A Miaphysite Subalternity? John of Ephesus, the Jafnids, and the Villages of the Ḥawrān

A Miaphysite Subalternity? John of Ephesus, the Jafnids, and the Villages of the ḤawrānTravaux et mémoires 26Syriaca.org: The Syriac Reference PortalThe National Endowment for the HumanitiesThe International Balzan Prize FoundationDavid A. Michelsoncbsc_adminRecord added to Zotero bycbsc_adminSyriaca.org: The Syriac Reference Portalhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/ASIYT4K4/tei

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.WalterBeersA Miaphysite Subalternity? John of Ephesus, the Jafnids, and the Villages of the Ḥawrānhttp://syriaca.org/cbss/ASIYT4K4https://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/ASIYT4K4https://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/ASIYT4K4PhilipBoothMaryWhitbyMélanges James Howard-JohnstonParisAssociation des Amis du Centre d’Histoire et Civilisation de Byzance202223-44Travaux et mémoires 26This paper presents a case, informed by the historiography of subaltern studies, for the interrelated socioeconomic significance of the Jafnid family of Arab phylarchs and of the sixth-century Miaphysite church for the largely rural region of southern Syria/northern Jordan known as the Ḥawrān. It begins with a close reading of John of Ephesus’ “Life of Thomas the Armenian”, exploring its relevance for understanding the effects of Justinianic policy in the eastern border provinces. It then presents three strands of evidence for the situation in the Ḥawrān: 1) the information provided by John of Ephesus about the phylarch al-Mundhir b. al-Ḥārith; 2) the 137 subscriptions to the 569/70 “Letter from the abbots of Arabia” surviving in the so-called anti-tritheist dossier; 3) archaeological evidence for village life in the Ḥawrān. It is argued that the presence of large numbers of Miaphysite monks and minor clergy in the region, and the patronage offered to the struggling Miaphysite church by the Jafnid family, may have provided the peasantry of the Ḥawrān with a means of defence against the encroachments of aggressively acquisitive urban elites. A conjunction of mutually beneficial self-interest would thus have offered the Jafnids a weapon against regional rivals; the Miaphysite clergy a committed constituency and sources of economic support in the region’s village churches; and the independent peasants of the Ḥawrān a discursive expression of resistance to aristocratic accumulation. Beers, Walter. “A Miaphysite Subalternity? John of Ephesus, the Jafnids, and the Villages of the Ḥawrān.” In Mélanges James Howard-Johnston, edited by Philip Booth and Mary Whitby, 23–44. Travaux et Mémoires 26. Paris: Association des Amis du Centre d’Histoire et Civilisation de Byzance, 2022. Walter Beers, A Miaphysite Subalternity? John of Ephesus, the Jafnids, and the Villages of the Ḥawrān, in Mélanges James Howard-Johnston, ed. Philip Booth and Mary Whitby, Travaux et Mémoires 26 (Paris: Association des Amis du Centre d’Histoire et Civilisation de Byzance, 2022), 23–44.ArabsIV-VII CEJacobitesJohn of EphesusVI CE