Frondizi and Ignatius Jacob III in Buenos Aires

Mor Ignatius Jacob (Yaʿqub) III (October 12, 1913 – June 26, 1980) was the 121st

Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East ( Syriac: ܦܛܪܝܪܟܐ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ ܘܕܟܠܗ̇ ܡܕܢܚܐ ''Paṭriarḵo ḏ-Anṭiuḵia waḏ-kuloh madnho'') is the Bishop of Antioch, and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church ...

and head of the

Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

1957–1980. He was skilled in and knowledgeable in Syriac sacral music or

Beth Gazo Beth Gazo ( ; literary "the house of treasure") is a Syriac liturgical book that contains a collection of Syriac chants and melodies. The book is considered a reference of Syriac Hymnody and without it clerics belonging to the West Syrian Rite, Wes ...

. He re-established the Maphrianate/Catholicate in the

Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, also known as the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, or the Syriac Orthodox Church in India is an autonomous maphrianate of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Orthodo ...

(the Indian Church).

Birth

Mor Ignatius Yaʿqub III was born on October 12, 1913, in the Touma Mari family of Bartalla village in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Ordinations

He was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

by Patriarch

Ignatius Elias III St. Ignatius Elias III (13 October 1867 – 13 February 1932) (Syriac: ܐܝܓܢܛܝܘܣ ܐܠܝܐܣ ܬܠܝܬܝܐ) was the Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1917 until his death in 1932. Biography Nasri was born on ...

and priest by Patriarch Ignatius Afram I Barsoum. He visited the Syriac Orthodox Church in Kerala,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, in 1933 as Rabban ʿAbdel Ahad where he served as a malphono (teacher) at the Mor Ignatios Dayro. In 1946, he returned to the Middle East to teach at the Mor Ephrem Seminary in

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

and was ordained Metropolitan of Beirut and Damascus in 1950. In 1957, he was consecrated Patriarch after Patriarch Ignatius Afram I Barsoum died.

Church in India

Patriarch Yaʿqub worked actively for cooperation among the

Oriental Orthodox Church The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 50 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches adhere to the Nicene Christian tradition. Oriental Orthodoxy is ...

es and the reconciliation of the Church in India. In 1964, he visited Malankara and consecrated Augen Timotheous as Catholicos to establish peace in the church.

Books

Patriarch Yaʿqub wrote at least thirty books about the history of the Church, spirituality and liturgy including a History of the Church until the 6th century, a History of the Syrian Church in India, a comparative study of Syriac and Arabic languages, and Personageaphies of

Ephrem the Syrian Ephrem the Syrian (; ), also known as Ephraem the Deacon, Ephrem of Edessa or Aprem of Nisibis, (Syriac: ܡܪܝ ܐܦܪܝܡ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ — ''Mâr Aphrêm Sûryâyâ)'' was a prominent Christian theology, Christian theologian and Christian literat ...

Philoxenus of Mabbug Philoxenus of Mabbug ( Syriac: , '; died 523), also known as Xenaias and Philoxenus of Hierapolis, was one of the most notable Syriac prose writers during the Byzantine period and a vehement champion of Miaphysitism. Early life He was born, ...

, and Yaʿqub of Serugh. Students of the church consider his lecture as an authoritative on the Syrian Orthodox Church at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

in 1971.
History of the Syrian Church of India

History of the Monastery of Saint Matthew in Mosul

Syriac music

Patriarch Yaʿqub was skilled in and knowledgeable about Syriac music. He was endowed with a sharp memory that enabled him to memorize over 700 melodies of the Beth Gazo including variants (Shuhlophe). He had a voice of a "nightingale" as Patriarch

Ignatius Zakka I Iwas Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas (; ; ', born Sanharib Iwas, 21 April 1931 – 21 March 2014) was the 122nd reigning Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and, as such, Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church. Also know ...

tells us. He learned the Beth Gazo from another master of Syriac music, Mor Yulios Elias Qoro, then Patriarchal Delegate in India. He was familiar with his native school of music in Iraq (the School of Takrit) as well as the more popular School of Mardin. During a five-month visit to the United States (from March 11 - August 15, 1960), Yaʿqub, at the request of Metropolitan Mor

Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria ( – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, Athanasius the Confessor, or, among Coptic Christians, Athanasius the Apostolic, was a Christian theologian and the 20th patriarch of Alexandria (as Athanasius ...

Yeshuʿ Samuel, the archbishop of the United States and Canada, recorded the Beth Gazo according to the School of Mardin. This recording serves as the authoritative reference to the musical tradition of the School of Mardin. Patriarch Yaʿqub is remembered for his spiritually uplifting celebration of the liturgy. He encouraged many to accept the simple way of life. After he consecrated sacred myron in the Mor Gabriel monastery in 1964, myron flowed from the glass container the following day and people were healed by it.

Episcopal succession

During Ignatius Jacob time as Patriarch and Metropolitan, he had the duty to ordain and consecrate many Metropolitans in the Syria Orthodox church in addition to hundreds of priests, monks, and deacons. The list includes one future patriarch also. # Severus Zakka (1963–1969). Metropolitan of

diocese then Metropolitan of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Basrah Basra () is a port city in southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq border at the north-easternmost exten ...

Diocese (1969–1980). Later, he was elected as

Ignatius Zakka I Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas (; ; ', born Sanharib Iwas, 21 April 1931 – 21 March 2014) was the 122nd reigning Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and, as such, Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church. Also know ...

, the 122nd Patriarch of Syriac Orthodox Church (1980–2014). # Timothy Shlita (1958) Metropolitan # Dionysius Behnan Jijjawi (1959–1996). Metropolitan of Jerusalem # Cyril Jacob (1959) Metropolitan # Julius Paulus (1963) Metropolitan # Disocorius Luke Sha'ia (1963) Metropolitan # Athanasius Aphrem Barsoum (1965-2016). Metropolitan of Lebanon # Gregorios Saliba Shamoun (1969). Metropolitan of

# Severus Hawa (1970). Metropolitan # Timothy Aphrem Aboudi (1972) Metropolitan in Sweden and then Canada # Athanasius Paulus (1973). Metropolitan in India # Gregorios Goerge (1974). Metropolitan in India # Dionysius Thomas (1974). Metropolitan in India # Cyril Qeryaqus (1974). Metropolitan in India # Julius Jacob (1975). Metropolitan in India # Eustathios Thomas (1975). Metropolitan in India # Gregorios Yuhanna Ibraheem (1979). Metropolitan of

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

# Julius Issa (1979-2005). Metropolitan of Central Europe # Phlixinous Matthew (1979)

Death

Patriarch Yaʿqub died on June 26, 1980, and was buried in

Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus A cathedral is a church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations with an epis ...

in Damascus, Syria.

References

External links

Biography from Margonitho: Syriac Orthodox Resources

Syriac Orthodox Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob III 1913 births 1980 deaths Syrian Oriental Orthodox Christians Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch Syriac writers 20th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops 20th-century Iraqi writers 20th-century Iraqi clergy