Jacob of Serugh

Saint

Jacob of Serugh
Syriac depiction of Jacob of Serugh, from ancient manuscript
Deacon, Priest, Bishop
Bornc. 451 AD
Kurtam on the Euphrates (near Harran)
Died(521-11-29)29 November 521 AD
Batnan daSrugh, Byzantine Empire
(modern-day Suruç, Urfa, Turkey)
Venerated inCatholic Church
Oriental Orthodox Church
CanonizedPre-congregation
Major shrineSt. Mary Church, Diyarbakır
Feast29 November (Roman Catholic, Oriental Orthodox)
3 Koiak (Coptic calendar)
AttributesStaff, pointed hood, flute

Jacob of Serugh (Syriac: ܝܥܩܘܒ ܕܣܪܘܓ, romanized: Yaʿquḇ daSruḡ, Classical Syriac pronunciation: [ˌjaˤˈquβ das'ruɣ]; Latin: Iacobus Sarugiensis; c. 452–521), also called Jacob of Sarug or Mar Jacob (Syriac: ܡܪܝ ܝܥܩܘܒ, romanized: Mār Yaʿquḇ), was one of the foremost poets and theologians of the Syriac Christian tradition and authors of Syriac literature, second only to Ephrem the Syrian and equal to Narsai. He lived most of his life as an ecclesiastical official in Suruç, in modern-day Turkey. He became a bishop (of Batnan) near the end of his life in 519. He was a Miaphysite (Oriental Orthodox Non-Chalcedonian Christianity), albeit moderate compared to his contemporaries.

Jacob is best known for the homilies he wrote in the late fifth and early sixth centuries. He wrote in prose, as well as in 12-syllable (dodecasyllabic) meter, which he invented, and he was known for his eloquence. According to Jacob of Edessa, he composed 763 works during his lifetime. Around 400 survive, and over 200 of those have been published. The longest is about 1,400 verses. By the time of his death, he had a great reputation. His works were so popular that of any author from late antiquity, only the writings of Augustine of Hippo and John Chrysostom survive in a greater number of manuscripts than Jacob's.

His work earned him many nicknames, including "Flute of the Holy Spirit" (which also belonged to his predecessor Ephrem the Syrian), and "Lyre of the Believing Church" (in Antiochene Syriac Orthodox Christianity). Both Non Chalcedonian and Chalcedonian traditions of Christianity now take him as a saint.

Life

Jacob was born around the middle of the fifth century in the village of Kurtam (ܟܘܪܬܘܡ) on the Euphrates in the ancient region of Serugh, which stood as the eastern part of the province of Commagene (corresponding to the modern districts of Suruç and Birecik). He was educated in the famous School of Edessa and became chorepiscopus back in the Serugh area, serving rural churches of Haura (ܚܘܪܐ, Ḥaurâ). His tenure of this office extended over a time of great trouble to the Christian population of Mesopotamia, due to the fierce war carried on by the Sasanian emperor Kavadh I within the Roman borders.

In 519 and at the age of 67, Jacob was elected bishop of the main city of the area, called in Syriac Baṭnān d-Sruḡ (ܒܛܢܢ ܕܣܪܘܓ). As Jacob was born in the same year as the controversial Council of Chalcedon, he lived through the intense rifts that split Eastern Christianity, which led to most Syriac speakers being separated from Chalcedonian Christianity. Even though imperial persecution of anti-Chalcedonians became increasingly brutal towards the end of Jacob's life, he remained surprisingly quiet on such divisive theological and political issues. However, when pressed in correspondence by Paul, bishop of Edessa, he openly expressed dissatisfaction with the proceedings of Chalcedon and overall Dyophysite Christology.

Little more is known about the life of Jacob, as Jacob's biography was not documented in detail. One contemporary account of his life, the Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite, focuses on his vast literary output and its wide distribution:

The honored Jacob, the periodeutes by whom many homilies were composed on sections of the scriptures and songs and canticles constructed for the time of the locusts, also did not turn away in this time from what was appropriate for him. Rather he wrote admonitory letters to all the cities, making them trust in the salvation of God and encouraging them not to flee.

One manuscript written two years after his death calls him the "bishop of Batnae". Some information about Jacob's life can also be gleaned from his writings. For example, he writes in his correspondence with monastery of Mar Bassus:

Forty-five years ago, I was dwelling in the city of Edessa in the study of the divine scriptures, at the time when the writings of the wicked Diodoros were being translated from Greek into Syriac. In the city there was a school of the Persians that adhered to the thought of the foolish Diodoros with much affection, and the whole East was corrupted by that school.

Literary activity

Jacob's style was to write in the genres of metrical homily (mimre) and madroshe (narrative or verse poems without strophies), sugyoto (dialogue poems with an acrostic), and turgome (prose homilies for liturgical feasts).

Jacob's literary activity was unceasing. According to Bar Hebraeus (Chron. Eccles. i. 191) he employed 70 amanuenses and wrote in all 760 metrical homilies, besides expositions, letters and hymns of different sorts. Jacob's style was to write in dodecasyllabic metre, dealing mainly with biblical themes, but also on the deaths of Christian martyrs, the fall of the idols and the First Council of Nicaea.

Of Jacob's prose works, which are not nearly so numerous, the most interesting are his letters, which throw light upon some of the events of his time and reveal his attachment to Miaphysitism, which was then struggling for supremacy in the Syriac churches, and particularly at Edessa, over the opposite teaching of Nestorius.

The Hexaemeron of Jacob of Serugh was the first Hexaemeral work (dedicated commentary to the Genesis creation narrative) to be composed in Syriac. He was followed by other authors, such as Jacob of Edessa's own Hexaemeron.

Christology

Jacob of Serugh held a Miaphysite doctrine. Although he was reluctant to directly engage in the controversies over Christology in his time, his homilies contain some apparent criticisms of Chalcedonian Christianity (that is, the group that accepts the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon) and Jacob accepted reconciliation between the Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian positions in Zeno's Henotikon. Despite his ultimately non-Chalcedonian views, his work was nevertheless widely received across Christological confessions, including among Chalcedonian, Maronite, and Church of the East communities, especially given his homilies general avoidance of overtly polemical terminology, and his use of his vehicles as a vehicle for disseminating complex and technical contemporary debates on Christology to wider audiences in simple terms.

A recurring feature of Jacob's Christological language is the pairing of Christ's "miracles and sufferings", a phrase that had become important in post-Chalcedonian controversy through texts such as Leo's Tome and the emperor Zeno's Henotikon. Jacob used this pairing to affirm that the same Christ performed divine acts and underwent human sufferings, while rejecting interpretations that he regarded as dividing Christ into two. Forness identifies four homilies in particular as especially important in showing how Jacob incorporated post-Chalcedonian Christological debate into biblical exposition and catechetical preaching: the Homily on the Council of Chalcedon, the Homily on the Faith, the Homily on "The Lord will Raise a Prophet", and the Homily on the Revelation that Simon Received.

Political affairs

Towards the end of his life, the fate of Miaphysite leaders such as himself took a turn for the worse with the accession of Justin I (r. 518–527) to the throne of the Byzantine Empire. In response to these affairs, Jacob composed two letters and they were composed in the following context. First, on March 28, 519, Justin adopted a pro-Chalcedonian text known as the Formula of Faith which had been written by Pope Hormisdas a few years beforehand, in 515. However, Paul of Edessa, the bishop of Edessa, refused to sign the text, which led Justin to lay siege to the city in November. Paul was exiled, but after forty days was allowed to be let back into the city in December. Immediately thereafter, Jacob wrote his Letter 32 to Paul. In it, he called Paul a "confessor", a title reserved for those who were persecuted but not killed for their faith. Jacob believed that Paul's refusal to sign the text was correct. After a military leader named Patricius invaded Edessa to, Jacob then composed his Letter 35 to the military leader of the city, Bessas. Bessas is praised for his faith which has helped to exalt the city. Jacob recognizes the suffering Bessas had endured for his faith as well and compares him with Abgar of Edessa, the man credited with introducing Christianity to Edessa. To some surprise, aside from praising these two, Jacob also praised the faith of Justin in his letter to Paul: for allowing Paul to return to the city, by comparing him to Abgar, by describing his crown which displays features of the cross of Jesus, and more.

Another affair that Jacob became somewhat involved in was during the persecutions of the Christian community of Najran under the Jewish Himyarite king Dhu Nuwas, which had caused widespread reactions in the world of Syriac Christianity. Between 518 and 521, Jacob composed his Letter to the Himyarites to help extol them for their faith and their endurance. This text is also the only extant literary composition that was sent into pre-Islamic Arabia.

Reception and memory

Sa'id bar Sabuni (d. 1095) wrote an 1106-line metrical homily in his honor, called The Vita of Jacob of Serugh, performed in order to commemorate the day of his death on November 29. Many more lives/Vitas were written for Jacob's memory, like Habib of Edessa's On Jacob of Serugh.

Jacob's reputation as an author and composer also led many to write new works in his name, a famous example being the Song of Alexander.

Quranic studies

Historians have long observed that the Quran presents versions of biblical and biblically related stories that differ from, or even do not appear in, the Bible. In recent years, Syriac Christianity has been identified as key intermediary and link, showing that the differences between the two texts slowly emerged during Late Antiquity, especially within circles of Syriac Christians. The homilies of Jacob of Serugh, in specific, typically contain some of the closest versions of ideas and narratives compared with those in the Quran, the scripture of Islam, which has made them an increasingly important primary source in field of Quranic studies. Key examples include narrative and eschatology and apocalypse.

Works

Jacob is famous for his metrical homilies, written in 12-syllable (dodecasyllabic) verse. According to Bar Hebraeus, Jacob composed over 760 homilies. About 400 have survived, and almost all have appeared in critical editions, primarily in the 6-volume Bedjan-Brock edition (1905–10, 2006) and the 2-volume Akhrass-Syryany edition (2017). A complete numbered list of Jacob's extant homilies was published in Akhrass 2015. As of 2018, 20% of the homilies in the Bedjan-Brock edition have been translated. An ongoing translation project by Gorgias Press aims to bring his entire corpus into English.

Jacob also wrote outside of the genre of metrical homily. Jacob wrote stanzaic poetry (with 25 translated to date), prose homily (8 extant), and other prose works like letters.

Manuscripts

Jacob's homilies are found in a substantial number of surviving manuscripts. The earliest are from the sixth and seventh centuries, and massive manuscripts have also been recovered produced in the eleventh-thirteenth centuries containing up to two hundred of Jacob's homilies. A distinct transmission of manuscripts of Jacob's writings also permeated monastic circles.

Critical editions

Poetry

All ~400 of the poems of Jacob of Serugh have, today, appeared in published critical editions. Paul Bedjan and Sebastian Brock have, together, published critical editions of 211 of Jacob's homilies across six volumes of work.

  • Volume 1: Homilies 1–32 (Bedjan)
  • Volume 2: Homilies 33–70 (Bedjan)
  • Volume 3: Homilies 71–107 (Bedjan)
  • Volume 4: Homilies 108–146 (Bedjan)
  • Volume 5: Homilies 147–195 (Bedjan)
  • Volume 6: Homilies 196–206 (Bedjan), 207–211 (Brock)

The first five volumes were produced by Bedjan between 1905–1910. In 2006, Brock collected critical editions by Bedjan of a few scattered remaining homilies, and added some of his own, to produce the sixth volume. All six volumes can now be accessed in a single six-volume set by Gorgias Press.

  • Mar Jacobus Sarugensis (1905). Paulus Bedjan (ed.). Homilae selectae Mar-Jacobi Sarugensis (in Syriac and French). Paris: Otto Harrassowitz.
  • Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug (6-volume set)

Miscellaneous contributions by other authors over the years (including Albert, Stothman, Mouterde, Alwan, and others) raised the total to 243 homilies with critical editions.

In 2017, critical editions were published for Jacob's remaining 160 homilies by Roger Akhrass and Imad Syryany.

  • Roger Akhrass and Imad Syryany, 160 Unpublished Homilies of Jacob of Serugh, 2 vols., Damascus: Department of Syriac Studies

Prose

In total, Jacob is known to have written 43 letters (prose works). A critical edition of all letters was published in 1952 by Gunnar Olinder.

  • Iacobus Sarugensis (1952). G Olinder (ed.). Iacobi Sarugensis epistulae quotquot supersunt. Corpus scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Scriptores Syri, v. 57. Louvain.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

Translations

Manuscripts of Jacob's homilies are also found in multiple languages beyond Syriac to which they were translated, including Coptic, Georgian, Armenian, Arabic, and Ethiopic. The number of Jacob's works translated into Arabic number over one hundred, and there are over two hundred Armenian manuscripts of them that date from the twelfth to twentieth centuries.

In modern-times, Behnam Sony has composed a five-volume translation of Jacob's writings into Arabic.

In European languages, Jacob's writings have been widely translated into English, German, French, and Italian.

From the eighteenth century onwards, new discoveries of manuscripts of Jacob's works have sparked no less than three debates over his Christology.

List of translations

Homilies on specific figures

  • Mary, mother of Jesus — Jacob of Serug (1998). Mary Hansbury (ed.). On the Mother of God. Crestwood, New York, US: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press. ISBN 0-88141-184-1. Also — Giacomo de Sarug (1953). Constantino Vona (ed.). Omelie mariologiche. Lateranum: nova ser., an. 19, n. 1-4 (in Italian). Rome: Facultas Theologica Pontificii Athenaei Lateranensis.
  • Women whom Jesus met — Susan Ashbrook Harvey; Sebastian P. Brock; Reyhan Durmaz; Rebecca Stephens Falcasantos; Michael Payne; Daniel Picus, eds. (2016). Jacob of Sarug's homilies on the Women whom Jesus Met. Texts from Christian Late Antiquity. Vol. 44. Piscataway, N. J.: Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-4632-0580-5.
  • Veil of Moses — Brock, Sebastian Paul (1981). "Jacob of Serugh on the Veil of Moses". Sobornost'/Eastern Churches Review. 3 (1): 70–85.
  • Ephrem the Syrian — Jacob of Sarug (1995). Joseph P Amar (ed.). A metrical homily on holy Mar Ephrem. Patrologia Orientalis; t. 47, fasc. 1. Turnhout: Brepols.
  • Simeon Stylites — Harvey, Susan Ashbrook (1990). "Memra on Simeon the Stylite". In Vincent L Wimbush (ed.). Ascetic behavior in Greco-Roman antiquity: a sourcebook. Minneapolis: Fortress. pp. 15–28. ISBN 0-8006-3105-6.
  • Thomas the Apostle — Jakob von Sarug (1976). Werner Strothmann (ed.). Drei Gedichte über den Apostel Thomas in Indien. Göttinger Orientforschungen I Reihe, Syriaca; Bd 12. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-01720-1.
  • Melchizedek — Thokeparampil, J (1993). "Memra on Melkizedek". The Harp. 6: 53–64.
  • Letters — Bou Mansour, Tanios (1993). La théologie de Jacques de Saroug (in French). Kaslik: Université Saint Esprit.
  • Thomas the Apostle in India – Jacob of Serug (2007). D.P. Curtin (ed.). The Palace built by Thomas the Apostle in India. Philadelphia: Dalcassian. ISBN 9798869093387.
  • Aaron the High Priest — Heal, Kristian (2022). Jacob of Sarug's Homily on Aaron the Priest. Gorgias Press.
  • Abgar and Addai — Gibson, Kelli (2022). Jacob of Sarug's Homilies on Abgar and Addai. Gorgias Press.
  • Samson — Miller, Dana (2021). Jacob of Sarug's Homily on Samson. Gorgias Press.
  • Paul — Hansbury, Mary; Parakkott, Raja (2021). Jacob of Sarug's Homilies on Paul. Gorgias Press.
  • Jonah and the Ninevites — Translation of a partial Armenian translation of a now-lost fuller homily by Jacob. Hilkens, Andy (2024). "An Armenian Invocational Prayer of a Now Lost Homily of Jacob of Serugh on Jonah and the Ninevites". Journal of Theological Studies. doi:10.1093/jts/flae003.

Homilies on creation

  • Four homilies on creation. Jaques de Saroug (1989). Khalil Alwan (ed.). Quatre homélies métriques sur la création. Corpus scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium. Scriptores Syri. 0070-0452; t.214, 215 (in French). Leuven: Peeters.
  • Homily on the seven days of creation translated by Edward G. Mathews Jr.:
    • First day: Jacob of Sarug's homilies on the six days of creation. The first day. Gorgias Press. 2009. ISBN 978-1607243236.
    • Second day of creation. Jacob of Sarug's homilies on the six days of creation. The second day. Gorgias Press. 2016.
    • Third day. Jacob of Sarug's homilies on the six days of creation. The third day. Gorgias Press. 2016.
    • Fourth day. Jacob of Sarug's homilies on the six days of creation. The fourth day. Gorgias Press. 2018.
    • Fifth day. Jacob of Sarug's homilies on the six days of creation. The fifth day. Gorgias Press. 2019.
    • Sixth day. Jacob of Sarug's homilies on the six days of creation. The sixth day. Gorgias Press. 2020.
    • Seventh day. Jacob of Sarug's homilies on the six days of creation. The seventh day. Gorgias Press. 2021.
  • Jacob of Serugh's Hexaemeron. Muraoka, T (2018). Jacob of Serugh's Hexaemeron. Peeters.

Other homilies

  • Prose homilies (turgame) — Jacques de Saroug (1986). Frédéric Rilliet (ed.). Six homélies festales en prose. Patrologia Orientalis; t. 43, fasc. 4 (in French). Turnhout: Brepols.
  • Stanzaic poetry — Brock, Sebastian (2022). The Stanzaic Poems of Jacob of Serugh: A Collection of His Madroshe and Sughyotho. Gorgias Press.
  • Prayers — Hansbury, Mary (2015). The Prayers of Jacob of Serugh. SLG Press.
  • Seven homilies against the Jews, of which the sixth takes the form of a dispute (ܣܓܝܬܐ sāḡiṯâ) between personifications of the Synagogue and the Church — Jacques de Saroug (1976). Micheline Albert (ed.). Homélies contre les Juifs. Patrologia Orientalis; t. 38, fasc. 1 (in French). Turnhout: Brepols.
  • On the dominical feasts — Jacob of Serugh (1997). Thomas Kollamparampil (ed.). Select festal homilies. Bangalore and Rome: Dharmaram and Centre for Indian and Inter-Religious Studies.
  • Concerning the red heifer — Alibertis, Demetrios (2022). Jacob of Sarug's Homily Concerning the Red Heifer and the Crucifixion of our Lord. Gorgias Press.
  • God's love towards humanity and the just — Sirgy, Dominique (2022). Jacob of Sarug's Homily on the Love of God towards Humanity and of the Just towards God. Gorgias Press.
  • Seeking above outer darkness — Sirgy, Dominique (2022). Jacob of Sarug's Homily on Paul's Word to Seek What is Above and on Outer Darkness. Gorgias Press.
  • Edessa and Jerusalem — Loopstra, Jonathan (2021). Jacob of Sarug's Homily on Edessa and Jerusalem. Gorgias Press.

List of homilies

Homilies of Jacob of Serugh (numbering of Akhrass 2015)
NumberName
1Admonition
2On Sinai
3Consecration of Church and Moses
4Bronze serpent
5Aaron
6Star of Magi, Innocents
7Three Baptisms
8Baptism of Christ
9Baptism
10Lord’s prayer
11Matthew 19: 16
12Prodigal son
13Pharisee and Publican
14Workers in Vineyard
15Zacchaeus
16Dives and Lazarus
17Canaanite woman
18Palm Sunday
19“Who do people say I am?”
20Get thee behind me, Satan
21Denial of Peter
22Departed
23Fast, 1
24Fast, 2
25Fast, 3
26Love
27Admonition
28Repentance
29Repentance and admonition
30Matthew 16: 26
31End
32End and Judgement
33Tower of Babel
34David and Goliath
35Elisha’s bones
36Daniel 2, Daniel and Companions
37Annunciation to Zechariah
38John 1:1
39Only-Begotten Word
40Emmanuel
41Psalm 110: 4
42Reception of Mysteries
43Christ as food and drink
44Leper
45Healing of centurion’s son
46Samaritan woman
47Man who fell among thieves
48Three dead persons raised by our Lord
49Transfiguration
50Ten virgins
51Sinful woman whose sins were forgiven
52Thief on right hand
53Crucifixion
54Resurrection
55Resurrection
56Martyrs
57New Sunday and Thomas
58Pentecost
59Matthew 19: 27
60John the Evangelist
61Paul, 1
62Paul, 2
63Love of God
64Pride
65Haughtiness
66Love of poor
67End
68End and judgment
69Departed, 6
70Consolation for priests
71Creation
72Creation of Adam
73Blessings of Isaac
74Jacob at Bethel
75On our Lord and Jacob, and on Rachel and the Church, and on Leah and the Synagogue
76Two sparrows
77Red Heifer
78Two Goats
79Veil of Moses
80Symbols of Christ
81Christ’s 30 years
82Our Lord and Satan
83Beatitudes
84Do not swear
85‘Foxes have their holes…’
86Kingdom as leaven
87Five loaves and two fishes
88Blind Timaeus
89Widow’s mites
90Prodigal son
91Jairus’ daughter
92Widow of Nain’s son resuscitated
93Raising of Lazarus
94Faith
95Reception of Mysteries
96Beheading of John the Baptist
97John the Baptist
98Stephen
99Thomas
100Thomas’ castle in India
101Fall of idols
102Against drunkenness
103Love of money
104Vanity of vanities
105Col 3:1–2
106Psalm 148
107Morning and evening praise
108Flood
109Abraham and his types
110‘The Lord will raise up a prophet…’
111Judgement of Solomon
112Elijah, 2 (Elijah’s flight from Jezebel)
113Elijah, 3 (Naboth)
114Elijah, 4
115Ascension of Elijah
116Elisha, 1
117Elisha, 2
118Elisha, 3 (Elisha and Shunamite)
119Elisha, 4
120Elisha, 5
121Elisha, 6
122Jonah
123Daniel 1, Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar
124Daniel, 3
125On the Chariot that Ezekiel saw
126Temptation of Christ
127Kingdom as mustard seed
128Camel and needle’s eye
129Miracles of our Lord
130Man with legion of demons
131Paralytic aged 38
132Cursed fig tree
133Parable of Vineyard
134Consecration of Church
135Assembly of bishops
136Single Lawgiver of OT and NT
137Solitaries, 1
138Solitaries, 2
139Praise at table, 1
140Praise at table, 2
141Praise at table, 3
142Praise at table, 4
143Praise at table, 5
144Praise at table, 6
145Praise at table, 7
146Praise at table, 8
147Cain and Abel, 1
148Cain and Abel, 2
149Cain and Abel, 3
150Cain and Abel, 4
151Sodom, 1
152Sodom, 2
153Sodom, 3
154Sodom, 4
155Melkizedek and symbols of our Lord
156Job 7:7
157Job
158Moses’ extended hands
159Jephtha’s daughter
160Samson, 1
161Samson, 2
162King David and Uriah
163King Uzziah and Isaiah
164Ezekiel and torrent
165Presentation in Temple
166Luke 2: 34
167Miracle at Cana
168Treasure in field
169Luke 13:11
170Sick woman
171Matthew 22:2
172Woman with seven husbands
173Five talents
174Entry of Jerusalem
175Passover in the Law
176Death and Satan
177Cherub and Thief
178Third appearance of Christ
179Lame man healed by Simon and John
180Edessa and Jerusalem
181George
182Admonition
183Departed, 2
184Departed
185Consolation for the departed (Departed, 7)
186Consolation for the departed (Departed, 3)
187Departed, 5
188Departed, 8
189Departed children
190Departed
191Departed Daughter of Covenant
192End, 1
193End, 2
194End, 4
195End, 5
196Mary
197Annunciation
198Visitation
199Mary’s virginity
200Death of Virgin
201Nativity
202Nativity, 2
203Nativity
204Ascension
205Virginity
206Council of Nicaea
207Thamar
208Conversion of Antioch
209Constantine
210Sleepers of Ephesus
211Chalcedon
212Mary and Golgotha
213Strangers
214Spectacles of the Theatre
215Prophet Hosea
216Thomas, 2
217Thomas, 3
218Against Jews, 1
219Against Jews, 2
220Against Jews, 3
221Against Jews, 4
222Against Jews, 5
223Against Jews, 6
224Against Jews, 7
225Priesthood and altar
226Alexander
227Gen. 1:26 and Nativity
228Adam created mortal or immortal
229Adam’s expulsion from Paradise
230Body and soul
231Edessa
232[Fragment]
233Sharbel
234Shmona and Gurya
235Habib
236Ephrem
237Symeon the Stylite
238Sergius and Bacchus
239Forty Martyrs of Sebaste
240Departed
241Annunciation
242Elijah, 1
243Myron
244On Isaiah 9: 6
245Christ’s incomprehensibility and against Diphysites
246Nativity
247Nativity
248Martyrion of St Stephen made into a fire shrine when they entered Amid
249‘Are you the one who comes…?’
250Juliana Saba
251Repentance, 3
252Peter’s coin from the fish
253Christ walking on water
254On the deaf, blind and possessed
255Palm Sunday
256Symbols of our Lord in OT
257Crucifixion
258Crucifixion
259On Matthew 12: 43
260Crucifixion, 4
261Crucifixion, 2
262Church and Crucifixion
263Crucifixion, 6
264The two thieves
265Crucifixion, 7 (Burial of Christ)
266Christ’s Descent to Sheol
267Moses’ extended hands
268Finding of the Cross
269Resurrection of our Lord
270Guard of soldiers and resurrection
271Ananias and Sapphira
272Abgar
273Addai and Abgar
274Apostles
275Conversion of Rome by Peter
276Martyrs (in general)
277Zacchaeus, apostle and bishop of Myra
278Abhai
279Dimet
280Laurentios, Agrippas and their 12000 companions
281On Barsauma
282Patron saint
283Maccabean Martyrs
284Thomas, 7:7
285Burial of Moses
286Burial of priests
287Departed, 1
288Departed, 4
289Departed, 9
290The End, 1 and on Ezekiel’s vision
291The End, 7
292The End, 9
293The End, 10 (Antichrist)
294End, 10
295Kingdom and Gehenna
296Praise at table, 9
297Admonition and plague of locusts
298Evening praise
299Night praise
300Morning praise, 1
301Morning praise, 2
302Praise with the lamp’s light
303Praise with the incense smoke
304Betrothal of Rebecca
305Jacob’s rods
306Joseph, 1
307Joseph, 2
308Joseph, 3
309Joseph, 4
310Joseph, 5
311Joseph, 6
312Joseph, 7
313Joseph, 8
314Joseph, 9
315Joseph, 10
316Moses, 1
317Moses, 2 (Moses and Burning Bush)
318Moses, 3
319Moses, 4 (Moses and Exodus)
320Moses, 5 (Moses and water of Marah)
321Moses, 6 (Moses and manna and the rock)
322Moses, 9 (Adultery of Synagogue)
323Sacrifices
324Separation of foods
325Balaam and Balak
326On the blessed Phinehas who prayed and kept back the plague
327Joshua and on the Mysteries of our Lord and his Church
328On Rahab the harlot
329On Achan son of Carmi
330On Gideon
331On the Ark of the Covenant, when the Philistines took it (1 Samuel 4–7)
332On Uzzah when he stayed the ark of God
333David and Uriah
334David, 3 (On that which is said: “And the anger of the Lord was against Israel and he incited David”, 2 Samuel 24:1)
335King Asa
336Daniel 4, Daniel and Belshazzar
337Daniel 5, Daniel in the lions’ den
338Faith, 2
339Faith, 4
340Faith, 6
341Faith, 7 (Body of Christ passible before resurrection)
342Faith, 8
343Faith, 10
344Parable of ten coins and hundred sheep
345Admonition, against blasphemers
346The complaint of the poor
347Reprimand
3481 Timothy 2: 5
349Ga 6: 14
350Day and night, work and rest
351Destruction of Amid
352Destruction of Jerusalem
353[Untitled]
354Supplication while he was still young
355On Joseph
356General eulogy
357Beginning of Lent
358On Sabbat
359Canaanite woman
360On the boat
361On the man who had a withered hand
362Crucifixion
363Passion of our Lord
364Crucifixion
365Saturday of Annunciation
366Sunday of resurrection
367For the fourth Sunday after resurrection
368For the fifth Sunday after resurrection
369For the seventh Sunday after resurrection
370For the eighth Sunday after resurrection
371On Holy Mary, Mother of God
372On Repentance
373Theodore
374On saints
375On Friday of confessors and martyrs
376On priests
377On deacons
378On strangers
379On the resurrection of the repentants
380On Women
381Consolation for departed
382Hour of death
383Petition on the crucifixion of our Lord
384Meeting of the apostles at the departure of their Lord’s Mother
385Virgin Mary
386[Fragment]
387[Fragment]
388Love of world and faith
389Satan
390On excommunication
391Against Nestorius
392Behnam I
393Behnam II
394Orthodox faith
395Dispensation of the Word
396Morning hymn (heptasyllabic)
397Mt 13, 47
398On the Bell Clapper, Concerning the Admonition to Prayer
399On lack of rain
400Fragment of an unidentified mimro
401On admonition
402Finding of Cross
403Repentance and blame of soul and body
404Admonition (Prose Homily)
405Admonition (Prose Homily)
406On humility
407On the soul of man
408Sacrifices of Jews and Armenians

See also

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Brock, Sebastian (2011). "Yaʿqub of Serugh". Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition.
  2. 1 2 3 Chatonnet & Debié 2023, p. 150–151.
  3. ↑ Forness 2022, p. 156.
  4. ↑ Hilkens 2020, p. 65.
  5. ↑ Dinno 2010.
  6. ↑ Forness 2022, p. 156–157.
  7. ↑ Brock, Sebastian (2011). "Yaʿqub of Serugh". Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition.
  8. ↑ McLean 1911, pp. 114–115.
  9. ↑ Menze, Volker L. (2023). Patriarch Dioscorus of Alexandria: The Last Pharaoh and Ecclesiastical Politics in the Later Roman Empire (PDF). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192871336.
  10. ↑ Forness 2019, p. 4.
  11. ↑ Forness 2019, p. 8.
  12. ↑ Forness 2019, p. 5.
  13. 1 2 McLean 1911, p. 115.
  14. ↑ Tumara 2024, p. 170.
  15. ↑ Romeny 2008, pp. 146–147.
  16. ↑ Forness 2018, pp. 10–18.
  17. ↑ Forness 2018.
  18. 1 2 Forness 2022.
  19. ↑ Forness 2019, p. 115–131.
  20. ↑ Durmaz 2022, p. 75.
  21. ↑ Kitchen 2023, p. 81.
  22. ↑ Reinink, Gerrit J. (2003). "Alexander the Great in Seventh-Century Syriac 'Apocalyptic' Texts". Byzantinorossica. 2: 150–178.
  23. ↑ Tesei 2023, p. 22.
  24. ↑ Witzum 2009.
  25. ↑ Reynolds 2010.
  26. ↑ Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie d. Wissenschaften (9 March 2022). Echoes of Jacob of Serugh in the Qur'ān and Late Antique Reading Culture. Retrieved 14 January 2026 – via YouTube.
  27. ↑ Reynolds 2018, p. 451–458.
  28. ↑ Sinai 2017.
  29. ↑ Akhrass 2015, p. 133.
  30. ↑ Gorgias Press (28 June 2018). "Jacob of Sarug in English Translation".
  31. ↑ Brock 2022.
  32. ↑ Forness 2020b, p. 97n22.
  33. ↑ Butts 2020, p. 91.
  34. ↑ Forness 2020, p. 55–58, 77–79.
  35. ↑ Forness 2020.
  36. ↑ "Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug / Homiliae Selectae Mar-Jacobi Sarugensis (6-volume set)". Gorgias Press LLC. Retrieved 22 April 2025.
  37. ↑ Akhrass 2015, p. 87.
  38. ↑ McConaughy 2024, p. 2.
  39. ↑ Suciu 2015.
  40. 1 2 Butts 2020, p. 91–92.
  41. ↑ Hilkens 2020.
  42. ↑ Witold Witakowski, “Jacob of Serug,” in Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Volume 3: HE-N, ed. Siegbert Uhlig (Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2007), 262–63.
  43. ↑ Hilkens 2020, p. 73.
  44. ↑ Behnam Sony, Tarǧama min al-suryāniyya ilā l-ʿarabiyya wa-dirāsa ʿalā mayāmir al-malfān mār Yaʿqūb al-sarūǧī, 5 vols., Baghdad, [s.n.], 2003.
  45. ↑ Forness 2020, p. 52–53.
  46. ↑ Forness 2022b.
  47. ↑ Akhrass 2015.

Sources

Wikisource This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: McLean, Norman (1911). "Jacob of Sĕrūgh". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 114–115.

Further reading