Page 104 - Edessa, 'The Blessed City'-01, by J. B. Segal (Oxford, 1970). Chapters 1-3

BISHOP RABBULA 91
from adding, sarcastically, that they would appreciate his command, 'since
by their own admirable law they are bidden to sell all they have and give to
the poor, so that they may attain more easily to the kingdom of Heaven.'
Julian, who hated Christian Edessa, continues:
I publicly command you citizens of Edessa to abstain from all feuds and rivalries, else
will you provoke even my benevolence against yourselves, and, being sentenced to the
sword and to exile and to fire, you shall pay the penalty for disturbing the good order of
the Empire.1
Subsequently, with the encouragement of Emperor Valens, the Arians of
Edessa grew more confident. Valens himself visited Edessa in about 372. It
is reported that he threatened the orthodox Christians there with a choice
between death and apostasy to Arianism. Only when the people went out in
multitudes to await martyrdom at the 'famous and splendid shrine' of St.
Thomas outside the city, was he persuaded to revoke his ultimatum.2
Nevertheless, Bishop Barsai and some leading clerics were expelled from
Edessa in September 373, three months after the death of Ephraim; they
were followed into exile by crowds of devout followers. But with the death of
Valens in 378, the triumph of the Arians was over. The orthodox clergy
returned and resumed possession of their churches.

Ephraim had done his work well. As he claimed, the heresies of Marcion
and Mani seem to have found little popular support at Edessa. The Bardai-
sanites, however, still provided an opposition to be reckoned with, in the
time of the next Church leader of Edessa of whom we have much informa-
tion, the famous Bishop Rabbula. Born at Qenneshrin, near Aleppo, the
wealthy son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Rabbula gave away his
possessions and renounced his family to become a recluse. He passed through
a period of severe asceticism, and then was appointed Bishop of Edessa in,
probably, 411 or 412. Conscious of his own ability, he did not offer the usual
show of reluctance to accept high office in the Church. His was an austere
personality; he was constant in prayer and fasting, and simple in his dress
and food, and his tableware. His clergy were forced to refrain from all
luxuries. Rabbula did not build new churches like his predecessors; instead,
he built infirmaries for the sick and needy, both men and women. We have
still the canons ascribed to Rabbula and drawn up for the guidance of
monks and clergy; they have the impress of his severity.3
Against heretics and dissenters Rabbula acted with characteristic vigour.
The nobles of Edessa who still hankered after the songs of Bardaisan, and
the remnants of Arians and Marcionites were persuaded to accept baptism
and re-enter the orthodox fold. Jews, we are assured, though with evident

1 'Epistle to Hecebolios'. 2 See p. 175 below. 3 See p. 135 below.

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