History and hagiography from the late antique Sinai : including translations of Pseudo-Nilus' Narrations, Ammonius' Report on the slaughter of the monks of Sinai and Rhaithou, and Anastasius of Sinai's Tales of the Sinai fathers

Including translations of Pseudo-Nilus' "Narrations", Ammonius' "Report on the Slaughter of the Monks of Sinai and Rhaithou", and Anastasius of Sinai's "Tales of the Sinai Fathers". The Sinai peninsula emerged in late antiquity as a distinct region of the Christian holy land, identified from the fourth century onward as the Old Testament place where the Hebrews had wandered, Moses received the Law, and "God's Majesty descended". At the same time it was part of the late Roman province of Third Palestine and located deep in the heart of "Saracen Country". The historical essay and accompanying texts in this book enable readers to explore the particular ideals and dangers associated with this remote political and religious frontier. At its core are three Greek narratives previously unavailable in English: Pseudo-Nilus' "Narrations", Ammonius' "Report Concerning the Slaughter of the Monks of Sinai and Rhaithou", and Anastasius' "Tales of the Sinai Fathers". Long known to historians, these narratives, all written c. 400-650, have long been used to reconstruct pilgrimage, monasticism, and Roman-Saracen relations in this area. However, each poses challenging questions of date, origin, and interpretation. In particular, Pseudo-Nilus' "Narrations" represents an innovative blend of Greco-Roman (Achilles Tatius), Jewish (Fourth Maccabees) and Christian (Gregory Nazianzene) models, standing out as the last great example of ancient romance. Detailed introductions and commentaries highlight unusual features and shared problems of each text. Readers will also find a comprehensive collection of travel accounts and other documents written on or about the late antique Sinai. Intended for specialists and students alike, this book makes an original contribution to the understanding of these texts and their place in the late antique development of the Sinai. Preface and Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations x Introduction 1. The Formation and History of Third Palestine 4 2. The Christian Development of the Sinai Peninsula 17 3. Assessing the Saracen Menace on the Sinai Frontier 39 4. The Sinai Martyr Tradition 51 5. Death and the Mountain 63 Major Sinai Narratives: Introductions, Translations, and Commentaries 1. Pseudo-Nilus, "Narrations (Narrationes), Concerning the Slaughter of the Monks of Sinai and the Captivity of Theodulus" 73 2. A Ninth-Century Excerpt from Ps.-Nilus, "Narrations", trans. Sebastian Brock 136 3. Nilus of Ancyra, "Letter to Heliodorus" ("Ep." IV.62) 138 4. Ammonius, "Report (Relatio), Concerning the Slaughter of the Monks of Sinai and Rhaithou" 141 5. Anastasius of Sinai, Collection I: "Tales of the Sinai Fathers" ("Diēgēmata paterika"); selections from Collection II: "Edifying Tales" ("Diēgēmata stēriktika") 172 Appendix I: Sinai Pilgrimage Accounts and Travel Documents 6. Ephraim the Syrian, Hymns 19 and 20, trans. Kevin van Bladel 203 7. Egeria, "Travelogue" ("Itinerarium") I–IX, with abridgements by Peter the Deacon 211 8. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, "Religious History" ("Historia religiosa") II.13, VI.7–13 232 9. Emperor Marcian, "Letter to Bishop Macarius and the Monks of Sinai", trans. Richard M. Price 237 10. Jacob of Serug, "Letter" VII ("To the Monks of Sinai"), trans. Kevin van Bladel 242 11, Cosmas Indicopleustes, "Christian Topography" ("Topographica christiana") V, selections 246 12. Piacenza Pilgrim, "Travelogue" ("Itinerarium") 33–42 252 13. Gregory the Great, "Letters" IV.44 ("To Rusticiana") and XI.2 ("To John, Abbot of Mount Sina") 263 14. Nessana Papyri, selections: 266 a. 'P.Colt' 89 ("Account of a Trading Company", c. 6th–7th century) b. 'P.Colt' 72 ("Order from the Governor for a Guide", c. March 684) c. 'P.Colt' 73 ("Order from the Governor for a Guide", c. December 683) Appendix II: Sinai Defences 15. Procopius of Caesarea, "On Buildings" ("De Aedificiis") V.viii.1–9 273 16. Eutychius (Sa’īd ibn Batrīq) of Alexandria, "Annals" ("Annales Ecclesiastici"), selections, trans. Kevin van Bladel 277 17. Theophanes the Confessor, "Chronographia" AM 6123, 6124 (630/1, 631/2 CE) 283 Maps and Plans 287 Bibliography 295 Index 322 The texts assembled in this volume represent the interactions and outlook of monks, pilgrims, and bedouins ('Saracens') on the Sinai Peninsula from the fourth to the seventh centuries CE. This is a part of the late Roman Province Palaestina Tertia (Third Palestine), the first region of the Roman Empire to be conquered by Arab invaders and it inspired the last great work of ancient romance, Pseudo-Nilus's Narrations. The latter is an example of how closely history was then wedded to fiction--or rather, hagiography and how new traditions were invented. When Christian hermits and pilgrims began to explore the Sinai peninsula, assigning a distinct history and religious topography to its features, imaginary vestiges of Hebrew biblical experiences were detected on rock outcroppings, Nabatean graffiti was mistaken for Hebrew inscriptions. Indeed from the late fourth century onward, Christian imaginations transformed the Sinai's terrain into a kind of palimpsest, whre zealots of the New Dispensation might glimpse or settle over traces of the Old. This narrative and two others written c. 400-650, plus a collection of travel accounts, constitute the Sinai literature written by and for late antique Christians, which has long been used to reconstruct pilgrimage, monasticism, and Roman-Saracen relations in this area. In this book, detailed introductions and commentaries highlight unusual features and shared problems of each text. The historical essay and accompanying texts enable readers to explore the particular ideals and dangers associated with this remote political and religious frontier--Introduction This volume collects a number of important texts that have never before been translated into a modern language, each of which describes the late antique conditions and experiences on the Sinai peninsula. The texts in translation include Pseudo-Niluss Narrationes , Nilus of Ancyruss Epistula , and fifty tales attributed to Anastasius of Sinai. All remain important for late antique history, literature, and religion, as well as for their special focus on developments in the Sinai region prior to the Islamic period. LUP_Bell_Just_00_Prelims 3 LUP_Caner_Sinai_01_Intro 15 LUP_Caner_Sinai_02_Ps_NilusNarr 87 LUP_Caner_Sinai_03_Ammonius 155 LUP_Caner_Sinai_04_Anastasius 186 LUP_Caner_Sinai_05_Ephraim 215 LUP_Caner_Sinai_06_Theodoret 246 LUP_Caner_Sinai_07_SinaiDefences 285 LUP_Caner_Sinai_09_Bibliography 309 LUP_Caner_Sinai_10_Index 336