Rabbula of Edessa (d. 435/6)

Bp. of Edessa (411/2–435/6).brief

Bp. of Edessa (411/2–435/6). Born into an aristocratic family in Qenneshrin (Chalcis), son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Rabbula converted to Christianity as an adult, leaving his mother, wife, and children for the monastic life. Before long, he was elected bp. of Edessa, where he became one of the great church leaders of his time. A fierce advocate for Cyril of Alexandria in the emerging Christological debates, Rabbula was said to have campaigned violently against pagans, ‘heretics’, and Jews, and to have destroyed four temples and a synagogue. Rabbula was also renowned for his work among the poor, for building hospitals, for regulating clergy, monastics, and members of the Covenant ( Bnay qyāmā ) with extensive legislation; for promoting a revised translation of the New Testament, and for composing numerous hymns. His extant writings are few, and some of dubious authenticity: several collections of rules governing church order, a sermon he delivered in Constantinople (in Syriac translation), a few letters including correspondence with Cyril, and various hymns. There is a magnificent hagiography in his honor.

See Fig. 105.