Talk:Dioceses of the Church of the East, 1318–1552

Article Review
Good introduction, with clear sentences and punctuation. The hyperlinks to the relevant documents are also done well. “East Syrian” probably will need a hyperlink. The introduction lacks some general references, which would help authenticate the dates given, as well as the land boundaries.

The Contents section is well organised; it has a logical, chronological order. “Timur Leng” needs to be changed to be consistent with the article title for “Timur” or “Tamerlane”

In the first section entitled “Background”, someimportant links to other Wikipedia pages are missing, such as the one to “Yahballaha III”. The information regarding the two monks’ visit is appropriately referenced from a journal with a direct quotation from the text, which enhanced the validity of the claims. The second and third paragraphs in this section, starting with “With the exception…” and “A similar pattern” respectively, need further referencing because we are unable to ascertain the validity of the information given. The idea of a natar kursya or “designated successor” is well documented in per-reviewed journals, so I am sure there are journals pertaining to Near-Eastern Christianity that can back up all of this information. Pronunciation of terms seems to be consistent with the Patriarchal Lists of the Church of the East.

The fourth, fifth and seventh paragraphs lack historical references. The structure of the English as well as the style of written prose would suggest that the individual who wrote this knows his or her history, but it cannot be taken as canon without the appropriate evidence. Otherwise, it may be construed as biased opinion (e.g. it very well might have been the Mongols who directly led to the destruction of the Asian communities, because Timur’s conquests are very well documented, see Timur, but this needs to be proven here. Some punctuation inconsistencies have also been corrected. The sixth paragraph is better. All of the claims are referenced and expressed without bias of opinion. The references are also peer-reviewed journals, so they can be considered reliable sources of research.

In the eighth paragraph, some personal opinion is expressed on the disappearances of the parishes of Tirhan, Daquqa, Jundishapur, Susa and Shushter with regard to Timur’s campaigns. I would find references for this. Historically, it would appear to be very plausible that they disappeared as a direct action of Timur’s conquests and persecution. The ninth, tenth and eleventh paragraphs all suffer from the same lack of reliable material to back up the claims therein. The twelfth paragraph regarding the “East Syrian mission to India” might be improved by consulting the relevant section in the doctoral thesis of Mar Aprem Mooken. He is the Assyrian Metropolitan of the Diocese of India, and a Church Scholar. I am afraid I do not have a copy to hand.

The first paragraphs regarding the “East Syrian Bishops” appears to be historically accurate and the chronology is in agreement with that of Sulaqa’s accession to Patriarch after confirmation by Rome. The year of 1552 is the agreed date of the schism in the Church of the East, which led to the formation of the Churches of the modern era (Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church). Sulaqa’s protest are generally agreed to be over the idea of hereditary succession, introduced by the Shimun dynasty of Patriarchs.

The paragraph entitled “The Diocese of Erbil” appears to have no references whatsoever. Reading through it, I wasn’t sure about the accession of Joseph of Erbil to Patriarch as well as the change of name to Timothy II. The Wikipedia page on Timothy II has the appropriate reference (see Assemani, BO, iii. i., 567-580). This should help clarify that he was Metropolitan of Erbil and that he acceded to Patriarch. I cannot find any factual evidence about Isho’yab Bar Mqaddam. The information in the section entitled “The Diocese of Atel and Bohtan” is presented well with a good set of references to back up the views expressed. Some punctuation inconsistencies as well as proper nouns were corrected. Gb105 (talk) 15:42, 22 March 2011 (UTC)