BAR HEBRAEUS ECCLESIASTICAL CHRONICLE SEC. I.

In the year 1804 of the Greeks Christian year 1493, the patriarch John Invardensis, nicknamed Gregory, fell ill in the town of Haha, in the church of Saint Mar Samuel. In that same year, on the fifth day of the Great Fast, he passed away. All the people mourned him, because he was gentle, illustrious, and honorable in his conduct. He was buried near the southern altar of the church of Mar Saba in the town of Haha, and the entire region gathered for his funeral. They appointed Masud Zaziensis as patriarch in his place, by the command of the entire region of Tur Abdin. When this patriarch Masud, whom we mentioned, learned that the patriarch John Bar-Sila of Mardin had died, the people of Mardin came and took the Maphrian of the East, Noe, and ordained him as their patriarch. The East remained without a shepherd for three years. Afterward, the patriarch Noe, who had previously been the Maphrian, chose two brothers who were bishops from the monastery of Zafaran: Rabban Abraham and his brother Rabban Habib, from the castle of Almarah. They were just men, upright and irreproachable in their conduct, who for two years had devoted themselves to fasting and prayer before the image of Saint Mar Behenam in the monastery of Guba. The entire East received them with joy. The patriarch ordained Abraham as Maphrian.

In the year 1804 of the Greeks Christ 1493, the patriarch John of Inwarda, known as Gregory, fell ill in the town of Haha, in the holy church of Mar Samuel; he died in the same year on the 5th day of the Great Fast. All the people wept for him, because he was gentle, illustrious, and honorable in his manners. He was buried near the southern altar of the church of Mar Saba in the town of Haha, and the whole region gathered for his funeral. Furthermore, they appointed for themselves the patriarch Masud Zaziensis by the order of the entire region of Tur Abdin. But when this patriarch Masud, whom we have mentioned, discovered that John Bar-Sila, the patriarch of Mardin, had died... the people of Mardin summoned the Maphrian of the East, Noe, and ordained him as their patriarch, leaving the East without a pastor for three years. After this time had passed, the patriarch Noe, who had previously been the Maphrian, chose two brothers, bishops from the Zafaran monastery—namely Rabban Abraham and his brother Rabban Habib, natives of the castle of Almarah—men just, righteous, and of irreproachable conduct, who for two years had remained in fasting and prayer before the image of Saint Mar Behenam in the monastery of Guba. These men were received most excellently by the entire East. Indeed, the patriarch ordained Abraham as...

1) The sequence "patriarch John... patriarch Masud" was printed from the Cambridge codex because it was completely obliterated in the London manuscript.
2) In the outer margin of the codex, an annotation is inscribed, which we record here as far as it could be read: "Patriarch John from the castle... I, the priest...".
• Here is the history of the death of Patriarch John Bar-Sila, and the ordination of Patriarch Noe...