Theophilus of Edessa (Greek: Θεόφιλος, 695–785 CE), also known as Theophilus ibn Tuma and Thawafil, was a Greco-Syriac medieval astrologer and scholar in Mesopotamia.[1] In the later part of his life he was the court astrologer to the Abbasid caliphAl-Mahdi.
His life is described in the Syriac Chronicle of Bar Hebraeus (1226–1286):
Theophilus served the Caliph al-Mahdî, who esteemed him very much because of his superiority in the art of astrology. It is said that one day the Caliph wanted to take a trip into one of his provinces and to take his court with him. The Caliph's wife sent someone to say to Theophilus: "It is you who have advised the Caliph to take this trip, thereby imposing upon us the fatigue and boredom of the journey, which we don't need. I hope therefore that God will make you perish and disappear from this world, so that, rid of you, we may find some peace." Theophilus replied to the servant who had brought him this message: "Return to your mistress and say to her: "It is not I who have advised the king to take this trip; he travels when it pleases him to do so. As for the curse that you have cast upon me for God to hasten my death, the decision about it has already been taken and affirmed by God; I shall die soon; but do not suppose that I shall have died so that your prayer might be fulfilled; it is the will of my Creator that will accomplish it. But you, O Queen, I say to you: "Prepare a lot of dust for yourself; and when you learn that I am dead, pile all that dust on your head." When the Queen had heard these words, she was seized with a great fear, and she wondered apprehensively what the result would be. A little while afterward, Theophilus died and twenty days after him the Caliph al-Mahdî also died. That which Theophilus had determined came to pass.[citation needed]
Theophilus was a Maronite Christian. Among other works he translated the Iliad into Arabic.[3] He also wrote a lost historical (syriac) chronicle.
Theophilus's lost history was used by a number of later writers. The Jacobite patriarch Dionysius of Tel Mahre (818–45) cited it on several occasions in his own world history, the Annals. The tenth-century Melkite historian Agapius of Hierapolis also used material from Theophilus.
References
^A History of Horoscopic Astrology By James H. Holden, p. 104
^Brown, Peter. The Rise of Western Christendom (Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2003) p. 311
^Moffett, Samuel Hugh. A History of Christianity in Asia, (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1998, p. 354
Further reading
Robert G. Hoyland (Ed.): Theophilus of Edessa's Chronicle and the Circulation of Historical Knowledge in Late Antiquity and Early Islam. Liverpool 2011.
January 07, 2023
theophilus, edessa, greek, Θεόφιλος, also, known, theophilus, tuma, thawafil, greco, syriac, medieval, astrologer, scholar, mesopotamia, later, part, life, court, astrologer, abbasid, caliph, mahdi, translated, numerous, books, from, greek, syriac, including, . Theophilus of Edessa Greek 8eofilos 695 785 CE also known as Theophilus ibn Tuma and Thawafil was a Greco Syriac medieval astrologer and scholar in Mesopotamia 1 In the later part of his life he was the court astrologer to the Abbasid caliph Al Mahdi He translated numerous books from Greek to Syriac including the Iliad 2 Contents 1 Life 2 Works on astrology in Greek 3 Influence 4 References 5 Further readingLife EditHis life is described in the Syriac Chronicle of Bar Hebraeus 1226 1286 Theophilus served the Caliph al Mahdi who esteemed him very much because of his superiority in the art of astrology It is said that one day the Caliph wanted to take a trip into one of his provinces and to take his court with him The Caliph s wife sent someone to say to Theophilus It is you who have advised the Caliph to take this trip thereby imposing upon us the fatigue and boredom of the journey which we don t need I hope therefore that God will make you perish and disappear from this world so that rid of you we may find some peace Theophilus replied to the servant who had brought him this message Return to your mistress and say to her It is not I who have advised the king to take this trip he travels when it pleases him to do so As for the curse that you have cast upon me for God to hasten my death the decision about it has already been taken and affirmed by God I shall die soon but do not suppose that I shall have died so that your prayer might be fulfilled it is the will of my Creator that will accomplish it But you O Queen I say to you Prepare a lot of dust for yourself and when you learn that I am dead pile all that dust on your head When the Queen had heard these words she was seized with a great fear and she wondered apprehensively what the result would be A little while afterward Theophilus died and twenty days after him the Caliph al Mahdi also died That which Theophilus had determined came to pass citation needed Theophilus was a Maronite Christian Among other works he translated the Iliad into Arabic 3 He also wrote a lost historical syriac chronicle Works on astrology in Greek EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Works on Elections for Wars and Campaigns and Sovereignty Astrological Effects Various Elections Collection on Cosmic BeginningsThese books have been preserved more or less intact along with fragments of their Arabic versions Influence EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed June 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Theophilus s lost history was used by a number of later writers The Jacobite patriarch Dionysius of Tel Mahre 818 45 cited it on several occasions in his own world history the Annals The tenth century Melkite historian Agapius of Hierapolis also used material from Theophilus References Edit A History of Horoscopic Astrology By James H Holden p 104 Brown Peter The Rise of Western Christendom Malden Massachusetts Blackwell Publishing 2003 p 311 Moffett Samuel Hugh A History of Christianity in Asia Maryknoll Orbis Books 1998 p 354Further reading EditRobert G Hoyland Ed Theophilus of Edessa s Chronicle and the Circulation of Historical Knowledge in Late Antiquity and Early Islam Liverpool 2011 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Theophilus of Edessa amp oldid 1123667979, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
