Jacob Baradaeus (; grc, Ἰάκωβος Βαραδαῖος, label=
Greek
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Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
; ar, مار يعقوب البرادعي; syc, ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܘܪܕܥܝܐ, label=
Syriac Syriac may refer to:
*Syriac language, an ancient dialect of Middle Aramaic
*Sureth, one of the modern dialects of Syriac spoken in the Nineveh Plains region
* Syriac alphabet
** Syriac (Unicode block)
** Syriac Supplement
* Neo-Aramaic languages a ...
), also known as Jacob bar Addai or Jacob bar Theophilus, was the
Bishop of Edessa Early bishops
The following list is based on the records of the ''Chronicle of Edessa'' (to ''c''.540) and the ''Chronicle of Zuqnin''.
Jacobite (Syriac) bishops
These bishops belonged to the Syriac Orthodox Church. During the later period there ...
from 543/544 until his death in 578. He is venerated as a saint in the
Oriental Orthodox Churches
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are Eastern Christian churches adhering to Miaphysite Christology, with approximately 60 million members worldwide. The Oriental Orthodox Churches are part of the Nicene Christian tradition, and represent ...
and his feast day is 31 July.
[Livingstone (2006)] Jacob's missionary efforts helped establish the
non-Chalcedonian
Non-Chalcedonian Christianity comprises the branches of Christianity that do not accept theological resolutions of the Council of Chalcedon, the Fourth Ecumenical Council, held in 451. Non-Chalcedonian denominations reject the Christological ...
Syriac Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...
, also known as the "Jacobite" Church after its eponymous leader, and ensured its survival despite persecution.
Background
Following the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bith ...
in 451, the church in the Eastern Roman Empire suffered division between Chalcedonians, supporters of the council, and non-Chalcedonians, also known as miaphysites and pejoratively called monophysites, who opposed the council.
Non-Chalcedonians lost political support at the ascension of Emperor
Justin I
Justin I ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, ''Ioustînos''; 450 – 1 August 527) was the Eastern Roman emperor from 518 to 527. Born to a peasant family, he rose through the ranks of the army to become commander of the imperial ...
in 518,
[Saint-Laurent (2015), p. 3] who subsequently persecuted non-Chalcedonians. Consequentially, the number of non-Chalcedonian religious leaders declined and, despite the widespread support they held in Syria, Armenia, and Egypt, non-Chalcedonianism faced extinction.
Biography
Jacob was born in c. 500 in the city of
Tall Mawzalt, and was the son of Theophilus bar Manu, a priest.
At the age of two, Jacob was left in the care of Eustathius, Abbot of the Monastery of Fsilta,
[Venables (1911)] and studied Greek, Syriac, and religious and theological texts.
[Barsoum (2003), p. 100] Jacob's mother later returned to the monastery and attempted to bring him home, however, Jacob refused to return and declared his dedication to Christ.
[''St. Jacob Baradaeus''](_blank)
Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church After his parents' death, Jacob donated his inheritance to the poor and manumitted several slaves he had inherited, to whom he bestowed his parents' house.
Later, Jacob was ordained a deacon and priest at the monastery.
At this time, Jacob became renowned as a miracle-worker and people came to him seeking healing.
Several miracles are attributed to Jacob, such as the resurrection of the dead, the healing of the blind, procurement of rain, and stopping the movement of the sun.
He is also reputed to have ended the Siege of
Edessa
Edessa (; grc, Ἔδεσσα, Édessa) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Osroene ...
as
Khosrow I
Khosrow I (also spelled Khosrau, Khusro or Chosroes; pal, 𐭧𐭥𐭮𐭫𐭥𐭣𐭩; New Persian: []), traditionally known by his epithet of Anushirvan ( [] "the Immortal Soul"), was the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from ...
was afflicted with a vision and abandoned the siege.
Empress
Theodora
Theodora is a given name of Greek origin, meaning "God's gift".
Theodora may also refer to:
Historical figures known as Theodora
Byzantine empresses
* Theodora (wife of Justinian I) ( 500 – 548), saint by the Orthodox Church
* Theodora o ...
, a non-Chalcedonian, learned of Jacob and invited him to meet with her at
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, however, he was reluctant to do so.
In a vision, Jacob was instructed to travel to Constantinople,
and thus, in c. 527, he arrived at the capital.
[Irvin & Sunquist (2001), pp. 248–249] Theodora received Jacob with honour, however, he was uninterested in life at court,
and entered the Monastery of
Sykai
Sykai or Sycae, later known as Justinianae or Ioustinianai and Justinianopolis or Ioustinianoupolis, was a town of ancient Thrace, a suburb of Byzantium/Constantinople, inhabited during Roman and Byzantine times.
Its site is located near Galata ...
,
where he remained for 15 years.
Whilst at Constantinople, he gained the favour of Theodora and
Al-Harith ibn Jabalah, King of the
Ghassanids
The Ghassanids ( ar, الغساسنة, translit=al-Ġasāsina, also Banu Ghassān (, romanized as: ), also called the Jafnids, were an Arab tribe which founded a kingdom. They emigrated from southern Arabia in the early 3rd century to the Levan ...
, both fellow non-Chalcedonians.
[Gregory (1991)] An outbreak of persecution of non-Chalcedonians carried out by
Ephraim
Ephraim (; he, ''ʾEp̄rayīm'', in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath. Asenath was an Ancient Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughte ...
, Patriarch of Antioch, spurred Empress Theodora and Al-Harith to urge
Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria
Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria (died June 5, 566) was the last Patriarch of Alexandria recognised by both Copts and Melchites.
As successor to Timothy III (IV), at the request of the Arab king Al-Harith ibn Jabalah al-Ghassani and Empress ...
to consecrate bishops to counter Ephraim and ensure the survival of non-Chalcedonianism.
Thus, Jacob was consecrated Bishop of Edessa by Pope Theodosius in Constantinople in 543/544.
After his episcopal appointment, Jacob travelled to
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
,
where he, with two non-Chalcedonian bishops, consecrated Conon as Bishop of
Tarsus and Eugenius as Bishop of
Seleucia
Seleucia (; grc-gre, Σελεύκεια), also known as or , was a major Mesopotamian city of the Seleucid empire. It stood on the west bank of the Tigris River, within the present-day Baghdad Governorate in Iraq.
Name
Seleucia ( grc-gre, Σ ...
.
He then set about consecrating non-Chalcedonian clergymen throughout Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.
[Treadgold (1997), p. 198] At this time, through his missionary work, Jacob aimed to restore non-Chalcedonianism as the official position of the church in the Eastern Roman Empire.
The Roman government attempted to hinder the non-Chalcedonian revival and imprison Jacob, however, in his travels he wore a disguise and thus became known as ''Burde'ana'', "man in ragged clothes", from which the sobriquet "Baradaeus" is derived.
Jacob ordained Sergius bar Karya as Bishop of
Harran
Harran (), historically known as Carrhae ( el, Kάρραι, Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border cr ...
and
Sergius of Tella
Sergius of Tella was the Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from c. 544 to c. 547 or c. 557 to 560.
Biography
Sergius was born at Tella, and was a friend of Jacob Baradaeus. He became a monk at the monastery of Hala, an ...
as
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (ἐπίσκοπος, ''episkopos'', from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian c ...
in 544.
After Sergius of Tella's death in 547, with Eugenius, Jacob ordained
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
as Patriarch of Antioch in 550.
Differences between Jacob and Eugenius and Conon later emerged and Jacob anathematised the pair for their adherence to
Tritheism
Tritheism (from Greek τριθεΐα, "three divinity") is a nontrinitarian Christian heresy in which the unity of the Trinity and thus monotheism are denied. It represents more a "possible deviation" than any actual school of thought positing thre ...
, and they anathematised Jacob on the accusation of adherence to
Sabellianism
In Christianity, Sabellianism is the Western Church equivalent to Patripassianism in the Eastern Church, which are both forms of theological modalism. Condemned as heresy, Modalism is the belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three diff ...
.
In 553, Emperor
Justinian I
Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565.
His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
convened the
Second Council of Constantinople
The Second Council of Constantinople is the fifth of the first seven ecumenical councils recognized by both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. It is also recognized by the Old Catholics and others. Protestant opinions and rec ...
in an attempt to unite Chalcedonians and non-Chalcedonians.
However, the council was unconvincing to Syrian non-Chalcedonians, and Jacob began to form a separate, non-Chalcedonian church, that would later become the Syriac Orthodox Church.
[Gregory (2010), p. 318] Jacob ordained
John of Ephesus
John of Ephesus (or of Asia) ( Greek: Ίωάννης ό Έφέσιος, c. 507 – c. 588) was a leader of the early Syriac Orthodox Church in the sixth century and one of the earliest and the most important historians to write in Syriac. John of ...
as Bishop of
Ephesus
Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἔφεσος, Éphesos; tr, Efes; may ultimately derive from hit, 𒀀𒉺𒊭, Apaša) was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in t ...
in 558. In 559, Jacob consecrated
Ahudemmeh
Ahudemmeh ( syr, ܐܚܘܕܐܡܗ, ar, مار احودامه) was the Grand Metropolitan of the East and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the East from 559 until his execution in 575. He was known as the Apostle of the Arabs, and is commemo ...
as
Metropolitan of the East. In 566, Jacob attended discussions held by Emperor
Justin II
Justin II ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, Ioustînos; died 5 October 578) or Justin the Younger ( la, Iustinus minor) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the ...
at Constantinople between Chalcedonians and non-Chalcedonians with the goal of a compromise between the two factions.
[Treadgold (1997), pp. 219–220] At the end of the discussions in 567, Justin issued an edict which was agreed upon by all who attended, however, the edict was rejected by a non-Chalcedonian council at
Raqqa
Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish languages, Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. T ...
.
Later, in 571, Jacob Baradaeus and other non-Chalcedonian bishops gave their approval to an edict of union with the Chalcedonian church as they both agreed they held the same beliefs but expressed them differently.
[Treadgold (1997), p. 221] Jacob and the other bishops subsequently accepted communion from
John Scholasticus
John Scholasticus or Scholastikos (c. 503 – 31 August 577) was the 32nd patriarch of Constantinople from April 12, 565 until his death in 577. He is also regarded as a saint of the Eastern Orthodox Church.
Life
He was born at Sirimis, in the r ...
, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
This angered many non-Chalcedonians, however, and the bishops withdrew their approval of the edict.
Unbeknownst to Jacob, Paul, Patriarch of Antioch, and several other non-Chalcedonian bishops, had been tortured by the Roman government and unwillingly agreed to adhere to Chalcedonianism. Jacob consequentially forbade Paul from receiving communion and Paul took refuge in the Kingdom of the Ghassanids. Three years later, Paul was brought before a non-Chalcedonian synod and Jacob restored him to communion for his penance. This angered
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
non-Chalcedonians, and, in 576,
Pope Peter IV of Alexandria
Peter IV was the 34th Coptic Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria from 567 to 576. Peter IV succeeded the exiled Pope Theodosius I on the latter's death in 567.
Because the Melkites were in control of Alexandria at the time, Peter IV lived in exil ...
deposed Paul as Patriarch of Antioch, contrary to canon law. Jacob denounced Peter. However, in an effort to reunite non-Chalcedonians, he travelled to Alexandria and agreed to give his assent to Paul's deposition on the condition that he was not excommunicated, thus restoring good relations between the Syrian and Egyptian non-Chalcedonians. Nevertheless, on Jacob's return to Syria, many Syrian non-Chalcedonians expressed anger at the compromise and violence erupted between Jacob and Paul's supporters. King
Al-Mundhir III ibn al-Harith
Al-Mundhir ibn al-Ḥārith (), known in Greek language, Greek sources as (Flavios) Alamoundaros (), was the king of the Ghassanids, Ghassanid Arabs from 569 to circa 581. A son of al-Harith ibn Jabalah, he succeeded his father both in the kingshi ...
, Al-Harith's successor, and Paul attempted to discuss the conflict with Jacob, however, he refused to seek another compromise.
Jacob, with several other bishops, abruptly left Syria with the intention of travelling to Alexandria.
Whilst en route, Jacob and his group stopped at the Monastery of St. Romanus in
Maiuma where they became ill and Jacob died on 30 July 578.
According to Cyriacus, Bishop of
Mardin, Jacob's remains were kept at the Monastery of St. Romanus until moved to the Monastery of Fsilta in 622.
[Barsoum (2003), p. 212]
References
Bibliography
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{{Authority control
6th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops
6th-century Christian saints
6th-century Byzantine bishops
Bishops of Edessa
Syrian archbishops
6th-century Syriac Orthodox Church bishops
Oriental Orthodox saints
500s births
578 deaths
Miracle workers
Ancient Christians involved in controversies