Name Severus Sebokht | ||
Severus Sebokht (Syriac: ܣܘܪܘܣ ܣܝܒܘܟܬ), also Seboukt of Nisibis. was a Syrian scholar and bishop who was born in Nisibis, Syria in 575 and died in 667.
Contents
Biography
Although little is known about his early life, he was one of the leading figures in Syria in the 7th century. He taught at the Theological School of Nisibis. In 612, he left the post because of a doctrinal dispute with the East Syrians. He was a member of the Syrian Orthodox Church. He was a resident of the Monastery of Kennesrin, which was situated near the banks of the Euphrates. His student Jacob of Edessa (d. 708), the major representative of “Christian Hellenism".
Work
He was a teacher of the philosophy of Aristotle. In 638, he wrote a major treatise on syllogisms. He translated into Syriac the commentaries on Aristotle of Paul the Persian.
His major legacy is the transmission of the Indian number system to the Islamic world. He was perhaps the first Syrian to mention the Indian number system.
Astrolabe
He wrote a major treatise on the Astrolabe. His treatise contained 25 chapters and provided detailed explanations of the measurements of the movements of heavenly bodies.