Greek and Syriac in Fifth-Century Edessa: The Case of Bishop Hibas

Greek and Syriac in Fifth-Century Edessa: The Case of Bishop HibasSemitica et ClassicaSyriaca.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/ZZTGZZUN/tei

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2024-08-15-04:00

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CREATED: This bibl record was autogenerated from a Zotero record.FergusMillarGreek and Syriac in Fifth-Century Edessa: The Case of Bishop Hibashttp://syriaca.org/cbss/ZZTGZZUNhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/a_comprehensive_bibliography_on_syriac_studies/items/ZZTGZZUNhttps://www.zotero.org/groups/4861694/items/ZZTGZZUNSemitica et Classica52012151-165This paper examines the complex evidence for the use of Greek on the one hand and Syriac on the other by the controversial fifth-century bishop of Edessa, Hibas, and by contemporaries involved with him. The material derives from the fifth and sixth centuries, and is preserved in Syriac, Greek and Latin. A prominent place is given to the letter of Hibas addressed to “Mari the Persian”, written in Syriac, and preserved in a Syriac codex copied in 535 which contains a selective translation of some of the Acts of the Second Council of Ephesus of 449. A facsimile of the first page of this text is provided, along with a complete text in the original Estrangela script, set out in the columns and lines of the original. It is not certain, however, whether this is the original text or a re-translation from the Greek. Hibas’ composition of this letter, and his translation into Syriac, and distribution, of some theological texts, must however be seen against the background both of his use of written Greek in correspondence and of spoken Greek at proceedings in 448 and 449 and at the Council of Chalcedon of 451. The role of Syriac in the fifth century Church was a novel and significant development. But Greek remained the predominant language. Millar, Fergus. “Greek and Syriac in Fifth-Century Edessa: The Case of Bishop Hibas.” Semitica et Classica 5 (2012): 151–65. Fergus Millar, Greek and Syriac in Fifth-Century Edessa: The Case of Bishop Hibas, Semitica et Classica 5 (2012): 151–65.EdessaGreek languageHiba of EdessaIV-VII CEMari the PersianSyriac languageV CEidentitylettersprimary sources [Syriac]