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ArameansMemory of Aramean Kings Alive in a Syriac Orthodox Bishop's Name
"They did this for days and only reluctantly desisted from massacring at the order of comes Leontius and the appeal of the blessed Bar-Hadad the bishop. They guarded the city vigilantly day and night, while the holy Bar-Hadad went around, visiting them, praying for them, and blessing them. He praised their diligence, encouraged them, and sprinkled baptismal water on them and on the wall of the city. He also carried the Eucharistic bread while going around, to let them take communion at their posts, lest anyone of them leave his post and come down from the wall for this purpose."
Arman Akopian states that Arameans preserved the names of their ancient kings even after adopting Christianity, despite the pagan origins of those names. A prime example of this cultural preservation is Bishop Bar-Hadad of Tella, a prominent Christian leader active during the late fifth and early sixth centuries. He operated within a highly volatile Mesopotamian frontier environment where bishops frequently assumed massive civic, protective, and political roles to shield their communities from destruction.
His moral and regional authority is famously captured during the Roman-Persian conflicts around 502 to 503 AD, when the region faced the invading forces of the Persian king Kavad I, who is historically also referred to as Kawad. During these clashes, Bar-Hadad actively defended his people against the Persian king's onslaught, famously sprinkling holy water on the city walls and bringing the Eucharist directly to soldiers at their defense posts. It was during this same turbulent war that local military forces planning a bloody massacre only reluctantly desisted from the slaughter due to a combination of an imperial order and the direct, urgent appeal of the blessed bishop himself.
Arman Akopian states that Arameans preserved the names of their ancient kings even after adopting Christianity, despite the pagan origins of those names. A prime example of this cultural preservation is Bishop Bar-Hadad of Tella, a prominent Christian leader active during the late fifth and early sixth centuries. He operated within a highly volatile Mesopotamian frontier environment where bishops frequently assumed massive civic, protective, and political roles to shield their communities from destruction.
His moral and regional authority is famously captured during the Roman-Persian conflicts around 502 to 503 AD, when the region faced the invading forces of the Persian king Kavad I, who is historically also referred to as Kawad. During these clashes, Bar-Hadad actively defended his people against the Persian king's onslaught, famously sprinkling holy water on the city walls and bringing the Eucharist directly to soldiers at their defense posts. It was during this same turbulent war that local military forces planning a bloody massacre only reluctantly desisted from the slaughter due to a combination of an imperial order and the direct, urgent appeal of the blessed bishop himself.