LE SYMPOSIUM INTERNATIONAL LE LIVRE. LA ROUMANIE. L ...

When and Where “The Melkite Renaissance” Started?... 481
Moscow. uwakim was almost unique figure in the Arabic Middle east at
the late 16 th century. his personal experience and wide geopolitical outlook
instigated uwakim to the same efforts which Meletius Karma repeated one
generation later.
the translation of the Tipikon made by uwakim in 1589 was motivated
by the same desire for removing of differences between Greek and Arabic
divine service, for the conservation of the liturgical unity of the orthodox
world. In the preface uwakim wrote about importance of his work and
asked readers to correct possible mistakes. 30
23 years later metropolitan of Aleppo Meletius Karma finished his
own translation of the same Tipikon and in the preface he also explained
the necessity of this work. Tipikon of Meletius spread through all Arab
orthodox world in hundreds of copies. the version of uwakim was totally
neglected and he himself was not even mentioned in the fundamental
Histoire du movement littéraire dans l’église melchite du V e au XX e siecle
of J. nasrallah.
nevertheless it was uwakim of Bethlehem who can be named the
forerunner and initiator of the Melkite Nahda.
30 Makhtutat Deir Sayyida Hamatura Kusba. № 14.