________________________________________________________________________________ Journal of the Canadian Society for Syriac Studies 19 (2019) ― Page 4 ______________________________________________________________________ EAST-SYRIAC MESSALIANISM IN JEWISH AND MUSLIM HERESIOGRAPHY ALEXANDER TREIGER DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY he eighth-century East-Syriac (“Nestorian”) spiritual writer John of Dalyatha is a prominent representative of Syriac mystical literature. Though some of his teachings on the Trinity and mystical vision of God—to be discussed below—were con- demned by a church council convened in 786-787 by Timothy I, the Catholicos of the Church of the East (r. 780-823), John of Dalyatha was posthumously rehabili- tated by Timothy’s successor the Cathol- icos Īšōʿ bar Nūn (r. 823-827). 1 In Syriac and Arabic documents pertaining to the controversy, John of Dalyatha’s teach- ings are typically characterized as “Mes- salian” (from the Syriac mṣallyānē, “those who pray”). 2 The purpose of the present study is to examine echoes of East-Syriac Mes- salianism in Jewish and Muslim heresi- ography. I shall focus on two testimo- nies: the Jewish scholar Saʿadia Gaon’s (d. 942) discussion of Christianity in his famous treatise Beliefs and Opin- ions (Kitāb al-Amānāt wa-l-iʿtiqādāt) and the Muslim scholar al-Šahrastānī’s (d. 1153) account of Nestorian beliefs in his heresiographical work Religions and Sects (Kitāb al-Milal wa-l-niḥal), though other sources will be considered as well. Saʿadia divides the Christians into four communities, as follows. ﻭﻫﺎﺅﻻء ﺍﻟﻘﻮﻡ، ﻳﺮﺣﻤﻚ ﷲ، ﺃﺭﺑﻊ ﻓﺮﻕ، ﺎ.ً ﺛﻼﺙ ﻣﻨﻬﻢ ﺃﻗﺪﻡ ﻭﺍﻟﺮﺍﺑﻌﺔ ﺧﺮﺟﺖ ﻗﺮﻳﺒ ﺍﻷﻭﻟﻰ ﺗﺮﻯ ﺃﻥ ﻣﺴﻴﺤﻬﻢ ﺟﺴﻤﻪ ﻭﺭﻭﺣﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺨﺎﻟﻖ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ، ﻭﺍﻟ ﺜﺎﻧﻴﺔ ﺗﺮﻯ ﺃﻥ ﺟﺴﻤﻪ ﻣﺨﻠﻮﻕ ﻭﺭﻭﺣﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺨﺎﻟﻖ، ﻭﺍﻟﺜﺎﻟﺜﺔ ﺗﺮﻯ ﺃﻥ ﺟﺴﻤﻪ ﻭﺭﻭﺣﻪ ﻣﺨﻠﻮﻗﺎﻥ ﻭﻓﻴﻪ ﺭﻭﺡ ﺃﺧﺮﻯ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﺨﺎﻟﻖ، ﻭﺃﻣﺎ ﻝ ّ ﺍﻟﺮﺍﺑﻌﺔ ﻓﺘﻘﻴﻤﻪ ﻣﻘﺎﻡ ﺍﻷﻧﺒﻴﺎء ﻓﻘﻂ ﻭﺗﺘﺄﻭ ﻝ ّ ﺓ ﺍﻟﻤﺬﻛﻮﺭﺓ ﻋﻨﺪﻫﻢ ﻓﻴﻪ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻧﺘﺄﻭ ّ ﺍﻟﺒﻨﻮ ﻧﺤﻦֵ אָ רְ שִׂ י יִ רֹ כְ י בִ נְ בּ לﻪ ﺗﺸﺮﻳﻒّ ﺇﻧ ُ ﻝ ﻏﻴﺮ ّ ﻭﺗﻔﻀﻴﻞ ﻓﻘﻂ ﻭﻛﻤﺎ ﻳﺘﺄﻭ ﻧﺎ ﻣﻌﻨﻰ ﺇﺑﺮﺍﻫﻴﻢ ﺧﻠﻴﻞ ﷲ. 3 These people [i.e., the Chris- tians], may God have mercy on you, are divided into four communities (firaq): three of them are more an- cient, whereas the fourth one has emerged recently. The first believes that both the body and the spirit of their Messiah come from the Crea- tor, may He be exalted. The second believes that his body is created, whereas his spirit comes from the Creator. The third believes that both his body and his spirit are created, T