Sergios 5

Prosopography of the Byzantine Empire
SexM
FloruitL VII/E VIII
Dates661 (taq) / 705 (tpq)
Variant NamesSrgy;
Sarjun
ReligionChristian;
Chalcedonian
LocationsDamascus (residence);
Damascus
TitlesGenikos logothetes of Abdulmalik 1 (office);
Secretary of Mu`awiya 1 (office)
Textual SourcesBaladhuri, al-, Kitab futuh al-Buldan, tr. P. K. Hitti, The Origins of the Islamic State (London, 1916, reprint Beirut, 1966) (history);
Bar Hebraeus, Chronographia, tr. E. A. W. Budge, The Chronography of Abu 'l-Faraj (London, 1932; repr. Amsterdam, 1976) (history);
Chronicon Anonymi ad annum 1234 pertinens, ed. and tr. J.-B. Chabot, I = CSCO 81-82 (Paris, 1916-20), II = CSCO 109 (Louvain, 1937) (chronicle);
Michael the Syrian, Chronicle, ed. and tr. J.-B. Chabot, La chronique de Michel le Syrien (Paris, 1899-1904) (chronicle);
Tabari, al-, Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-l-muluk, ed. M.-J. de Goeje et al., 15 vols. (Leiden 1879-1901); Eng tr. The History of al-Tabari, general editor E. Yar-Shater, 39 vols. (New York, 1985-) (history);
Theophanes Confessor, Chronographia, ed. C. de Boor, 2 vols. (Leipzig, 1883-85, repr. Hildesheim/NewYork, 1980); tr. and comm. C. Mango and R. Scott, The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor, Oxford 1997 (chronicle)

Son of Mansour 2, Sergios 5 was a zealous Christian who was a close associate of the caliph Abdulmalik 1 and served him in the post of genikos logothetes (Σέργιός τις ἀνὴρ χριστιανικώτατος, ὁ τοῦ Μανσοῦρ, γενικὸς λογοθέτης καὶ λίαν ᾠκειωμένος τῷ αὐτῷ Ἀβιμέλεχ); he and his rival Patrikios 1 persuaded the caliph, who wanted to re-erect fallen columns at Gethsemane, instead to ask the emperor Justinian II (Ioustinianos 1) to furnish new ones: Theoph. AM 6183. He is also recorded in Chron. 1234, §149 (p. 295); when Athanasios 4 returned from Egypt to Damascus in 705 bringing vast riches from Egypt, "he was envied by Sergios son of Mansoura (Srgy br Mnswr'), the Chalcedonian scribe of `Abd al-Malik in Damascus" and Sergios 5 complained to the caliph that Athanasios 4 had brought all the riches of Egypt with him. The same story is told also in Mich. Syr. II 477 and Bar Hebr. pp. 104-105. Sergios 5 apparently lived at Damascus and held the senior financial office of state under the caliph Abdulmalik 1. He was a Christian and a supporter of Chalcedon, whereas Athanasios 4 seems to have been a monophysite. He took a lead in introducing the expression "who was crucified" (ὁ σταυρωθεὶς) against the monophysites of Damascus and Emesa: Mich. Syr. II 492. Probably father of Ioannes 11 (John of Damascus). He was apparently identical with Sarjun b. Mansour al-Rumi, who served the caliph Mu`awiya 1 as "secretary and the person in charge of his business": Tabari XVIII, p. 216. That he served Mu`awiya 1 throughout his caliphate is not stated in the text of Tabari, but it is implied. Sarjun (Sergios 5) was informed by `Abd al-Malik that henceforth the official registers would be written in Arabic not Greek: Baladhuri, tr. Hitti, p. 301.

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