.
480 William F. Macombeb
the war, while the residence was occupied by the army. According to his
aceount, the house simply collapsed under the weight of the books, and it
was not possible to retrieve them from the ruins for a period of several
months or even years. At any rate, the library was clearly of enormous size,
and several of the manuscripts show the effects of exposure to water. Only
two or three valuable manuscripts, however, have been irreparably damaged.
This library has also been divided. Besides the 19 manuscripts that are
now in the Chaldean Patriarchate**, one has been given to the Vatican
Library** and another to the Peshitta Institute of Leiden**. All of the re¬
maining manuscripts of value that I could still find at Diarbekir have now
been transported to the episcopal residence at Mardin, where they can be
better cared for. I have positively identified 72 manuscripts** and have
made a tentative identification of 14 more**. I was unable to identify 30
manuscripts*', either because the description in the catalogue is insufficient,
or because my own examination was too hasty. Only with regard to 22
manuscripts can I say with a certain amount of security that they are still
missing**, although it is possible that some of them may be found in an
enormous mass of books still remaining at Diarbekir**. Fortunately, very
few of the missing ones are of great value, and of these most are in Arabic.
Of the Syriac manuscripts perhaps the most regrettable losses are an 11th
century copy of the Harqlensian gospels with miniatures** and two 13th
century manuscripts of the services for the Rogations of the Ninevites that
contained the ordinary of the eucharistic liturgy and the Anaphora of
Theodore of Mopsuestia**.
As for the 104 manuscripts listed in Scher's catalogue of the Mardin
** MSS. 2, 4, 10-1, 13-4, 20-3, 30, 36, 59, 96, 100, and 108-11.
" MS. 9.
" MS. 1.
*5 MSS. 3, 5-6, 8, 15, 17-9, 26-9, 32-3, 38, 43-6, 48-54, 57, 60-1, 67-78, 84-93, 95, 101-2, 104, 106-7, 112, 120-2, 132, 134-5, 138-40, 142, 145, 150-1, and 157.
" MSS. 16, 25, 58, 79, 105, 115-6, 127, 141, 143, 147, 152-3, and 156.
" MSS. 12, 39-42, 62-6, 80-3, 94, 117-9, 123-6, 137, 144, 146, 148-9, 154-5, and 159.
" MSS. 7, 24, 31, 34-5, 37, 47, 55-6, 97-9, 103, 113-4, 128-31, 133, 136, and 158.
** I was told that the entire mass had been already gone through and that all
of the manuscripts had been put apart. Time was running short, and I simply
had to accept the accuracy of the report without checking on it personally.
*» MS. 7.
** MSS. 55 and 56. MS. 57, the third volume of the series, has been preserved,
and from it one can form a good idea of the contents of the missing volumes.
Each volume gave in extenso all of the services for one of the three days of the
Rogation, both the office and the eucharistic liturgy, in paraUel columns of
Syriac and Arabic.
New Finds of Syriac Manuscripts in the Middle East 481
hbrary, many have found their way to Emope. 18 are now at the Vatican
Library**, two are at the Peshitta Institute of Leiden**, and one, or perhaps
two, are in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin**. Of the remainder, I have
made a positive identification of 67** and a tentative identification of 6
manuscripts**. That leaves 9 unaccounted for*', one of which disappeared
between my first and second visits**. The loss of one, a 13th century ma¬
nuscript of the spiritual writings of Isaac Qatraya is deeply to be regretted** ;
the other losses of Syriac manuscripts are not nearly so grave.
In compensation, as elsewhere, so in both Diarbekir and Mardin I found
large numbers of uncatalogued manuscripts. As I have already indicated,
the worthwhile manuscripts of Diarbekir were all transported to Mardin,
where they have been joined with those already there to form a single
hbrary**. Unfortunately, the notes I made before the transfer are insufficient
to distinguish the original location of many of these uncatalogued manu¬
scripts. At any rate, the total number of manuscripts that I have now seen
at Mardin is 587. Of these, 429 were previously uncatalogued, only 285
being in Sjrriac and the rest in Arabic, Garshuni, Tm-kish, and other lan¬
guages. I have assigned numbers to each and have noted down very briefly
their contents. I hope to pubhsh a checklist within the next two or three
years.
For those who, like myself, are interested in Chaldean (East Syrian)
liturgy, this combined library is a veritable paradise, for it contains 305
liturgical manuscripts, some of which go back as far as the 12th centmy.
" MSS. 36 (Vatican Syriac 617), 39 (600), 49 (598), 50 (599), 54 (612), 56 (603), 57 (604), 58 (613), 59 (614), 60 (615), 62 (618), 63 (610), 68 (611), 69 (616), 70
(601), 71 (602), 91 (609), and 93 (608). The manuscripts seem to have been
donated by Bishop Israel Audo (cf. A. Van Lantschoot, op. cit., p. 131), per¬
haps in token of gratitude for the aid given by Pius XI after the war. Vatican
Syriac 605, though not in Scher's catalogue, evidently belonged to the group,
and perhaps the same is true of 606 and 607.
" MSS. 2 and 16.
" MSS. 8 and, perhaps, 9, now numbered MSS. 704 and 705.
" MSS. 1, 3, 6-7, 10-5, 17-35, 37-8, 40-5, 47-8, 51-3, 61, 65-6, 73-4, 76-82, 85-7, 89, 92, 95, 97-101, and 103-4.
" MSS. 72, 83-4, 88, 90, and 96.
*' MSS. 4-5, 46, 55, 64, 67, 75, 94, and 102.
** MS. 5, whieh had been loaned to a friend that failed to return it, even after repeated appeals.
6» MS. 46.
I must give testimony to the remarkable zeal of the late Rev. Süleyman
§en, the parish priest at Mardin, who arranged for the transportation of the
manuscripts to Mardin and had shelves built there to accommodate them, all
at his own expense. He also showed the greatest hospitality in lodging me for
weeks at a time whüe I worked in the hbrary. He fell a victim to cancer in June
1968. May his noble soul rest in peace!
482 William F. Macomber
The rest of the uncatalogued manuscripts, however, are a disappointment,
with none of the Syriac manuscripts deserving mention here®*.
The only other library in Tmkey that I have visited, but only briefly,
is that of the Sjrrian Orthodox episcopal residence in Mardin. It is an enor¬
mous library of nearly 900 manuscripts, a large number of which, however,
are in Arabic or Garshuni. This library represents the fusion of the original
library of the residence with the bulk of the library of the famous Monastery
of Deir az-Za'faran**, which is located only a few miles from Mardin. A
number of the monastery's manuscripts are said to be still found there,
and presumably others, doubtlessly the most valuable, were taken away
when the Syrian Orthodox patriarchal residence was moved, first to Homs
in Syria, and then to Damascus, but the vast majority are now at Mardin.
A manuscript checkhst of the combined library exists, I am told, but it is
written in Tmkish.
A large number of libraries of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Tmkey
remain to be visited. The cathedral in Diarbekir is said to have well over
100 manuscripts that include a 6th centmy New Testament. I hope to
spend several weeks in Turkey in the near future, and this time, at least,
I plan to bring a camera.
This is manifestly a crying need, that a photographic expedition be sent
to the Middle East to preserve these treasures for posterity. There have
been tragic losses in the recent past, and others are to be foreseen for the
future. I have myself taken some preliminary steps towards organizing
such an expedition, but the times are not propitious, especially for one
who holds a United States passport. Syria is now completely closed to me,
and the same will most probably be true of Iraq outside of Baghdad. Le¬
banon may prove possible, but I see little hope at present for the other
Arab countries. Even Turkey cannot be considered sure. In these circum¬
stances it is clearly premature for me to attempt organizing the expedition,
and I am afraid that the same would be true for those who hold British
or West German passports. Nonetheless, the work is a real necessity and
of a certain urgency. I can only hope that others better situated than my¬
self will be inspired to undertake the task.
There are three Arabic Mss. of the 13th century that contain large portions
of Ibn at-Tayyib's commentary on the Gospels, plus a fourth of the 16th cen¬
tury that is virtually complete.
«* Cf. I. A. Barsaum, op. cit., p. 34 (nr. 18).
ZUR GEGENWARTSLAGE DER SYRISCHEN CHRISTEN
IM TUR 'ABDIN, IM HAKKARIGEBIET UND IM IRAN
Von Helga Anschütz, Brilon
I. ÜBERBLICK
Von den im Mittelalter bedeutenden sjTischen Earchen - der mono¬
physitischen ,, Jakobitischen" oder ,, Syrisch-Orthodoxen" (eigene Bezeich¬
nung) und der ,, Nestorianischen" oder ,, Alten Apostolischen Kirche des
Ostens" (eig. Bezeichnung) sind durch die geschichtlichen Ereignisse der
letzten 600 Jahre verhältnismäßig kleine, unbedeutende und wenig zen¬
tralisierte Kirchen übriggeblieben*.
In neuester Zeit wmden die syrischen Kirchen besonders durch die Aus¬
wirkungen des 1. Weltkrieges betroffen. Viele ihrer Anhänger wurden ge¬
tötet, und alte Siedlungsgebiete gingen verloren; die meisten sjTischen
Christen leben heute verstreut in orientalischen Städten und in Amerika.*
Seit dem Mittelalter verloren diese Kirchen unter dem Druck der Verhält-
* Von der umfangreichen Literatur über die syrischen Kirchen im Mittelalter
seien hier nur genannt: Spuler, im Handbuch der Orientalistik, 1. Abt., 8. Bd.,
2. Abschn., S. 120-215, Kawerau: Die jakobitische Kirche im Zeitalter der
syrischen Renaissance, Vine : The Nestorian Churches, Kawerau, Amerika und
die Orientalischen Kirchen. - Die Anhänger der ,, Apostolischen Kirehe des Ostens"
lehnen die Bezeichnung ,, Nestorianer" seit jeher als Schimpfwort ab (siehe eig.
Literatur). Sie bezeichnen sich als ,, Assyrer" (Spuler S. 164 ff. - Strothmann,
S. 36 ff. - Fiey 1965, 2, S. 141 - 160 - Wigram - Joseph - Malek - Vine - auch
unter dem Eindruck der Veröffentlichungen von Layard 1850 - eig. Protokolle
über Gespräche mit dem Patriarchen Mar Esbai Shimim, mehreren Bischöfen
und führenden Laien der ,, Kirche des Ostens" und der assyrischen Nationalbe¬
wegung im Iran und im Irak. - Tonbandaufnahmen). - Seit dem 1. Weltkrieg
fühlen sich auch die Chaldäer, Jakobiten und protestantischen syrischen Christen zunehmend als Angehörige der ,, Assyrischen Nation", (gen. Material sowie ein¬
zelne Zeitsohriftenexemplare und Flugschriften, - siehe Literaturverzeichnis).
* Spuler, S. 166 f., 213 fif. - außerdem u. a. Vine - Strothmann - Joseph -
Malek - Wigram - Lamsa - Stafford - assyrische Selbstdarstellungen, in
den letzten 5 Jahren in Teheran in ostsyrischer Sprache ersohienen - ass.
Pamphlete: The claims . . . 1919 - Ass. Nat. Pet. 1945 - Perley, 1946 - The
Ass. Trag. 1934, außerdem Einzelexemplare v. ass. Zeitschriften in Englisch u.
Ostsyrisch aus den USA und Iran - eig. Tonband - Film- und Bildmaterial -
Protokolle über Unterhaltungen mit den Patriarchen der beiden syrischen Kir¬
chen sowie mit verschiedenen Bischöfen, Priestern und führenden Laien der
Kirchenorganisationen und der ,, Assyrischen Nationalbewegung" im Iran und
Irak, sowie in Deutschland.
