Gabrielus Benclaius (Gabriel ibn al-Qilai; Gabriel Ben Kelay; Ibn Qila’, 1450 - 1516 )

Gabrielus Benclaius (Gabriel ibn al-Qilai; Gabriel Ben Kelay; Ibn Qila’, 1450 - 1516 ) OM. Maronite Franciscan. Bishop and theologian. Born around 1450 in the Jebaïl region in Libanon. Received a thorough education at the hands of the Maronite cleric Ibrahim Ibn Draï. Became famous for his Arabic poetry ( zajaliyât poems). After plans by his parents to arrange a marriage for him failed, Gabriel devoted himself to the religious life. In 1471, he became acquainted with the Franciscan Friars in the Holy Land custody. With the support of Franciscan missionaries, such as Gryphon, he joined the Franciscan order as a Maronite. Subsequently, he was sent to Venice and afterwards to Rome, to continue his education in the Latin church.  After his return to Libanon in 1493, Gabriel started working among the Maronite christians, and tried to curtail the influence of Jacobites. In 1496, Gabriel was finally ordained priest and shortly thereafter he was sent to Cyprus, where he first became guardian of the Franciscan Holy Cross friary. After the Maronite bishop of Cyprus died, Gabriel replaced him, until his death in 1516. In the course of his life, and in confrontation with the Jacobites, Gabriel wrote many letters, as well as a number of works on the theology, the liturgy, the history and the religious laws of the Maronite christians. In addition, he wrote about preaching, the Apocalypse of John and even on Astronomy. Most of these works, as well as part of his poetry is still available in Arabic and Syriac manuscripts now kept in the Vatican Library. These works, which introduced Latin elements into the Maronite world, stress the fundamental unity between Catholicism and Maronite christianity and also contain a lot of information on the early Maronite church, had considerable influence in the Maronite church of his time.

Works

• Letters in Arabic and Syriac on a wide variety of topics and addressed local Maronite communities and Jacobite spokesmen, as well as a letter that amounts to a spiritual testament. Manuscripts of these are kept in the Vatican Library, and some are included in the omnibus/florilegia editions mentioned below.

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• Poems on the life of Mary and Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Constantin, Palm Sunday, Saint Alexis, Saint Simeon Stylite and many other religious topics, as well as on medical/astrological matters. In all more than 60 poems have been ascribed to Gabriel ibn al-Qilai, yet the ascription of a number of them is uncertain. Manuscripts of these are kept in the Vatican Library, and some are included in the omnibus/florilegia editions mentioned below.

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• Kitab 'izah . A Sermon collection.

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• Kitab 'an' ilm al-ilahiyat . This is a partial Arabic translation of the Compendium theologicae veritatis by the Dominican Hugh Ripelin Strasbourg.

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• Kitab al-Idah'iman . It is an explanation of Christian faith.

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• I'tiqad Sa'b Marun . A series of polemic treatises against 11th century Monophysites.

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Literature