Letter from Eusebius, patriarch of Rome, to Papa, Catholicos of the East
author: Eusebius of Rome
created: 4th century
language: syr
availability: Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ [This electronic edition is designed for open access reuse. The Syriac base text is in the public domain. The TEI XML edition is copyrighted by James E. Walters and is released under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC BY 4.0).] [The HTML page is copyrighted by Vanderbilt University and released under a under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Pu (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Letter from Eusebius, patriarch of Rome, to Papa, Catholicos of the East Nunzia Di Rienzo https://syriaccorpus.org/685 Published March 1, 2025

Preface

This text is a born-digital edition of the Letter from Eusebius of Rome to Papa bar Aggai. The letter is part of a corpus of eight letters representing the correspondence of Papa bar Aggai, early 4th-century bishop of Seleucia, with some exponents of the western political and religious power. Beside the Letter from Eusebius bishop of Rome to Papa, the corpus includes: a letter from Judah Kyriakos bishop of Jerusalem to Papa, a letter from the Empress Helena to Papa, a letter from Papa to the Empress Helena, a letter from Jacob bishop of Nisibis to Papa, a letter from Ephrem to Papa, a letter from Papa to the citizens of Nisibis, the letter sent by the Western Fathers on the illegal removal of Papa.

This edition is based on the following manuscript witnesses:

- Erbil 509 (olim Alqoš 169/ Baghdad 509), f. 71r (E) (the most ancient and principal source, probably direct or indirect source for the later extant witnesses);
- Rome, Vatican Library, Borg. Sir. 82, f. 114v (B);
- Birmingham, Mingana Collection Syr. 47, f. 34v (M1);
- Birmingham, Mingana Collection Syr. 579, f. 235r (M2);
- Birmingham, Mingana Collection Syr. 586, f. 103r (M3);
- Trichur, Chaldean Syrian Church, APSTCH THRI 65, f. 48r (A) (the manuscript has been digitized, and it can be viewed here );
- Baghdad, Chaldean Catholic Church. Patriarchate of Baghdad 377, f. 12r (C) (the manuscript has been digitized, and it can be viewed here ).

This text has never been published in any prior edition.

This edition should not be considered as definitive but as a work in progress.

There is an old German translation of the entire corpus (based on the Syriac text preserved in ms Borg. Sir. 82) in O. Braun, "Der Briefwechsel des Katholikos Papa von Seleucia. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der ostsyrischen Kirche im vierten Jahrhundert", Zeitschrift für katholische Theologie 18 (1894), pp. 163-182, 546-565.

An English translation is provided along with the Syriac text.

This edition is the outcome of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship 2022 – Project "ForM - FORGED MEMORIES: the Church of Late Antique Iran and the West", funded by the European Commission.

Text

ܐܓܲܪܬܵܐ ܕܡܼܢ ܐܹܘܣܹܒܿܝܼܣ ܦܵܛܪܝܵܪܟܵܐ ܕܪܗ̄ܘܿܡܹܐ ܆ ܠܘܵܬܼ ܦܵܦܵܐ ܩܵܬܼܘܿܠܝܼܩܵܐ ܕܡܲܕܢܚܵܐ [E 71r, A 48r, B 114v, C 12r; M1 34v, M2 235r, M3 103r] .

ܠܡܵܪܐ ܕܝܼܠܝ ܩܕܝܼܫܵܐ ܡܵܪܝ [M2 omits] ܦܵܦܵܐ ܦܵܛܪܝܲܪܟܿܝܼܣ : ܐܹܘܣܹܒܿܝܼܣ ܐܲܚܘܼܟ : ܣܵܓܕ ܠܵܟ. ܐܝܟ ܕܠܵܐ ܡܹܬܼܚܲܦܸܐ ܫܘܼܒܼܚܹܗ ܕܐܼܠܵܗܵܐ܆ ܐܦܵܠܵܐ ܢܸܨܚ̈ܢܹܐ ܕܩܲܕܝ̈ܫܵܘܗܝ. ܦܲܢܛܲܩܪܲܐܲܛܘ ܙܲܟܵܝܵܐ ܩܘܼܣܛܲܢܛܝܼܢܘܿܣ ܡܲܠܟܵܐ ܡܒܲܪܟܵܐ ܕܲܠܥܠܲܡ܆ ܥܲܡ ܐܸܡܹܗ ܡܲܠܟܬܼܵܐ ܡܗܲܝܡܲܢܬܿܐ ܇ ܚܕܵܘ ܒܢܹܨܚܵܢ̈ܝܟ [BM2 omit seyome]. ܘܐܸܬܿܕܲܡܲܪܘ ܒܬܼܕܡܪ̈ܬܟ. ܘܐܲܝܟ ܕܲܒܼܗܹܪ̈ܘܿܡܹܐ ܪܹ̈ܫܵܝܹܐ ܐܬܒܲܣܲܡܼܘ ܒܫܸܡ̈ܥܸܐ ܫܲܪܝܼܼܪܹ̈ܐ ܕܕܘܼܒܵܪ̈ܝܟ ܐܲܠܗܝܹ̈ܐ : ܘܐܵܦ ܢܸܬܼܒܲܪܟܼܘܼܢ ܡܼܢ ܪܲܒܿܘܼܬܼ ܟܵܗܢܘܬܼܟܼܘܢ ܆ ܘܡܼܢ ܟܘܼܪܣܝܵܐ ܩܲܕܝܼܫܵܐ ܕܡܵܪܝ ܬܐܘܿܡܵܐ ܫܠܝܼܚܵܐ܇ ܕܡܚܝܵܢ [M1 ܕܡܲܬܼܩܲܢ ; EAM3 ܕܡ ـܢ ; C ܕܡܟܲܝܢ] ܠܐܕܝ ܫܠܝܼܚܵܐ ܇ ܐܲܝܟ ܡܲܫܠܡܵܢܘܼܬܼܵܐ ܕܥܹܕܬܵܐ. ܡܲܐܢܝ̈ ܬܹܫܡܸܫܬܵܐ ܥܼܒܲܕܘ ܘܫܲܕܿܪܘ ܠܟܼܘܿܢ ܥܡ ܫܐܠܬܸ [M1 ܫܐܠܬܐ ; C ܫܹܐܲܠܬܼ ; B ܫܹܐܠܬܗܘܢ] ܫܠܵܡܗܘܿܢ [C ܫܠܵܡܟܼܘܿܢ (similarly in M2, where a later hand corrects, in pencil).] ܕܒܼܣܩܪܐܣ [M2 ܕܲܒܣܲܩܪܣ] . ܩܲܒܹܿܠ ܡܵܪܝ ܚܲܕܝܵܐܝܼܬܼ. ܘܣܝܼܡ ܥܘܼܗܕܵܢܗܘܢ ܒܓܵܘ ܥܹܕܬܵܟ. ܘܢܸܗܘܸܐ ܠܕܘܟܼܪܢܐ ܕܲܠܥܠܲܡ. ܘܡܼܢ ܝܲܡܵܐ ܕܒܼܘܼܪ̈ܟܵܬܼܟ ܆ ܢܸܫܬܲܦܼܥ ܥܠܲܝܗܘܵܢ ܡܲܠܝܵܐܝܼܬܼ. ܘܲܥܠܲܝܢ ܘܥܲܠ ܡܕܝܢ̄ܬܐ ܗܵܕܐ ܆ ܘܲܠܟܼܠܹܗ ܐܼܘܚܕܵܢܲܢ. ܨܠܘܬܐ ܕܠܵܐ ܫܲܠܘܵܐ ܬܸܬܼܩܲܪܒܼ. *1

Translation

Letter from Eusebius, patriarch of Rome, to Papa, Catholicos of the East

To my lord, the holy Mar Papa the patriarch, Eusebius your brother pays you respect to you. As the glory of God is not hidden, nor the triumphs of His saints, the Almighty (sic), victorious, forever-blessed emperor Constantine, with his mother, the believing queen, have rejoiced in your triumphs, and they are amazed at your wonders. And as in fine aromas, they have delighted in the true reports of your godly life. And may you also be blessed by your great priesthood, and by the holy see of Mar Thomas the apostle, which are connected to the apostle Addai , according to the tradition of the Church. They (i. e. the emperor and his mother) made liturgical instruments and sent [them] to you with their salutation in the imperial rescript (lit. the Sacra). Receive [them], my lord, with joy, and establish their memory in your Church. And may it be an eternal remembrance. And may they (i. e. the blessings) be overflowing from the sea of your blessings over them (i. e. the emperor and his mother) completely, and over us and this city. And may prayer without end be offered for our whole empire.