Gabriel Ibn Al-Qilai
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Gabriel ibn al-Qilai (in exact Arabic transcription: Jibrāyīl ibn al-Qilā'i, in Latin: Gabriel Benclaius or Barclaius; 1447 – 1516), was a Lebanese Christian religious figure of the
Maronite Church The Maronite Church (; ) is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The head of the Maronit ...
. Al-Qilai joined the
Franciscan Order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
in 1470 and was consecrated
bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
of the
Maronites in Cyprus Maronite Cypriots are an ethnoreligious group and are members of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Cyprus whose ancestors migrated from the Levant during the Middle Ages. A percentage of them traditionally speak a variety of Arabic known ...
in 1507.


Biography

Information about Gabriel al-Qilai is mostly found in the work of the historian patriarch
Estephan El Douaihy Istifan al-Duwayhi or Estephan El Douaihy ( / ALA-LC: ''Isṭifānūs al-thānī Buṭrus al-Duwayhī''; ; ; ; 2 August 1630 – 3 May 1704) was the 57th List of Maronite Patriarchs, Patriarch of the Maronite Church, serving from 1670 until his d ...
, which was most often relevant to al-Qilai. Patriarch Douaihy protested al-Qilai's conversion to
Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, due to his belief in Roman Orthodoxy for the Maronites. Gabriel al-Qilai was the son of Butrus al-Qilā'i and was born in the village of
Lehfed Lehfed (, also known as ''Lihfid'') is a municipality in the Byblos District of Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate, Lebanon. It is 55 kilometers north of Beirut. Lehfed has an average elevation of 1000 meters above sea level and a total land area of 542 he ...
of the
Byblos District Byblos District (; transliteration: ''Qadaa' Jbeil''), also called the Jbeil District (''Jbeil'' is Lebanese Arabic for "Byblos"; standard Arabic ''Jubail''), is a district ('' qadaa'') of the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is located ...
. The word Qilāi refers to a house in a rocky area. According to a custom, he was entrusted to a priest named Ibrāhīm ibn Dray to learn from him the Syriac and the reading of the liturgical books. According to the Patriarch Douaihy he was afflicted in his youth of ophthalmia which was the cause of his breakup with his fiancee and his withdrawal from society. Towards 1470, he went on a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
with another young man named John. In this city, he adhered the
Custody of the Holy Land The Custody of the Holy Land (Latin: ''Custodia Terræ Sanctæ'') is a Custos (Franciscans), custodian priory of the Order of Friars Minor in Jerusalem, founded as the ''Province of the Holy Land'' in 1217 by Saint Francis of Assisi, who had als ...
of the Franciscan order. The recruitment of two young Maronites in the order was assigned to the Flemish brother Gryphon of Courtrai ( born in 1405 and died at St. Francis Convent in
Famagusta Famagusta, also known by several other names, is a city located on the eastern coast of Cyprus. It is located east of the capital, Nicosia, and possesses the deepest harbour of the island. During the Middle Ages (especially under the maritime ...
on 18 July 1475), attached in 1450 to his death at the Franciscan mission of
Mount Lebanon Mount Lebanon (, ; , ; ) is a mountain range in Lebanon. It is about long and averages above in elevation, with its peak at . The range provides a typical alpine climate year-round. Mount Lebanon is well-known for its snow-covered mountains, ...
and loaded relations with the Maronites. The two young Lebanese completed their last year of novitiate in the convent of
Mount Zion Mount Zion (, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; , ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City to the south. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David ( ...
. After their vows, they were sent to
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
to complete their training. Gabriel followed to Italy (in Venice and
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
) to study
liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...
and
theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...
, a trip that lasted at least seven years. He himself said that he stayed in Rome for seven months and performed with his friend Jean theological training at Aracoeli convent. In the eulogy he made with his friend John in Italy when they were often subjected to people who accused the
Maronite Church The Maronite Church (; ) is an Eastern Catholic '' sui iuris'' particular church in full communion with the pope and the worldwide Catholic Church, with self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The head of the Maronit ...
of
heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...
, a vigorous defense of their church. Both were ordained priests in Italy. They headed back to the East around the years 1483/85. Then, until his episcopal consecration in 1507, the life of Ibn al-Qilai took place between Qannoubine (the center of the Maronite Church),
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
(where there was a Franciscan monastery, Saint-Sauveur), and
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
(where there was a Franciscan monastery, Mount Zion). At that time, the Maronite Church was torn between his long-standing ties with the papacy and the strong presence in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
of the
Jacobite Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...
, of which it was culturally very close (mainly liturgy and the use of Western Syriac). Noah Lebanese Bqoufa (born in
Ehden Ehden (, Syriac language, Syriac-Aramaic:ܐܗܕ ܢ) is a mountainous city in the heart of the northern mountains of Lebanon and on the southwestern slopes of Mount Makmal in the Mount Lebanon, Mount Lebanon Range. Its residents are the people of Z ...
, in the heart of the Maronite country) was Patriarch of Antioch of the Jacobites from 1493 to 1509. There were no less than two convents in the region of Ehden that were occupied by Ethiopian monks members of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church () is the largest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. One of the few Christian churches in Africa originating before European colonization of the continent, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church dates bac ...
, in the same communion that the
Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...
). Also a muqaddam (local chief) named Abdel Min'im Ayyub († 1495) had joined the Jacobite cause. Ibn al-Qilai was particularly devoted to the fight against the Jacobite influences (who won, apparently, his native village of Lehfed and of his relatives) to secure the Maronites to the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. On November 23, 1494, the Franciscan friar Francesco Suriano, then
custos {{Wiktionary, custos ''Custos'' is the Latin word for guard. Titles * Custos rotulorum ("keeper of the rolls"), a civic post in parts of the United Kingdom and in Jamaica * Custos (Franciscans), a religious superior or official in the Franc ...
of the Holy Land, sent an unfriendly letter to Maronite Patriarch Simeon Hadath: he marveled that he was elected in 1492 but has not yet sent anyone to Rome to request the
pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...
(the confirmation of his election); "enemies" of the new primate, grouped in
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
where the Maronite Church was well established, accused him of breaking the union with the papacy; Suriano asked the Patriarch to justify and renew in writing, with the bishops, priests and lay leaders of the Maronite nation, their membership of the Catholic Church. Then Gabriel ibn al-Qilai was sent by Suriano to investigate charges and collect the new act of faith of the patriarch and his people. Ibn al-Qilai devoted himself to this task in Lebanon until at least 1499. In 1507, the bishop of the Maronites of Cyprus Joseph Kasaphani died and he was elected to succeed him. He first lived in the Saints Nuhra and Anthony convent of Nicosia, the traditional seat of the Maronite bishops, and then transferred the seat to Saint-Georges Convent of Tala. Relations between the Maronite and Latin hierarchies in Cyprus were appalling: in 1514, Ibn al-Qilai wrote to
Pope Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Med ...
to complain about the nuisance that the Latin bishops to property inflicted the great Maronite monastery of Saint John Khuzbandu. The pope replied in 1515, confirming the rights of the Maronites and sent two other letters on this subject, to the Latin archbishop and the Venetian governor of the island. Bishop al-Qilai died in 1516 in Cyprus.


Work

Gabriel ibn al-Qilai authored many literary works, mixing prose and poetry, making him the first modern Maronite writer. The Maronite historians of the 17th and 18th centuries (Antoine Faustus Nairon,
Estephan El Douaihy Istifan al-Duwayhi or Estephan El Douaihy ( / ALA-LC: ''Isṭifānūs al-thānī Buṭrus al-Duwayhī''; ; ; ; 2 August 1630 – 3 May 1704) was the 57th List of Maronite Patriarchs, Patriarch of the Maronite Church, serving from 1670 until his d ...
and
Giuseppe Simone Assemani Giuseppe Simone Assemani ( Classical Syriac : ܝܵܘܣܸܦ ܒܲܪ ܫܸܡܥܘܿܢ , ( ''Yusuf ibn Siman as-Simani'', , ; July 27, 1687 – January 13, 1768) was a librarian, Lebanese Maronite orientalist, and Catholic bishop. For his efforts, an ...
) were largely inspired by him. In addition, he translated into Arabic many texts in Latin or Italian from the Latin Church, popularizing the literature of the latter among Maronites.


Prose Treaties

* Kitab 'an' ilm al-ilāhīyāt partial Arabic translation of the Compendium theologicae veritatis Dominican
Hugh Ripelin of Strasburg Hugh Ripelin of Strasburg (c. 1205 – c. 1270) was a Dominican theologian from Strasbourg, Alsace. He is now considered to be the author of the ''Compendium theologiae'' or ''Compendium theologicae veritatis''. On account of its scope and style, ...
(v-1205 v 1270.); * Kitab al-Idah'īmān (Book of the explanation of the faith), an introduction and four pounds (dated by the patriarch Douaihy 1494); * Kitab an-Namus (Book of Law) collection of several treatises on the sacraments; * Kitāb year Iman al (book on faith), Treaty Collection on the Nicene Creed and dogma of Chalcedon; * Zahrat an-Namus (Flower of the law), instructions on the sacraments and daily prayer; * Kitāb mijmā'ī qawl min al-al-Ahyar qiddīsīn (Book collecting the words of the blessed saints), life of the collection of devout sermons and theological treatises; * Kitāb 'iẓāh (Book of Sermons); * Speech about holy sacrament, collection of four speeches on the subject; * Mass Treaty and its sections; * Explanation of sacred confession; * Apocalypse of St. John (translation of this book in the
Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...
Latin to Arabic transcribed in
Garshuni Garshuni or Karshuni (Syriac alphabet: , Arabic alphabet: ) are Arabic writings using the Syriac alphabet. The word "Garshuni", derived from the word "grasha" which literally translates as "pulling", was used by George Kiraz to coin the term " gar ...
); * Comment of the prologue of the Gospel according to St. John; * Art Writ of
Ramon Llull Ramon Llull (; ; – 1316), sometimes anglicized as ''Raymond Lully'', was a philosopher, theologian, poet, missionary, Christian apologist and former knight from the Kingdom of Majorca. He invented a philosophical system known as the ''Art ...
(translation of this text in Arabic); * The Book of Five Elders of
Ramon Llull Ramon Llull (; ; – 1316), sometimes anglicized as ''Raymond Lully'', was a philosopher, theologian, poet, missionary, Christian apologist and former knight from the Kingdom of Majorca. He invented a philosophical system known as the ''Art ...
(idem); * Philosophy, astrology and other subjects; * Treaty on the calendar attributed to
Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima. ...
of Caesarea (Treaty of computation in a mixture of Syriac and Arab transcribed in Garshuni); * Excommunication against the Melkites (translation of a Latin text directed against the Greek Church); * I'tiqād Sa'b Marun (Faith of the people of St. Maron), collection of treaties against Thomas Kfartab a
monophysite Monophysitism ( ) or monophysism ( ; from Greek , "solitary" and , "nature") is a Christological doctrine that states that there was only one nature—the divine—in the person of Jesus Christ, who was the incarnated Word. It is rejected as ...
in the 11th century; * Collection of papal bulls addressed to the Maronites (translated from Latin into Arabic).


Letters

* Letter against the Jacobites (refutation of a Noah Bqoufa's text then Jacobite bishop of Homs); * Letter to a Maronite priest (a priest of Jebbet Bcharré accused by Ibn al-Qilai of being a crypto-Jacobite); * Letter to the inhabitants of Lehfed; * Letter to the Patriarch Simeon Hadath (dated November 16, 1494, making the history of relations between the Maronite and Latin Churches); * Letter to Bishop David (dated December 23, 1495, addressed to a native Jacobite bishop of Lehfed); * Letter to George al-Rami (a Maronite priest joined to the Jacobites); * Letter to the people of St. Maron (dated on 7 May 1499); * Letter to the inhabitants of Mount Lebanon; * Spiritual Testament (written to his family since Cyprus at the end of his life).


Poems

* The life of Mary and Jesus (741 to two half-lines of twelve syllables each, the poem addressed to pilgrims visiting Jerusalem); * Mary Magdalene (19 to two half-lines of twelve syllables each); * Palm Sunday (56 to two half-lines of twelve syllables each); * Constantine and the Cross (500 to two half-lines of twelve syllables each); * St. Alexis (90 couplets, or 180 to every two to seven syllables each hemistiches; form called "éphrémienne melody"); * St. Lucius (or Nuhra) (133 couplets or 266 verse, "éphrémienne melody"; story of a saint martyred under
Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...
, revered by the Maronites); * Holy Euphrosyne (230 couplets, or 240 verse, "éphrémienne melody"); * St. Simeon Stylite (375 to each of two half-lines; this is Simeon the Elder, but the author sometimes confused with Symeon the Younger); * The spheres (269 to 12 + 12, inspired by the poem Sphaera Tractatus de Johannes de Sacrobosco); * The science (179 couplets or 358 verse, "melody éphrémienne" praised studious people); * Zodiac, the planets and the movable feasts (122 to 12 + 12, poem on the computation); * Medicine and the influence of the stars (82 couplets, or 164 verse, "éphrémienne melody"; the influentia planetarum in ancient medicine); * About the four councils (147 couplets or 294 verse, "éphrémienne melody"; the first four ecumenical councils of Nicaea to Chalcedon, with a passage on the origin of the Maronite Church); * Eulogy of John, drowned dead (zajal elegiac, 21 quatrains, or 84 verse, "éphrémienne melody"; his old companion John, became bishop of Aqura after 1492, drowned in a shipwreck on his way by sea a pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre) * Against those who sowed weeds among the Maronites (poem transmitted incompletely, by "melody éphrémienne" organized in couplets, which subsist on about 350 to 243; the struggle of Ibn al-Qilai against the Jacobites); * Mount Lebanon (295 couplets or 590 verse, "éphrémienne melody", the best known text of Ibn al-Qilai poem telling the story of the Maronite nation, ending with the following stanza: "These events . written in tears / And are from the books of History / They cover six hundred years, / Who correspond to the era of Maron in Mount Lebanon ", a text that has played a big role in the formation of Maronite identity).


Poems of uncertain attribution

* Poem about Abraham (92 couplets in "éphrémienne melody"); * Poem about St. Chayna (21 couplets); * Poem about Beau (564 couplets, 1128 to be in "tune éphrémienne" on the story of Joseph, son of Jacob); * Poem about St. Anthony the Great (250 couplets); * Poem about Holy Beard (53 couplets); * Poem about science and the stars (to 143); * Poem about the Virgin standing under the Cross (10 couplets); * Poem about the Trinity (92 couplets). * Thirty other poems have been attributed to Ibn al-Qilai however they are arbitrary or improbable.


Editions

* Several texts were edited by Father Ibrahim Harfouche in the journal Al-Manara: eriodic Review was founded in 1930 by the Congregation of Maronite Lebanese Missionaries./ref> vol. 2, 1931, pp. 805–813, 901-907; flight. 3, 1932, pp. 99–106, 177-184, 260-263 (letter to the patriarch Simeon Hadath), p. 264-268 (poem on Palm Sunday), p. 268 (poem about the Virgin standing under the cross); flight. 7, 1936, pp. 653–663, 767-779 (poem about Constantine and the Cross). The same publisher in the magazine
Al-Machriq ''Al-Machriq'' ( 'The East') was a journal founded in 1898 by the Jesuit and Chaldean Catholic priest Louis Cheikho, and published by Jesuit fathers of Saint Joseph University in Beirut (modern-day Lebanon). The subtitle was ''Revue Catholiq ...
, vol. 14, 1911, p. 433-437, poem about the fall of
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...
and taken from the hands of the Crusaders. *
Boutros Gemayel Boutros Gemayel (29 June 1932 – 21 August 2021) was an emeritus Maronite Archbishop of the Maronite Catholic Archeparchy of Cyprus. Life Boutros Gemayel received on 12 April 1959 the sacrament of ordination to the priesthood. On 11 June 1988 h ...
(ed.), Zajaliyyāt (= popular poems) Gabriel Ibn al-Qilā'ī, Beirut, 1982 (whose poem On Mount Lebanon; Arabic text only). * Ray Jabre Mouawad (ed.), Letters to Mount Lebanon by Gabriel Ibn al-Qilā'ī (XV century), published and translated with a historical presentation of Mount Lebanon at the time, Paris, Geuthner 2001.


Sources

* Hector Douaihy, a Maronite theologian ibn al-Qilā'i Gibra'il, Library of the Holy Spirit University, No. 31, Kaslik, 1993. * Paul Rouhana, The vision of the religious origins of the Maronites between the XV and XVIII centuries since the bishop Gabriel ibn al-Qila'i († 1516) to the patriarch Estephan El Douaihy (1670-1704), 3 theft thesis. PhD, Institut Catholique de Paris, 1998. * Ray Jabre Mouawad, "The Ethiopian monks in Mount Lebanon (late XV century)" underground Lebanon, No. 5, March 1998,
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK; , ''Jāmiʿah al-Rūḥ al-Quddus – al-Kaslīk'') is a private, non-profit, Catholic university in Jounieh, Lebanon. The university was founded by the Baladites in 1950 and ratified under the new ...
, p. 188-207. * Elias Kallas, "Ibn al-Qila'i (XV  -  XVI centuries), a pioneer of neo-Christian Arabic literature of Mount Lebanon" Quaderni di Studi Arabi 18, 2000, p. 221-230. * Fouad El-Hage, The Kitab al-Namus Ibn al-Qilā'ī in the legal history of marriage among Maronites, Library of the Holy Spirit University, No. 34, Kaslik, 2001. * Hoda Nehme-Matar, "Ibn al-Qila'i Gibra'il of Lehfed (1450-1516)," Studia Orientalia Christiana, Collectanea 35-36, 2003, p. 137-216 (Arabic), 217-256 (French). * Iskandar Bcheiry, "L'attività nel Ortodossa Siro-Mont nella seconda metà del Libano secolo XV", Word of the East, vol. 23, 2003, p. 609-658. * Joseph Moukarzel, Gabriel Ibn al-Qila'i († 1516): biographical approach and study of the corpus, PhD in History, University of Paris-IV, 2005 (Library and of the Holy Spirit University, No. 51, Kaslik, 2007).


References

{{Authority control 1447 births 1516 deaths 15th-century historians Friars Minor 16th-century Maronite Catholic bishops 15th-century Roman Catholic theologians 15th-century Arabic-language poets Historians from the Mamluk Sultanate 16th-century historians