
Rabbula () was a
bishop of Edessa
Below is a list of bishops of Edessa.
Early bishops
The following list is based on the records of the ''Chronicle of Edessa'' (to ''c''.540) and the ''Chronicle of Zuqnin''.
Jacobite (Syriac) bishops
These bishops belonged to the Syriac Orthodo ...
from 411 to August 435
AD, noteworthy for his opposition to the views of
Theodore of Mopsuestia
Theodore of Mopsuestia (Greek: Θεοδώρος, c. 350 – 428) was a Christian theologian, and Bishop of Mopsuestia (as Theodore II) from 392 to 428 AD. He is also known as Theodore of Antioch, from the place of his birth and presbyterate. ...
and
Nestorius
Nestorius of Constantinople (; ; ) was an early Christian prelate who served as Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 11 July 431. A Christian theologian from the Catechetical School of Antioch, several of his teachings in the fi ...
. However, his successor
Ibas, who was in charge of the school of Edessa, reversed the official stance of that bishopric. Rabbula is not to be confused with the otherwise unknown scribe of the 6th century
Rabbula Gospels
The Rabbula Gospels, or Rabula Gospels (Florence, Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, cod. Plut. I, 56), is a 6th-century illuminated Syriac Gospel Book. One of the finest Byzantine works produced in West Asia, and one of the earliest Christian man ...
. Venerated as a Saint by
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
(feast
December 20
Events Pre-1600
*AD 69 – Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian.
* 1192 – Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England ...
) and
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 ...
(feast
December 17
Events Pre-1600
* 497 BC – The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome.
* 546 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Eastern Roman garrison.
* 920 – Romanos I ...
/
19,
August 8
Events Pre-1600
* 685 BC – Spring and Autumn period: Battle of Qianshi: Upon the death of the previous Duke of Qi, Gongsun Wuzhi, Duke Zhuang of Lu sends an army into the Duchy of Qi to install the exiled Qi prince Gongzi Jiu as t ...
, and Third Wednesday after The Easter.
Sources
The ''Life of Rabbula'' is a biographical
Syriac text of Rabbula's life from the beginning of his birth to his life achievements and ends with his death. The text was first translated from
Syriac into
English and published by
J. J. Overbeck in his ''S. Ephraemi Syri Rabulae Episcopi Edesseni Balaei Aliorumque opera selecta'' (1865). The Syriac parchment was found stored in the
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
and is dated to the sixth century AD.
Early life
He was a native of
Qinnasrin
Qinnašrīn (; ; ; ), was a historical town in northern Syria. The town was situated southwest of Aleppo on the west bank of the Queiq (historically, the Belus) and was connected to Aleppo with a major road during Roman times.
Some scholars p ...
, ancient Chalcis ad Bellum, a town some few miles south of
Aleppo
Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
and the seat of a bishopric. His father was a pagan priest, and though his mother was a devoted
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
he remained a pagan until some time after his marriage. During a journey to his country estates he was
converted to Christianity partly through coming in contact with a case of miraculous healing and partly through the teaching and influence of Eusebius, bishop of Kenneschrin, and Acacius, bishop of Aleppo.
Christian asceticism
With all the energy of his fiery nature he threw himself into the practice of
Christian asceticism
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...
, sold all his possessions, and separated from his wife and kinspeople. He resided for some time in a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
, and then passed to a life of greater hardship as a solitary
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...
. On the death of Diogenes, bishop of Edessa, in the year 411-412 Rabbula was chosen his successor, and at once accepted the position offered him, without any of the customary show of reluctance.
As a bishop Rabbula was marked by extraordinary energy, by the continued
asceticism
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...
of his personal life, by his magnificent provision for all the poor and suffering in his
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
, by his care for discipline among the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
and
monks
A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...
who were under his authority, and by the fierce determination with which he combated all heresies and especially the growing school of the followers of
Nestorius
Nestorius of Constantinople (; ; ) was an early Christian prelate who served as Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 11 July 431. A Christian theologian from the Catechetical School of Antioch, several of his teachings in the fi ...
. On one occasion he visited
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
and there preached before
Theodosius II
Theodosius II ( ; 10 April 401 – 28 July 450), called "the Calligraphy, Calligrapher", was Roman emperor from 402 to 450. He was proclaimed ''Augustus (title), Augustus'' as an infant and ruled as the Eastern Empire's sole emperor after the ...
(who was then favorable to
Nestorius
Nestorius of Constantinople (; ; ) was an early Christian prelate who served as Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 11 July 431. A Christian theologian from the Catechetical School of Antioch, several of his teachings in the fi ...
) and a great congregation a sermon in denunciation of Nestorian doctrine, of which a portion survives in the Syriac version. Rabbula became a friend of
Cyril of Alexandria
Cyril of Alexandria (; or ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; 376–444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444. He was enthroned when the city was at the height of its influence and power within the Roman Empire ...
, with whom he corresponded, and whose treatise ''De recta fide'' he translated into
Syriac. After a 24-year career as bishop, he died in August 435, and was succeeded by
Ibas.
It has been argued by some scholars that this positive picture of Rabbula is not altogether accurate. According to the Life of Rabbula, immediately before becoming bishop of Edessa, Rabbula, in consort with another monk, Eusebius, the future bishop of Tella, went to
Baalbek
Baalbek (; ; ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In 1998, the city had a population of 82,608. Most of the population consists of S ...
(Heliopolis) 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 ...
(''
Phoenicia Libanensis''), one of the last areas with pagans in order to seek
martyrdom
A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloqui ...
by provoking the pagans. Rather than being killed, he was severely beaten. The Life of Rabbula claims that Rabbula was preserved from death on account of his destiny to hold the episcopate.
Writings
The literary legacy of Rabbula is small in bulk. Perhaps his primary importance to the historian of Syriac literature lies in the zeal with which he strove to replace the ''
Diatessaron
The ''Diatessaron'' (; c. 160–175 AD) is the most prominent early gospel harmony. It was created in the Syriac language by Tatian, an Assyrian early Christian apologist and ascetic. Tatian sought to combine all the textual material he fou ...
'' or ''Gospel Harmony of
Tatian
Tatian of Adiabene, or Tatian the Syrian or Tatian the Assyrian, (; ; ; ; – ) was an Assyrian Christian writer and theologian of the 2nd century.
Tatian's most influential work is the Diatessaron, a Biblical paraphrase, or "harmony", of the ...
'' with the four canonical Gospels, ordering that a copy of the latter should be placed in every church. The version survives in a
British Museum
The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
manuscript. According to Overbeck he himself produced a version (or revision) of the
New Testament
The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...
in Syriac, known as the
Peshitta
The Peshitta ( ''or'' ') is the standard Syriac edition of the Bible for Syriac Christian churches and traditions that follow the liturgies of the Syriac Rites.
The Peshitta is originally and traditionally written in the Classical Syriac d ...
. Rabbula's involvement may have been, a first step in the direction of the
Philoxenian version.
FC Burkitt went further and advanced the hypothesis that Rabbula, at least as regards the Gospels, actively helped in the translation of the current
Peshitta
The Peshitta ( ''or'' ') is the standard Syriac edition of the Bible for Syriac Christian churches and traditions that follow the liturgies of the Syriac Rites.
The Peshitta is originally and traditionally written in the Classical Syriac d ...
text, using the Greek text as read in
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...
about 400. However, since then Arthur Vööbus has furnished evidence that the Peshitta predated Rabbula.
Recent research has revealed that the text of the "Evangelion Da-Mepharreshe", the Gospel text prepared by Rabulla, is indeed the text of the Old Syriac Curetonian Palimpset rather than the Peshitta. Burkitt and Lewis suggested as much by calling the Curetonian Version the "Evangelion Da-Mepharreshe". As the Peshitta predated Rabbula, this suggests Rabbula had no knowledge of the Gospel text of the Peshitta and prepared his own translation into Syriac from the Greek.
Veneration
Although one can't see the Rabbula's name in the actual liturgic calendars of Catholic or Orthodox Churches, there is a feast of ''Saint Rabbula of Edessa (†436)'' under
December 20
Events Pre-1600
*AD 69 – Antonius Primus enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor for Nero's former general Vespasian.
* 1192 – Richard I of England is captured and imprisoned by Leopold V of Austria on his way home to England ...
in the Greek Mineas from IX-XII centuries at the
Saint Catherine's Monastery
Saint Catherine's Monastery ( , ), officially the Sacred Autonomous Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of the Holy and God-Trodden Mount Sinai, is a Christian monastery located in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Located at the foot of Mount Sinai ...
of the Mount Sinai.
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 ...
celebrates his memory at
December 17
Events Pre-1600
* 497 BC – The first Saturnalia festival was celebrated in ancient Rome.
* 546 – Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Eastern Roman garrison.
* 920 – Romanos I ...
/
19,
August 8
Events Pre-1600
* 685 BC – Spring and Autumn period: Battle of Qianshi: Upon the death of the previous Duke of Qi, Gongsun Wuzhi, Duke Zhuang of Lu sends an army into the Duchy of Qi to install the exiled Qi prince Gongzi Jiu as t ...
, and Third Wednesday after The
Easter
Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
.
[Муравьёв А. В. ''Раввула'' // Православная энциклопедия. — Т. 59. — М., 2020. — С. 194—197.]
See also
*
Alexius of Rome
Saint Alexius of Rome or Alexius of Edessa (, ''Alexios''), also Alexis, was a fourth-century Greeks, Greek monk who lived in anonymity and is known for his dedication to Christ. Two versions of his life exist, one in Syriac language, Syriac and ...
, lived by begging during the episcopate of Bishop Rabbula.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
Entry in ‘Catholic Encyclopedia’ on Rabbulas Website newadvent.org.
;Attribution
{{Authority control
5th-century Syrian bishops
Syriac writers
Year of birth missing
435 deaths
Christian writers
Bishops of Edessa
5th-century Byzantine writers
Participant in the Council of Ephesus