Priest, author, and poet. Based on ms. colophons and an extant correspondence with Patr.Nuḥ the Lebanese, it is known that Dawid lived in the latter half of the 15th cent. According to traditional biographical sources, he was born Dawid b. ʿAbd al-Karīm b. Ṣalāḥ in al-Qaryatayn in 1431. At a young age, he moved toḤimṣ, from which his sobriquet Puniqoyo (= of Ḥimṣ) derives. He became a monk and later a deacon atDayr Mār Mūsā al-Ḥabashī. In 1459, he went toDayr al-Zaʿfarān where he was ordained a priest. He then proceeded toDayr al-Ṣalīb and in 1481 traveled to Constantinople. Dawid is one of the most prominent Syriac authors of the 15th cent. His prose works include an autobiography up to the middle of his life and a biographical piece onYoḥannan of Dalyatha. In addition, he wrote a commentary on Psalms that incorporates material from various commentaries, especially those byDaniel of Ṣalaḥ,Dionysios bar Ṣalibi, andBar ʿEbroyo. Dawid also composed a number of poetic works, some of which employ rhyme and / or are acrostics. These includemimre entitled ‘On Repentance’, ‘On Spiritual Life’, and ‘On the Afflictions of Exile’ (ed. with ET Butts). In addition to mimre, he wrote a sedro on resurrection and a number of liturgical poems. Despite his prolific literary activity, most of the works by Dawid remain unedited.
Aaron M. Butts
