Treść książki

Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
2.Arabs,(H)agarenes,Ishmaelites,Saracens…
35
benotedthatequitesSaraceniTamudeniwereindicatedinNotitiaDignitatum
ofthefifhcentury134.
Bukharin,whorejectstheoriginofthenamefromšrkt,derivesitfromthevalley
ofWśdial-SirhśnandmaintainsthatitsinhabitantsusingthatnamespokeArama-
icratherthanArabic135.Inhisopinion,anotherargumentforthisisaphrasewolves
ofArabiafoundinCyrilofScythopolis’work136,becauseal-Sirdnreferstoawolf.
TeaboveconsiderationsprobablywouldnotsoundinterestingtoByzan-
tineauthors,astheydevelopedtheirownterminology,basedontheOldTes-
tament.Althoughincorrect,itwascommonlyused.Biblicalinterpretationof
thenameSaracenswaslaidoutbyEusebiusofCaesarea(264-ca.340),relying
ontheoriginofthatnationfromHagarandthusreferringtoGenesis137.Eusebius
wroteinhisChroniclethatSaracenstooktheirnamefromthefactofbeingsent
awaybySarah138.TesameinterpretationcanbefoundlaterintheworksofJohn
ofDamascus,whousedtheoriginaltextbyEusebius139.Johnexplainstheterm
SaracensbyquotingHagar’sexpressionthatSarahthrewheroutdenuded.John
simplyblendedtwowords:Sarahanddenuded(κενóς)140.Asimilarlywronget-
ymologycanbefoundinEuthymiusZygabenus141.BothauthorsrefertoEusebi-
us’text.Ontheotherhand,HieronymusemphasizesthattheSaracens,sonsof
Ishmael142illegitimatelythoughttheyhaddescendedfromSarah143.
InhiscommentarytotheBookofIsaiah,EusebiuslinksSaracenswithArabs
andsituatesthemintheprovinceofArabia,attheoutskirtsoftheempire
144.
134Notitia,Or.28(ed.N.Faleiro).
135M.D.Bucharin,Proischoždenie…,pp.61-62.Teauthorpresentssomeothernames
derivedfromvalleys.
136CyrilofScythopolis,VitaEuthymii,15.FurtherreferencestoCyrilinthis
chapterareafertheeditionbyE.Schwartz.
137Gen.16,1-16;21,8-21.See:D.D.Grafton,“TeArabs”…,p.180.
138TeGreektextofEusebiushasnotbeenpreserved.TereexistsonlytheLatinand
Armenianversion.
139D.D.Grafton,“TeArabs”…,p.180.
140Gen.16,8;JohnofDamascus,Dehaeresibus,100,5-6.Itisaninteresting,albeit
incorrectattempttoidentifyitsetymology.Infact,thenameSaracensdoesnothaveconnec-
tiontotheBibleandappearedlongbeforeChristianity.Tefirstwhocalledtheinhabitantsof
theArabianPeninsulalikethatwasPlinytheElder.Teetymologyofthatnameisuncertain.
Moreonthat,see:M.D.Bucharin,Proischoždenie…,pp.57-62;A.G.C.Savvides,Some
Notes…,pp.89-96.
141EuthymiusZygabenus,Disputatio,29,col.1360.
142LiberGeneseosdocetexIsmaeleCedaretAgarenos,quiperversonomineSaracenosvocan-
tur,essegenitos(Jerome,InIsaiam,V
,21,col.193).
143ergoperMadianaeos,IsmaelitasetAgarenos,quinuncSarraceniappellantur,assumentes
sibifalsonomenSarae(Jerome,InHiezechielem,VIII,25,col.233).
144Herefersto:Isa.15,7-9and42,11.See:D.D.Grafton,“TeArabs”…,p.182.