The laughable stories collected by Mâr Gregory John Bar Hebræ

^n^tro&uc^ion.
John^ Abu'l-Faraj or Abu'l-Faraj Gregory, the author
of the "Book of Laughable Stories" printed in the present
volume, was the son of Aaron, a Jewish physician, Eany ufe
who lived at Melitene; from the fact that his father Bon of Barwas
a Jew, the child was commonly called by the
Syrians "Bar 'Ebhraya" (z. e. the "son of the Hebrew"),
whence the name "Bar-Hebraeus". He was born A. Gr.
1537 = A. D. 1226, and the early years of his life were
passed in the diligent study of the Greek, Syriac, and
Arabic languages; philosophy and theology next occupied
his close attention, and he obtained a considerable
knowledge of medicine from his father and from
other celebrated physicians. When eighteen years old
Bar-Hebraeus accompanied his father to Antioch. Subsequently
he went to Tripolis, qoAo^^'t^, and together
"e is con-
with Selibha bar-Ya'kobh Waghih ^cvxisw* is ri'JuX-.
—J secrated
. ,
cnj^o, studied the healing art and medicme with a cer- Bishop of
tain learned Nestorian called Jacob; whilst there the
Patriarch Ignatius II. sent for them, and appointed Selibha
Bishop of Akko and Bar-Hebraeus Bishop of
Gubos near Melitene. In the following year Aaron of
'
The chief facts of the life of Bar-Hebraeus are given by
Assemani, Bibliotheca Orientalis, ii. p. 244 f.; Bar-Hebraeus, Chron.
Ecdes., ii. col. 431 ff.; and Wright^ Syriac Literature, p. 265 fif.