ʿEnanishoʿ ( Syriac: ܥܢܢܝܫܘܥ, also romanized ''ʿAnanishoʿ'' or ''ʿNānišoʿ'') was a monk, philosopher, lexicographer and translator of the

Church of the East The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...

who flourished in the 7th century.

Biography

ʿEnanishoʿ was from the region of Adiabene. He and his brother Ishoʿyahb studied at the school of Nisibis at the same time as the future patriarch Ishoʿyahb III (). His brother went on to become

bishop of Shenna The Patriarchal Province of Seleucia-Ctesiphon was an ecclesiastical province of the Church of the East, with see in Seleucia-Ctesiphon. It was attested between the fifth and thirteenth centuries. As its name entails, it was the province of the p ...

, while he entered the monastery of Mar Abraham on Mount Izla. He later made a pilgrimage to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

and the monasteries of Scetis in Egypt, becoming well acquainted with Greek literature and

Egyptian monasticism Coptic monasticism is said to be the original form of monasticism as St. Anthony of Egypt became the first one to be called " monk" (Gr: μοναχός) and he was the first to establish a Christian monastery which is now known as the Monastery ...

. Upon his return he joined the

monastery of Beth ʿAbe Monastery of Beth Abe ( syc, ܒܝܬ ܥܒܐ; ', literally "house of wood"), is an East Syriac monastery located near the on the Great Zab about 80 km northeast of Nineveh. It was founded by Rabban Jacob of Lashom around 595 AD. The monastery ...

Writings

At Beth ʿAbe, ʿEnanishoʿ took up writing. He wrote a philosophical treatise on "definitions and divisions" and a glossary of difficult words to aid in reading the

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

. He wrote ''Book of Rules for Homographs'' about Syriac homographs, words having the same spelling (i.e., consonants) but different pronunciation (i.e., vowels) and meaning. He collaborated with Ishoʿyahb III to revise the '' Ḥudrā'', a liturgical book containing the hymns for Sunday services in the East Syriac rite. Ishoʿyahb's successor, Giwargis I (), then commissioned him to compile the ''Paradise of the Fathers'', a collection of Syriac translations of Greek works. This major compilation comprises four books: the '' Lausiac History'' of

Palladius of Helenopolis Palladius of Galatia ( el, Παλλάδιος Γαλατίας) was a Christian chronicler and the bishop of Helenopolis, Bithynia, Helenopolis in Bithynia. He was a devoted disciple of Saint John Chrysostom. He is best remembered for his work, th ...

, another work of history attributed to Palladius, the ''

History of the Monks in Egypt The ''Historia monachorum in Aegypto'', also called the ''Lives of the Desert Fathers'', is a combination travelogue and hagiography from the late 4th century AD. It recounts the travels of a band of seven Palestinian monks on a pilgrimage through ...

'' attributed to Jerome and a collection of sayings of the Desert Fathers. The sayings as compiled by ʿEnanishoʿ in Syriac are known under the title ''Paradise of the Fathers''. The ''Paradise'' contains some original material based on ʿEnanishoʿ's visit to Scetis. It is divided into fifteen chapters, with the first fourteen arranged topically and the last an unsystematic grouping. It had a major influence on East Syriac monasticism. A commentary on it was written before the end of the century by

Dadīshōʿ Ḳaṭrāya Dadisho Qatraya or Dadisho of Qatar (late 7th century) was a Nestorian monk and author of ascetic literature in Syriac. His works were widely read, from Ethiopia to Central Asia. Life Dadisho flourished in the late 7th century. Originally from Beth ...

. The ''Book of the Little Paradise'' of

David, Bishop of the Kurds David ( syr, ܕܘܝܕ ܕܟܪ̈ܬܘܝܐ, Dawid d-Kartwāyē) was a monk, bishop and historian of the Church of the East in the 7th or 8th century. Originally a monk of Beth Abe, he later became the bishop of the Kurdish tribes in the region of Kar ...

, was probably intended as a companion piece covering the native holy men of Mesopotamia. According to Thomas of Marga, a copy was kept in every monastery in the Church of the East.

Notes

References

Bibliography

;Editions and translations * * * ;Secondary literature * * * * * * {{authority control 7th-century Christian monks Church of the East writers Syriac Christians Syriac writers