Jacob of Edessa

Jacob of Edessa

Jacob of Edessa was a man unique in the extent of his knowledge and chief among the doctors of the church, Jacob had a brilliant mind, critical temperament, sharp wit and sound judgment. He was a grammarian, a man of letters, a poet, a translator, an historian, a commentator, a legislator and a philosopher-theologian. He was prominent in each one of the sciences which he had acquired, showing great capability and skill in writing. In the earlier periods he had no equal and among the scholars of later periods, his extensive knowledge was rivaled only by that of Bar Hebraeus. By his vocalization of the books of the two Testaments, he preserved the Holy Bible from distortion and misspelling; his revision of translations of some works of the doctors of the church show that he was highly proficient in philology. His philosophical and theological books prove that he was the most distinguished and finest scholar of his time; his interesting letters contain knowledge and wisdom; his legal opinions and juristic ideas prove that he had a sound mind, a guiltless heart and perceptive individual judgment. Consequently, he shows himself a judge of creative as well as traditional knowledge within both of which lies the final decision. This is due to the fact that he used opinions of the Christian authorities and blended them with his own intelligent opinions. Finally his ritual books leave no doubt that he is the greatest doctor of the church and the bearer of the banner of its glory. His books are the end beyond which there is no further quest for a researcher. It is no surprise that he is considered unequaled in all the East and the most prominent of all the Syrian scholars in the ancient world as well as in the Middle Ages.

Mor Jacob was born at the village of Ayndaba in the province of Antioch, most probably about 633. The name of his father is thought to be Isaac. Under Father Quryaqos, the periodeutes (visiting cleric) of his province, he studied the principles of the sciences, the books of the two Testaments and the books of the doctors of the church. Then he went to the Monastery of Qenneshrin where he became a monk and studied the literature of the Greek language under Severus Sabukhit. Together with his companion Athanasius of Balad, who was older than him, he completed his studies and became well versed in philology, philosophy and theology. Also he became well-trained in the ascetic and virtuous life. Then he journeyed to Alexandria to penetrate more deeply into the minutiae and incomprehensibilities of philosophy. He became a monastic at Edessa and studied Hebrew. At Edessa, he achieved wide fame. He was sought by scholars and lovers of learning, who corresponded with him about problems which he competently answered. In 672, he was ordained a deacon and then a priest. In 684, he was chosen and was ordained by his friend Patriarch Atlianasius II, as a metropolitan of Edessa, from which came his appellation. He remained in Edessa for four years, during which he became very strict with the monks and clergy concerning the observation of laws that had been neglected. He expelled those who disobeyed him. In the meantime, the Patriarch Youhana III and the bishops advised him to temporize and treat the clergy as tolerantly as conditions would permit. This suggestion made him more furious and, thereupon, he openly burned a copy of the neglected canonical rules, resigned his post and left the diocese, taking with him his pupils Daniel and Constantine to the Monastery of St. Jacob in Kesum. He wrote two treatises, or two poems, in one of which he criticized one of the pastors; in the second he rebuked those who violate the canonical rules. After a short period, he was appointed a teacher of the Greek language at the Monastery of Ousebuna in the province of Antioch, where he remained for eleven years, revitalizing the study of this language. He also commented on the Holy Scriptures according to the Greek version. And when some of the monks who hated the Greeks showed disagreement, he left for the Monastery of Tal'ada accompanied by seven pupils. He remained at Tal'ada about nine years, devoting his time to the revision of the translation of the Old Testament. "The Book of Kings" which he had translated in 705 is preserved at the library of Paris. 

When at the end of 707, Metropolitan Habib, who was ordained in place of Mor Jacob, passed away, the congregation of Edessa requested Mor Jacob to return to them, recognizing his excellence. He returned to Edessa at the end of January, 708. Four months later he went to the Monastery of Tal'ada to collect his books and died on the fifth of June, which is also the day of his commemoration. He was nicknamed "the man who preferred toil" or "the militant" as well as "the translator of books." Jacob was zealous, saintly and high-minded. He was also hot-tempered, of great determination and had no leniency; thus, he was unable to administer the affairs of his congregation amicably. Nevertheless, his resignation provided him the opportunity to spend the ripest years of his life in the service of knowledge. Therefore, he benefited the Church of God in ways he would not be unable to do if he remained in his diocese.

His writings in the Syriac language is very extensive and it can be read in the source of this article P. 337-351

Sources: 

1. Patriarch Ignatius Aphram I Barsoum (2003), The Scattered Pearls, A History of Syriac Literature and Sciences, Translated and Edited by Matti Moosa, New Jersey