THE FINAL STATEMENT FOR THE 2ND ALEPPO COLLOQUIUM ON THE LIFE AND WORKS OF BAR EBROYO, ALEPPO JULY 1ST – 4TH, 2010

A Colloquium commemorating the life and works of Barhebraeus, the famous Syrian polymath and renowned Church father, was held in Aleppo, Syria, July 1 – 4th, 2010.
The participants who came from Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Turkey and the United States as well as from Lebanon and Syria enjoyed the papers presented at the Colloquium by scholars and specialist in Syriac studies. These contributions, which included fourteen papers that were delivered in seven sessions, discussed the writings of the celebrated scholar and polymath Mor Grigorious Abul- Faraj Bar Ebroyo as a chronicler, grammarian, philosopher, physician, theologian, ecumenist, mystic and as a major contributor to church liturgy and canon law.
Prior to the start of the Colloquium, the new conference facility that had been prepared for the event at the Aleppo Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese was consecrated under the name Bar Ebroyo Centre for Syriac Studies with a special prayer by his Eminence Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, Metropolitan of Aleppo.
The proceedings also included an opening session in which a letter of blessing from his Holiness Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and all the East was read. The welcoming address and the first paper of the Colloquium were delivered by Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrabim, Metropolitan of Aleppo and the host of the Colloquium.
The Colloquium programme included visits to a number of archaeological and historical locations. These included a tomb structure in Sirreen, East of Mabug that contains an old Syriac inscription dating back to 74 AD, the grave of Sulaiman Shah one of the forefathers of the founder of the Ottoman empire, Qalaat Najm (Citadel) on the river Euphrates where Bar Ebroyo was imprisoned by Hulagu when he tried to intercede on behalf of the city of Aleppo and the town of Mabug, the birth place of Theodora, the Syrian Queen, and the seat of Mor Philoxenus of Mabug (+ 523).
In its final session, the Colloquium resolved the following
The proceedings of the Colloquium will be published in English by Gorgias Press and in Arabic by Dar Mardin Publishing House. The full texts of the papers should be submitted to Gorgias Press by March 31, 2011 and the Arabic translation of the texts to be completed by March 1st, 2011. The editors for the proceedings are: His Eminence Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim, George Kiraz, Hidemi Takahashi and Herman Teule

It has been decided that the 3rd Aleppo Colloquium would be held July 5th – 8th, 2012. Several themes were discussed including: Severeus of Antioch, Aleppo in the period 1400 – 1800, The Syrian Orthodox Church following the time of Bar Ebroyo and before the Ottoman invasion (early 14th century to early 16th century). The final theme will be set at a later date by Mor Gregorios Yohanna Ibrahim

The participants expressed their profound appreciation and thanks to the host of the Colloquium, Mor Gregorios yohanna Ibrahim, for his initiative to hold the Colloquium, for his tireless efforts, which ensured its complete success, and for the generous hospitality. The participants also expressed their deep thanks to the secretariat of the Colloquium, to the monks and deacons and members of the different working groups of the Aleppo Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese