ABSTRACT
‘Edessa grew dim and Nisibis shone forth’. In this metaphor, a teacher or alumnus of the School of Nisibis 1 at the end of the sixth century expressed the opinion of his community that this famous institution in the Persian Empire had taken over the torch of the true and orthodox teaching of the School of Edessa, after the Byzantine Empire had fallen into theological error in the fifth century. 2 At the time these words were spoken, the School of Nisibis had attained the pinnacle of its fame and success as the ‘centre of learning’ par excellence of the East Syrian, Persian church. Many teachers active in theological, philosophical and secular disciplines were connected with it, 3 and the flow of students from the most varied locations within and beyond the Sassanid Empire had never been so great. 4 It seems paradoxical that just at this period in its history there began to manifest themselves the first symptoms of the serious problems which were to plunge the School into a deep crisis, from which during the course of the seventh century it would extricate itself only with great difficulty. This crisis is intimately connected with the person of Ḥenana of Adiabene, who was Director of the School between about 571 and 610, and in this capacity occupied the important chair of biblical exegesis. 5
