Severus Sebokht
Severus Sebokht (Syriac: ܣܐܘܝܪܐ ܣܝܒܘܟܬ),[1] also Seboukt of Nisibis, was a Syriac scholar and bishop who was born in Nisibis, Roman Syria in 575 and died in 667.
Although little is known about his early life, he was one of the leading figures in Syria in the 7th century. He taught at the Theological School of Nisibis. In 612, he left the post because of a doctrinal dispute with the Church of the East. He was a member of the Syriac Orthodox Church. He was a resident of the monastery of Qenneshre, which was situated near the banks of the Euphrates;[2] he was eventually ordained bishop of Qenneshre.[3] His student, Jacob of Edessa (d. 708), was the major representative of "Christian Hellenism".[4]
He was a teacher of the philosophy of Aristotle. In 638, he wrote a major treatise on syllogisms. He translated from Persian into Syriac the commentaries on Aristotle of Paul the Persian.[5][6]
He participated in debates with the Maronites in Damascus in 659, in the presence of Muawiya.[7]
He was perhaps the first Syrian to mention the Indian number system.[8]
He wrote a major treatise on the astrolabe. His treatise contained 25 chapters and provided detailed explanations of the measurements of the movements of heavenly bodies.[9]
Translations
Severus' Letter on Climates has been partially translated. The first section of the work was translated by Olivier Defaux[10] and the second part by Emilie Villey.[11]
Severus' Letter to Basil of Cyprus has been translated. It was done by Daniel Knister.[12] This is an important document because it is the first place where Hindu numerals are specifically referenced in Europe.[13]
See also
References
- ^ "Severus Sebokht". The Syriac Biographical Dictionary.
- ^ "Severus Sebokht". roger-pearse.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ Brock, Sebastian P.; Butts, Aaron M.; Kiraz, George A.; Van Rompay, Lucas; E. Fiano (2011). "Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage". Beth Mardutho. ISBN 9781593337148 – via Academia.edu.
- ^ Gutas, Dimitri (23 July 1998). Greek Thought, Arab Culture: The Graeco-Arabic Translation Movement in Baghdad and Early 'Abbasid Society (2nd-4th/8th-10th centuries). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780415061339. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- ^ "Severus Sebokht". islamsci.mcgill.ca. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ لقمان, بزرگمهر. "گویاییِ ارستو" پاول پارسی. loghman.org (in Persian).
- ^ Brock, Sebastian P.; Butts, Aaron M.; Kiraz, George A.; Van Rompay, Lucas; E. Fiano (2011). "Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage". Beth Mardutho. ISBN 9781593337148 – via Academia.edu.
- ^ "Severus Sebokht, On the Constellations". www.tertullian.org. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ Grigory Kessel et al., “Treatise on the Astrolabe - prooemion and scholion (based on Ammonius?)” in Syriac Scientific and Philosophical Literature last modified 9 November 2017, https://syriaca.org/work/9747.
- ^ Defaux, Olivier (2023). "Sévère Sebokht, Lettre sur les climats : édition et traduction de la première partie". Semitica et Classica. 16: 215–229. doi:10.1484/J.SEC.5.137279. ISSN 2031-5937.
- ^ Villey, Émilie (2023). "Chypre, l'astrolabe et la Lettre sur les climats : du nouveau au sujet de la correspondance scientifique de Sévère Sebokht (viie s.)". Semitica et Classica. 16: 231–254. doi:10.1484/J.SEC.5.137280. ISSN 2031-5937.
- ^ "Severus Sebokht, "Letter to Basil of Cyprus" (ca. 662) on 'Arabic' numerals". Roger Pearse. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2026.
- ^ Merzbach, Uta; Boyer, Carl (2011). History of Mathematics (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. p. 192. ISBN 9780470525487.
External links
- McMahon, John M. (2007). "Severus Sebokht [Sebokt, Sebukht, Seboht]". In Thomas Hockey; et al. (eds.). The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. New York: Springer. pp. 1044–5. ISBN 9780387310220. (PDF version)
- Severus-Sebokht (Encyclopædia Britannica)