John of Dailam

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Saint John of Dailam
Born660
Bakhdida, Iraq
Feast
  • Last Friday of March West Syriac Churches
  • 3rd Friday after the Epiphany East Syriac Churches

Saint John of Dailam (

Persia
.

According to the hagiographical Syriac Life of John of Dailam, John was born in

Upper Zab and the Tigris
, in AD 660. He joined the
invading Arabs and was carried away to the Daylam region in southern shores of the Caspian Sea. He broke away from captivity and went on preaching in the area spreading Christianity among its inhabitants.[1]

The Syriac Life describes a miraculous intervention by John that saved the life of the daughter of the

Fars, in south-western Persia, to build a monastery there.[2]
The Syriac Life mentions a visit by John to
Bakhdida where he converted its inhabitants to Christianity and founded a monastery which still bears his name. This is however a later addition to the hagiography by a West Syrian author who wished to conceal the "Nestorian" past of the town.[1][3]

On his way to Fars, John miraculously healed the Arab governor of Iraq

Zoroastrians and founded a monastery there. He also founded another monastery near Kashkar which was assigned to the Syriac-speaking community in order to resolve a conflict between the Syriac- and Persian-speaking monks of the region.[1]
It was at that monastery that John of Dailam died on 26 January 738.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Sims-Williams, Nicholas (ed.). "Deylam, John of". Iranica. Vol. VII. Eisenbrauns Inc. pp. 336–337. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
  2. ^ a b نيسكو, موفق (2009). مار يوحنا الديلمي السرياني. مكتبة السائح.
  3. ^ Khan, Geoffrey. "Further information about Qaraqosh". The North Eastern Neo-Aramaic Database Project. Archived from the original on December 23, 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2012.