British Library, Add. 7170 is a Syriac

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

dated to circa 1220 CE. This is one of the few highly illustrated Middle-Eastern Christian manuscripts from the 13th century. The colophon is lost, but a scribal note indicates that the manuscript was created at the time of Patriarch John and Maphrian Ignatius, who may be identified as John XII of Antioch (1208-1220) and Ignatius III David (1215-1222 as

maphrian The Maphrian ( or ''maphryono''), is the second-highest rank in the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church, right below that of patriarch. The office of a maphrian is a maphrianate. There have been three maphrianates in the hist ...

), respectively, which gives a completion date circa 1215–1220. The location where the manuscript was created is uncertain, but is generally thought to be the

Jazira region The Jazira Region, formerly Jazira Canton (; ; ), is the largest of the three original regions of the de facto Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). As part of the ongoing Rojava conflict, its democratic autonomy was off ...

near

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

, possibly at the monastery of Deir Mar Mattai, due to artistic similarities with another manuscript securely attributed to Mosul ( Vatican Library, Ms. Syr. 559). The manuscript is written in the

Syriac language The Syriac language ( ; ), also known natively in its spoken form in early Syriac literature as Edessan (), the Mesopotamian language () and Aramaic (), is an Aramaic#Eastern Middle Aramaic, Eastern Middle Aramaic dialect. Classical Syriac is ...

, in

Estrangela The Syriac alphabet ( ) is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac language since the 1st century. It is one of the Semitic abjads descending from the Aramaic alphabet through the Palmyrene alphabet, and shares similarities with the ...

script. It is considered as a near twin of the Syriac Gospels, Vatican Library, Syr. 559 manuscript, which is securely attributed to the Deir Mar Mattai in northern Iraq (

). It was probably produced at Mar Mattai itself, or in a related monastery, possibly in the Mardin Monastery, seat of the Syrian Jacobin patriarcate since 1207. The manuscript is derived from the Byzantine tradition, but stylistically has a lot in common with Islamic illustrated manuscripts such as the '' Maqamat al-Hariri'', pointing to a common pictorial tradition that existed since circa 1180 CE in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Some of the illustrations of these manuscript have been characterized as "illustration byzantine traitée à la manière arabe" ("Byzantine illustration treated in the Arab style"). File:Syriac Gospel c. 1220 northern Iraq Ms. Additional 7170, British Library, London Betrayal of Jesus by Judas.jpg, Betrayal of Jesus by Judas. File:Syriac gospel miniature from Mosul, Iraq, c. 1220. (British Museum Add. 7170, fol. 145r).jpg, Miniature File:Ms. Additional 7170, British Library 146v miniature.jpg, Miniature File:Hulagu and Doquz-Qatun in Syriac Bible.jpg,

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...

and Helen, with

Seljuq Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * S ...

-style crowns and Near-Eastern clothing with ''

tiraz ''Tiraz'' (; or ) The Persian language, Persian word for a type of embroidery and Textile, clothing textiles, are medieval Islamic embroideries, usually in the form of armbands sewn onto robes of honour (khilat). They were bestowed upon high-r ...

'' bands.

References

Sources

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PdF
{{Syriac manuscripts Add. 7170 British Library additional manuscripts