DAVID, CLÉMENT-JOSEPH. — Syrian Archbishop of Damascus. Born in 1829 in Amadia (‘Irāq) to the Zebungi family, he pursued his studies in Mossul and at the College of Propaganda in Rome. Returning to his homeland, he came to Rome again as an Oriental consultor to the First Vatican Council (1879), and died in Rome in 1890.
Specialized in the history and liturgies of the Christian East, D. published many works, almost all printed at the Dominican printing press in Mossul. Particular mention should be made of: the Chaldean Pēlīṭā of Mossul (3 vols., 1887–91); the Tyrian Breviary (Penqīṭā) in 7 vols. (1886–1896); Grammatica Aramaica seu Syriaca philologica exposita, published after his death by Msgr. I. Rahmāni in 1896. D. was also the promoter of the Synod of Sarfē, for which he drafted the text: Synodus Libanensis Syrorum an. 1888 habita.