Athanasius II Baldoyo ( syr, ܐܬܢܐܣܝܘܣ ܕܬܪܝܢ ܒܠܕܝܐ, ar, اثناسيوس الثاني البلدي),
also known as Athanasius of Balad, and Athanasius of Nisibis, was the
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...
and head of the
Syriac Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...
from 684 until his death in 687.
Biography
Athanasius was born at Balad, and studied
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
,
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, and sciences under
Severus Sebokht
Severus Sebokht ( syc, ܣܘܪܘܣ ܣܝܒܘܟܬ), also Seboukt of Nisibis, was a Syrian scholar and bishop who was born in Nisibis, Syria in 575 and died in 667.
Although little is known about his early life, he was one of the leading figures in ...
at the monastery of
Qenneshre
Qenneshre (also ''Qēnneshrē'' or ''Qennešre'', Syriac language, Syriac for "eagle's nest"; Arabic ''Qinnisrī'') was a large Syriac Orthodox Church, West Syriac monastery between the 6th and 13th centuries. It was a centre for the study of anci ...
, where he became friends with
Jacob of Edessa
Jacob of Edessa (or James of Edessa) ( syr, ܝܥܩܘܒ ܐܘܪܗܝܐ, Yaʿqub Urhoyo) (c. 640 – 5 June 708) was Bishop of Edessa and prominent Syriac Christian writer in Classical Syriac language, also known as one of earliest Syriac grammaria ...
. After becoming a monk at the monastery of Beth Malka near
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
, he continued his studies, and was educated in philosophy. Athanasius was later ordained as a priest, and made his residence at
Nisibis
Nusaybin (; '; ar, نُصَيْبِيْن, translit=Nuṣaybīn; syr, ܢܨܝܒܝܢ, translit=Nṣībīn), historically known as Nisibis () or Nesbin, is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009 and is ...
.
In the tenure of the Patriarch
Severus II bar Masqeh
Severus II bar Masqeh ( syr, ܦܛܪܝܪܟܐ ܣܘܝܪܐ ܕܬܪܝܢ, ar, البطريرك ساويرا الثاني) was the Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 667/668 until his death in 684. He is commemorated as a s ...
, the church had suffered schism between the patriarch and a number of bishops over the issue of the right of archbishops to ordain suffragan bishops. On his deathbed, Severus authorised John, archbishop of the
monastery of Saint Matthew, to reconcile with the errant bishops, and after his death earlier in the year, a synod was held at the monastery of Asphulos near
Reshʿayna in the summer of 684. At the synod, the schism was brought to an end, and Athanasius was consecrated as Severus' successor as patriarch of Antioch by Ananias, bishop of
Merde
''Shit'' is a word considered to be vulgar and profane in Modern English. As a noun, it refers to fecal matter, and as a verb it means to defecate; in the plural ("the shits"), it means diarrhea. ''Shite'' is a common variant in British an ...
and
Kfar Tutho.
Athanasius' consecration is placed in 684 (
AG 995) in the ''Chronicle'' of
Michael the Syrian
Michael the Syrian ( ar, ميخائيل السرياني, Mīkhaʾēl el Sūryani:),( syc, ܡܺܝܟ݂ܳܐܝܶܠ ܣܽܘܪܝܳܝܳܐ, Mīkhoʾēl Sūryoyo), died 1199 AD, also known as Michael the Great ( syr, ܡܺܝܟ݂ܳܐܝܶܠ ܪܰܒ݁ܳܐ, ...
and the ''Ecclesiastical History'' of
Bar Hebraeus
Gregory Bar Hebraeus ( syc, ܓܪܝܓܘܪܝܘܣ ܒܪ ܥܒܪܝܐ, b. 1226 - d. 30 July 1286), known by his Syriac ancestral surname as Bar Ebraya or Bar Ebroyo, and also by a Latinized name Abulpharagius, was an Aramean Maphrian (regional primat ...
, whereas the ''
Chronicle of 846
The ''Chronicle of 846'' is a fragmentary universal chronicle written in Syriac by an anonymous author sometime between 846 and 873. Its focus for the later centuries, where it is most valuable, is ecclesiastical history. It is written from a Syr ...
'' and ''
Zuqnin Chronicle
The ''Zuqnin Chronicle'' is a medieval chronicle written in Classical Syriac language, encompassing the events from Genesis creation narrative, Creation to CE. It was most probably produced in the Zuqnin Monastery near Amida (Mesopotamia), Amida ...
'' erroneously give 687 (
AG 999) due to confusion between Athanasius' consecration and death. In the same year as his ascension to the patriarchal office, he issued an
encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Roman Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from the Late Latin (originally from ...
addressed to rural bishops (
chorepiscopi
A chorbishop is a rank of Christian clergy below bishop. The name chorepiscope or chorepiscopus (plural chorepiscopi) is taken from the Greek and means "rural bishop".
History
Chorepiscopi are first mentioned by Eusebius as existing in the seco ...
) and priests (
periodeutai) on the relationship between adherents and other religious groups. In the encyclical, Athanasius forbade priests from baptising or giving the Eucharist to
Julianists
The Aphthartodocetae (Greek , from ἄφθαρτος, ''aphthartos'', "incorruptible" and δοκεῖν, ''dokein'', "to seem"), also called Julianists or Phantasiasts by their opponents, were members of a 6th-century Non-Chalcedonian sect. Their l ...
,
Nestorians
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian N ...
, and other sects. The encyclical also expressed Athanasius' condemnation of Christian women who married Muslims, but he did permit them to continue to receive the Eucharist, and encouraged clergy to ensure the children of these marriages were baptised, did not participate in Muslim festivals, and did not consume sacrificial meat.
Prior to his death, Athanasius instructed the bishop Sergius
Zkhunoyo to consecrate his student
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
as bishop of the Arabs. Athanasius subsequently died in September 687. 687 (
AG 998) is derived as the year of Athanasius' death from the histories of Michael the Syrian and Bar Hebraeus, whilst the ''Zuqnin Chronicle'' places it in 703/704 (
AG 1015).
Works
Athanasius was a prolific translator of Greek works into Syriac, including
Porphyry's ''
Isagoge
The ''Isagoge'' ( el, Εἰσαγωγή, ''Eisagōgḗ''; ) or "Introduction" to Aristotle's "Categories", written by Porphyry in Greek and translated into Latin by Boethius, was the standard textbook on logic for at least a millennium after his ...
'' in January 645, as well as an anonymous Greek text on logic. At the request of the archbishops Matthew of
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
, motto =
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...
and Daniel of Edessa, Athanasius translated nine treatises of the ''
Hexameron
The term Hexameron (Greek: Ἡ Ἑξαήμερος Δημιουργία ''Hē Hexaēmeros Dēmiourgia'') refers either to the genre of theological treatise that describes God's work on the six days of creation or to the six days of creation thems ...
'' by
Basil of Caesarea
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Ca ...
in 666/667. In 669, whilst at Nisibis, he completed a translation of a number of letters of
Severus of Antioch
Severus the Great of Antioch (Greek: Σεβῆρος; syr, ܣܘܝܪܝܘܣ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ), also known as Severus of Gaza or Crown of Syrians (Syriac: ܬܓܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܥܝܐ; Tagha d'Suryoye; Arabic: تاج السوريين; Taj al-Suriyyun ...
following a commission from Matthew of Aleppo and Daniel of Edessa. Severus of Antioch's second discourse against Nephalius, several homilies by
Gregory of Nazianzus
Gregory of Nazianzus ( el, Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, ''Grēgorios ho Nazianzēnos''; ''Liturgy of the Hours'' Volume I, Proper of Saints, 2 January. – 25 January 390,), also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory N ...
, and the book of
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (or Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite) was a Greek author, Christian theologian and Neoplatonic philosopher of the late 5th to early 6th century, who wrote a set of works known as the ''Corpus Areopagiticum'' or ...
were also translated by Athanasius. He is also known to have translated several works of
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
, such as ''
Prior Analytics
The ''Prior Analytics'' ( grc-gre, Ἀναλυτικὰ Πρότερα; la, Analytica Priora) is a work by Aristotle on reasoning, known as his syllogistic, composed around 350 BCE. Being one of the six extant Aristotelian writings on logic ...
'', ''
Topics'', and ''
Sophistical Refutations
''Sophistical Refutations'' ( el, Σοφιστικοὶ Ἔλεγχοι, Sophistikoi Elenchoi; la, De Sophisticis Elenchis) is a text in Aristotle's ''Organon'' in which he identified thirteen fallacies.Sometimes listed as twelve. According to A ...
''.
In addition to his translations, Athanasius composed prayers of
supplication
Supplication (also known as petitioning) is a form of prayer, wherein one party humbly or earnestly asks another party to provide something, either for the party who is doing the supplicating (e.g., "Please spare my life.") or on behalf of someon ...
, three of which are to be used at the celebration of the Eucharist, and prayers for the dead.
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Athanasius II
Syriac Patriarchs of Antioch from 512 to 1783
687 deaths
7th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops
7th-century writers
Greek–Syriac translators
Christians from the Umayyad Caliphate
7th-century Syrian people
Writers of the medieval Islamic world