53‘2 EABBULAS

R

BABBULAS, bishop of Edessa, 412-435.

The name in Syriac is Babbula , pQSJ, whichthe western Syrians pronounced Babuld. Thechief authorities for the life of Rabbhlas are (1)a panegyric in Syriac, compiled soon after hisdeath by a contemporary cleric, himself a nativeof Edessa, extant in a MS. of the 6th century, ofwhich Bickell has furnished a German transla-tion in Thalhofer’s Ausgexodhlte Schriften derKirchenvater (vol. x. pp. 56-68), and (2) thelater and less trustworthy biography of Alex-ander the founder of the Akoimetae. Accordingto the panegyrist, Rabbfilas was born in the cityof Kenneschrin, known by the Greeks as Chalcis,in Osrhoene, of rich and noble parentage. Hisfather was a heathen priest, but his mother wasa Christian. He received a liberal education,and was well versed in pagan literature. Onhis father’s death he inherited a considerablefortune, and was chosen prefect of his nativecity At this time he was still a heathen, andfor a long time resisted his mother’s entreatiesto become a Christian. He yielded howeverso far as to take a Christian wife, and in duetime he was brought to embrace the true faith.Various instrumentalities contributed to his con-version. The panegyrist attributes it to hisintercourse with Eusebius of Chalcis and Acaeiusof Beroea, and to two remarkable miracles wit-nessed by him. The biographer of Alexander,on the other hand, ascribes it to the influence ofhis teaching. Both accounts probably are sub-stantially true. On his conversion Rabbulaswent on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was baptizedin the river Jordan, having previously renouncedhis property and manumitted his slaves. Hiswife and daughters and all the females of hishousehold devoted themselves to a religious life,and Rabbulas himself retired to the monasteryof St. Abraham at Chalcis. The discipline hereenforced not being severe enough for his newly-awakened religious enthusiasm he left themonastery for a cave in an adjacent mountainside, but at the request of his brother he returnedto the monastery. The see of Edessa havingbecome vacant in 412 by the death of Diogenes,Rabbulas was appointed his successor by asynod meeting at Antioch. His episcopate wasa powerful one, characterised by great activityand zeal, which was not always exhibited in agentle or conciliatory manner. His temper wasfiery, and lbas does not scruple to call him thetyrant of his city, who lorded it over all, andviolently persecuted those who opposed hisimperious will (Labbe, iv. 663). His panegyristdescribes him in more favourable terms asmanifesting earnest solicitude for the disciplineof his clergy and the spiritual health of hisflock. The sick and poor of his city, especiallywidows and orphans, were the objects of hisunremitting care. Edessa was famous for itsintellectual activity; the children of the higherclasses, still chiefly heathen, were sent to its

rabbGlas

schools from great distances for education. Thes^according to his biographer of Alexander, Rab-bhlas used to gather together twice a monthand instructed them in the principles of theChristian faith and caused them to be baptized(Acta Sanctorum, u 1020-1029). By the forceof his character Rabb&las became the leadingprelate of the Oriental Church, regarded, accord-ing to the exaggerated lauguage of the bio-grapher of Alexander, as “ the common masterof Syria, Armenia, Persia, nay of the wholeworld.”

The theological position of Rabbfllas in theearly part of his career was not altogetherconsistent. The author of the panegyric describeshim as having steadily opposed the doctrines ofNestorius from the very first. But the church ofEdessa, together with the East generally, fol-lowed the teaching ot Diodore of Tarsus andTheodore of Mopsuestia, in which these doctrineswere virtually contained, and lbas, who havingbeen a presbyter of his church must have spokenfrom personal knowledge, tells us that Rabbfilaswas no exception. He speaks of him as havingbeen a diligent student of Theodore’s writings,and an attentive listener to his discourses, testi-fying his approbation by applause. By degreeshowever Rabbfilas veered round, and after somevacillation ended as the most vehement and un-compromising opponent of Theodore’s teaching,using his utmost endeavours to bring aboutthe complete suppression of his works, lbasascribes this change of opinion to personal pique,from his having been publicly rebuked byTheodore at a synod. This story may safely beregarded as an exaggeration, but it indicates adivergence of views regarded by the elder teacherof so much importance as to deserve a publicreprimand. (Ibas, Epist. ad Marium , Labbe, iv.666 ; Liberat, Breviar. c. 10, Labbe, v. 752.)This growing separation from Theodore’s schoolof doctrine is strongly exhibited in a letter toAndrew of Samosata, written in the winterpreceding the Council ot Ephesus, 430-431, afragment of which is printed by Overbeck amongthe Syriac documents published in his edition ofEphrem Syrus (Oxford, 1865), Rabbfilas hereupbraids Andrew for having attacked Cyril in amanner which led him at first to ascribe thedocument to Nestorius himself. From Andrew’sreply we learn, what is also stated by TheodorusLector (lib. ii. p, 565), that Rabbftlas’s fiery zealfor the orthodox faith had caused him publicly toanathematize Andrew before his congregation atEdessa. Not content with this Rabbfllas, ac-cording to the panegyrist, when visiting Con-stantinople took the opportunity of having topreach in the presence of Nestorius to denouncehis doctrine. After this undisguised manifes-tation of his theological views, it is somewhatsurprising to find Rabbhlas at the council ofEphesus ranging himself with the Orientals andjoining them in their opposition to Cyril. Hissignature appears to the letter to the clergy andlaity of Hierapolis (Baluz. col. 705) and to thataddressed to the deputies despatched by theOrientals to Constantinople (jh. 725), in both ofwhich the heretical nature of Cyril’s teachingand the illegality of the actions of the councilare asserted. From this temporary vacillation,to be attributed perhaps to his reluctance toseparate himself from his patriarch and com J