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Arabic Christian Writers


This page contains a list of Christians whose works exist or were written in Arabic.  The page numbers are to Georg Graf, Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Litteratur.  

BOOK 2: ARABIC WRITERS TO THE MIDDLE OF THE 15TH CENTURY

1. MELKITES (pp. 3-93)

Overview                       3
Theodor Abu Qurra         7
                Doubtful works 16
                Works transmitted in Greek 20
                Works transmitted in Georgian 20
                Spuria 21
                Vita of John of Edessa 25
Other anonymous apologetical works prior to the 11th century 26
The Disputation of the monk Abraham of Tiberias 28
Qustā ibn Lūqā 30
Yūhannā (Yahyā) ibn al-Bitriq 32
Eutychius, Sa‘id ibn Bitriq (Batriq)
Agapius, Mahbūb ibn Qustantin 36
Atanāyūs 40
Antonius, Abbot of the monastery of St. Simeon 41
Ibrahim ibn Yūhannā al-Antāki 45
Abu ‘Ali Nazif ibn Yumn 48
A poem of defamation 49
Yahyā (Yūhannā) ibn Sa‘id ibn Yahyā al-Antāki 49
Anonymous Historians 51
Theophilus ibn Taufil 51
Abu 'l-Fath 'Abdallah ibn al-Fadl 52
                Translations 53
                Original works and anthologies 58
Nikon 64
Taktikon of Constantinople 66
Michael, monk of the monastery of Simeon 69
                Caesarius 70
                Agathon 71
                Michael of Damascus 71
                Maximus of Antioch 71
                Gabriel from the monastery of Mt. Sinai 71
                ‘Isā ibn Qustantin 71
                Abu 'l-Hair al-Mubārak ibn Sarāra 71
                Melchite physicians 72
Paulus (Būlus) ar-Rāhib al-Antāki 72
‘Afif ibn al-Makin ibn Mu'ammil 78
Al-Fadl ibn ‘Isā und Bašir as-Sirri 79
The Disputation of George the Monk 79
Canonists and historians 81
                Ibn al-Hidāh 81
                Joseph der Aegypter 82
                Wahbatallāh Gamāl ad-din 82
                Theophilus und Sim‘ān al-Antāki 82
Gerasimus 82
Salomon, Sulaimān ibn Hasan al-Gazzi 84
Sulaimān al-Ašlūhi 86
Athanasius, Patriarch of Jerusalem and others 86
                Cyrillus al-Lādiqi 89
                Nikon of Manbig 89
                Simeon of Thessaloniki, translation 89
                Stephanus 89
Anonymous theological tractates after the 11th century 90
                Moral-ascetical tractates 90
                Feast-day and other sermons 91
                Exegetical works 92

2. Maronites (pp.94-102)

Qais, the Maronite 94
The book of orthodoxy 94
Thomas, Bishop of Kafartāb
Theodorus al-‘Aqūri 100
                John, the maronite monk 101
                Ignatius, Bishop of Cyprus 101
Ps. -John Maron 101

3. Nestorians (pp.103-219)

Overview 103
The family of Bahtisū‘ 109
                George 110
                Bahtisū‘ 110
                Gabriel 110
                Bahtisū‘ 110
                Yūhannā 111
                Gabriel ibn ‘Ubaidallāh 111
                Abu Sa‘id ‘Ubaidallāh 111
                ‘Ali ibn Ibrahim 112
Other translators and secular writers before Hunain    112
                Al-Haggāg  112
                ‘Isā ibn Hakam Masih 112
                Hārūn ibn ‘Azzūr 112
                Abu Zakaryā Yūhannā ibn al-Bitriq 112
                Yūsuf ibn Ibrahim al-Hābis 113
                Abu Zakaryā Yūhannā (Yahyā) ibn Māsawaih 113
                Ibrahim ibn ‘Isā 114
Timothy I 114
Other church writers of the 9th century 118
                Abu Nūh al-Anbāri 118
                Abu 'l-Fadl ‘Ali ibn Rabbān an-Nasrāni 118
                Apologetics writers 118
                ‘Išū ibn Nun 119
Habib, ‘Abd Yasū‘ ibn Bahriz 119
                Yahyā ibn Nu‘mān 120
Pethion 120
                Išo‘danāh 121
                Yūhannā ibn Narsai 121
                Gabriel of Basra 121
Hunain ibn Ishāq 122
Hunain's school 129
Ishāq ibn Hunain 129
                Hubaiš ibn al-Hasan 130
                Other Christian pupils of Hunain 131
                Christian physicians (Nestorian) 131
Elias (Iliyā) al-Gauhari and Elias of Damascus 132
The apology of ‘Abd al-Masih al-Kindi 135
The Bahirā legend 145
Ibn as-Salt Yūhannā ibn as-Salt , 149
Hanūn ibn Yūhannā ibn as-Salt 150
                John V, Yūhannā ibn ‘Isā  151
Abu Bišr Mattā ibn Yūnān al-Mantiqi 153
Various writers of the 10th century 154
                Cyriakus al-Harrāni 154
                Georg of Mosul 155
                Ya'qūb ibn Zakaryā 155
                Gabriel ibn Nūh 155
Israel, Bishop of Kaškar 155
                Another writer also named Israel 156
Nestorians of the school of the Jacobite Yahyā ibn 'Adi 156
                Abu ‘l-Hair al-Hasan ibn Suwār 156
                ‘Isā ibn ‘Ali 157
                Yūsuf ibn al-Buhairi 157
Sabrisū‘ Bišr ibn as-Sirri 158
Elias I 159
Abu 'l-Farag ‘Abdallah ibn at-Taiyib al-‘Irāqi 160
                Ibn at-Taiyib's exegetical works 162
                Dogmatical, ethical and canonistical works 170
Elias of Nisibis 177
                Theological works 178
                Ethical, canonistical and scientific works 184
                Abu Sa‘id Mansūr ibn ‘Isā 189
Anonymous theological works 189
Al-Mūhtār Yuwānis, Ibn Butlān 191
Abu‘l-Hair al-Mubārak 195
Nestorian physicians of the 11th century 195
The Chronicle of Se‘ert 195
Maqihā ibn Sulaimān 196
Sa‘id ibn Hibatallāh, Ibn Atradi 197
Hibatallāh Amin ad-Daula, ibn at-Tilmid 199
Abu 'l-Hasan Sā‘id ibn Hibatallāh, 200
                Abu Nasr Sa‘id, ibn al-Masihi 200
                Sabrisū‘ ibn al-Masihi 200
Māri ibn Sulaimān 200
Abu Halim Iliyā ibn al-Haditi, 202
                Rūbil of Dunaisir  205
                Sa‘id Mubarak ibn Iliyā 206
                Elias al-Bahri 206
                Hurmiz ibn Bašir 206
                Rašid ad-din 206
                Anonymous Tarāgim 206
Other writers 207
                Michael 207
                Sabrisū‘ ibn Fūlus 207
Subhān li-Yašū' 207
Isū‘yāb ibn Malkūn 208
‘Ammār al-Basri 210
Ibn Māri ibn al-Masihi 211
Ibrahim ibn ‘Aun 212
Elias, Mutrān 213
Salomon of Basra 213
Denhā 213
                Yūsuf, Bishop 214
                Ishāq, Monk 214
                Ibn al-Quff 214
‘Abdišū‘ (Ebedjesus) 214
‘Amr ibn Mattā ibn Bahnām 216
                Salibā ibn Yūhannā 217
Authors and writers of uncertain date 219
                Thaddāus of Edessa 219
                Ibrahim ibn ‘Amrū 219
                Elias, Bishop of Edessa  219
                Anonymous theological works 219
Anonymous liturgical explanations 219

4. Jacobites  (pp.220-293)

Overview 220
Habib ibn Hidma Abu Rā'ita 222
Nonnus of Nisibis 226
Cyriakus, Patriarch 227
‘Abd al-Masih ibn Nā‘ima ibn ‘Abdallah al-Himsi 228
Moses bar Kepha  229
                John of Dārā  233
                Theodosius, Patriarch 233
Yahyā ibn ‘Adi.  General information. 233
                Yahyā ibn ‘Adi, contd.  Works 239
Various writers of the 10th century 249
                Farag ibn Girgis ibn Afrim 249
                Abu Zakaryā Denhā 250
                Al-Hārit ibn Sinān ibn Sinbāt 251
                Basilius of Tiberias 251
                Yu'annis ibn aš-Šammā‘ 251
Abu ‘Ali ‘Isā ibn Ishāq ibn Zur‘a 252
Eustathius 256
Abu Sahl ‘Isā ibn Yahyā al-Masihi al-Gurgāni 257
Nagm ad-din abu 'l-‘Abbās Ahmad ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmān 259
Muhyi ad-din al-‘Agami 259
Abu Nasr Yahyā ibn Garir  259
John X, Yūhannā Yūsa‘ ibn Šūšān 263
Dionysius ibn as-Salibi 263
Michael the Great 265
John XV, Yūhannā ibn al-Ma‘dani 267
                Ignatius II 269
Other writers of the 13th century 269
                Ya‘qūb ibn Sakkā 269
                Bahnām as-Sigistāni 269
                Ignatius Petrus III 270
                Agathos of Homs 270
                Ya‘qūb al-Māridāni " 270
Abu 'l-Hasan ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Mahrūma 270
Ignatius ibn Wahib 271
Eudoxus of Melitene 272
Gregorius abu l-Farag ibn al-‘Ibri, Barhebraeus 272
                Translated works. 275
                Elias al-Amidi 281
                Severus (ibn) at-Tahhān 281
Daniel ibn al-Hattāb 281
Writers of uncertain date 284
                Mustafa 'l-Malik abu Yūsuf 284
                Abu l-'Farag Giwargis 284
                George the monk 284
                George, another monk 284
Anonymous exegetical works 284
                Pentateuch-Catena 284
                History of Thora  289
                Explanation of the Gospel-writers 292

5. Copts (pp. 294-468)

Overview 294
Severus ibn al-Muqaffa‘ 300
                History of the Patriarchs of Alexandrien 301
                Theological works 306
                Abu Ishāq ibn al-Fadlallāh 317
Al-Wādih ibn Raga' 318
‘Abd al-Masih al-Isrā'ili  319
                Abd al-Masih, Ibn Nūh 320
Abu Sulh Yūnus (Yuwannis) ibn ‘Abdallah 320
                Christodulus, Patriarch 321
The florilegium "Knowledge of the Fathers" 321
Cyrillus II 323
                Michael IV 324
                Michael V 324
                Makarius, Patriarch, 324
Gabriel ibn Tarik 324
Markus ibn al-Qanbar 327
Michael, Bishop of Dimyāt  333
Simon ibn Kalil ibn Maqāra 336
Anonymous Gospel harmonies  338
Abu Sālih (Sulh) the Armenian 338
                Abu 'l-Mukāram Sa‘dallāh ibn Girgis ibn Mas'ūd 340
Petrus Severus al-Gamil   340
Abu Bāšir 344
Ar-Rasid abu 'l-Hair ibn at-Taiyib 344
Al-Makin Girgis, Ibn ‘Amid 348
Petrus as-Sadamanti 351
Yūsāb, Bishop of Ahmim 356
Paulus al-Būši 356
Cyrillus ibn Laqlaq 360
"The book of the chapter" 367
Yūsāb, Bishop of Fūwah 369
John, Bishop of Samannūd  371
Al-Wagih Yūhannā al-Qalyūbi 375
At-Tiqa ibn ad-Duhairi 378
Ibn Kātib Qaisar 379
                Gabriel ibn al-Hāzin 384
Die Aulād al-‘Assāl 387
As-Safi abu 'l-Fadā'il ibn al-‘Assāl 388
                contd. The Nomocanon 398
Al-As‘ad abu 'l-Farag Hibatallāh ibn al-‘Assāl 403
Al-Mu‘taman abū Ishāq Ibrahim ibn al-‘Assāl 407
                Gabriel 414
Michael, Bishop of Atrib and Malig 414
Faragallāh al-Ahmimi 427
An-Nusū' abū Sākir ibn (Petrus) Butrus ar-Kāhib 428
Chronicon Orientale 434
                Abu 'l-Fahr al-Masihi 435
                Chronological compilation 436
                Abrim, Bishop 436
John, son of Severus 436
Makarius 437
Šams ar-Ri'āsa abu 'l-Barakāt, Ibn Kabar 438
Athanasius, Bishop of Qūs, and anonymous philologists 445
                Triadon 446
John ibn Sabbā‘ 448
Abu 'l-Magd ibn Yuwannis (Yu'annis, Yūnus) 449
Al-Mufaddal ibn abi 'l-Fadā'il 450
Al-Makin Girgis (George) ibn al-‘Amid 450
                Petrus al-Habbāz 453
A work on the Eucharist 453
Writers of the time of persecution 455
                Matthaus, Patriarch 455
                Gabriel V 456
                Paulus, Bishop of al-Bahnasā 456
                Sarkis 457
                Raphael 457
                Gabriel, Bishop of Marg 457
                Myronweihen 457
Anonymous coptic exegetical works 458
                Commentary on parts of the Old Testament 458
                Introduction to the psalms 458
                Introduction to the gospels 461
                Explanation of the gospels 461
                Introduction to the Corpus Paulinum 462
                Commentary on the remainder of the NT 463
                Introduction to the Apocalypse 463
                Explanations of the Epistle and Gospel readings 464
Anonymous Theological works of the Monophysites (Jacobites and Copts) 465
Anonymous moral-ascetical tractates and homilies of the Jacobites und Copts 467

Appendix (pp. 468-75)

Anonymous works whose denomination is uncertain 468
                Biblical 468
Apologetical-polemical works against Islam and the Jews 472
Hagiography 474
                Martyrs under Islam 474
                Ascetics 474
The story of a learned man and a Chinese settler 475


Agapius

Son of Constantine, arabised as Mahbub ibn Qustantin.  Bishop of Manbig (Mabbug, Hierapolis).  Contemporary with Eutychius but slightly later.  He wrote a World History from the creation to his own times.  The last portion, covering the Arab period, only survives in a single manuscript.  It ends in the second year of the Caliphate of Mahdi (160 AH, 776-7 AD).  The original had the title "Kitab al-'Unwan" or "Book of titles" was continued to 941-2.

For the early history of Christianity, Agapius relied uncritically upon apocrypha and legendary material.  For ecclesiastical and secular history after that period he relied on Syriac sources.  Foremost among these was the World Chronicle of the Maronite, Theophilus of Edessa (d. 785, according to Baumstark, p.341 f), for the end of the Ummayad and beginning of the Abbasid periods.  From the Church History of Eusebius, Agapius used only short extracts.  He also used other sources, and so included an otherwise unknown passage by Papias of Hierapolis.  He also knew the History of Bardesanes, which Michael the Syrian took, directly or indirectly, from Agapius.

Masriq 12 (1909) 467 f.  L. Cheiko, Catal. S. 33., C. Karalevsky in Dict. Hist. Geogr. Eccl. I 899 f.

Editions: 

1. L. Cheikho, Agapius Episcopus Mabbugensis, Historia universalis, in CSCO. Scriptores arabici.  Textus, Ser. III. t. V. Beirut/Paris (1912).  This used Ms. Beirut 3 (16-17 century) and 4 (1819 AD) together with Sarfeh ar. 16/1 (1662 AD).  For the last part he used the only manuscript, Florence Palatinus Mediceus or. 132.  As a substitute for the lost final portion, he used extracts from al-Makin ibn 'al-'Amid in Ms. Paris ar. 294.  See also Masriq 8 (1905) 1051 ff.; Mélanges de la Faculté Orientale VI (Beyrouth 1913) 214-6.

2.  A. Vasiliev, Kitab al-'Unwan. Histoire universelle écrite par Agapius (Mahboub) de Menbidj, éditée et traduite.  Patrologia Orientalis V.4 (pp.557-692), using Ms. Bodleian ar. christ. Nicoll. 51,1 (Hunt. 478, 1320 AD); Sin. ar. 581, 1 and 456, 6. Continued in PO VII.4 (pp.457-591) and PO VIII.3 (pp.397-550), also reliant on the Florentine ms. for the latter part.

Other manuscripts of the first part exist.

Atanayus (Athenaios)

Along with Agapius of Manbig and Eutychius, al-Masudi (d. 957) lists an Egyptian monk Atanayus (Athenaios) as author of a "History of the Romans and other nations from Adam to Constantine."  See Kitab at-Tanbih wal-israj, ed. J. de Geoje, Bibliotheca geographorum arabicorum VIII 154 f.  Also B. Carra de Vaux, Maçoudi, Le Live de l'Avertissement et de la Revision.  Traduction, Paris 1897, p. 212.  Masriq 12 (1909) 484.

There is a world history compiled with extracts from Eutychius and Agapius starting with Heraclius and the advent of Islam in Ms. Sarfeh ar. 16/2, 1 (18th century); see Catalogue p. 480 f.


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