Bishops of Arbela

The Chronicle of Arbela quotes Habel the Teacher as source for the election of Mar Peqida of Arbela (104-114) as the first bishop in Adiabene and for the Zoroastrian plot against the pro-Christian governor Raqbakt at the time of the bishop Ishaq of Arbela (135-148). The dates provided here are based on the study of Sachau (1915: 11) who highlights how Habel's narration is focused on the Parthian period and that, in general, the martyrological works are usually limited to the contemporary historical context. Since the work of Marutha of Maipherqat (410 A.D.) did not deal with the Parthian historical context in detail, he considers it unlikely that a later work could be interested in a detailed account on such earlier events. In short, following his suggestion, Habel's composition can be dated before 410.