Two Nineteenth-Century Syriac Orthodox Colophons Giving Accounts of The Hamidian Massacres

Abstract

This article introduces two late nineteenth-century colophons written by Syriac Orthodox scribes outside Anatolia commenting on the series of massacres occurring in 1894-1896 across the Ottoman Empire better known as the “Hamidian Massacres” after the reigning Sultan, Abdülhamid II. Adding to the small repository of published Syriac Orthodox testimonies and sources on the Hamidian massacres, these private documents, are of value for opening a window into the early formulation of narratives and historiographies of the massacres which the authors of these colophons present from their own unique vantage point and social position as part of the Syriac Orthodox Church within the empire. Furthermore, the article proposes that understanding the commentary on, and interpretation of, these massacres among the Syriac Orthodox contributes to a greater understanding of the relationship and tensions between Armenian Apostolic Orthodox ecclesiastics and Syriac Orthodox ecclesiastics in the Ottoman Empire of the 1890s. Following a brief consideration of Syriac Orthodox practice in writing colophons and waqfs from 1870-1905 in relevant regions, a reading and interpretation of the colophons is framed through an overview of the massacres, a discussion of the suffering of the Syriac Orthodox during these massacres, and their relationships with the Ottoman State and Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church. The colophons are given in their original languages of Syriac and Arabic (Garshuni) with translations and commentary.

Keywords

• Abdülhamid II
• Syriac
• Armenian massacres
• Garshuni