Reception of the writings of Martyrius-Sahdona in several confessions
https://doi.org/10.15829/2686-973X-2022-110
Abstract
The article deals the problem of reception in several confessions of the writings of the ascetic writer and bishop of the Church of the East Martyrius-Sahdona (o. ~650). The question about his confessional orientation is not clear now. There are saved a few manuscripts with his writings in syriac (the date of the earliest is 837), as well as in arabic (one manuscript of 1492) and georgian translations (a few manuscripts, the date of the earliest is 925). Analysis of the manuscript tradition of his writings permited to establish that the literary tradition, on which drew the writer and which was the base of his ascetical teaching, became essential factor of reception of his writings by orthodox in the most extent, while the other confessions saved only small fragments of these. The determination of causes of the popularity of the writings of Martyrius-Sahdona in several confessions is contribution in solution of the question of his confession, which is unclarified aspect of the biography of this church doer and representant of the East Syrian ascetic literature.
About the Author
hierodeacon Maxim (Sudakov)
Holy Transfiguration Skete
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
independent researcher
Moscow region, Serpukhov district, Podmoklovo village
References
1. Abramowski 2008 — Abramowski, L. (2008). Martyrius-Sahdona and dissent in the Church of the East, in Jullien, Ch. (ed.), Controverses des chrétiens dans l’Iran Sassanide, Association pour l’avancement des études iraniennes, Paris, 13-27 (Cahiers de Studia Iranica 36).
2. Assemanus 1719 — Assemanus, J.S. (1719). Bibliotheca orientalis Clementino-Vaticana. T. I, Typis Sacrae Congregationis de Propaganda Fide, Romae.
3. Breydy 1988-1989 — Breydy, M. (1988-1989). Une attestation exclusive de Sahdona de l’Exposé de la foi de Jean Maron, Parole de l’Orient, 15, 261-268.
4. Carlson 2011 — Carlson, T.A. (2011). Isḥaq Shbadnaya, in Brock S. P. et al. (ed.), Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage, Gorgias Press, Piscataway, 214-215. ISBN: 978-1-59333-714-8.
5. De Halleux, Garitte 1956 — De Halleux, A. et Garitte, G. (1956). Le sermon géorgien du moine Martyrius et son modèle syriaque, Le Muséon, 69, 243-312.
6. De Halleux 1988 — De Halleux, A. (1988). Un chapitre retrouvé du Livre de la perfection de Martyrius, Le Muséon, 75, 253-296.
7. De Urbina 1958 — De Urbina, I.O. (1958). Patrologia syriaca, Pont. institutum orientalium studiorum, Romae.
8. Ebeid 2017 — Ebeid, B. (2017). Christology and Deification in the Church of the East. Mar Gewargis I, His Synod and His Letter to Mina as a Polemic Against Martyrius-Sahdona, Cristianesimo nella storia, 38, 729-782.
9. Géhin 2010 — Géhin, P. (2010). Un feuillet oublié de Martyrius/Sahdona à Milan (Ambr. A 296 inf., f. 87 = Chabot 51), in Briquel-Chatonnet, F. and M. Debié, M. (ed.), Sur les pas des Araméens chrétiens. Mélanges offerts à Alain Desreumaux, Geuthner, Paris, 195-205. (Cahiers d’études syriaques; vol. 1). ISBN: 978-2-70533-837-4.
10. Goussen 1897 — Goussen, H. (1897). Martyrius-Sahdona’s Leben und Werke nach einer syrischen Handschrift in Strassburg i/E. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Katholizismus unter den Nestorianern, Otto Harassowitz, Leipzig.
11. Bedjan 1901 — Bedjan, P. (ed.) (1901). Liber Superiorum seu Historia Monastica auctore Thoma, episcopo Margensi… Documenta patrum de quibusdam verae fidei dogmatibus, Otto Harrassowitz, Paris, Leipzig.
12. Mingana 1933 — Mingana, A. (1933). Catalogue of the Mingana Collection of Manuscripts, now in the Possetion of the Trustees of the Woodbrooke Settlement, Selly Oak, Birmingham, vol. I: Syriac and Garshūni Manuscripts, W. Heffer and Sons, Cambridge.
13. Pirot 1913 — Pirot, L. (1913). L’œuvre exégétique de Théodore de Mopsueste, Sumptibus Pontificii instituti biblici, Romae.
14. Scully 2009 — Scully, J. (2009). The Transmission of Evagrian Theological Concepts into East Syrian Christianity: A Comparison of Evagrius and Sahdona on Contemplation and Anthropology, Greek Orthodox Theological Review, 54, 7732T48T-32T48T94.
15. Wright 1901 — Wright W. (1901). A Catalogue of the Syriac Manuscripts Preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge, vol. 1, Cambridge University Press, London.
16. Zotenberg 1874 — Zotenberg, H. (1874). Catalogues des manuscrits syriaques et sabéens (mandaïtes) de la Bibliothèque nationale, Imprimerie nationale, Paris.
17. Guryev 1890 — Guryev, P.V. (1890). Theodore, Bishop of Mopsuestia, L. and A. Snegiryov Press, Moscow. (In Russ.)
18. Dunaev, Fokin 2007 — Dunaev, A.G., Fokin, A.R. (2007). Evagrius Ponticus, in Orthodox Encyclopedia. Т. 16, The Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", Moscow, 557-581. (In Russ.) ISBN: 978-5-89572-028-8.
19. Dunaev, Yampol’skiy 2018 — Dunaev, A.G., Yampol’skiy, I.E. (2018). Review of Muraviev A. V. (ed.) Mar Iskhac of Nineveh (St. Isaac the Syrian). The Book of the Ascension of Monk: The First Collection, Bogoslovskie trudy, 47-48, 555-586. (In Russ.)
20. Hillarion 2014 — Hillarion (Alfeev), metropolitan (ed.). (2014). St. Isaac the Syrian and His Spiritual Heritage. Proceedings of the 1st International Patristic Conference of the Church-wide Centre for Postgraduate and Doctoral Training in the Name of St. Cyril and Methodius, The Church-wide Centre for Postgraduate and Doctoral Training in the Name of St. Cyril and Methodius, Moscow. (In Russ.) ISBN: 978-5-9065-4307-36.
21. Muraviev 2012 — Muraviev, A.V. (2012). Ishodad of Merv, in Orthodox Encyclopedia. Т. 28, The Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", Moscow, 651-652. (In Russ.) ISBN: 978-5-89572-025-7.
22. Pataridze 2014a — Pataridze, T. (2014). Do Exist Versions from Syriac to Georgian? in Seleznyov, N.N., Arzhanov, Y.N. (ed.), Miscellanea Orientalia Christiana. Vostochnokhristianskoe raznoobrazie, Institut vostochnykh kultur I antichnosti RGSU, Probel-2000, Moscow, 185-206. (In Russ.) ISBN: 978-5-98604-419-4.
23. Pataridze 2014b — Pataridze, T. (2014). History of Genesis of the Versions of the Works of St. Isaac the Syrian and their Spreading in the Lavra of St. Sabbas, in Hillarion (Alfeev), metropolitan (ed.). St. Isaac the Syrian and His Spiritual Heritage. Proceedings of the 1st International Patristic Conference of the Church-wide Centre for Postgraduate and Doctoral Training in the Name of St. Cyril and Methodius, The Church-wide Centre for Postgraduate and Doctoral Training in the Name of St. Cyril and Methodius, Moscow, 66-79. (In Russ.) ISBN: 978-5-9065-4307-36.
24. Pigulevskaya 1928 — Pigulevskaya N. V. (1928). Life of Sahdona (From the history of the Nestorianism in VII century), Notes of the College of Orientalists at the Asian Museum of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 3.1, 91-108. (In Russ.)
25. Polkhovsky 2018 — Polkhovsky, A., priest. (2018). Syriac sayings of Saint Nilus of Sinai, Theological herald, 30, 258-299. (In Russ.)
26. Pritula 2009 — Pritula, A. (2009). Liturgical Syro-Oriental Compositions (‘onyata) and Homilies of Narsay: Six Hymnes of the Liturgical Corpus "Warda", Symbol, 55, 152-253. (In Russ.)
27. Puchkova 2016 — Puchkova, S. (2016). The Catechetical Homilies of Theodore of Mopsuestia: the Publishing History and Their Contents, Vestnik Pravoslavnogo Sviato-Tikhonovskogo Gumanitarnogo universiteta. Seriia I: Bogoslovie. Filosofiia. Religiovedenie, 4(66), 24-43. (In Russ.)
28. Rodionov, Korolyov 2010 — Rodionov, M.A. and Korolyov A. A. (2010). John Maron, in Orthodox Encyclopedia. Т. 24, The Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", Moscow, 445-448. (In Russ.) ISBN: 978-5-89572-044-8.
29. Sudakov 2019 — Sudakov, M. (2019). The Christology of Martyrius-Sahdona, Thelogical Herald, 32, 140-172. (In Russ.) doi:10.31802/2500-1450-2019-32-140-171.
30. Sudakov 2020 — Sudakov, M. (2020). Christology of Martyrius-Sahdona: between Nestorianism at Chalcedonism, Christianity in the Middle East, 4, 99-110. (In Russ.) doi: 10.24411/2587-9316-2020-10029.
31. Sudakov 2021b — Sudakov, M. (2021). Sahdona (Martyrius), in Orthodox Encyclopedia. Т. 61, The Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia", Moscow, 740-741. (In Russ.) ISBN: 978-5-89572-044-8.
32. Kekelidze 1947 — Kekelidze, K. (1947). Martyrius the Georgian (VI–VII centuries) and his Op. "On Repentance and Humility", Literary Research, 3, 274-313.
Review
For citations:
Maxim (Sudakov) h. Reception of the writings of Martyrius-Sahdona in several confessions. Russian Journal of Church History. 2022;3(3):5-17. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.15829/2686-973X-2022-110
Views:
240
Email this article 