Mar Jacob (Yacoub) of Serugh – Nov 29 I Poet, Doctor and Consolidator of the True Faith
Jacob (Yacoub), was born as the son of a Priest, at Serugh (Serug, Suruc) in the village Kurtam a village on the Euphrates to the west of Harran which is very close to the Mesopotomian village Edessa (Urhoy), modern Urfa in South East Turkey, also known as Kurtak. He was renowned poet and a pleasing talker. He is remembered in the 5th Thubden, along with Mar Aprem, Mar Isaac and Mar Balai. His memmras (Poetry) and Boovosos (hymns of Intercession) are well known in our Church. He was one of the foremost Syriac poet-theologians among the Syriac.
He was chosen as a child of God, and was one of the most popular saints of his time. A few authors have mentioned about the inspiration of the child Jacob. At the age of three, while in the Church, the child got out of the hands of his mother and went up to the altar during the time of epiclesis (during the invocation of Holy Spirit at the Qurbana). At the altar the child was given a drink by an angel (Aphrem, 1963; Jacob of Serugh 1997). He then returned to his mother joyfully.
He was a student at Urhoy at the age of twenty as can be inferred from one of his letters. At an early age he attracted the attention of his countrymen by his piety and his literary gifts and entered on the composition of the long series of metrical homilies on religious themes which formed the great work of his life. King Zeno closed the school at Urhoy in A. D. 489. Jacob completed his education at the age of twenty-two and was ordained Priest. He served the village Hawra near Urhoy as Priest and cor-episcopa. He composed most of his memre, when he was a cor-episcopa.
He has written about 760 memmras (metrical homilies). The memre’ focusses on practices rather than principles. His memmras were on Blessed Virgin Mary, Annunciation, Creation, dominical feasts, veil of Moses, St Thomas, Melchizedek. After the Chalcedon synod, the faithful had to suffer a lot. However, Jacob of Serugh joined hands with Mar Severios, Patriarch of Antioch (AD 460 – 538) and Mar Philoxenos of Mabbug (A. D. 450-523) to protect the true faith. Jacob was ordained Bishop of Batnae in AD 519 when he was sixty-seven and a half years old.
He was a voluminous writer. His writings include those about the great men of the Old Testament, about angels, and the mysteries of the Son of God, two anaphora, an order of baptism, and six homilies – – on Nativity, Epiphany, Lent, Palm Sunday, The Passion, and the Resurrection. Apart from these he has written the biographies of Mor Daniel and Mor Hananiah. He was a holy bishop, a great Syrian ecclesiastic writer of his time, a poet with a clear formulation, whose thoughts were profound and amazing. His poems have never failed to astonish the reader. The opening credits of his poetry were beautiful and take the reader into the heart. He worked against the heresies (especially against Nestorius); he just stood and preached the true and healthy faith in God. Because of all his virtues, he is designated as a “universal teacher, Harp of the Holy Spirit, Harp of the Orthodox Church and decoration of the teachers.
On 29 November 521, Mar Jacob departed for his heavenly abode in the midst of writing a poem on Mary and Golgotha. The holy remains were interred at the Church in Serugh. The plaque on the tomb reads: “The Syrian Mar Jacob of Serugh, the Doctor and Consolidator of the true faith.” The feast of Mar Jacob of Serugh is celebrated on 29 November in the Orthodox Church.
Boovooso of Mar Jacob
Mathru vishudha smurti sambandham nalkuka Naadha………….
Praathichhaalum saubhaagyavathee prathichhaalum……..
Dhannye nin praathana mevatte njangallodonni…….
Udhaanathaal Than sabhaye veendonaam Puthraa……
0 Comments