Syriac Inscriptions in the Monastery of Mōr-Jacob the Recluse in Ṭūr-‘Abdīn

Abstract

The church in the monastery of Jacob the Recluse in Ṭūr-'Abdīn, dated to the Byzantine period, contains a collection of Syriac inscriptions dated between the 8th and the 14th centuries. Eight inscriptions commemorate deceased monks and a bishop, while four inscriptions commemorate donations made to the monastery. More than a century ago, the French Henri Pognon published the funerary inscriptions, and more recently Andrew Palmer translated a lengthy inscription containing names of donors into English. The present article contains a new edition and English translation of the inscriptions using digital images that facilitate decipherment and hence more accurate translation.