The Life of John of Dailam, According to a Sogdian Text

Document Type : Research original ,Regular Article

Authors
Reza Ebrahimzadeh Haghighi Fars 1
Zohreh Zarshenas 2
Ameneh Zaheri Abdevand 3
1 Ancient Culture and Languages, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.
2 Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies ,Tehran,Iran
3 Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran
10.30465/ls.2023.41097.2053
Abstract
The present article represents the translation and study of a Sogdian text regarding the life and actions of John of Dailam, Syriac Christian saint, who lived in Iraq and Iran in the late seventh and early eighth century A.D. The Sogdian text which was found along with some other Christian texts in Turfan oasis is now deposited in Berlin State Library. Not having been well-preserved, the text has been damaged over the centuries. Nevertheless, it contains some uniquely historical details which reflect the social, historical, religious and linguistic conditions of that time. Moreover, the text mentions some of his significant actions in Iraq and particularly in Iran. With respect to some linguistic evidence, the text which has been studied by some scholars such as Sims-Williams demonstrates the latest version of Sogdian. Since this text has not been hitherto translated to Persian, the researcher has made efforts to literally translate it to Persian based on the afore-said Sogdian text. Furthermore, efforts have been made to compare it with the other extant Sogdian texts, especially Syriac ones, and also to write notes on the issues included in the text.
Keywords
John of Dailam
Syriac Saint
Christian Sogdian
Dailam
Arrajan
Monastery

Subjects

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Language Studies
Volume 15, Issue 2
September 2025
Pages 1-45

  • Receive Date 26 April 2023
  • Revise Date 23 June 2023
  • Accept Date 01 July 2023