Balai, Bishop of Balsh

Balai, Bishop of Balsh

Balai of Qenneshrin (also known as Chalcis) was a distinguished Syriac poet and ecclesiastic in the early fifth century. Unfortunatly, biographers such as Jacob of Bartelli and Bar Hebraeus left no precise record of his life but historical tradition suggests he was likely a native of Edessa who moved to Qenneshrin after being ordained as a monk. It is generally accepted that he studied under a disciple of St. Ephrem the Syrian, and his literary style reflects this prestigious lineage. Balai’s historical presence is most firmly anchored by his relationship with Acacius (Aqaq), the Metropolitan of Aleppo, whom Balai served as a chorepiscopus or choirmaster. Following the death of Acacius between 432 and 436 AD, Balai composed five eloquent madroshe (hymns) in his honor, which provide the most reliable evidence for his chronology.

According to some historical records, including those by Patriarch John of Shushan and various manuscripts dating from 1550 and 1716, he’s identified as the bishop of the city of Balsh (also known as Barbalisus or Perpalisus), located east of Aleppo at modern-day Maskanah. Although some early scholars mistakenly placed him in the fourth century, his absence from the records of the Synods of 449 and 451 indicates that he likely passed away during the fifth decade of the fifth century.

Balai is celebrated as a good poet and is specifically credited as the originator or popularizer of the five-syllable meter, often referred to as the "Balai meter" or ḥoʾen l-ḥaṭoye. This meter became a staple of Syriac and Maronite church rituals, appearing frequently in hymns concerning repentance and the departed. His literary corpus is extensive, though often difficult to distinguish from the work of contemporary poets. One of his most significant compositions is a memro on the consecration of a church at Qenneshrin. He is also frequently credited with twelve memre on the patriarch Joseph, though scholars remain divided as these are also attributed to St. Ephrem.

Other works attributed to Balai include an elegy for Uriah the Hittite, a figure from the old tastement, mentioned Anton of Takrit, as well as poems in praise of Saint George, a poem on the death of Aaron, and accounts of Phostinus and Mytrodora. In 1902, the Swidesh scholar Karl Zettersteen, published a collection of 134 poems ascribed to him, 65 of which bear his name explicitly. Despite the challenges in verifying the authorship of every piece, Balai’s influence remains profound through the numerous boʿwoto and takšpoto that continue to be used in Eastern liturgical traditions.