BARSAWMA. — Eutychian archimandrite, born near Samosata, died in 1858.
Having become a fanatical follower of Eutyches, Theodosius II entrusted him with representing all the archimandrites at the synod of Ephesus (449), and Dioscorus of Alexandria and Juvenal of Jerusalem were to receive him in the same capacity (Mansi, VI, 549). B. intervened there (ibid., 727) and threw the entire assembly into turmoil by bringing in armed soldiers, mobs of people, and a thousand monks to secure the condemnation of Flavian of Constantinople, who, after being beaten, died three days later. The Council of Chalcedon (451) gave him and his followers a peremptory period of 30 days to subscribe to the condemnation of Eutyches. Condemned, he died in exile in 458. His life, written in Syriac by his disciple Samuel, remains unpublished. By the Monophysites B. is regarded as a saint and is commemorated on February 10 or 3.