Aramean Archive

Flavius Josephus (c. AD 37 – c. 100) was a Roman-Jewish historian and military leader. He is best known for The Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews, key works on Jewish history. Initially fighting against Rome in the First Jewish–Roman War, he later defected and became an advisor to Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus. Josephus played a crucial role as a mediator and translator during the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70. His writings remain vital sources for understanding the history of ancient Israel, Jewish culture, and the Roman Empire.

Strabo (64 or 63 BC – c. 24 AD) was an ancient Greek geographer who lived in Asia Minor during the transitional period from the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire. He is best known for his work Geographica, which presented a descriptive history of the people and places from different regions of the world known during his lifetime. Additionally, Strabo authored historical works, but only fragments and quotations of these survive in the writings of other authors.

Karl Eduard Sachau (born 20 July 1845, died 1930) was a German orientalist. He became a professor at the University of Vienna in 1872 and, in 1876, was appointed professor at the University of Berlin, where he became the director

Dietrich Hermann Hegewisch (15 December 1746 – 4 April 1812) was a German historian who was a native of Quakenbrück. He was the father of political publicist Franz Hermann Hegewisch (1783-1865). Hegewisch studied theology and history at the University of Göttingen. Following graduation he was a private tutor, then later worked as a newspaper editor in Hamburg. From 1782 to 1812 he was a full professor of history at the University of Kiel. In 1805 he was appointed Etatsrat by the Danish monarchy.

Theodor Mommsen (November 1817 – 1 November 1903) was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician and archaeologist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest classicists of the 19th century. He received the 1902 Nobel Prize in Literature for his historical writings, including The History of Rome, after having been nominated by 18 members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences. He was also a prominent German politician, as a member of the Prussian and German parliaments. His works on Roman law and on the law of obligations had a significant impact on the German civil code.

Theodor Nöldeke (born March 2, 1836, Harburg, Hanover [Germany]—died December 25, 1930, Karlsruhe, Germany) was a German Orientalist noted for his Semitic and Islamic studies, which included a history of the Qurʾān (1859). After holding several academic posts, Nöldeke became professor of Oriental languages at the University of Strasbourg (1872–1906), then within the German Empire. His large contribution to the history of Semitic languages included the publication of several grammars. His other scholarly works included Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der Sasaniden (1879; “History of the Persians and Arabs to the Sāsānid Period”), a version of the Arabic chronicle of aṭ-Ṭabarī. Among his works intended for a general readership were Orientalische Skizzen (1892; Sketches from Eastern History, 1892) and a life of Muḥammad (1863).

The Chronicle of Arbela, attributed to Meshihâ-zkhâ and believed to date from the 6th century, consists of biographies of twenty bishops who led the Church of Adiabene until that time. This work provides insight into the early history and leadership of the church in the region.

Shemon Bar Sabbae (d. 341 or 344) was the Bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon and a martyr. He was arrested for refusing a royal order to raise a double tax on Christians during the reign of Shapur II. After several meetings with the king, Shemon was executed. His martyrdom is recorded in Syriac texts, including the 'Martyrdom of Shemon' and the 'History of Shemon,' both of which highlight his steadfastness in faith and his role in the persecution of Christians under Shapur II.

Agapius of Hierapolis, also known as Maḥbūb ibn Qusṭanṭīn (died after 942), was a Melkite Christian historian and the bishop of Manbij in Syria. He wrote a universal history in Arabic, titled Kitāb al-ʿunwān ("Book of the Title"), which covers the history of the world from its creation up to the year 941/942. He was a contemporary of the annalist Eutychius (Said al-Bitriq), also a Melkite.

Paul Al-Khoury Al-Kfarnissy (1888–1963) was a professor of Syriac at the Lebanese Maronite Order. His works include an unpublished history of Syriac literature. He is particularly known for his Grammar of the Aramaic Syriac Language, which is considered one of the best-written Syriac grammars produced in Arabic.

Mgr Paul Assemani (1879–1958) was a Syrian priest and scholar. He was born in 1879 in Hasroun, Lebanon, and joined the Petit Séminaire of Ain Waraqa for his studies. He was ordained a priest in 1900. Mgr Assemani taught Arabic at the Patriarchal Seminary and was responsible for the Arabic section of the Chancery. Between 1914 and 1918, he returned to Lebanon and, on 8 September 1919, was appointed parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Ramallah, Palestine, where he served until 1921. In April 1921, he resumed his position as an Arabic language professor at the Patriarchal Seminary until 1933. In 1933, he became the Procurator of the Maronite Patriarchate and Rector of the Maronite Roman College in Rome. He celebrated his golden priesthood jubilee in 1950 at Saint Maron Church in Rome. Mgr Assemani was also a Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He passed away on 5 November 1958 in Rome after falling in an elevator shaft at the age of 80. Mgr Assemani translated approximately ten works and published a history of the Assemani family as well as a history of Syriac literature.

Philoxenos Yuḥanon Dolabani (1885–1969) was a modern Syriac Orthodox writer, educator, and bishop of Mardin (1947–69). Born and raised in Mardin, he initially pursued a career in shoe-making but later became a monk in 1908. Dolabani taught at several monasteries and the Syriac Orthodox Orphanage in Adana. He accompanied Patriarch Eliya III on pastoral tours in the Middle East, particularly after World War I and the Sayfo massacres. In 1947, he was consecrated Bishop of Mardin. Dolabani edited various works, including an abridged version of the *Beth Gazo* and Bar ʿEbroyo’s *Book of the Dove*. He authored over 40 books in Syriac, Arabic, and Turkish. His autobiography was published posthumously in 2007.