Index of Persons

Search Tips

For best results, users are recommended to use the advanced search functions. Search results can also be improved by the use of the the following Boolean search characters:

Wildcard Characters:

Given the prevalence of variant spellings in names, using Wildcard Characters may help.

"?" can be inserted as a variant for any single character.

Thus a search for:

G?wargis  
returns results which contain either "Gewargis" or "Giwargis".

Similarly a search for:

M?r  
returns results which contain either "Mar" or "Mor".

"*" can be inserted as a variant for multiple characters or a truncated word.

Thus a search for:

Dayr*  
returns results for "Dayr" and "Dayro" and more.

Similarly a search for

Ab*  
returns results for "ʿAbdishoʿ" and "ʿAbda" and more.

Note: Because the sources we quote use a variety of transliteration formats, Syriaca.org ignores diacritics and punctuation in searching; for example, use of "ʿ" is not required to find results with this diacritical mark.

Fuzzy Search Character

Appending the character "~" after a word returns results for words that are close but not exact matches.

Thus a search for

Aba~  
returns results which contain "Aba" but also "Abi", "Saba", "Aha", and other words that are "fuzzy" matches for "Aba".

Exact Phrase Searches

To find an exact phrase, it should be enclosed in double quotes.

Thus

"ʿAbdishoʿ I"  
returns only one result with that exact phrase, while several results are found for the words "ʿAbdishoʿ" and "I".

Proximity Characters

To find two or more words which occur within a specified range of each other, one can append the character "~" followed by a number to an "Exact Phrase" search. This allows one to search for two or more words that occur within a specified distance of each other as defined by number of words.

Thus

"Jacob+Bishop"~2  
finds three results in which the words "Jacob" and "Bishop" occur within two words of each other: "Jacob , bishop of Nisibin", "Jacob, bishop of Phesilta", and "Jacob , bishop of ‛Ānah" while a simple search for "Jacob Bishop" returns many more results.

Results (151)

Ibn Masarrah — Names: Ibn MasarrahIbn Masarrah, Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Esotericist (Bāṭinī) philosopher from Cordoba (d. 319/931)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1045
Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ — Names: Ibn al-MuqaffaʿIbn al-Muqaffaʿ, ʿAbd Allāh, translator of `Kalīlah wa-Dimnah` (d. ca. 137/755)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1064
Ibn Nāʿimah (ʿAbd al-Masīḥ ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥimṣī al-Nāʿimī) — Names: Ibn Nāʿimah (ʿAbd al-Masīḥ ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥimṣī al-Nāʿimī)Ibn NāʿimahIbn Nāʿimah (ʿAbd al-Masīḥ ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥimṣī al-Nāʿimī), translator of Greek philosophyURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1076
Ibn Rushd (Averroes) — Names: Ibn Rushd (Averroes)Abū l-Walīd ibn RushdIbn Rushd (Averroes), Abū l-Walīd Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, philosopher (d. 595/ 1198)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1096
Ibn al-Ṣalāḥ — Names: Ibn al-ṢalāḥIbn al-Ṣalāḥ, Najm al-Dīn Abū l-Futūḥ Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Sarī, philosopher, astronomer, physician (d. 540/1145 `or` 548/1153)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1109
Ibn Shahdā al-Karkhī — Names: Ibn Shahdā al-KarkhīIbn Shahdā al-Karkhī, Syriac-to-Arabic translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1116
Ibn al-Shanāʿah — Names: Ibn al-ShanāʿahIbn al-Shanāʿah, unidentified Andalusī mathematicianURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1119
Ibn Sīnā — Names: Ibn Sīnāal-Shaykh al-Raʾīs Ibn SīnāIbn Sīnā, Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Shaykh al-Raʾīs (d. 428/1037)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1125
Ibn al-Ṭayyib — Names: Ibn al-ṬayyibAbū l-Faraj ibn al-ṬayyibIbn al-Ṭayyib, Abū l-Faraj ʿAbd Allāh, Christian physician and philosopher (d. 435/1043)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1136
Ibn Ṭufayl — Names: Ibn ṬufaylIbn Ṭufayl (d. 581/1185–1186), Andalusī philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1142
Ibn Waḥshiyyah — Names: Ibn WaḥshiyyahIbn Waḥshiyyah Abū Bakr Aḥmad `or` Muḥammad ibn ʿAlī al Nabaṭī alchemist and astronomer author of `K al filāḥah al al nabaṭiyyah` d ca...URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1161
Ibn Zurʿah — Names: Ibn ZurʿahAbū ʿAlī ibn ZurʿahIbn Zurʿah, Abū ʿAlī ʿĪsā ibn Isḥāq ibn Zurʿah, Christian philosopher and translator (331–398/943–1008)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1176
Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh — Names: Ibrāhīm ibn ʿAbd AllāhIbrāhīm ibn ʿAbd Allāh, Christian translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1181
Ibrāhīm ibn Baks/Bakūs/Bakūsh/Bakkūsh al-ʿUshārī/al-ʿAshshārī(?) — Names: Ibrāhīm ibn Baks/Bakūs/Bakūsh/Bakkūsh al-ʿUshārī/al-ʿAshshārī(?)Ibrāhīm ibn Baks (Bakūs)Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm ibn BaksIbrāhīm ibn Baks/Bakūs/Bakūsh/Bakkūsh al-ʿUshārī/al-ʿAshshārī(?), Abū Isḥāq, 4th/10th-c. Christian physician and translator active in BaghdadURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1191
Ibrāhīm ibn al-Ṣalt — Names: Ibrāhīm ibn al-ṢaltIbrāhīm ibn al-Ṣalt, Christian translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1205
Ibrāhīm ibn Sinān — Names: Ibrāhīm ibn SinānIbrāhīm ibn Sinān, mathematician (d. 355/ 946)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1206
ʿĪsā ibn Māsarjīs (`or` Māsarjawayh) — Names: ʿĪsā ibn Māsarjīs (`or` Māsarjawayh)ʿĪsā ibn MāsarjīsʿĪsā ibn Māsarjīs (`or` Māsarjawayh), physician and translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1245
Isḥāq ibn Ḥunayn — Names: Isḥāq ibn ḤunaynIsḥāq ibn Ḥunayn, translator of Greek philosophy, author of `Taʾrīkh al-aṭibbāʾ`URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1258
Iṣṭifan ibn Basīl — Names: Iṣṭifan ibn BasīlIṣṭifan ibn Basīl, translator (d. ca. 298/910)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1287
ʿIzz al-Dīn al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ghanawī al-Rāfiḍī al-Irbilī al-Ḍarīr — Names: ʿIzz al-Dīn al-Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al-Ghanawī al-Rāfiḍī al-Irbilī al-ḌarīrʿIzz al Dīn al Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad al Ghanawī al Rāfiḍī al Irbilī al Ḍarīr d 660 1262 poet philosopher teacher of...URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1294
al-Jawharī — Names: al-Jawharīal-Jawharī, al-ʿAbbās ibn Saʿīd, astronomer under al-MaʾmūnURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1333
Kamāl al-Dīn ibn Yūnus — Names: Kamāl al-Dīn ibn YūnusKamāl al Dīn ibn Yūnus Abū ʿImrān `or` Abū l Fatḥ Kamāl al Dīn Mūsā ibn Yūnus ibn Muḥammad al Mawṣilī mathematician and jurist...URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1362
Kankah (`or` Kanakah) al-Hindī — Names: Kankah (`or` Kanakah) al-HindīKankah al-HindīKankah (`or` Kanakah) al-Hindī, Indian astrologer-astronomer (active ca. 775– 800)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1364
Abū l-Barakāt al-Baghdādī — Names: Abū l-Barakāt al-BaghdādīAwḥad al-Zamān (Abū l-Barakāt al-Baghdādī)Abū l-Barakāt al-Baghdādī, Awḥad al-Zamān Hibat Allāh ibn ʿAlī ibn Malkā, Jewish philosopher and physicianURI: https://usaybia.net/person/139
Khayrūn ibn Rābiṭah — Names: Khayrūn ibn RābiṭahKhayrūn ibn Rābiṭah, translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1395
al-Khāzinī — Names: al-Khāzinīal-Khāzinī, 6th/12th-c. astronomerURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1398
ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī — Names: ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlīʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAlī, unidentified Persian-to-Arabic translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/14
al-Kindī, Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥaq — Names: al-Kindī, Yaʿqūb ibn IsḥaqYaʿqūb ibn Isḥāq al-Kindīal-Kindī, Yaʿqūb ibn Isḥaq, philosopher (ca. 185–252/801–866)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1408
Abū Bishr Mattā ibn Yūnān (`or` Yūnus) — Names: Abū Bishr Mattā ibn Yūnān (`or` Yūnus)Mattā ibn YūnānAbū Bishr Mattā ibn Yūnān (`or` Yūnus), Christian Aristotelian translator (d. 328/940)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/145
Mankah al-Hindī (Māṇikya) — Names: Mankah al-Hindī (Māṇikya)Mankah al-Hindī (Māṇikya or Maṅkha)Mankah al-Hindī (Māṇikya), Indian physician and translator under Hārūn al-RashīdURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1501
Manṣūr ibn Bānās — Names: Manṣūr ibn BānāsManṣūr ibn Bānās, translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1504
Manṣūr ibn Ṭalḥah ibn Ṭāhir ibn al-Ḥusayn — Names: Manṣūr ibn Ṭalḥah ibn Ṭāhir ibn al-ḤusaynManṣūr ibn Ṭalḥah ibn Ṭāhir ibn al-Ḥusayn (active 3rd/9th c.), philosopher and Ṭāhirid governorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1507
Māsarjawayh — Names: MāsarjawayhMāsarjawayh (also Māsarjīs, Persian Māsargōye), Jewish Umayyad physician and translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1529
al-Minfākh Miskawayh, Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad — Names: al-Minfākh Miskawayh, Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad ibn MuḥammadMiskawayhal-Minfākh Miskawayh, Abū ʿAlī Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad, philosopher and historian (d. 421/ 1030)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1571
Muhadhdhab al-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Abī Saʿīd al-Sāmirī — Names: Muhadhdhab al-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Abī Saʿīd al-SāmirīMuhadhdhab al-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Abī Saʿīd al-Sāmirī, Samaritan philosopher and physician (d. 624/1227)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1597
Muḥammad ibn al-Jahm — Names: Muḥammad ibn al-JahmMuḥammad ibn al-Jahm (active 3rd/8th c.), Muʿtazilite philosoper and officialURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1621
Muḥammad ibn Khalaf al-Marzubān — Names: Muḥammad ibn Khalaf al-MarzubānMuḥammad ibn Khalaf al-Marzubān, 3rd/9th-c. scholar and translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1622
Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al-Ṭabīb — Names: Muḥammad ibn Saʿīd al-ṬabībMuḥammad ibn Saʿīd al-Ṭabīb, one of the Andalusī translators of `De Materia Medica`URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1630
Muḥammad al-Shajjār — Names: Muḥammad al-ShajjārMuḥammad al-Shajjār, one of the Andalusī translators of `De Materia Medica`URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1644
Mūsā ibn Maymūn, Moses Maimonides, Abū ʿImrān al-Qurṭubī — Names: Mūsā ibn Maymūn, Moses Maimonides, Abū ʿImrān al-Qurṭubīal-Raʾīs Mūsā ibn Maymūn (Maimonides)Mūsā ibn Maymūn, Moses Maimonides, Abū ʿImrān al-Qurṭubī (527–606/1135–1208) Jewish theologian, philosopher and physicianURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1678
Muwaffaq al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Salām — Names: Muwaffaq al-Dīn ʿAbd al-SalāmMuwaffaq al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Salām, physician and philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1710
Muwaffaq al-Dīn Yaʿqūb al-Sāmirī (Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb ibn Ghanāʾim) — Names: Muwaffaq al-Dīn Yaʿqūb al-Sāmirī (Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb ibn Ghanāʾim)Muwaffaq al-Dīn Yaʿqūb al-SāmirīMuwaffaq al-Dīn Yaʿqūb al-Sāmirī (Abū Yūsuf Yaʿqūb ibn Ghanāʾim), Samaritan physician and philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1716
Najīb al-Dīn Asʿad al-Hamadānī (`or` al-Hamadhānī) — Names: Najīb al-Dīn Asʿad al-Hamadānī (`or` al-Hamadhānī)Najīb al-Dīn Asʿad al-Hamadānī (`or` al-Hamadhānī), philosopher from PersiaURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1731
al-Nawbakhtī, Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan — Names: al-Nawbakhtī, Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasanal-Nawbakhtī, Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan (d. between 300/912 and 310/922), Imamite scholar and translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1760
Nicomachus of Gerasa — Names: Nicomachus of GerasaNicomachus of Gerasa, mathematician (d. AⅮ120)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1772
Numenius Names: NumeniusNumenius, 2nd-c. AⅮ Platonist philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1785
Olympiodorus Names: OlympiodorusOlympiodorus, 5th-c. philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1789
Panaetius of Rhodes Names: Panaetius of RhodesPanaetius of Rhodes, 2nd-c. BC Stoic philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1796
Parmenides — Names: ParmenidesParmenides, Presocratic philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1798
Plato — Names: PlatoPlato, 4th-c. BC philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1829
Porphyry — Names: PorphyryPorphyry, philosopher author of `Isagoge` (d. ca. 305)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1841
Posidonius — Names: PosidoniusPosidonius, 2nd-c. BC philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1843
Ptolemy — Names: PtolemyPtolemy, later 2nd-c. AⅮ astronomerURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1850
Qayḍā al-Ruhāwī — Names: Qayḍā al-RuhāwīQayḍā al-Ruhāwī, translator associate of Ḥunayn ibn IsḥāqURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1870
Qayṣar ibn Abī l-Qāsim ibn ʿAbd al-Ghanī ibn Musāfir al-Ḥanafī Names: Qayṣar ibn Abī l-Qāsim ibn ʿAbd al-Ghanī ibn Musāfir al-ḤanafīQayṣar ibn Abī l Qāsim ibn ʿAbd al Ghanī ibn Musāfir al Ḥanafī ʿAlam al Dīn known as Qayṣar and as al Taʿāsīf mathematician...URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1875
al-Qazwīnī, Abū Yaḥyā Zakariyyā ibn Muḥammad — Names: al-Qazwīnī, Abū Yaḥyā Zakariyyā ibn Muḥammadal-Qazwīnī, Abū Yaḥyā Zakariyyā ibn Muḥammad, physician, astronomer and geographer (d. 682/1283)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1877
al-Quṭb (Quṭb al-Dīn) al-Miṣrī — Names: al-Quṭb (Quṭb al-Dīn) al-Miṣrīal-Quṭb al-Miṣrīal-Quṭb (Quṭb al-Dīn) al-Miṣrī, physician and philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1887
al-Raqqī al-Tiflīsī, Abū l-Qāsim ʿĪsā — Names: al-Raqqī al-Tiflīsī, Abū l-Qāsim ʿĪsāʿĪsā al-Raqqīal Raqqī al Tiflīsī Abū l Qāsim ʿĪsā physician and astronomer under Sayf al Dawla Abū l Ḥasan ʿAlī ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ḥamdān...URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1908
al-Rāzī, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā — Names: al-Rāzī, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn ZakariyyāAbū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā al-Rāzīal-Rāzī, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā, physician and philosopher (ca. 250– 313/854–925)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/1919
Sallām al-Abrash, Abū Salamah — Names: Sallām al-Abrash, Abū SalamahSallām al-Abrash, Abū Salamah, early translator and member of Hārūn al-Rashīd’s householdURI: https://usaybia.net/person/1989
al-Samawʾal ibn Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbbās al-Maghribī — Names: al-Samawʾal ibn Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbbās al-Maghribīal-Samawʾalal-Samawʾal ibn Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbbās al-Maghribī, mathematician (d. 570/1174)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/2000
Sergius of Rēsh ʿAynā/Raʾs al-ʿAyn — Names: Sergius of Rēsh ʿAynā/Raʾs al-ʿAynSergius al-Raʾsī (Sergius of Rēsh ʿAynā)Sergius of Rēsh ʿAynā/Raʾs al-ʿAyn, Syriac physician and translator (d. 536)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/2026
Shahdā al-Karkhī — Names: Shahdā al-KarkhīShahdā al-Karkhī, Syriac translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2043
al-Shahrazūrī Names: al-Shahrazūrīal-Shahrazūrī, 7th/13th-c. physician, historian and philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2045
Sharaf al-Dīn al-Muẓaffar ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Muẓaffar al-Ṭūsī — Names: Sharaf al-Dīn al-Muẓaffar ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Muẓaffar al-ṬūsīSharaf al-Dīn al-Muẓaffar ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Muẓaffar al-Ṭūsī, mathematician and astronomer (d. 610/1213)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/2067
Socrates — Names: SocratesSocrates, Greek philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2125
al-Suhrawardī, Shihāb al-Dīn — Names: al-Suhrawardī, Shihāb al-DīnShihāb al-Dīn al-Suhrawardīal-Suhrawardī, Shihāb al-Dīn, philosopher and mysticURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2139
Abū Ḥātim al-Balkhī — Names: Abū Ḥātim al-BalkhīAbū Ḥātim al-Balkhī, otherwise unknown translator, presumably from Persian into BactrianURI: https://usaybia.net/person/215
Sulaymān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā ibn al-Nāshī — Names: Sulaymān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā ibn al-NāshīSulaymān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿĪsā ibn al-Nāshī, Andalusī mathematicianURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2155
Thābit ibn Qurrah al-Ḥarrānī — Names: Thābit ibn Qurrah al-ḤarrānīThābit the TranslatorThābit ibn Qurrah al-Ḥarrānī, mathematician and scientistURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2196
Theodosius — Names: TheodosiusTheodosius, 2nd-/1st-c. BC Greek mathematician and astronomerURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2201
Theon — Names: TheonTheon (d. AⅮ405), Greek mathematicianURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2202
Themistius — Names: ThemistiusThemistius, philosopher and courtier (ca. 317–388)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/2205
al-Usquf Theodore the Syncellus — Names: al-Usquf Theodore the SyncellusTheodore the Syncellusal-Usquf Theodore the Syncellus (Tadharus, or Tadrus, al-Sunqal), translatorURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2209
Theodorus of Athens — Names: Theodorus of AthensTheodorus of Athens, Greek philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2212
Theon — Names: TheonTheon, 2nd-c. AⅮ mathematician and philosopherURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2218
Theophrastus of Eresos Names: Theophrastus of EresosTheophrastus of Eresos, philosopher and successor to Aristotle (d. ca. 287BC)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/2219
Timotheus — Names: TimotheusTimotheus, Greek philosopher, teacher of SocratesURI: https://usaybia.net/person/2235
al-Ṭūsī, Sharaf al-Dīn al-Muẓaffar ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Muẓaffar — Names: al-Ṭūsī, Sharaf al-Dīn al-Muẓaffar ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Muẓaffaral-Ṭūsī, Sharaf al-Dīn al-Muẓaffar ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Muẓaffar, mathematician and astronomer (d. 610/1213)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/2248
ʿUmar ibn al-Farrūkhān al-Ṭabarī — Names: ʿUmar ibn al-Farrūkhān al-ṬabarīʿUmar ibn al-Farrūkhān al-Ṭabarī, astronomer (active 762–812)URI: https://usaybia.net/person/2262

Search Tips

For best results, users are recommended to use the advanced search functions. Search results can also be improved by the use of the the following Boolean search characters:

Wildcard Characters:

Given the prevalence of variant spellings in names, using Wildcard Characters may help.

"?" can be inserted as a variant for any single character.

Thus a search for:

G?wargis  
returns results which contain either "Gewargis" or "Giwargis".

Similarly a search for:

M?r  
returns results which contain either "Mar" or "Mor".

"*" can be inserted as a variant for multiple characters or a truncated word.

Thus a search for:

Dayr*  
returns results for "Dayr" and "Dayro" and more.

Similarly a search for

Ab*  
returns results for "ʿAbdishoʿ" and "ʿAbda" and more.

Note: Because the sources we quote use a variety of transliteration formats, Syriaca.org ignores diacritics and punctuation in searching; for example, use of "ʿ" is not required to find results with this diacritical mark.

Fuzzy Search Character

Appending the character "~" after a word returns results for words that are close but not exact matches.

Thus a search for

Aba~  
returns results which contain "Aba" but also "Abi", "Saba", "Aha", and other words that are "fuzzy" matches for "Aba".

Exact Phrase Searches

To find an exact phrase, it should be enclosed in double quotes.

Thus

"ʿAbdishoʿ I"  
returns only one result with that exact phrase, while several results are found for the words "ʿAbdishoʿ" and "I".

Proximity Characters

To find two or more words which occur within a specified range of each other, one can append the character "~" followed by a number to an "Exact Phrase" search. This allows one to search for two or more words that occur within a specified distance of each other as defined by number of words.

Thus

"Jacob+Bishop"~2  
finds three results in which the words "Jacob" and "Bishop" occur within two words of each other: "Jacob , bishop of Nisibin", "Jacob, bishop of Phesilta", and "Jacob , bishop of ‛Ānah" while a simple search for "Jacob Bishop" returns many more results.