Культура сирийцев в средние века - [93]

As Christianity took firm root in Osrhoene, a region of ancient cultural traditions, this encouraged the spread of the new religion to Iran. Another contributing factor to this process was the political opposition of the Byzantine Empire and Iran. For some time, Christianity did not make much of an impact in Iran, and persecution of the Christians only began in the wake of the militant religious policy started by the Sasanids. N. V. Pigulevskaya's detailed analysis of the history and causes of the persecution of Iranian Christians is corroborated by the hagiographic cycle devoted to the martyrs of the "great persecution". The author concludes that the anti-Christian action was induced by the ideological affinity of Iranian Christians {247} with Byzantium, on the one hand, and by the opportunities to seize the property of the executed Christian Syrians, who belonged to the urban communities of traders and craftsmen. Yet, despite persecution, Christian communities in Iran, dominated as they were by the Syrians, continued to exist and develop: a hierarchic structure came into being, Christian writings in the Syrian language gained currency, and even the dogmas underwent certain revision. In the 5th century, the Christian Church in Iran was remodeled after the Byzantine; it recognised the Nicene Creed and elected, with the approval ans of the Shahanshah, a Catholicos as its head.

Thanks to the mediation of Syrian Christians, who were well endowed to carry out political missions, diplomatic relations were gradually established between Iran and Byzantium. N. V. Pigulevskaya closely follows the ideological conflicts within the Syrian-Persian Church in the 5th century, which reflected the current social and political struggle, and offers vivid character sketches of the participants in those dogmatic disputes. Thus, she examines the activities of Bar Sauma, who favoured Nestorianism and was therefore sharply anti-Monophysite. There is an account of the Nestorian Patriarch mar Abha I, a prominent representative of Syrian culture, as well as descriptions of such men as Ishoyahbh I, Sabhrisho, Ishoyahbh III, and Henanisho I.

The monograph discusses the relationship between the Christian Syrians and the Arabs who conquered Sasanian Iran in the early 7th century. A special section of the chapter is devoted to such Monophysite leaders as Simeon, the bishop of Beth-Arsham, and mar Ahudhemmeh, and especially to Jacob Burde'ana, after whom the Syrian Monophysites came to be known as Jacobites. The Jacobites produced many a noted historian - Joshua the Stylite and John of Ephesus; eminent writers, including Jacob of Serugh; many philosophers, astronomers and physicians. The rivalry between the Nestorians and the Monophysites induced the Syrian Christians to engage in unending proselytising in the Middle East, and it is to both groups - the Nestorians and the Monophysites - that Syrian culture owes its high standards. {248}

1 Эта работа была написана еще в 30-х годах, но опубликована значительно позже. Н. В. Пигулевская. Каталог сирийских рукописей Ленинграда. - ПС, 1960, № 6, (69).

* В фигурные скобки {} здесь помещены номера страниц (окончания) издания-оригинала - Ю. Ш.

2 Н. В. Пигулевская. Сирийские источники по истории народов СССР. ТИВАН. ХLI, 1941.

3 Н. В. Пигулевская. Месопотамия на рубеже V и VI вв. Сирийская хроника Иешу Стилита как исторический источник. - ТИВАН. XXXI, 1940.

4 Н. В. Пигулевская. Византия и Иран на рубеже VI и VII вв. ТИВАН. ХLVI, 1946.

5 Н. В. Пигулевская. Византия на путях в Индию. Из истории торговли Византии с Востоком в IV-VI веках. М.-Л., 1951.

6 История Мар Ябалахи III и Раббан Саумы. Исследование, перевод с сирийского и примечания Н. В. Пигулевской. М., 1958.

7 Н. В. Пигулевская. Города Ирана в раннем средневековье. М.-Л., 1956.

8 Н. В. Пигулевская. Арабы у границ Византии и Ирана в IV- VI вв. М.-Л., 1964.

9 Тюркологический сборник. М. 1966, с. 228-232.

1 М. Cohen. La grande invention de lecriture et son evolution. T. 1-3. Р., 1958. Т. 1, с. 97, 113, 118, 143.

2 Там же, с. 158-159.

3 J. Pirenne. Aux origines de la graphie syriaque. - "Syria". T. 40, fasc. 1-2, 1963, с. 115-119, 131, 136.

4 Ch. С. Torrey. А Syriac Parchment from Edessa in the year 243 A. D.ZS. Bd 10, 1935, с. 33-45; A. R. Bellinger, С. В. Welles. A Third century contract of sale from Edessa in Osrhoene.- YCS. Vol. 5, 1935, с. 93-154.

5 W. Wright. Catalogue of the Syriac manuscripts in the British Museum. P. 1-3. Oxford, 1870-1872, Add. 12150 (далее: Wright. Catalogue.); H. Пигулевская. Каталог сирийских рукописей Ленинграда.- ПС, вып. 6 (69). Л., 1960, с. 95 (далее: Пигулевская. Каталог).

6 W. Cureton. Spicilegium Syriacum, containing remains of Bardesan, Meliton, Ambrose and Mara bar Serapion, now first ed. with an Engl. transl. and notes by W. Cureton, text Syr. L., 1855, с. 43-48; Fr. Schulthess. Der Brief des Mara bar Serapion.- ZDMG. Bd 51, 1897, с. 365- 391; А. Baumstark. Geschichte der syrischen Literatur, mit Ausschluss der christlich-palastinensischen Texte von Dr. Anton Baumstark. Bonn, 1922, с. 10 (далее: Baumstark. Geschichte).