§ 3

SOURCES OF NARSAI'S COMMENTARIES AND PHILOSOPHY.

I 1°: It is clear from the tenor of the homilies that he consulted only the Peshitta the standard Syriac Bible translation, which is certainly confirmed by the homily "Forty-Three" (1) and by several others, in which he reports the number of years from the creation of the world to Abraham according to the Peshitta, whereas Syrian authors generally differ; for example, George, Bishop of the Arabs (7th century), counts 4901 from Adam to the Seleucids; Elias of Nisibis (2) and Aphrahat (3) count 3468; James of Edessa (4) places 5149 up to Seleucus. Our Narsai, however, has these according to the Peshitta:

Original Syriac: "In this dispensation there are for them the first likenesses: and in eight hundred and forty-eight the birth of all. From Adam until the end of three thousand: and he separated and divided the first witnesses in the likeness to the first. In three he reached Zion, the perfect ones of the age of images."

2°: Furthermore, biblical citations compared with the sacred text are found to agree almost always to the letter, even word for word, with the Peshitta, as can be seen from the homilies which we are publishing today; although the author sometimes adapts these citations to the meter of the verse by adding small particles.

II Regarding his philosophical discipline, he undoubtedly drew it from Aristotle: Ebedjesu notes in his catalog (5) that Ihibas of Kumi and Probus translated the works of Aristotle into the Syriac language (in the school of Edessa). Thus, the logic of the Stagirite Philosopher entered the school at the time when the translations of the works of Theodore and other Nestorian authors required a knowledge of the Greek language (6).

(1) see p. 1. et sqq. of this volume.
(2) Wright: The homilies of Aphraates; p. 38.
(3) Cf. homilies: II, XXI, XXII, in Patrologiâ Syriacâ Graffini.
(4) Barhebræus: Chroni. Syria. p. 37 (Bedjan edition).
(5) Assem. B. O. I. p. 85.
(6) Duval: Histoire d'Edesse. p. 180. cf. also Duval: Revue Critique d'Histoire et de Littérature No. 28, 13 Juillet. 1903 p. 23.