Dionysius Jacob Bar Ṣalibi’s Confession of the Syrian Orthodox Faith ܗܝܡܢܘܬܐ ܕܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܬܪܝܨܬ ܫܘܒܚܐ ܠܦܘܬ ܡܪܝ ܕܝܘܢܢܘܣܘܝܣ ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܨܠܝܒܝ

Kurzfassung/Abstract

Bar Ṣalibi was a prominent theologian of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the Syriac Renaissance, which begins with him. He was born in Melitene (Malatya) towards the end of the 11th century.
This Confession of Faith has not yet been edited. I used four manuscripts in making my edition, selecting Mardin 350 (AD 1502), Istanbul Thoma Başaranlar 9/6 (AD ca.1600), Jerusalem St. Mark’s 222 (AD 1792) and Jerusalem St. Mark’s 153 (dated after 18th century).
In this tract Bar Ṣalibi expounds the Faith of the Syrian Orthodox Church according to the Creed of the first three Ecumenical Councils. In treating of the Trinity and the Incarnation, Bar Ṣalibi quotes from Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria, above all. He refutes the positions of Arius, the Tritheists, Eunomius, Sabellus, Macedonius, Nestorius, Eutyches, Mani, Marcion, Apollinarius, Julian of Halicarnassus and the Chalcedonians and, against all of these, defends the formula ‘one incarnate nature’ (Greek: mia physis sesarkomene) in Christ. This Confession sets out concisely and clearly the Faith of the Syrian Orthodox Church.