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Memoirs of Edessa and Other Ancient Syriac Documents
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[3147] There are twomss. from which this piece is taken. The first is Cod. Add. 14,644, fol. 72 vers. This, which is referred to as A., has been copied exactly, except that a few manifest errors have been corrected and some deficiencies supplied from the other. This latter, quoted as B., is Cod. Add. 14,645. It is some three or four centuries later than the first. They were first taken down by shorthand-writers, called notarii (notaries), or exceptores, by which name they are mentioned towards the end of this extract; the Greeks called them ταχυγράφοι. They were then arranged in proper order by persons called by the Greeks ὑπομνηματογράφοι, and by the Romans Ab Actis.—The use of ὑπομνήματα and other Greek words seems to show that these Acts were originally written in that language.
Notaries, i.e., actuarii, or at a later day exceptores.—Tr.
[3148] The Latin Acta, to which the Greek ὑπομνήματα here employed corresponds, was used to denote the authorized records of judicial proceedings.—Tr.
[3149] Αὐτοκράτωρ.—Tr.
[3150] That is, a.d. 112. But the Greek era commences 311 or 312 b.c., and therefore a.g. 416 would answer to a.d. 105. There appears to be some error in the date.
[3151] The king reigning in the fifteenth year of Trajan was Maanu Bar Ajazath, the seventh king of Edessa after Abgar the Black.
[3152] It would thus appear that Paganism and Christianity were tolerated together in Edessa at this time, equal honour being attributed to the head of each religious party. Cf. Teaching of Addæus, p. 661: “Neither did King Abgar compel any man by force to believe in Christ.”
[3153] A little before the passage quoted in the last note it is said that this altar was left standing when the altars to Bel and Nebu were thrown down.
[3154] Perhaps this is the same as the “Archives” mentioned p. 007, note 14.
[3155] B. adds, “before the god Zeus.”
[3156] B. adds here: “And in all these things thou hast forgotten God, the Maker of all men, and because of His long-suffering hast exalted thyself against His mercy, and hast not been willing to turn to Him, so that He might turn to thee and deliver thee from this error, in which thou standest.”
[3157] Lit. “thy old age.”—Tr.
[3158] The Peshito, for Ζεύς in Acts xiv. 12, has “Lord of the gods.”
[3159] B. has “the work of men’s hands.” [Jer. xvi. 20.]
[3160] B. makes a considerable addition here, which it is hardly necessary to quote, the words being in all probability only an interpolation. Cureton elsewhere remarks: “I have almost invariably found in these Syriac mss. that the older are the shorter, and that subsequent editors or transcribers felt themselves at liberty to add occasionally, or paraphrase the earlier application in regard to early Christian literature.—Tr. [But Cureton is speaking for his pet idea.]
[3161] Or “destitute of.”—Tr.
[3162] Lit. “a hidden dead man.”—Tr.
[3163] B. adds, “from Sharbil, his tears flowed and he wept.”
[3164] B. adds, “of baptism, baptizing him.”
The “seal” (σφραγίς) is probably explained by such passages as Eph. iv. 30, that which bore the seal being regarded as the property of him whose seal it was. Thus Gregory Naz. (Orat. 40) speaks of baptism. See Riddle’s Christian Antiqq., p. 484.—Tr.
[3165] [This identifies the “seal” with baptism.]
[3166] B. adds, “and he sat and listened to the Scriptures of the Church, and the testimonies which are spoken in them, touching the birth and the passion and the resurrection and the ascension of Christ; and, when he saw those that came down to him—”
[3167] In B., in a passage added further on, he is styled “Lysinas,” and in the Martyrdom of Barsamya, infra, “Lysinus” or “Lucinus.” In the Martyrologium Romanum he is called “Lysias præses.” Tillemont supposes him to be Lusius Quietus. But the time does not agree. The capture of Edessa under this man was in the nineteenth year of Trajan, four years later than the martyrdom.
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