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The homily On the Fall of the Idols, by Jacob of Serugh (d. 521), takes a different stance and denounces some specific (if ancient) cultic connections of Edessa with Nebo and Bel, in addition to condemning the paganism of Harran, and ultimately raising questions about the longevity of these cults in the region (Syriac text and French translation in Martin 1875; Schwartz 2016; Healey 2019). In his five metrical homilies On the Spectacles of the Theatre the same author instead points the finger at theater and its dances as an enduring bastion of ancient paganism and raises a question about the continuity of these practices (text and English translation in Moss 1935; Hall and Wyles 2008: 412–419). Syriac martyr acts have also been used in the study of the early history of Edessa, such as the Martyrdom of Shmona and Gurya, which makes reference to the worship of the Sun in Edessa (Syriac text and English translation in Burkitt 1913; Healey 2019: 58), the Martyrdom of Ḥabbib (in Millar 1993: 486–487; Burkitt 1913), the Martyrdom of Sharbil and Barsamya (Cureton 1864; Millar 1993: 486–487), and the Syriac Martyrdom of the Mimes, which implies a degree of familiarity with pantomime among Syriac speakers (Horn 2011). Later in the sixth century, the Syriac historian and bishop John of Ephesus (d. 586) claimed to have converted as many as 80,000 pagans to Christianity in the mountains of Lydia and Caria, although it remains difficult to corroborate his claim (Ashbrook Harvey 1990: 99 with n.22–23).¹