John of Nikiou

JOHN OF NIKIOU

686 A.D.

Bishop of Nikiu (Abshai), called John al-Mudabbir. Wrote a Greek Universal History, most important for the time of the Arabic conquest of Egypt, which has been preserved in the Ethiopian version of an Arabic translation. Krumbacher 403f. Ed.: H. Zotenberg, La Chronique de Jean de Nlklou. Paris 1883 (19352), with French translation. English translation: R.H. Charles, London 1916. T.: Zotenberg C:1

Ch. XXVIII ... (Melchisedec) descended from the family of Sidus, son of the king of Egypt and Nubia. (Zotenberg, La Chronique, p. 253).

Ch. LI: Elkad, having received the news of his father's death, fled and went to Nubia. Then Cambyses pillaged the town of 'On' and Upper Egypt as far as Ashmunein (Eshmun). Then they (the inhabitants of Ashmunein) sent a message to Elkad, son of Mujab, in Nubia, and invited him to come to them, because they wanted to make him their king in place of his father, for he (Elkad) had in the past fought wars in the provinces of Assyria. Elkad gathered a numerous army of Ethiopians (Saliman) and Nubians (Noba) and marched against the army of Cambyses following the eastern bank of the river Gehon. The Ethiopians were unable to cross the river. Then the Persians, full of guilt, drew away and began to march as if they were fleeing; then, by nightfall, they cautiously crossed the river, stormed the town of Ashmunein and advanced into Upper Egypt. They devastated the town of Aswan, crossed the river in front of the town of Ahif and sacked Philae in the same manner as they did to other towns. Then they turned to the remaining towns and vil-lages, pillaging and burning them down in such a way that the whole of Egypt became a desert: no living creature, whether man or even bird of the sky, could be found.

(p. 273 - 274).

Ch. LXXXIX (XC): ... About the baptism of the people of the Lazes (Aryusawiyan). and of the kings of Indians (Hend) and Homerites (Elmarites) who are the Nubians (Noba); about the religion of these, before their conversion to Christianity. (p. 234 - 235). Ch. XC: ... Under the reign of Emperor Justinian, a war broke out between the Indians and the Ethiopians. The king of the Indians was named 'Endas'; he worshipped the star called Saturn. The country of the Ethiopians was not far from Egypt: it comprised three kingdoms of Indians and four kingdoms of Aby3sinians, situated on the litoral of Ocean to the east. The Christian merchants who crossed the land of the worshippers of stars and the (country of the) Jews which we have mentioned above, were subject to great vexations. Whenever the Christian merchants entered his state, Damnus (Dhu Nuwas), the king of the Jews, killed them and took their goods, saying: "As the Romans oppress the Jews, I shall, in my turn, kill all the Christians who fall into my hands". Therefore, all trade stopped and vanished from Inner India. The king of the Nubians, on learning of these in-cidents, sent the king of the Jews this message: "By killing the Christian merchants, you have done wrong and have harmed my state and the states of the other (kings) those who are near me and those who are far from me". After he received this message, (the king of the Jews) set out against him. When the two adversaries were facing each other, the king of the Nubians exclaimed: "If God gives me victory over this Jew Damnus, I shall become a Christian". Then, having attacked the Jews, he overcame their king, slew him and took his country and his towns. Then he sent messengers to Alexandria, to the Jews and to the Pagans (Hanefawiyan). asking, at the same time, the Roman governors to send him a bishop from the Roman empire to baptize them and to teach the holy Christian mysteries to all the Nubians and also to those Jews who had survived. The Emperor Justinian, after being informed about this request, ordered that the king should receive, according to his wishes, some priests and a bishop to be chosen from among the clergy of the holy Patriarch John . He was a chaste and pious man. This was the origin of the conversion of the Ethiopians under the reign of Emperor Justinian, (pp. 391 - 393).

Ch. XCII: ... After the venerable father Timothy died, the people elected Theodosius, the deacon, who had been his secretary. While he was going to be enthroned, an Ethiopian made am attempt on his life (pp. 395 - 396).

Ch. XCV: Aristomachos defeats the Marikos. Shortly afterwards, as no charge was proved against Aristomachos, (emperor Tiberius) restored him to his office and sent him to Alexandria where he was beloved by all. He defeated the Barbarians (barbar) of the province of Nubia and Africa who are called Mauritanians (Moritanes) and other barbarians called Marikos, cut them to pieces, plundered, pillaged their country, carried off their pro¬perty and took them prisoner, in chains, to Egypt by way of the Nile (Gehon) as the encounter had taken place on this river and Chroniclers have recorded this victory.

(p. 404)

Ch. XCVIX: John (the Prefect of Alexandria), after the emperor conferred great honour upon him, left the Court and went back to Alexandria. The leader of the rebels of Aykelah knew his arrival. John then gathered troops from Alexandria, Egypt and Nubia to march against Aykelah. Theodore, son of Zacharias, a general who had previously been in the expedition of Aristomachos, immediately set out against them and secretly wrote to John asking for a company of well-trained bowmen, (p. 411). About this same time, a leader of brigands, by name Azarias, arose in the district of Akhmin. He had gathered around him a great number of Ethiopians (tsaliman), slaves and brigands, levied public taxes, while the authorities of the district were unaware. The population was terrorised by the acts of violence, of those slaves and barbarians, and sent information to the Emperor. The Emperor sent a high ranking officer with a numerous army of Egyptian and Nubian soldiers against Azarias. Azarias took to flight without waiting for the attack, and sought refuge on a mountain, barren and steep like a citadel. The troops besieged the mountain for a long time, until the rebels and their companions, being deprived of all water and food supply, died of starvation and thirst, after they had abandoned their horses (pp. 412 - 413).