Mar Abba
Encyclopedia
Aba I or Mar Abba the Great was the Patriarch of the Church of the East at Seleucia-Ctesiphon from 540 to 552. He introduced to the church the anaphora
of Theodore of Mopsuestia
and Nestorius
, supplanting the previous liturgical rite of Addai and Mari. Though his tenure as catholicos saw Christians in the region threatened during the Persian-Roman wars and attempts by both Sassanid Persian
and Byzantine
rulers to interfere with the governance of the church, his reign is reckoned a period of consolidation, and a synod he held in 544 as instrumental in unifying and strengthening the church. He is thought to have written and translated a number of religious works.
Aba is a highly regarded and significantly venerated saint in the Assyrian Church of the East
and the Chaldean Catholic Church of the East
, which has a seminary in San Diego, California
, USA, is named after him. His feast day is celebrated on both the seventh Friday after Epiphany and on February 28.
He is documented in the Ausgewählte Akten Persischer Märtyrer
, and The Lesser Eastern Churches
, two biographies of Eastern saints.
. Highly regarded as a scholar, he studied Greek in Edessa and is attributed with the translation (or with having overseen the translation) of key texts, including the works of Theodore and Nestorius
, from Greek into Syriac. He is also remembered as the author of original works including Biblical commentaries, homilies, and synodal letters.
, at the time a controversial position: the Byzantine emperor Justinian attempted to meet with Mar Aba around 532 (before his installation as patriarch) to persuade him to denounce Theodore's teachings. Justinian was preparing to anathema
tize Theodore and his works, obviously in sharp opposition to Mar Aba's own views. Acquiescence to Justinian's demands would also have been politically undesirable for Mar Aba, whose Church of the East
had secured independence from the Christian west (which Justinian represented) at the Council of Dadisho in 424; Mar Aba avoided the meeting.
influenced the selection of Joseph, Aba's successor as catholicos.
The acts of the synod also documented an "orthodoxy of faith", written by Aba himself. Some of its prescriptions indicate the particularly Persian character of the church in the East, including a set of marriage rules prohibiting unions between close kin, apparently formulated in deliberate response to Zoroastrian practice. Finally, the synod ratified the canons and decrees of the Council of Chalcedon
, held around a century earlier, which included proclamations on the divine and human nature of Christ and a number of disciplinary rules for the clergy.
. He was allowed to return to the See after seven years and continued as Catholicos until 552,
when he died — in some accounts, as a result of torture and exposure inflicted during his imprisonment.
as the Seminary of Mar Abba the Great
.
Anaphora (liturgy)
The Anaphora is the most solemn part of the Divine liturgy, Mass, or other Christian Communion rite where the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as the body and blood of Christ. This is the usual name for this part of the Liturgy in Eastern Christianity, but it is more often called the...
of Theodore of Mopsuestia
Theodore of Mopsuestia
Theodore the Interpreter was bishop of Mopsuestia from 392 to 428 AD. He is also known as Theodore of Antioch, from the place of his birth and presbyterate...
and Nestorius
Nestorius
Nestorius was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 22 June 431.Drawing on his studies at the School of Antioch, his teachings, which included a rejection of the long-used title of Theotokos for the Virgin Mary, brought him into conflict with other prominent churchmen of the time,...
, supplanting the previous liturgical rite of Addai and Mari. Though his tenure as catholicos saw Christians in the region threatened during the Persian-Roman wars and attempts by both Sassanid Persian
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
and Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
rulers to interfere with the governance of the church, his reign is reckoned a period of consolidation, and a synod he held in 544 as instrumental in unifying and strengthening the church. He is thought to have written and translated a number of religious works.
Aba is a highly regarded and significantly venerated saint in the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
and the Chaldean Catholic Church of the East
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
, which has a seminary in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, USA, is named after him. His feast day is celebrated on both the seventh Friday after Epiphany and on February 28.
He is documented in the Ausgewählte Akten Persischer Märtyrer
Ausgewählte Akten Persischer Märtyrer
Ausgewählte Akten Persischer Märtyrer is a book by Oskar Braun which was published in 1915 in Kempten. It contains biographical material regarding several saints, including:*Mar Abba*Simon of Bet-Titta-References:...
, and The Lesser Eastern Churches
The Lesser Eastern Churches
The Lesser Eastern Churches is a book by Adrian Fortescue, published in London in 1913. It contains biographical material relating to the following saints:*Mar Abba-References:...
, two biographies of Eastern saints.
Early life
Born in a Zoroastrian family in Hala, Mesopotamia, Mar Aba was secretary to the governor of Beth Garmai province before he converted to Christianity, studied, and later taught at the School of NisibisSchool of Nisibis
The School of Nisibis , for a time absorbed into the School of Edessa, was an educational establishment in Nisibis, modern-day Turkey. It was an important spiritual center of the early Syriac Orthodox Church, and like Gundeshapur, is sometimes referred to as the world's first university. The...
. Highly regarded as a scholar, he studied Greek in Edessa and is attributed with the translation (or with having overseen the translation) of key texts, including the works of Theodore and Nestorius
Nestorius
Nestorius was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 to 22 June 431.Drawing on his studies at the School of Antioch, his teachings, which included a rejection of the long-used title of Theotokos for the Virgin Mary, brought him into conflict with other prominent churchmen of the time,...
, from Greek into Syriac. He is also remembered as the author of original works including Biblical commentaries, homilies, and synodal letters.
Commentaries of Theodore
He favoured the Biblical interpretation and commentaries of Theodore of MopsuestiaTheodore of Mopsuestia
Theodore the Interpreter was bishop of Mopsuestia from 392 to 428 AD. He is also known as Theodore of Antioch, from the place of his birth and presbyterate...
, at the time a controversial position: the Byzantine emperor Justinian attempted to meet with Mar Aba around 532 (before his installation as patriarch) to persuade him to denounce Theodore's teachings. Justinian was preparing to anathema
Anathema
Anathema originally meant something lifted up as an offering to the gods; it later evolved to mean:...
tize Theodore and his works, obviously in sharp opposition to Mar Aba's own views. Acquiescence to Justinian's demands would also have been politically undesirable for Mar Aba, whose Church of the East
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
had secured independence from the Christian west (which Justinian represented) at the Council of Dadisho in 424; Mar Aba avoided the meeting.
544 Synod
Aba's tenure as catholicos followed a 15-year period of schism within the church, during which remote areas had elected their own rival bishops. Aba was able to resolve this schism, visiting the disputed areas and negotiating agreements to reunite the church. In 544 he convened a synod to ratify these agreements; the synod agreed that the metropolitans of those regions under the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon would in future elect catholicoi at a formal meeting. This agreement was, however, substantially subverted in later years, not least when the Persian ruler Khosrau IKhosrau I
Khosrau I , also known as Anushiravan the Just or Anushirawan the Just Khosrau I (also called Chosroes I in classical sources, most commonly known in Persian as Anushirvan or Anushirwan, Persian: انوشيروان meaning the immortal soul), also known as Anushiravan the Just or Anushirawan the Just...
influenced the selection of Joseph, Aba's successor as catholicos.
The acts of the synod also documented an "orthodoxy of faith", written by Aba himself. Some of its prescriptions indicate the particularly Persian character of the church in the East, including a set of marriage rules prohibiting unions between close kin, apparently formulated in deliberate response to Zoroastrian practice. Finally, the synod ratified the canons and decrees of the Council of Chalcedon
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon was a church council held from 8 October to 1 November, 451 AD, at Chalcedon , on the Asian side of the Bosporus. The council marked a significant turning point in the Christological debates that led to the separation of the church of the Eastern Roman Empire in the 5th...
, held around a century earlier, which included proclamations on the divine and human nature of Christ and a number of disciplinary rules for the clergy.
Tensions with Persia and Rome
Tensions between the Persian and Byzantine empires ran high during Mar Aba's lifetime, and after hostilities between the two intensified in the 540s the persecution of Christians in Persia also became more common. Zoroastrians hostile to Aba as an apostate pressured Khosrau to act against him, and as punishment for proselytizing among the Zoroastrians Aba was placed under house arrest, and later exiled to AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. He was allowed to return to the See after seven years and continued as Catholicos until 552,
when he died — in some accounts, as a result of torture and exposure inflicted during his imprisonment.
Seminary
The first seminary of the Chaldean Catholic Church of the East outside of Iraq was established in July 2008 in El Cajon, San DiegoEl Cajon, California
-History:El Cajon is located on the Rancho El Cajon Mexican land grant made in 1845 to María Antonia Estudillo, wife of Miguel Pedrorena. In 1876 Amaziah Lord Knox , a New Englander who had recently moved to California, established a hotel there to serve the growing number of people traveling...
as the Seminary of Mar Abba the Great
Seminary of Mar Abba the Great
The Seminary of Mar Abba the Great is a Chaldean Catholic seminary located in El Cajon, California. The seminary is the first and only Chaldean Catholic seminary outside of Iraq. The seminary is part of the Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle, a diocese which encompasses 19 of the western most states...
.