The Discourses of Philoxenus: Edited from Syriac Manuscripts of the Sixth and Seventh Centuries in the British Museum, with an English Translation 9781463223724

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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 2 Edited and Translated by

E. A. W. Budge

l 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

a

1 ISBN 978-1-60724-865-1

Reprinted from the 1893-1894 London edition.

Digitized by Brigham Young LTniversity. Printed in the LTnited 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.

THE

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

THE

'ISCOURSES OF P H l L O X E N U i BISHOP OF MABBÖGH,

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. WALLIS BUDGE, LITT. D., F. S. A., FORMERLY SCHOLAR OF CHRIST'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE, AND TYRWHITT SCHOLAR, KEEPER OF THE EGYPTIAN AND ASSYRIAN ANTIQUITIES, BRITISH MUSEUM,

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF T H E ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM.

VOL. IL

INTRODUCTION, TRANSLATION, ETC.

INSTITUTE OF CHRISTIAN ORIENTAL RESEARCH «ATH. UNIT. OF AMVR.

LONDON; A S H E R & C ., l- U B L I S H E R S 13

BEDFORD

STREET,

I894.

COVF.NT

GARDEN

WITH HEARTFELT

GRATITUDE

I DEDICATE THESE VOLUMES TO MY MANY COLLEAGUES AND

FRIENDS

WHO DID NOT FAIL ME IN THE HOUR OF TRIAL AND DISTRESS.

INSTITUTE OF CHRISTIAN ORIENTAL RESEARCH •ATM. ¥NIT. OF AMHL

icoK ¡A r, \J

J.';--.:.

PREFACE The present volume contains an English translation of the complete Syriac text of the Discourses of Philoxenus upon Christian Life and Character which was published early this year as Volume I of this work. Among the Nitrian collection of Syriac MSS. in the British Museum, there are preserved some nineteen volumes which contain the Discourses or extracts from them, and they range in date from the early part of the Vlth to the Xlllth century. Nine of these volumes have no critical value for the text, as they contain short passages only.

Of the remaining ten one (the

MS. C) belongs to the Vlth century; two (the MSS. 13 and E) belong to the Vlth or Vllth century; one (the MS. A) belongs to the Vllth or VIHth century; one to the VIHth or IXth century; three (the MSS. B, G and H) belong to the IXth century; and two to the Xth century; from eight of these the published text has been taken. 1883—4

1

When 1 first copied the Discourses in

selected the text in A as a base, because,

though written by two hands, it contained the whole

viii

PREFACE.

of the thirteen Discourses complete; with this MS. B agrees closely,

in a conversation which I had with

the late Prof. Wright in 1888 on the matter, he advised that the older MSS, C and D should be taken as first authorities, and in deference to his mature opinion 1 in many cases substituted readings from them in the place of those which I found in A and B.

It

became apparent, however, when I came to print the work that the more correct readings were often found in A and B. Indeed each of the MSS. frequently made the same mistake, although in different places.

Some

of the readings of B and C I again relegated to the notes, and finally decided to print the text as it stood in my original copy.

As a result of these changes it

will be seen that, in some cases, the better readings are given in the notes and the less good in the text. To the English reader this will offer no difficulty, for throughout my translation I have followed what I believe to be the correct reading.

The Syriac scholar

on his part will, of course, choose his own text. I have in no way attempted to emend the text which in places I believe to have suffered through the unintentional mistakes of weary scribes, but have, to the best of my power, reproduced it as I found it in the various MSS. With a view of shewing how little change the text has undergone in passing from copyist to copyist

ix

during the course of nearly four centuries I have added the variant readings from the MSS. E, H, G, and F. of the Vlth, Vllth, IXth and Xth centuries respectively. A list of the Errata, almost unavoidable in a printed text of such a length, is given on p. clxxxviii f. Some of these I owe to the kindness of Prof. Rubens Duval of Paris, and I beg the reader to make the necessary corrections before he uses the book. The translation has been made as literal as possible, and all words added have been indicated by brackets. A list of the passages in the Bible either quoted or referred to in the Discourses has been given on p. clxvii ff. A comparison of the quotations with existing Syriac versions of the Bible seems to shew that Philoxenus Was perfectly acquainted with the Syriac text, but that he, in many cases, quoted from memory. The version Used by him was the Peshitta, which he quoted loosely, or with such modifications as his argument required or his fancy dictated.

Books like the Psalms which

We know were learned by heart in Syrian schools and Colleges lie generally quotes accurately, but at times his ostensible quotations (introduced by >A) are scarcely recognizable, at others he confuses two or more distinct passages, at others he gives the general sense, tnd at others a mere paraphrase.

Every one of his

quotations which differs from extant versions is of b

PREFACE.

X

interest, and that the reader may be able, easily to judge of the variations from the Peshitta 1 have drawn, up a list of the more important typical quotations and given them above their equivalents in that text on pp. cxxxviii—clxvi. From about the year 481 to 519 the name

of

Philoxenus was, according to his theological opponents, in the

dioceses

of Western Asia

turmoil and strife.

synonymous

with

T h e Bishops and Patriarchs who

leaned secretly towards Nestorian doctrines regarded him with terror and feared him as one of the ablest, most energetic and eloquent opponents of those who maintained two natures in our Lord's Person.

For a

period of nearly forty years he waged unflinching war against this doctrine, and amidst persecutions in Antioch, Apamea, and Constantinople maintained his views both by word of mouth and in writing, and produced a series of works, the like of which exist not in the Syriac literature of the Monophysite Church.

His expulsion

from the diocese by Calandio and the threats of the greatest ecclesiastics of the time neither silenced him nor stayed his hand;

and at length he proved the

sincerity of the conviction of the truth of his doctrine by suffering martyrdom in the second year of Jovian, A. D. 519.

Hitherto his doctrine has been represented

chiefly by the accounts thereof written by his theological opponents, but in the Introduction to this volume are

PREFACE.

XI

given for the first time, I believe, in the language in which he wrote them his professions of faith and a brief list of the points on which he differed from the Nestorians and his other adversaries. I had hoped to have supplemented these by a number of extracts from his great work on the Incarnation and how "One Person M

oi the Trinity became man and suffered for us", but

as the space at my disposal was insufficient it has been found necessary to omit them. Until the early part of this year the writings of Hiiloxenus were only known by the extracts from them given by Assemânî in the second volume of his splendid Bibliotheca Orienta lis, by the letter to Abu Nafir of alÏÎîrah, published by the Abbé Martin, by the letter to the monks of Tell-'Adda, published by Professor Guidi, by the letter to the priests Abraham and Orestes of Edessa regarding Stephen bar Sûdh-ailê, published by Mr. Frothingham, and by the necessarily very brief quotations given by Dean Payne Smith in his Thesaurus Syriacus ; s

o recently as 1887 Professor Wright was compelled to

sa

y concerning Philoxenus, "Unfortunately scarcely any

"°f his numerous works have as yet been printed". 1 The estimation in which his works were held in the ^Tonophysite Church will be seen from the quotations from 1

Encyclopaedia Britannica (art, Syriac Literature), vol. xxii. PP- 824—856.

PREFACE.

the works of its famous scholars given on pp. xxv—xxvii, and among the opinions of occidental scholars on his writings may be mentioned those of Assemäni and Wright, the former of whom said, 1 "seripsit Syriace, "si quis alius, elegantissime, atque adeo inter optimos "hujusce linguae scriptores a Jacobo Edesseno collocari "meruit", and the latter, "he was a scholar and an elegant writer".2 Since the publication of the Discourses upon Christian Life and Character these opinions have been confirmed by Nöldeke, who thinks that "Der Ruf "des Philoxenus als eines Meisters des syrischen Stils "wird durch dieses Buch noch in weit höherem Grade "gerechtfertigt als selbst durch den von Guidi herausgegebenen

Brief an die Mönche von TeFedä.

Er

"beherrscht die Sprache mit vollkommener Freiheit. "Liebenswürdiger ist Aphraates, aber zur Grundlage für "eine syrische Syntax eignet sich sein Werk mindestens "so gut wie die Homilien dieses Mannes".3

In a private

communication4 Professor Guidi of Rome writes, "Lei "confesso che non sarei alieno dal riconoscere nei Disb o r s i eli Filosseno da lei publicati, la più bella prosa

siriaca, nella quale all' eleganza finissima della lingua

i£

"è unita l'energia e la forza dello stile.

L a sua publi-

"cazione è di grande utilità ed importanza anche al B, 0.} ti. 20. 2 Op. di., p. 832. 3 Literarisches Central' blatt, No. 19, 1894, p. 678. 4 Dated Frascati, August jotli 18941

PREFACE.

xiii

"semplice punto di vista filologica, per lo studio della "lingua e della sintassi siriaca, nel periodo classico". In a recent notice Prof. Rubens Duval says, "Philoxène appartient à l'epoque la plus brillante de la littérature syriaque.

Son style est élégant sans recherche, ses périodes

"courtes mais harmonieuses. Jacques d'Édesse le tenait: "pour un écrivain de premier ordre.

Assémani, qui

"déteste les doctrines hérétiques de Philoxène, partage "l'admiration

de

Févêque d'Édesse

pour son talent

"littéraire".' It is now my pleasing duty to thank the Council of die Royal Society of Literature of the United Kingdom tor undertaking the publication of this work, which they have issued in a form worthy of their high reputation; their munificence has brought into the light the greatestwork of one of the greatest Syrian writers, and lays all Syriac scholars under an obligation.

A word of

thanks too is due to Mr. Drugulin and to Dr. Chamizer his manager for the care which they have taken in the typographical portion of the work. E. A. W A L L I S B U D G E . LONDON, 1

November i, 1894.

Revue Critique, Nos. 37—38, Sept. 10—17, 1S94, p. 123.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. PAGE vii

PREFACE INTRODUCTION:—

xvii

THE LIFE OF PHILOXENUS THE CREED OF PHILOXENUS

XX vii

THE WORKS OF PHILOXENUS

xliv

THE MSS. OF THE DISCOURSES OF PHILOXENUS

lxvi

THE DISCOURSES OF PHILOXENUS

ARGUMENT

Ixxiii

.

TABLE OF THE MSS. OF THE DISCOURSES

.

.

xciv, xcv

A MAN'S REPLY CONCERNING HIS BELIEF

.

-

.

XCY'i

.

.

,

c

AGAINST THOSE WHO MAINTAIN TWO NATURES

.

civ

A CONFESSION OF FAITH AGAINST THOSE WHO DIVIDE OUR LORD AGAINST EVERY NESTOR I AN cxxlii

AGAINST NESTORIUS

ON THE HERESIES OF MANX, NESTORIUS, AND OTHERS cxxxvi. A COMPARISON OF SCRIPTURAL QUOTATIONS IN THE DISCOURSES WITH THE PESHITTA AND OTHER VERSIONS

-

-

• cxxxviii

A LIST OF THE BIBLE PASSAGES QUOTED OR REclxvii

FERRED TO IN THE DISCOURSES APHRAATES ON FAITH ERRATA

.

clxxv

-

iclxxxviii

THE DISCOURSES:— THE PROLOGUE

.

1

xvi

CONTENTS OF VOLUME II. PAGE

ON FAITH

24

ON FAITH

49

ON FAITH AND SIMPLICITY

70

ON SIMPLICITY

115

ON THE FEAR OF GOD

153

ON THE FEAR OF GOD

184

ON POVERTY

214

ON POVERTY

247

ON THE LUST OF THE BELLY

337

ON ABSTINENCE

403

ON FORNICATION

472

ON FORNICATION

524

INTRODUCTION.

THE LIFE OF PHILOXENUS. Akhsenaya, later named Philoxenus, was born in the third quarter of the Vth century at a village called Tahal1, which was situated in Beth Garmai, probably °n the confines of Persia 2 ; of his parents and their rank and condition we know nothing, but as he was baptized it may be assumed that they were Christians orf at any rate, that they had leanings towards Christianity. His brother Addai is mentioned together with him by Simon of Beth Arsham 3 , who says that they opposed Ibas 4 at Edessa. Making his way westwards Philoxenus came to Edessa, probably in his early manhood, where he studied 5 at the time when Ibas was engaged in translating the works of those who held 1

The position of this village is unknown; see Hoffmann,

Auszuge, p. 277.

tw^ry , > cd o pC* Ocn c^¿vs. . 1 0 cni ctv I'tft&Kb ox»jr^Ti ctf4uin £73 jopo^r^o r£=>&Ui=> i-c^flofe*. See Assemant, B. 0.t ii. p, 10, col 2. $ A village near Ctesiphon or al-Madai'n, ¿pt.xji. 4 oaten.»cnctur^o »SOi^Ausj.f p a rduimr^ t i » »•1«'; see Assemani, B. 0., i, pp. 352, 353. 5 See B. 0., i. p. 353.

xviii

INTRODUCTION.

the Nestorian doctrines into Syriac'. Of the history of his life at this period we know nothing, but it seems to have been imprudent to send a young man of his ardent and religious temperament into a city which, though the chief seat of ecclesiastical learning in that part of the country, was at the same time a source of the religious polemics of the time, for there is little doubt that at a comparatively early age Philoxenus was already known as a willing and zealous teacher and disputant. Such a man was no doubt of great value to the Monophysite Church when the doctrines of Nestorius, which were gaining ground on all sides, were to be fought against, but his ability soon brought him into unenviable notoriety, and between the years 481 and 485 he was expelled from the diocese of Antioch by Calandio 2 the Patriarch as a preacher of the views of Cyril of Alexandria and an advocate of the Henoticon of Zeno. T h e views of Philoxenus were, however, identical with those of Peter the Fuller 3 , by whom immediately after the banishment of Calandio in 4 8 5 , he was ordained Bishop of Mabbogh 4 or Hierapolis 5 . In an anonymous life of Philoxenus from which Assemânî gives extracts in his Bibliotheca Orientalis (ii. p. 13), it is said that "Philoxenus, being "abundantly learned in all the doctrine of the Syrians, 1

See Duval, Histoire politique, religieuse et littéraire d'Édesse, Paris, 1892, p. 174. 2 He became Bishop of Antioch A. D. 481, and was banished in 485. î Patriarch of Antioch A.D. 471—488. « The Manbij, gy-U of Arabic writers; see Yâkût, ed. s Wiistenfeld, torn. iv. p. "loi, where derivations of the name are given, together with a history of the city, 3 Bar-Hebraeus, Citron. Eccles. (ed. Abbeloos), i. col. 183.

THE LIFE OF PHILOXENUS.

"and having received the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, "became Bishop of Mabbogh in the year [of the Greeks] "800, in the time of Zeno, that is to say 488 years "after the coming of our Lord." aalana i i u ^ K ' » 0 Kbca rCju.ua KjjOTI JLanO r&AlCU»:! r ^ O i & k a onlays rCrdScutiach hnlzzs rsfArtu.VSO -2^CUa5an f*Xsah\a t The writer of this statement has made a mistake, for several circumstances show that Philoxenus was recalled from exile by Peter the Fuller in 4S5, and that he was ordained bishop in the same year, and it is said that his name was then changed from Akhsenaya to Philoxenus'. Soon after Philoxenus had become Bishop of Mabbogh some Persian bishops visited his city, and in the new bishop they are said to have recognized a slave who had lied from his master, and a man who had never been baptized; this statement is made both by 'Theodore the Reader 2 and by Theophanes 3 , and most writers upon the much-abused Philoxenus have gravely repeated 1

TTerpoc; &£ 6 rvacpeui; £tu