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JULY, 1884.] THE BURNING OF THE ALEXANDRIAN LIBRARY.
point, there will be no need of refuting the writers who have copied that account from Abu'l Faragius, nor the European authors who base their belief in the burning of the Alexandrian library upon
that account.
Abu'l Faragius is the latinized name of Abu'l Faraj, who was known by it as an Arabic, and by that of Gregorius Bar Hebraeus as a Syriac, author. He was the son of the physician Aaron, who had formerly been a Jew, and was born in 1226 at Melitene. In his youth he had enjoyed a distinguished education in Greek, Syriac, and Arabic, as well as in Christian dogmatics, in ecclesiastical history, and in medicine. His father having already been baptized, he was from his earliest youth educated in the Christian religion. In extensive journeys he perfected his scientific education more and more. He appears already in his youth to have enjoyed high consideration among his countrymen, because he was as early as the twenty-first year of his age appointed bishop of Guba, near Melitene, and consecrated Patriarch. Shortly afterwards he became bishop of Aleppo, whence he was transferred to the convent of St. Matthew in the vicinity of Mousul, where he occupied the position of a Mafrian of the East. The dignity of Mafrian was next to that of Patriarch, and therefore the second in the Jacobite Church. The diocese subject to him embraced a large portion of Mesopotamia. His spiritual office was one of the most influential but also one of the most arduous, on account of the invasion of the Mongols under Hulagu Khân, at whose court Abu'l Faraj had on repeated occasions to plead for the interests of the oppressed Christians. He contended incessantly for the liberties of his co-religionists, and the success of his efforts can be ascribed only to his indefatigable activity, to his great experience in transacting business, and to his dexterity. It is expressly reported that his knowledge also and skill in practical medicine contributed not a little to make him acceptable to Hulagu Khân, who had great confidence in him, and most willingly granted him the immunities in the exercise of the Christian religion he had asked
ever, was also a man of intelligence, quick-witted, and clear-headed, wherefore he attached himself to him and was always near him. One day John said to him:-You have sealed up all the things contained in the treasuries of Alexandria. As far as the things are concerned which may be of use to you, I shall say nothing about them, but those you cannot use, leave alone. Amru asked what ought certainly to do you need? replied:-The philosophical books contained in the royal treasure. Of these cannot dispose, replied 'Amru, until I obtain permission from 'Omar ibn ul Khettab, the Commander of the Faithful. Then he wrote, to 'Omar and informed him of what John had said. Hereon 'Omar replied to him in a letter as follows:-As far as the books mentioned by you are concerned, they contain either what agrees with the book of Allah [the Quran]
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for. Above all, however, the reverence-inspiring dignity of his personal attitude and the deeply serious morality of his nature, won for him the esteem of the Mongols, and contributed materially to confer upon the Christians a respectable position in the Mongol empire. That Abu'l Faraj was, in spite of the great advantages which distinguished him above his contemporaries, nevertheless a child of his own times, and entangled in their superstitions, is evident from the circumstances said to have accompanied his demise. He was, as he also himself narrates, a zealous astrologer. His birth, his consecration as bishop, and also as Mafrian, had all fallen in the times of the conjunction of Saturn with Jupiter. Therefore he was firmly convinced that his death also would ensue when these two planets met again in conjunction. He attributed to them a decided influence upon his fate. Shortly before this position of the two planets again took place, he was attacked by a violent fever, and refused to accept medical aid, because the stars had announced his death; and thus he also died in 1286, as he had himself predicted.
The Syriac chronicle of Abu'l Faraj is to be considered his chief historical work. It is based on the diligent and partly critical use of a considerable number of Syriac, Arabic, Persian and Greek sources, many of which, as adduced by him, appear to have been since lost. Of this larger work, which embraces secular and ecclesiastic history, he compiled, in the latter period of his life, a shorter extract in the Arabic language. This extract was edited by Edward Pocock in 1663, with a Latin translation under the title of Historia Dynastiarum. The work, however, according to our text, is not merely an extract, but contains many a notice, chiefly of a literary character, which does not exist in the Syriac original. Whether these additions are interpolations of later copyists, or are really the work of the author, cannot be determined. As to the notice quoted from the Arabic extract in the second foot-note of this paper, concerning the burning of the library, or a library, of Alexandria, nothing whatever agreeing therewith is discovered in the Syriac chronicle.
and then the book of Allah is sufficient, and we need them not; or they contain something which contradicts the book of Allah, and also then we need them not. Order them therefore to be destroyed. Accordingly 'Amru ibn u'l 'Asi caused the books to be distributed among the baths of Alexandria for fuel, and thus the fire consumed them within half a year."
This information concerns only the books preserved in the royal treasure, and not those of the library of Alex. andria; it has nevertheless been referred to as pointing to the burning of the Museum library of Alexandria! This information morever, is not contemporary with the event of the burning, but comes from a Syro-Christian author, who wrote in Syriac and Arabio, as late as the middle of the thirteenth century, and therefore about six centuries after the event described by him!
