Christian Monasticism in Roman Arabia at the Birth of Mahomet

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to set in context the Syriac letter written in CE 569/570 and subscribed by one hundred thirty seven Archimandrites from the Roman province of Arabia. It examines the geographical shape of the province in the 6th century, the distribution of its episcopal sees and the ethnic and linguistic character of its population. The predominant language in the documentary evidence, including mosaic inscriptions from churches, is Greek. But while the letter, preserved in Syriac, was probably written originally in Greek, only twenty of the 137 Archimandrites record having given their “subscriptions” in Greek. An English translation of the subscriptions is offered. The article further explores the personal nomenclature and the ecclesiastical ranks of the signatories, leaving the complex question of the geographical distribution of the monasteries named to the article by R. G. Hoyland.