Jacob of Serugh facts for kids

Jacob of Serugh (Syriac: ܝܥܩܘܒ ܣܪܘܓܝܐ, romanized: Yaʿquḇ Sruḡāyâ; Latin: Iacobus Sarugiensis; around 452–521 AD), also known as Jacob of Sarug or Mar Jacob, was a very important Syriac poet and theologian. Many people consider him one of the greatest Syriac writers, perhaps second only to Ephrem the Syrian.

Jacob spent most of his life working for the church in Suruç, which is in modern-day Turkey. Near the end of his life, in 519 AD, he became a bishop. He belonged to a group of Christians called Miaphysites, who had different beliefs from some other major Christian groups at the time. However, he was known for being quite moderate in his views.

His writings were very popular. People gave him nicknames like "Flute of the Holy Spirit" and "Lyre of the Believing Church." A writer named Jacob of Edessa said that Jacob of Serugh wrote 763 mimre (a type of poem), and about 400 of them still exist today. His work was so extensive that he is one of the top three authors from late antiquity with the most surviving sermons, after Augustine of Hippo and John Chrysostom.

Jacob's Early Life and Education

Jacob was born around the mid-400s in a village called Kurtam. This village was located on the Euphrates River in an ancient area known as Serugh. Today, this area is part of Turkey.

He received his education at the famous School of Edessa. After his studies, he became a chorepiscopus (a type of bishop who helped lead rural churches) in the Serugh area. This was a challenging time for Christians in Mesopotamia. There was a fierce war led by the Sasanian emperor Kavadh I against the Roman Empire.

In 519 AD, when Jacob was 67 years old, he was chosen to be the bishop of the main city in the area, called Baṭnān d-Sruḡ.

Christianity and Challenges

Jacob was born in the same year as the Council of Chalcedon, a very important meeting that caused a big split in Eastern Christianity. This split led to most Syriac-speaking Christians becoming separate from the Byzantine Church.

Even though the Roman Empire began to persecute Christians who disagreed with the Council of Chalcedon, Jacob remained surprisingly quiet about these big theological arguments. However, when Paul, the bishop of Edessa, asked him directly, Jacob did say that he was not happy with the decisions made at Chalcedon.

Jacob's Writings and Poems

Jacob is best known for the different types of writings he created. These include:

• Sugyoto: These were dialogue poems, often with a special acrostic style.
• Turgome: These were prose sermons written for church holidays.
• Madroshe and Mimre: These were narrative or verse poems without stanzas.

Jacob was the first person to write a series of homilies (sermons) in the Syriac language about the Genesis creation narrative (the story of creation in the Bible). Later, Jacob of Edessa also wrote his own version.

Jacob was always writing. According to an ancient historian named Bar Hebraeus, Jacob used 70 scribes to help him. He wrote a total of 760 metrical homilies, along with other explanations, letters, and hymns. Many of his published works focus on stories from the Bible. He also wrote poems about Christian martyrs and the First Council of Nicaea.

His prose works (writings not in poetic form) are not as many, but his letters are very interesting. They tell us about events from his time and show his strong belief in Miaphysitism. This belief was very important in the Syriac churches, especially in Edessa, where it was debated against the teachings of Nestorius.

Jacob became so famous that other writers started to write works and pretend that Jacob had written them. One example is the Song of Alexander.

Jacob's Involvement in Political Events

Towards the end of Jacob's life, things became difficult for Miaphysite leaders like him. This was because Justin I became the emperor of the Byzantine Empire in 518 AD, and he was against their beliefs.

Jacob wrote two important letters during this time. In 519 AD, Emperor Justin supported a text called the Formula of Faith. Paul of Edessa, the bishop of Edessa, refused to sign it. This led Justin to surround the city with soldiers. Paul was sent away, but after 40 days, he was allowed to return. Jacob then wrote a letter to Paul, calling him a "confessor." This was a special title for someone who was persecuted for their faith but not killed. Jacob believed Paul was right not to sign the text.

Later, when a military leader named Patricius invaded Edessa, Jacob wrote another letter to the city's military leader, Bessas. Jacob praised Bessas for his faith and compared him to Abgar of Edessa, who is credited with bringing Christianity to Edessa. Surprisingly, Jacob also praised Emperor Justin in his letter to Paul. He thanked Justin for allowing Paul to return and even compared Justin to Abgar.

Jacob also became involved in another important event: the persecution of the Christian community of Najran by the Himyarite king Dhu Nuwas. This event caused a lot of concern among Syriac Christians. Between 518 and 521 AD, Jacob wrote his Letter to the Himyarites to encourage them for their faith and strength. This letter is the only known literary work from that time that was sent into pre-Islamic Arabia.

Jacob's Published Works

Jacob is especially famous for his metrical homilies (sermons written in poetic form). He wrote over 800 of these. Only some of them have been translated into modern languages. However, a project is currently underway to translate more of his works. As of 2018, about 20% of Jacob's writings had been translated, and scholars were working on another 33%.

The most recent collection of Jacob's works is a book published in 2017, which contains 160 Unpublished Homilies of Jacob of Serugh.

Translations of His Homilies

• Homily on the seven days of creation translated by Edward G. Mathews Jr.

See also

• Eastern Christianity
• Letter to the Himyarites
• Oriental Orthodoxy