(1800 – 1883 AD = 1215 – 1300 AH)
Arsanius ibn Yousef ibn Ibrahim Al-Fakhouri was a Maronite priest, author and poet. He was born in Baabda and died in Ghazir in Lebanon. He received his education at Al-Rumia School and then at Ain Waraka School, where he studied Arabic, Italian, Syriac, philosophy, logic, theology, law and civil law. He later became a teacher at the same school. In 1826, he was consecrated a priest. Prince Bashir Shihab II handed him the state of judiciary over Lebanon, a post from which he resigned in 1856. He then devoted himself to writing until his sight grew weaker, leaving him blind for the final 17 years of his life. Among his remnants are “The Golden Scale in Arabic Poetry,” “Arabic Prosody and Rhymes,” “Explaining Al-Mutanabbi’s Poetry,” “Explaining Archbishop Girmanous Farahat’s Poetry,” “Spring’s Flowers of Fine Art,” “Syriac Grammar” and “The History of Mount Lebanon’s Accidents from 1840 Onwards”. He also has a collection of poems praising Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, as well as several sermons.