ABSTRACT
O our brother [*Abhd-isho‘], let also this discourse, which is the fifth of the books of this our history, be received upon the table of the hearing of thy under standing, for by the glorious entreaty of thy electness my feeble tongue hath run, and will further run, upon the excellent matters of the histories of holy men, those athletes of might and warriors of strength, who did battle with the body and the passions thereof and with rebellious devils, and who bound on the crown of victory and overcame, and were crowned in the spiritual contest of their lives which pleased God. And we will place at the beginning of all those histories which our speech is about to unfold the account of the victorious deeds of the ascetic priest, and victorious martyr, the blessed Rabban Mar Shubhhal-lsho‘ , the Metropolitan Bishop; and to it we will add that of the pious and holy men who followed in his footsteps throughout the land in which he taught, Mar Yahbhlaha and Kardagh his brother, as well as that of the blessed Bishop Mar Elijah, the men who were ordain ed by the pious Mar Timothy, the Catholicus and Patriarch, for the countries of the barbarians who were
remote from all understanding and a decent manner o f life, and to whose part of the world no1 preacher and planter of the truth had ever gone, and where the doctrine of the glad tidings of our Redeemer had never been proclaimed, [p. 253] But why should I speak of the [knowledge] of Christ our Lord [only]? for they had not even received the knowledge of God, the Creator of the worlds and their Governor, like the Jews and other nations, but they offered, and be hold they [still] offer, worship to trees, graven images of wood,2 four-footed beasts, fishes, reptiles, birds of prey, and [other] birds, and such like things, and they bow down to worship fire and the stars and planets. [Mar Yahbh Allaha, and Kardagh and Mar Elijah were] the men who preached the doctrine of Christ in those countries of Dailomaye and of G ilaye,3 and o f the other barbarians who live beyond them, and they plant ed in them the light of the truth of the glad tidings of our Lord, and plucked out from the simple souls that were there all the abominable thorns and tares of evil deeds which Satan had sown in their hearts. And they taught and baptized, and wrought mighty deeds, and shewed forth wonderful works, and the fame of their acts was carried to all the ends of the East. And thou mayest learn clearly concerning all these things from the letter which certain merchants and king’s scribes, who were going in and coming out
1 The MSS. have ¿ ؛ ?٥؛، ،a, but read ٤۵ . 2 The M SS. have ٠٠٠٠٠?, but read ;،¡» ٠؛» . 3 Gilan is the country by the Caspian Sea from the Russian
frontier to Resht, and Delum, or Dail6m, is the mountainous territory behind it. See supra, p. 220, note 3.
