The Discourses of Philoxenus: Edited from Syriac Manuscripts of the Sixth and Seventh Centuries in the British Museum, with an English Translation 9781463223717

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The Discourses of Philoxenus

Syriac Studies Library

29

Sériés Editors Monica Blanchard Cari Griffïn Kristian Heal George Anton Kiraz David G.K. Taylor

The Syriac Studies Library brings back to active circulation major reference works in the field of Syriac studies, including dictionaries, grammars, text editions, manuscript catalogues, and monographs. The books were reproduced from originals at The Catholic University of America, one of the largest collections of Eastern Christianity in North America. The project is a collaboration between CUA, Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, and Brigham Young University.

The Discourses of Philoxenus

Edited from Syriac Manuscripts of the Sixth and Seventh Centuries in the British Museum, with an English Translation

Volume 1 Edited and Translated by

E. A. W. Budge

-äk

1

2010

gorgias press

Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA www.gorgiaspress.com Copyright © 2010 by Gorgias Press LLC Originally published in 1893-1894 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC. 2010

O

1 ISBN 978-1-60724-864-4

Reprinted from the 1893-1894 London edition.

Digitized by Brigham Young University. Printed in the United States of America.

Series Foreword

This series provides reference works in Syriac studies from original books digitized at the ICOR library of The Catholic University of America under the supervision of Monica Blanchard, ICOR's librarian. The project was carried out by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute and Brigham Young University. About 675 books were digitized, most of which will appear in this series. Our aim is to present the volumes as they have been digitized, preserving images of the covers, front matter, and back matter (if any). Marks by patrons, which may shed some light on the history of the library and its users, have been retained. In some cases, even inserts have been digitized and appear here in the location where they were found. The books digitized by Brigham Young University are in color, even when the original text is not. These have been produced here in grayscale for economic reasons. The grayscale images retain original colors in the form of gray shades. The books digitized by Beth Mardutho and black on white. We are grateful to the head librarian at CUA, Adele R. Chwalek, who was kind enough to permit this project. "We are custodians, not owners of this collection," she generously said at a small gathering that celebrated the completion of the project. We are also grateful to Sidney Griffith who supported the project.

INSTITUTE OF CHRISTIAN j •WEN TAL RESEARCH «ATH. VNIT. OF kMJK

PLEASE NOTE: VERY BRITTLE PAPER ANY PRESSURE ON BINDING WILL CAUSE IT TO FALL APART

THE

DISCOURSES OF PHILOXENUS BISHOP OF MABBÔGH, A.D. 485-519.

THE

DISCOURSES OF PHILOXENUS BISHOP OF MABBOGH, A.D. 485-519. EDITED FROM SYRIAC MANUSCRIPTS OF THE SIXTH AND SEVENTH CENTURIES, IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM,

WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY

E. A. WALL IS BUDGE, LITT. D., F. S. A., FORMERLY SCHOLAR OF CHRIST'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, AND TYRWHITT SCHOLAR, ACTING ASSISTANT-KEEPER

IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EGYPTIAN

AND ASSYRIAN ANTIQUITIES, BRITISH MUSEUM.

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

VOL. I.

THE SYRIAC TEXT.

INSTITUTE OF CHRISTIAN ORIENTAL RESEARCH

LONDON: A S H E R & Co., P U B L I S H E R S 1 3 BEDFORD STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

«ATH. UNIT. OF AM KB.

PREFACE. The Syriac texts which are here published for the first time form the complete series of the Discourses upon Christian belief, life, and character composed by Philoxenus, Bishop of Mabbogh, probably in the early years of the sixth century. These Discourses are written pure and elegant Syriac, and they form models of composition and show the perfect adaptability of the language for subtle theological argument when employed by a master hand.

They are characterised by a sparing-

use of Greek words and by interesting and unusual grammatical constructions. Apart from the interest which attaches to the writings of Philoxenus from the theological point of view, they must always be of the greatest interest by reason of the frequent quotations from the Bible in them, from an examination of which it is no doubt possible to discover from what version he quoted, or if he quoted simply from memory. The Syriac text of the Discourses is edited from ei

ght MSS. in the British Museum: and the earliest of

these, z. e,, those which belong to the VIth century, were, I believe, written by monkish scribes in the Monophysite monasteries of Egypt during the lifetime

VI

PREFACE.

of their author. The general agreement of all the MSS. shows that the text received in the Vlth century had suffered little corruption in the JX th, and we may safely assume that we have the Discourses now before us in the form in which they left their author's hands. Throughout the Discourses Philoxenus naturally assumes that his readers are fully acquainted with his doctrines as described by him in his other writings, and his argument, by reason of what is left unsaid is, at times, difficult to follow. In the second volume of this work, in addition to the English translation of the Discourses, Í propose to print extracts from the unpublished treatises of Philoxenus which throw light upon difficult passages therein, and which have reference to the chief events of the troubled life of their eloquent author, and to the war which he ceaselessly waged against the doctrines and opinions which he held to be heretical. The English translation of the Discourses is in an advanced state, and it is hoped that the concluding volume of this edition will appear at no remote date. The four plates at the beginning of this volume are reproductions of pages from the manuscripts which are indicated in the notes by A, B, E and G; they are taken from the most typical of the codices which contain the Discourses of Philoxenus. LONDON, November r, 1893,

K. A. WALLIS BUDGE.

INDEX OF THE DISCOURSES. pack 3 • . . . K ' è v u a l A crA^i r^AvLv. rsStoajn K'i.rflKÌS«

I.

J3."h rdw.va KLJ.UDCVÄ tOu.K' OQ=> ^Scil.l 26 rdxirc' Tai ^cutrûi orA

2.

-V v i rCs. -»ircfi r^i-rajcclsa »odcü^OÄ Xàra.i JUK' . » v r a r