Simeon, called Rabban Ata, was a high representative of

Syriac Christianity Syriac Christianity ( syr, ܡܫܝܚܝܘܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ / ''Mšiḥoyuṯo Suryoyto'' or ''Mšiḥāyūṯā Suryāytā'') is a distinctive branch of Eastern Christianity, whose formative theological writings and traditional liturgies are expr ...

in the 13th century. He was apparently a monk from the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

and had been put in charge by the

Khan Khan may refer to: *Khan (inn), from Persian, a caravanserai or resting-place for a travelling caravan *Khan (surname), including a list of people with the name *Khan (title), a royal title for a ruler in Mongol and Turkic languages and used by ...

of protecting Christians. Simeon Rabban Ata was nominated as a sort of high-commissioner in charge of Christian affairs in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

by Ogodei, and confirmed in this role by the Khan

Guyuk Guyuk may refer to: *Guyuk, Nigeria, a town * Uğurtaş, a town in Turkey, formerly called Güyük *Güyük Khan Güyük (also Güyug;; ''c''. March 19, 1206 – April 20, 1248) was the third Khagan-Emperor of the Mongol Empire, the eldest son ...

. He is also described as the Nestorian "visitor" to the Near East, who was in charge of Christian affairs in South-West Asia. Simeon met

Chormagan Chormaqan (also Chormagan or Chormaqan Noyan) (; Khalkha Mongolian: ; died c. 1241) was one of the most famous generals of the Mongol Empire under Genghis Khan and Ögedei Khan. He was also a member of the keshik. Career A member of the Sunud ...

equipped with considerable powers so that freedom of faith could be respected in Iran, a policy which effectively protected Christianity in an Islamic land. Simeon was praised by Christians in the Mongol Empire, and seems to have been in charge of establishing Christian churches in the realm: He played an important role in establishing exchanges with the Mongols, and visited the Mongol court in 1235–1240. He also had the role of an intermediary between Eastern and Western Christianity, and was able to write advice to the Pope: he even suggested him that he should make peace with

Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (German language, German: ''Friedrich''; Italian language, Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Em ...

. Simeon is also known to have sent to the Pope a

libellus A ''libellus'' (plural ''libelli'') in the Roman Empire was any brief document written on individual pages (as opposed to scrolls or tablets), particularly official documents issued by governmental authorities. The term ''libellus'' has particular ...

which he had brought from “the country of Sin”. He was also an intermediary in the efforts at unifying the Eastern and Western churches: he transmitted to the Pope a profession of faith by the Jacobite patriarch

Ignatius II Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name Religious * Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop * Ignatius of Constantinople (797–877), Cath ...

in 1247, and gave to Andre de Longjumeau a letter in which the primacy of Rome was being recognized. Simeon met and had conversations with

André de Longjumeau André de Longjumeau (also known as Andrew of Longjumeau in English) was a 13th-century Dominican missionary and diplomat and one of the most active Occidental diplomats in the East in the 13th century. He led two embassies to the Mongols: the fi ...

and Ascelin on the way to their missions to the Mongol realm in 1245, in the city of

Tabriz Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...

.Richard, "Histoire des Croisades", p. 376 His accounts were reported by

Vincent de Beauvais Vincent of Beauvais ( la, Vincentius Bellovacensis or ''Vincentius Burgundus''; c. 1264) was a Dominican friar at the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont Abbey, France. He is known mostly for his ''Speculum Maius'' (''Great mirror''), a major work ...

in his . The Armenian historian

Kirakos Gandzaketsi Kirakos Gandzaketsi (; c. 1200/1202–1271) was an Armenian historian of the 13th century S. Peter Cowe. Kirakos Ganjakec'i or Arewelc'i // Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History / Edited by David Thomas & Alex Mallet. — BRILL, 20 ...

wrote an apology about him and his role in establishing relations with the Mongols.

Notes

References

* Jackson, Peter, ''The Mongols and the West'', *

Roux, Jean-Paul Jean-Paul Roux, PhD (5 January 1925 – 29 June 2009) was a French Turkologist and a specialist in Islamic culture. He was a graduate of the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales, the École du Louvre, and the École Pra ...

, ''Les explorateurs au Moyen-Age'', Fayard, 1985, *

, ''Histoire de l'Empire Mongol'', Fayard, 1993, * Richard, Jean, ''Histoire des Croisades'', Fayard, {{ISBN, 2213597871 Church of the East