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Syriac · Letters · Early 5th century CE

Part of a Letter from Rabbula to Cyril

Rabbula of Edessa · syriac

BothSourceEnglish
JSON Dossier
machine-draft · no human review 2 passages · 167 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

This dossier examines a surviving fragment of a letter from Rabbula, bishop of Edessa (411/412–435), to Cyril of Alexandria, likely composed after the Council of Ephesus (431). The letter reflects Rabbula’s alignment with Cyril against Nestorius, whom it denounces as the 'head of the new heresy.' Preserved only in a Syriac translation within a single manuscript (British Library Add. 12156, fols. 1v–2r), the text was later cited in Miaphysite florilegia, such as those by Philoxenus of Mabbug. The original Greek is lost, and the Syriac version may contain interpolations reflecting later Christological debates. The fragment serves as evidence of early fifth-century ecclesiastical alliances and the transmission of anti-Nestorian polemic.

This letter fragment is a key witness to Rabbula’s post-Ephesus Christological stance and his alignment with Cyril of Alexandria. It illustrates the early fifth-century ecclesiastical realignments and the use of epistolary polemic in the Nestorian controversy. Its survival in Syriac translation and later citation in Miaphysite florilegia highlights the text’s role in shaping later Syriac orthodox traditions.

Historical context

Rabbula was bishop of Edessa from 411/412 to 435, a period of intense Christological controversy following the Council of Ephesus (431). The letter to Cyril of Alexandria was written after that council, when Rabbula broke with the Antiochene tradition and aligned with Cyril against Nestorius, whom he here calls the 'head of the new heresy.' The letter survives only in Syriac translation, likely made soon after the original Greek, in a single manuscript (British Library Add. 12156, fols. 1v–2r). This manuscript is a collection of Syriac patristic texts, and the letter was later used in Miaphysite florilegia, notably by Philoxenus of Mabbug (6th century), to support anti-Nestorian positions. The Syriac translation may contain interpolations or paraphrases reflecting later Miaphysite concerns, and the original Greek is lost, so the precise wording cannot be verified. The fragment is an excerpt from a longer epistle, preserved for its doctrinal utility.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

9 commentary units 2 structure2 term2 background2 reception1 caution 0 derived notes 2 open questions 2 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: letter in classical Syriac; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 2 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: syriac — CC BY 4.0

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
dsc-496:1 · narrativehigh
Source
ܡܢܬܐ ܕܐܓܪܬܐ ܕܛܘܒܢܐ ܪܒܘܠܐ ܕܐܬܟܬܒܬ ܠܘܬ ܛܘܒܢܐ ܩܘܪܠܘܣ
English
Part of a Letter from the Blessed Rabbula which was written to the Blessed Cyril
dsc-496:2 · narrativehigh
Source
ܐܦܝܣܩܘܦܐ ܓܝܪ ܚܕ ܡܢ ܐܬܪܐ ܕܩܝ̈ܠܝܩܝܐ: ܓܒܪܐ ܕܡܦܝܣ ܗܘܐ ܟܕ ܡܡܠܠ܆ ܘܣܿܦܩ ܗܘܐ ܠܡܦܣܘܼ. ܚܪ̈ܢܝܬܐ ܡܿܢ ܥܠ ܒܐܡܐ ܡܬܪܓܡ ܗܘܐ: ܠܘܬ ܐܝܕܐ ܕܫܦܪܐ ܠܥܡܐܼ݂ ܐܚܪ̈ܢܝܬܐ ܕܝܢ ܕܐܝܬܝܗܢ ܨܝܕܐ ܕܐܒܕܢܐ ܒܟ̈ܬܒܐ ܣܐܡ ܗܘܐ. ܗܿܘ ܕܒܫܘܪ̈ܝܐ ܕܡܢܗܘܢ ܕܟ̈ܬܒܐ ܕܝܠܗܼ. ܒܚܪܡܐ ܡܬܚܡ ܗܘܐ ܠܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܦܓܥܫܼܢ. ܕܠܐ ܢܓܠܘܢ ܠܚܪ̈ܢܐ ܐܝܠܝܢ ܕܟܬܝܒܢ ܒܗܘܢ. ܗܢܐ ܩܕܡܝܐ ܣܡܼ. ܕܠܐ ܐܝܬܝܗܿ ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܒܬܘܠܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ. ܐܝܟ ܡܿܢ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܡܠܬܐ ܠܐ ܩܒܠ ܥܠܘܗܝ ܝܠܕܐ ܕܐܟܘܬܢ. ܗܕܐ ܟܕ ܥܕܡܐ ܠܗܫܐ ܛܥܬ: ܥܠ ܕܠܐ ܟܕ ܒܙܒܢܐ ܣܓܝܐܐ ܡܫܬܪܪܐ: ܕܚܝܠܬܢܝܐ ܬܣܬܒܪ. ܒܡܥܒܕܢܘܬܐ ܕܐܠܗܐ ܟܕ ܛܥܼܐ ܢܣܛܘܪܝܣ ܪܫܐ ܕܓܙܘܪܬܐ ܚܕܬܐܼ. ܚܘܝܗܿ ܓܠܝܐܝܬ܀
English
A certain bishop from the region of Cilicia, a man who was persuasive when he spoke and was capable of persuading, used to translate other things into the mother tongue for the benefit of the people. Other things, however, which were the prey of the lost, he placed in books. At the beginning of his own books, he would threaten with anathema those who would come across them, that they should not reveal the things that were written in them. This first one he placed: that the holy virgin is not the Mother of God, as if God the Word did not receive from her a nature like his own. This error, which persists to this day, is not confirmed by many testimonies, so that the power of the truth may be understood. Through the agency of God, Nestorius, the head of the new heresy, who was in error, showed this openly.
Citation. Tergwame, “Part of a Letter from Rabbula to Cyril”, dsc-496:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/dsc-496#s1
Colophon. Source: syriac · licence: CC BY 4.0 · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0014 · generated 2026-11-14.