Solomon of Baṣra

Trichur, India, Chaldean Syrian Church 00009

  • fol. 1v-7r 'Abdishō bar Brīkā, The Book of the Pearl
  • fol. 7r-73v Solomon of Basra, The Book of the Bee
  • fol. 74r-212v Hagiographic works and apocrypha
    • Story of Zosimus, fol.74r-87v
    • Acts of Philip according to recension attributed to Philip of Carthage, fol.87v-97r
    • Story of a penitent demon, fol. 97r-99r
    • Story of a disciple who was killed by his teacher, fol. 99v-101v
    • Story of Yohannan Bar Malke, fol. 101v-108r
    • Story of Virgin Mary, fol. 108r-141v
    • Story of John the Baptist, fol. 141v-144r

Vat. sir. 176

Catalog entry in Assemani

  • 'Abisho' bar Brīkā, the Book of the Pearl
  • 'Abisho' bar Brīkā, Catalog of all his Ecclesiastical books
  • Solomon of Baṣra, Collection of works
    • Part 1: On things of the Old Testament
    • Part 2: On the Divine dispensation which is in the New Testament

Old Testament Pseudepigrapha

Canon criticism is a field of study ripe for research that has the potential to shine light on interpretive traditions. Both Jewish and Christian groups attempted to reconcile "authoritative" teaching with what they saw and experienced in the world around them. The results of such reconciliation were literary works, spanning from the 3rd century BCE into the 7th century CE, attributed to earlier, authoritative figures. Below is a listing of all works extant in Syriac and Arabic (including Garshuni) from J. - C. Haelewyck, Clavis Apocryphorum Veteris Testamenti. Turnhout: Brepols, 1998.. This list does not include apocryphal works commonly found in the manuscripts of the LXX. However, you can find links here for each of these in the Comprehensive Bibliography of Syriac Christianity (Judith, Tobit, I-IV Maccabees, Odes, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Epistle of Jeremiah, Susanna, Bel and the Dragon).

While the information provided below can be found in Haelewyck's Clavis, we have enhanced his fundamental work by including direct links to all resources available online in the public domain, including text editions. We are also continuously adding new bibliographical entries that postdate the Clavis, as they come to our attention. These entries are marked by an asterisk (*) at the beginning of the entry. If you would like to suggest bibliography for inclusion, please use our Contact page.  

Works Cited

Table of Contents

1. The Life of Adam and Eve (Apocalypse of Moses) (Arabic)
2. The Testament of Adam (Syriac and Arabic)
3. The Cave of Treasures (Syriac and Arabic)
4. The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan (Arabic)
5. ​The Book of Adam (Codex Nazaraeus; Mandean Fragment) (Syriac)
6. Life of Abel, by Symmachus (Syriac)
7. Syriac Book of Seth (Syriac)
8. 1 Enoch (Syriac)
9. Apocalypse of Enoch (Syriac)
10. Tractate of Shem (Syriac)
11. The Testament of Abraham (On the Death of Abraham) (Arabic)
12. History of Melchizedek (Syriac and Arabic)
13. Joseph and Asenath (Recension Two) (Syriac)
14. History of Joseph (Syriac)
15. History of Joseph, Son of Jacob [Version A] (Arabic)
16. History of Joseph, Son of Jacob [Version B] (Arabic)
17. History of Joseph (Arabic)
18. Dormition of Joseph, the Son of Jacob (Arabic)
19. Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs (Syriac) 
20. The Names of the Wives of the Patriarchs (Syriac)
21. The Conversation of Moses with God (Syriac and Arabic)
22. The Book of Jubilees (Syriac)
23. The Life of Moses (Arabic) 
24. Instruction of David to Solomon (Arabic)
25. The Palace of Solomon (Arabic)
26. Questions of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon (Syriac)
27. Testament of Solomon to Rehoboam his son (Arabic)
28. The Final Counsel of Solomon (Arabic)
29. The Death of Solomon (Arabic)
30. Aphikia (2 Recensions) (Arabic)
31. History of the Rechabites (Syriac and Arabic)
32. History of the Prophet Elijah (Arabic)
33. ​History of the Prophet Elijah and the son of the Widow (Arabic)
34. ​​History of the Prophet Elijah and his Ascension (Arabic)
35. ​​Sermon of Elisha the Prophet on Sinners (Arabic)
36. ​​​Sermon of the Prophet Elisha on the necessity of purification (Arabic)
37. ​​​Prayer of Manasseh (Syriac and Arabic)
38. ​​​Prayer of Manasseh (Cited from the Apostolic Constitutions) (Syriac and Arabic)
​​​​39. Prayer of Manasseh (from the Byzantine Horologion) (Christian Palestinian Aramaic and Syriac)
​​​40. ​4 Esdras (The Apocalypse of Ezra) (Syriac and Arabic)
41. ​​​​​The Apocalypse of Ezra on the reign of the Arabs (Syriac)
42. ​History and Wisdom of Ahiqar (Syriac and Arabic)
43. ​​5 Maccabees (Syriac)
44. ​​History of St. Shamuni (Arabic)
45. ​​Syriac Apocryphal Psalms (Syriac)
46. ​​Odes of Solomon (Syriac)
47. ​​History of Job (Arabic)
​48. ​Psalms of Solomon (Syriac)
49. ​​The Lives of the Prophets (Syriac and Arabic)
50. ​​The History of Jonah (Syriac and Arabic)
51. ​​Habakkuk Apocryphon (Arabic)
​​52. History of Isaiah the Prophet (Arabic)
​​53. Apocryphon of Jeremiah on the Captivity of Babylon (Arabic)
​54. Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (2 Baruch) (Syriac and Arabic)
55. Epistle of Baruch (Syriac)
​​56. Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius (Syriac and Arabic)
​​​57. On our Lord and on the end written by the youth Daniel (Syriac)
​​58. ​ Fourteenth Vision of Daniel (Arabic)
​​​59. Apocalypse of Daniel (Arabic)
60. On Daniel and the boy Caleb (Arabic)
61. Conversation of Joseph and Nebuchadnezzar (Arabic)
​​​​62. The Tiburtine Sibyl (Syriac and Arabic)

Mardin, Turkey Chaldean Cathedral (CCM 00022)

  • f. 1v Syriac Grammar
  • f. 2r-8v Bar Qardāḥe, Khāmīs, Wine poems
  • f. 9r Liturgical notes
  • f. 9v-17v Elijah of Nisibis, Syriac Grammar (abridged)
  • f. 18r-136v Bar Zō'bī, Yōḥannān, Syriac Grammar
  • f. 137r-144v Bar Zō'bī, Yōḥannān, Brief metrical grammar
  • f. 144v-145r Bar Zō'bī, Yōḥannān, Homily on philosophy, in the meter of Jacob
  • f. 145r-146r Commentary on the previous text
  • f. 146r-146v Metrical treatise on points
  • f. 147r-152r Homily on the divisions of philosophers, in the meter of Ephrem
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