www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]
Encyclopedia Britannica Logo

Bardesanes

Alternate titles: Bar Daiṣān; Bardaisan
Written by The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica

Bardesanes, also called Bardaisan, orBar Daiṣān    (born July 11, 154, Edessa, Syria, [now Urfa, Tur.]—died c. 222, Edessa), a leading representative of Syrian Gnosticism. Bardesanes was a pioneer of the Christian faith in Syria who embarked on missionary work after his conversion in 179.

His chief writing, The Dialogue of Destiny, or The Book of the Laws of the Countries, recorded by a disciple, Philip, is the oldest known original composition in Syriac literature. Bardesanes attacked the fatalism of the Greek philosophers after Aristotle (4th century bc), particularly regarding the influence of the stars on human destiny. Mingling Christian influence with Gnostic teaching, he denied the creation of the world, of Satan, and of evil by the supreme God, attributing them to a hierarchy of deities.

Aided by his son Harmonius, Bardesanes wrote many of the first Syriac hymns to popularize his teachings. Their literary value earned for him renown in the history of Syriac poetry and music.

You may also like...

Keep Exploring:

What made you want to look up Bardesanes?

(Please limit to 900 characters)
Please select the sections you want to print
Select All
MLA style:
"Bardesanes". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/53129/Bardesanes>.
APA style:
Bardesanes. (2014). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/53129/Bardesanes
Harvard style:
Bardesanes. 2014. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 11 October, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/53129/Bardesanes
Chicago Manual of Style:
Encyclopædia Britannica Online, s. v. "Bardesanes", accessed October 11, 2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/53129/Bardesanes.

While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.

Click anywhere inside the article to add text or insert superscripts, subscripts, and special characters.
You can also highlight a section and use the tools in this bar to modify existing content:
Editing Tools:
We welcome suggested improvements to any of our articles.
You can make it easier for us to review and, hopefully, publish your contribution by keeping a few points in mind:
  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica articles are written in a neutral, objective tone for a general audience.
  2. You may find it helpful to search within the site to see how similar or related subjects are covered.
  3. Any text you add should be original, not copied from other sources.
  4. At the bottom of the article, feel free to list any sources that support your changes, so that we can fully understand their context. (Internet URLs are best.)
Your contribution may be further edited by our staff, and its publication is subject to our final approval. Unfortunately, our editorial approach may not be able to accommodate all contributions.

Or click Continue to submit anonymously:

Continue
Quantcast