THE TRANSLATION OF FOREIGN WORKS
Motivated by their desire and yearning for knowledge, the Syrians spent great efforts in translating Greek works into Syriac.1 In this they also demonstrated their exceptional faculties and intelligence.
The translation movement began early in the Christian era. After the Holy Bible was translated from the Hebrew and Greek, the epistles of this period as well as the canons and ordinances based on the Bible were also translated. This was followed by the activities of the School of Edessa which began the translation of the theological, historical and jurisprudence masterpieces of religious leaders and speculative thinkers. By the middle of the century they proceeded to translate the books of philosophy as well as those of diverse sciences and left no Greek science or art without having first rendered it into their tongue. The school of Edessa did not stand alone in this regard, but it is most likely that a group of top scholars in the country of al-Sham and its many convents participated in this great effort into which only a few capable learned men and writers could venture.2 For the knowledge of Greek – then the language of learning and politics – so spread among our Western Syrian schools and institutions that there was hardly a monastery and a big or moderate school whose teachers did not learn it or teach it. And when they mastered both languages and excelled the Easterners (Nestorians) in eloquent style, significant writings and serious scientific subjects – despite what has been lost of their legacy through time – out of their pens came interesting writings and composition. The origins of some of these writings were lost but they survived in the Syriac translation.
Indeed, the Syrian scholars have contributed to science as they did to those who seek for its treasures. They also became the torches of their Syrian nation which benefited from the knowledge of outstanding learned Christians as well as ancient philosophers. The impact of this knowledge on the Syrian nation was manifested in the successful activities of Syrian scholars in the arena of learning for a thousand years. This is what the Christian Greek nation – who enjoyed the fruits of its rich language and avoided learning the Aramaic tongue or benefited from the product of our scholars and historians – did not do. Thus, its libraries harbored no (Syriac) writings except those of Bardaysan and few by St. Ephraim. Its histories too were more or less void of happenings in the Near and Middle East.
The impact of this deficiency remained conspicuous in both profane and ecclesiastical history until the beginning of the twentieth century when contemporary western scholars and their predecessors began to fill the gap through the study of our language and by publishing the works of our scholars.
Had the Greeks done the same, the translations of some of the books which were lost would have been preserved as have those Armenian translations.3
The translation movement reached with us the highest peak as a result of the distinguished work of the translators in the golden era, i.e., from the fourth to the eighth centuries. They all shared the same faculty making eloquent and lucid style combined with excellent meaning. Though at the beginning they placed emphasis on literary translation, starting from the middle of the seventh century they placed more emphasis on meaning. They also learned scientific discipline, thanks to the innovations of Athanasius II, of Balad and Jacob of Edessa. However, what distresses us and the history of literature is that history did not reward the competent translators by perpetuating their memory. Perhaps out of modesty these translators chose not to disclose their names. No doubt, most of them were servants of religion as bishops, monks and priests who renounced the pleasures of the world and denied themselves everything except that which drew them nearer to God and benefitted their neighbor. Translators are either known or unknown.
Those who are unknown were:
1. The translators of the Holy Bible.
2. The translators of the epistles of Clemis (Clement), Ignatius and the Didascalia and others in the second and third centuries.
3. The translators of the minor ecumenical councils and others in the fourth and fifth centuries.
4. The translators of the works of the Doctors of the Church from the early period of the second century until the first quarter of the fourth century.
5. The translators of the works of Eusebius of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, the Cypriot, John Chrysostom and others in the fifth and sixth centuries. The works of Gregory Nazianzen were perhaps translated in this period too.
6. The translators of the canons of emperors in the fifth century.
7. The translators of the epistles of the Fathers in the sixth century.
8. The translators of ascetic books and the biographies of saints and their stories.
9. The translators of church hymns called the Canons in the eighth century.
The known translators were:
1. Marutha, metropolitan of Miyafarqin (d. 421).
2. Rabula, metropolitan of Edessa (d. 435).
3. Archdeacon Probus of Antioch (end of the fifth century).4
4. The Chorepiscopus Polycarp of Mabug (d. 508).
5. John the Blessed (beginning of the sixth century).
6. Simon abbot of the monastery of Liqin.
7. Paul, metropolitan of al-Raqqa (Callinicus) (d. 528).
8. The priest Sergius of Ras Ayn (d. 536).
9. Stephen, assistant to Sergius of Ras Ayn.
10. Rabban Moses of Agel (d. 550)
11. Sergius bar Qasir, bishop of Harran (d. 580)
12.Thomas of Amid (d. 598).
13. Paul, metropolitan of Talla.
14. Thomas the deacon.
15. Paul, metropolitan of Edessa (d. 619)
16. Paul the abbot (d. 624).
17. Thomas of Harqal, metropolitan of Mabug (d. 627).
18. Janurin of Amid (d. 665).
19. Patriarch Athanasius II (d. 686).
20. Jacob of Edessa (d. 708).
21. Phocas bar Sergius.
22. Theodosius, metropolitan of Edessa (d. 830).
23. Arbi, metropolitan of Samosata (d. 850).
24. Ignatius III, metropolitan of Melitene (d. 1094).
The translators from Persian to Syriac were:
1. Severus Sabukht, bishop of Qinnesrin (d. 665).
2. John of Teflis who translated the Gospel from Syriac into Persian. He has been mentioned formerly among the translators of medical and philosophical works from Syriac into Arabic.
3. Gregory bar Hebraeus, maphrian of the East translated four philosophical and medical books from Arabic into Syriac.
4. Yeshu the priest, translated the Chronicle of Michael the Great into Armenian.
SECTION ONE
– THE TRANSLATED WORKS UNTIL 400 A.D.
SECTION TWO
– THE TRANSLATION UNTIL THE YEAR 451
SECTION THREE
– THE REST OF THE TRANSLATED WRITINGS FROM THE YEAR 451 AND AFTER
SECTION FOUR
– TRANSLATIONS OF GREEK WRITINGS OF ORTHODOX ORIGIN
NOT KNOWN TO US
THE TRANSLATION OF FOREIGN WORKS
– Mor Ignatius Aphram Barsoum