Theodotus of Amida (d. 698) lived in North Mesopotamia in transition from Roman-Persian wars to Arab conquests and the ensuing Islamic rule in the seventh and eighth centuries. He was tonsured at the famous monasteries of Zuqnin and Qenneshre. He briefly served as the bishop of Amida before founding a monastery near Qeleth in Ṭur ʿAbdin. While there are some references to Bishop Theodotus in Syriac historiography and hagiography, most of this information comes from the Life of Theodotus (tašʿito d-qadišo Mor Ṭeoduto) authored by Simeon of Samosata. This fascinating Life is edited and translated into a modern language for the first time in this volume by Robert Hoyland and Andrew Palmer. This collaboration by Hoyland, Palmer, and Charlotte Labedan-Kodaş includes an introduction to the historical context of the Life, an introduction to the Syriac edition, appendices exploring the archaeological and literary connections of the story, a comprehensive bibliography, accompanied by images, tables, and maps. The story of Theodotus sits at that complex place between hagiography and historiography. The story displays the conventional features of hagiography. Yet, it is “no mere rehashing of hackneyed hagiographical themes and motifs, for it is also imbued with much local color and contemporary detail” (22–23). With its excellent treatment of history and literature, this work presents a gold standard for translations of Syriac texts.
Part One, “The Historical Context of the Life of Theodotus” by Robert Hoyland, gives a concise overview of the political, military, and religious history of North Mesopotamia from the early seventh to the early eighth century, from the final stages of the decades-long Roman-Persian wars to the first examples of Islamic architecture in North Mesopotamia. Hoyland notes that the Life is “of particular value to historians, since it is one of the very few extant texts from seventh-century North Mesopotamia” (3), which found scant mention in Islamic sources. Hoyland weaves the story of Theodotus into the broader narratives of this tumultuous time, shaped by the Arab conquests, rebellion, and civil war, and the slow solidification of Islamic rule. Although the Life merely alludes to these events (6–7) and it “generally conveys the impression that the world in which Theodotus moved was still a predominantly Christian one, it does give us a number of indications of how that world was changing already in the time of this holy man” (8–9). Hoyland challenges the view that Christians in North Mesopotamia were mostly autonomous until the late-seventh century (12), highlighting the indications that the slow administrative changes were felt by local communities. The Life’s mention of mahgeroye (converts) and ṭayyoye (Muslim Arabs) further shows the religious dynamism on the ground (20–22). The presentation of literary, architectural, and numismatic evidence makes this overview an essential reading for the early Islamic history of North Mesopotamia.
In “Part Two: Introduction to the Syriac Edition,” Andrew Palmer presents the hagiographical dossier of Theodotus–its content, composition, and preservation. After an overview of pre-modern literary sources that mention Theodotus of Amida, Palmer describes the three manuscript witnesses of the Life, one once at Diyarbakir (now lost), another at Amida (currently inaccessible), and the third one at Homs–the only available manuscript preserving the Life, Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate 362 (olim Damascus 12/18) completed in 1186. Palmer also overviews the later translations (like the Garshuni translation) and copies of the Life. After this informative section on the transmission of the Life, Palmer provides notes and examples regarding his edition. In these pages (46–62), the reader is given a thorough orientation to the text, its structure, irregularities, puzzling vocabulary, and lacunae. Part Two is concluded with tables and lists summarizing heads of monasteries, scriptural references, loanwords, and other important information, all helping the reader navigate the edition and translation that follows.
Part Three consists of the edition and translation of the Life by Palmer based on SOP 362. The translation is well-organized with nine chapter headings provided by the editor, sub-titles in each chapter, with numbered paragraphs and passages throughout. The English subtitles do not follow the Syriac subtitles found in the manuscript. Although this causes some disorientation in reading the English together with Syriac, the editor’s decision to use different subtitles in the translation is understandable, for the Syriac subtitles are neither systematic nor mostly original to the text. Thus, in nine chapters, unfolds the story of Theodotus, from his early life and monastic endeavors to his funeral. The tenth chapter includes Simeon of Samosata’s sermon on Theodotus and the copyist’s conclusion. The edition and translation are accompanied by rich footnotes presenting biblical references, hagiographical comparisons, key scholarly works, among other information, which make reading this translation a fulfilling learning experience.
The translation is followed by three appendices. The first one is a list of Syriac churches and monasteries in Amida and environs from the fifth to the seventh century. Appendix 2 presents excerpts from the Life of Daniel of Aglosh, the story of a fifth-century Syriac holy man, which “serves as a useful complement to the above edition of the Life of Theodotus of Amida” (323). Translated excerpts from this hitherto untranslated Life provide invaluable glimpses into the literary and historical context of the Life of Theodotus. One should note that in Part Two (68–69) Palmer also provides a table listing the echoes of the Life of Simeon the Stylite in the Life of Theodotus (given only in Syriac). Although scattered across the volume, these hagiographical comparisons help the reader build a holistic picture of the Theodotus dossier.
In Appendix 3, Charlotte Labedan-Kodaş explores the literary and archaeological material related to the enclosure of Daniel of Aglosh in Ṭur ‘Abdin, where Theodotus stayed for some time (§187.5–189.4). Labedan-Kodaş tentatively suggests a church complex at the village of Gümüşyuva to be the monastery/enclosure mentioned in the two Syriac lives. The identification remains provisional, but the study is illuminating for putting literary material in conversation with cartographic and archaeological. Readers should pay attention to the short bibliography at the end of Appendix 3, since, being placed eight pages before the main bibliography, it is easy to miss but includes some important works not included in the main bibliography.
The Life of Theodotus of Amida is a required reading for early Islamic North Mesopotamia. The text’s familiarity with the topography of the region and its presentation (or lack thereof ) of major historic events make the Life an invaluable source for understanding the cultural continuities and shifts between the late antique and early Islamic periods in landscapes far from the administrative centers of the caliphate. This volume provides a historical introduction to this milieu while presenting a richly annotated edition and translation of the Life. The amount of detail provided in various separate sections may make the volume somewhat difficult to navigate at times. But these organizational choices do not reduce the grand impact of the volume and its esteemed place in the growing bibliography on the early Islamic Near East.
