Homilies and Songs, Volume 1

As far as one can conjecture from his writings, the Doctor seems to have cultivated exceptional integrity of life and morals. This is sufficiently evident from his homilies throughout (1). Therefore, if he exceeded in defending his heresy, we believe it happened not from depravity or corruption of heart, as happens for the most part (at least in part), but from ignorance and some good faith, accompanied by no mean eloquence and a more ardent spirit.

II

All these things are according to Barhebraeus and Mari. We, however, agree with Barhadhbchabba Bar Arabaye (2), who says the following about Narsai: After the death of Schila, dissension arose in the election of the Patriarch; some elected Eliseus and some Narsai... Narsai, however, governed this School (Nisibis) for 45 years.
"He (Narsai) directed (the school) in Nisibis for forty-five years."

The same Barhadhbchabba calculates the age and time of the authors whose names follow: "Narsai (ours) ruled the school for 45 years (therefore he died in the year 502, with his departure from Edessa occurring in the year 457; cf. above No. I); Eliseus (3), son of the Koseibites, ruled the school for 7 years (therefore he died in the year 509); Abraham Bar-Rabban (4) ruled the school for 60 years (therefore he died in the year 569); Jesu-yahb the Arzanite ruled the school for 2 years, and afterward left it and was elevated to the episcopal see of Arzoun in the year 571; Abraham of Nisibis (5) governed the school for 1 year (therefore he died in the year 572); Hnana was master of the school in this same year."

III

It is helpful here to relate some things from the life of Narsai, from the aforementioned Mari (6): "And Theodolus, a disciple of Mar Diodore, having met Narsai, blessed him and proclaimed him 'The Tongue of the East and the Poet of the Christians'..." And while he was still living in Edessa, Narsai criticized Cyril. Kyoré, the bishop of the city, as well as Severus and Jacob, bearing this with difficulty, consented to his death, namely by burning the cell in which he was living. But certain presbyters of their sect, just and orthodox at heart, warned him.

Footnotes from page 16:
(1) Conf. homilies: Narsai, p. 353 Vol. II, and Ephrem, p. 195 Vol. I, etc.
(2) He was a disciple of Hnana, as he admits in his history, and later bishop of Halwan. Fragments of his history, which is mentioned by Ebedjesu in his catalog, still exist in the Archiepiscopal Library of Seert under the title: On the history of the school of Nisibis. We have gleaned all these things from those fragments, from which it is also clear that Joseph the Huzite was never director of the school, but only a professor.
(3) According to the same Barhadhbchabba, this author is different from the Eliseus who was bishop of Nisibis.
(4) Nephew of our Narsai.
(5) He is the same as Abraham Bar Kardahé.
(6) Ibid.