ANTHONY OF TAGRIT

flourished 9th century Syrian Orthodox theologian and writer, a principal contributor to the development of Syriac literature and poetry. Originally from Tagrit, near Latakia, Syria, Anthony belonged to the part of the Eastern Syriac Church called the Jacobites, which had separated from the authority of the Eastern Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople in the 6th century. Anthony sympathized with the monophysite view of Christological doctrine (see monophysite). Known also as The Orator, Anthony wrote a treatise on rhetoric (c. 825) that remains the only original Syriac example of its kind. Influenced by Arab poets, he was the first to use rhyme in Syriac verse. He also wrote a tract on sacramental theology, Misron (Anointing).