Acts of Mar Mari

Six manuscripts written in either Syriac or Garshuni dated from the nineteenth century and are stored at the Library of the Rabban Hormizd Monastery.

[3] The Acts of Mar Mari derives from the Doctrine of Addai, but includes some insertions from the Bible (primarily the Book of Daniel), Eusebius and ancient literary content from Mesopotamia.

In the Book of Daniel (Ch.3), Nebuchadnezzar II made threats to have Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thrown into a blazing furnace if they refused to worship a golden statue he had set up.

A similar threat was made (Mar Mari Ch.12) to those who would violate a three-day prohibition of the use of fire during a ceremonial worship of gods.

[9] A three-day motif is also alluded to Darius the Mede instituting a decree to have everyone pay homage only to him in a thirty-day period (Dan 6:7, 12).

[10] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were eventually thrown into the blazing furnace, but by divine intervention because of their faith in God, they were miraculously unharmed by the fire (Dan 3:19–23).

[12] Jean Baptiste Abbeloos who first edited the text, dated the Acts to the sixth or possibly during the seventh century AD.

[12] Josef Markwart chose a late date because of the two geographical places mentioned, Gawar and Zawzan which are unattested in the early periods.