Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 10 October 2024
yuḥanna ibn sawirus: update
Sherif Ramzy Keywords: Apologetics–early works to 1800; Arabic Literature; Authors; Christian Arabic Literature; Christian Ethics; Copto-Arabic Literature; Ethics; Manuscripts; Patristics; Theology. 1. Biography of Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus Information concerning yuḥanna ibn sawirus (al-Kātib al-Miṣrī, author of al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal) is very scarce. What survives is insufficient to ascertain any precise or specific details about his life or the era in which he lived, except what can be inferred from a deep reading of his only surviving work, called Tashīl al-Sabīl fī al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal (Facilitating the Path in Knowledge and Deeds). Through this text, Yūḥannā inscribed his name as one of the leading Coptic writers of the medieval period (Ramzy 2021: 20).
Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus was born in Egypt. His name, which appears at both the beginning and the end of his book, unequivocally confirms his identity: Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus al-Kātib al-Miṣrī (“the Egyptian scribe”). It appears that Yūḥannā belonged to the class of scribes entrusted with the administration of government bureaus. However, changes in Egypt’s political climate shortly after al-ḥākim bi-amr illah became the Fatimid caliph (996–1021 CE), as well as his relentless pursuit to persecute state officials—and especially Copts (Ramzy 2023: 671)— served as the main impetus behind Yūḥannā’s migration to the city of Antioch, which at that time had come under Byzantine rule after being wrested from the Hamdānids in 969 CE (Ramzy 2021: 21).
Within the pages of al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal, Yūḥannā records his observations related to events and people in Egypt before he departed to Antioch, where he also documented his experiences. In Antioch—or nearby—Yūḥannā composed the book, benefiting from the freedom available to him there. The examples and citations he employs in the book indicate that his target audience was primarily the Syriac Christian milieu.
A deep reading of al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal reveals a skillful author, who is extensively knowledgeable and well versed in various sciences and literature. This skill is clearly manifest in frequent quotations from the Holy Scriptures and their interpretations, as well as the writings of renowned Church Fathers, ancient philosophers, and prominent writers of the ninth and tenth centuries, both Christian and Muslim alike. Additionally, Yūḥannā’s clear familiarity with historical events and repeated references to specific incidents or notable figures who lived during his time, and whom he personally encountered, underscores his erudition (Ramzy 2021: 22). 2. Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus and His Work al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal in the Writings of Historians The Coptic priest and scholar shams al-RIʾāsa abū al-barakāt ibn kabar (d. 1324 CE) mentions Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus in the seventh chapter of his encyclopedic work miṣbāḥ al-ẓulma fī īḍāḥ al-khidma (The Lamp of Darkness and the Clarification of the Service), which is dedicated to discussing Coptic authors and their works (Ibn Kabar 1971: 319). Yūḥannā is also mentioned by al-Shaykh al-Makīn Jirjis ibn al-ʿAmīd (the younger) in his book, Mukhtaṣar al-Bayān fī Taḥqīq al-Īmān, known as al-Ḥāwī (Ibn al-ʿAmīd, n.d.: 104).
© Claremont Graduate University 1 S. Ramzy, Yuẖanna ibn Sawirus: Update 10 October 2024 The first modern mention of Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus is found in the works of Louis Cheikhô, S.J. (1859–1927), who refers to Yūḥannā as “the Coptic Jacobite writer.” Notably, Cheikhô places Yūḥannā among the writers who lived “in the twelfth century” (Cheikhô 1924: 9), a view also adopted by Paul Sbath (Sbath 1938: 71).
Georg Graf (1875–1955) also discusses Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus in the section on Arabic writings of the Copts within his renowned encyclopedia Geschichte der christlichen arabischen Literatur (History of Christian Arabic Literature). In Graf’s opinion, Yūḥannā “must have lived after the sons of al-ʿAssāl because Abū Isḥāq [al-Muʾtaman] does not know him.” Based on this belief, and consistent with the date of the oldest surviving manuscript of al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal (i.e., Ms Vatican Arab 117, copied in 1323 CE), as well as the presence of Yūḥannā’s name on the list of authors mentioned by Ibn Kabar, Graf suggests Yūḥannā “lived in the period preceding the first quarter of the fourteenth century.” This view was quoted verbatim by Vincent Frederick in the original Coptic Encyclopedia entry for Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus (Frederick 1991: 2357b–2358a). Graf’s assertion was also noted by Samir Khalil Samir in his introduction to the first part of Miṣbāḥ al-Ẓulma fī Īḍāḥ al-Khidma, where he appended a note to the mention of Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus’s name: “This author likely lived in the thirteenth century” (Ibn Kabar 1971: 319). Kāmil Ṣāliḥ Nakhlah (1883–1957) had earlier held the same view, appointing Yūḥannā to a place among famous writers in the era of Pope cyril iii ibn laqlaq (1235–1243 CE) (Nakhla 2001:77). However, Graf’s notice suffered in its translation from German into Arabic.
Kamil William’s translation of Graf’s work asserts that Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus “lived in the first quarter of the fourteenth century” (William, n.d.: 264). This misunderstanding (i.e., missing “the period preceding” in relation to the first quarter of the fourteenth century) was, in turn, quoted verbatim by Athanasius al-Maqārī, who relied entirely on William’s translation of Graf’s text, as he states in the introduction to his book (al-Maqārī 2012: 742). The same error was also copied by both Georges Anawati (Anawati 1989: 221) and Suhayl Qāshā (Qāshā 2003: 368) in their works. This misunderstanding seems to stem from an inaccurate correlation between the time in which Yūḥannā lived and the date of his oldest surviving manuscript. This correlation appears, at first glance, to be inaccurate because there is no doubt that the 1323 CE manuscript was copied from an older one, which itself was likely to have been preceded by even earlier copies. This is evident in the way the book is presented, in its discussion of Yūḥannā in several places using the third person, and clearly shown in the manuscript’s colophon, where the Coptic scribe accurately documents the time and place (the city of Aṭfīḥ al-Sharqiyya) of his copying the manuscript and asks the congregation’s members to pray for him for mercy and forgiveness (Ramzy 2021: 27).
Wadi Awad held a similar view to the erroneous assertions, placing Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus “among the early writers of the fourteenth century” (Awad 1998: 461). However, after a careful reading of al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal, Awad revised his opinion to adopt Cheikhô’s view, suggesting that Yūḥannā was born in the late eleventh century or the beginning of the twelfth century, and died in the last decade of the twelfth century (Awad 2012: 73).
The historical issue concerning the era in which Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus lived and composed his work cannot be resolved without considering what Yūḥannā himself wrote, and what can be deduced from internal evidence and historical references within al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal. A careful examination of all dates related to figures, events, and historical references mentioned in al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal—which, in their entirety, do not go beyond the first quarter of the eleventh century—supports the hypothesis that Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus flourished during that very same period. An extensive study conducted by this author concludes that Yūḥannā was born and raised in Cairo during the last quarter of the tenth century, and that he later moved to Antioch Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 2 S. Ramzy, Yuẖanna ibn Sawirus: Update 10 October 2024 and flourished there thanks to his writings, most notably al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal, which he completed in the first quarter of the eleventh century (i.e., between 1009 and 1025 CE). He died in the mid-eleventh century at the latest (Ramzy 2021: 30–33).
3. The Works of Yūḥannā Ibn Sāwīrus The only surviving work of Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus is his book al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal and all available information—about Yūḥannā himself or his writings—derives from this book.
In his encyclopedia Miṣbāḥ al-Ẓulma fī Īḍāḥ al-Khidma, Shams al-Riʾāsa Abū al-Barakāt ibn Kabar mentions al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal as the sole work of its author, describing it as “a treatise comprising ten chapters” (Ibn Kabar 1971: 319), which likely refers to an abbreviated version of Yūḥannā’s book that was prevalent in Ibn Kabar’s time. A lack of study of the content of this important book has led to a scarcity of information about its author and a lack of accuracy in identifying his other works. It is also most probable that al-Makīn Jirjis ibn al-ʿAmīd’s negative assessment of al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal is connected to an abridged version, which does not truly represent the book in its original form (Ibn al-ʿAmīd, n.d.: 104). Therefore, Ibn al-ʿAmīd’s judgment is unrepresentative of the book’s content and unfair to its author.
In modern times, Cheikhô referred to al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal and its manuscript in the Vatican Library, as well as its abridged edition along with the book al-Firdaws al-ʿAqlī, but without addressing Yūḥannā’s other works (Cheikhô 1924: 9, 221). Sbath does not mention any writings by Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus other than al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal (Sbath 1938: 71), and likewise, Graf mentions al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal as Yūḥannā’s only work. But again, Graf’s words should not be taken absolutely; he was likely referring to al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal as the only work of Yūḥannā Ibn Sāwīrus of which some manuscripts have reached us, without addressing his other writings (Graf 1947: 436).
Kamil William, in the context of a literal Arabic translation of Graf’s work, limits the works of Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus to “his only work: the book al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal” (William, n.d.: 264), and this statement was subsequently quoted verbatim by Athanasius al-Maqārī (al-Maqārī 2012: 724). The same view was then echoed by Anawati (Anawati 1989:221), Qāshā (Qāshā 2003:368), and Frederick (Frederick 1991:2357b–2358a). In contrast, Awad refers to al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal as “the only known work” of Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus (Awad 1998: 461). He enumerates three works by the same author—benefiting from what was mentioned by the scribe of Ms. Vat.Ar.117—one of them being al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal and the other two now lost (Awad 2012: 74). Through research and scrutiny within the lines of al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal, we may add to these three works a fourth, which was a treatise entitled al-Madkhal ilā ʿUlūm al-Naṣārā (The Introduction to the Sciences of the Christians). Apart from this, we cannot confirm or deny that Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus did not complete other works after al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal that have been lost, like the rest of his writings (Ramzy 2021: 33–39).
As for Yuhanna’s known works, which all revolve around educational and apologetic objectives, they are:
1. al-Ifhām baʿd al-Istibhām (Understanding after Inquiry).
Yūḥannā repeatedly refers to this work, which discusses the Lord Christ’s wisdom in accepting the pains of the Cross, and follows the approach of earlier scholars.
2. al-Yaqīn baʿd al-Shakk (Certainty after Doubt).
In this book—as in al-Ifhām baʿd al-Istibhām—Yūḥannā discusses the laws and teachings established by the Lord Christ, comparing them with the teachings of other religions. Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 3 S. Ramzy, Yuẖanna ibn Sawirus: Update 10 October 2024 3. al-Madkhal ilā ʿUlūm al-Naṣārā (The Introduction to the Sciences of the Christians). This treatise was written by Yūḥannā to Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn Mawhub, to whom he also addressed al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal. In it, Yūḥannā explains the need to engage in sciences of various kinds and arranges them according to their importance, concluding with the sciences specific to the Christian religion.
4. Tashīl al-Sabīl fī al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal (Facilitation of the Path in Knowledge and Action). Commonly abbreviated as al-ʿIlm wa-l-ʿAmal, this book is the final work of Yūḥannā ibn Sāwīrus that we know of.