Basil bar Shumna[a] (died 1169/1171) was the Syriac Orthodox metropolitan archbishop of Edessa from 1143 until his death.
Basil was born probably early in the twelfth century,[11] although he is described as an elderly man when he took over the diocese of Edessa.
[12] His brother Michael bar Shumna headed the administration of the city of Edessa under Count Joscelin II.
[4] He was accused of having obtained the vacant see illegitimately, since Joscelin II was a Catholic who had no authority to transfer Syriac bishops and who had acted without the knowledge of Patriarch Athanasius VII.
[7] At the start of the Siege of Edessa in November 1144, Basil joined with his Catholic and Armenian counterparts, Bishops Hugh and John, to organize the defence of the city.
[c] He persuaded Hugh to seek a truce, but the offer did not reach the besieging Turkish commander, Zengi.
[20] During the two days of looting and massacre that followed the breaching of the walls on 24 December, Basil had himself led about on a rope, naked and with his beard shaven.
He sought to provide an explanation for the disasters that had befallen Edessa in his lifetime consistent with God's plan.
[28] Aphram Barsoum hypothesized that Basil wrote a separate work on the Byzantine victory over the Pechenegs in 1122.