FOREWORD.

to lend us his copy, which we have recopied and verified against the precious Strasbourg manuscript (from the 7th century, by all appearances) from which he had taken it. This very important piece enabled our dear friend to prove, against Mr. Budge, the conversion to Catholicism of the learned bishop Sahdona (¹). Dr. Goussen has proven the authenticity of the works of Sahdona that he found in this manuscript, which is so beautiful, but unfortunately mutilated at the beginning and the end, brought recently from Mount Sinai to Strasbourg.

We provide (677—680) two other citations from Sahdona, one of which speaks of the state of souls after death, which proves the particular judgment; and the other treats of the holy sacrifice of the Mass and the thanksgiving that must follow it.

Our kind friend has pointed out to us that the best manuscripts of the Catalogue of Abd-Ischo of Nisibis cite the great work of Sahdona, divided into two parts, immediately after Ephrem of Elam. According to these manuscripts, instead of the truncated text of Assemani (²), one must read: Ṭūbānā Blessed (³) Sahdona : min ktābā d-trēn plāgōn from the book of two parts. See manuscript Sachau 312 p. 55^a and Badger, The Nestorians and their Rituals, II. p. 372 (in the middle).

Mar Sahdona was a truly luminous star that appeared in the sky, so often darkened, of our dear Church of the Orient. His conversion took place during his embassy

(¹) Dr. H. Goussen, Martyrius-Sahdona's Leben und Werke Martyrius-Sahdona's Life and Works. Leipzig 1897.
(²) B. o. III. I. p. 164.
(³) Ṭūbānā Sahdona is often written by mistake Mār Ṭūbānā Sahdona; by removing Mār, which means Mr. / Mgr. / St., there remains Ṭūbānā Sahdona. (Ed. Note).