Jacob of Serugh

Jakob von Sarug, occasionally Jacob of Jacob Serugh or of Batnä, (* 451 in Kurtam, † November 29 521) was a bishop and one of the most important Syrian / Aramaic hymn poet.

Life

About his life little is known. He was consecrated bishop in 519. His Christological theology, which he represented in the nachchalzedonischen era was problematic. He left a very large number of Memre ( speeches) and a series of letters. The Syriac Orthodox monastery in Warburg is named after him.

Jakob von Sarug was born in about 451 Kurtam on the Euphrates, which was probably due in Upper Mesopotamia. His father was said to be a priest. His mother's infertility was, according to tradition, overcome, as in the biblical role models, through sacrifice and prayer. Jacob was a Syrian ascetic, ecclesiastical writers and later Bishop of Batnae (now Suruc ). Batnae is near Edessa and later became known as Sarug, during the time of Jacob Sarug was the name for the whole area. Jacob wrote about himself, he had studied at the school of the Persians in Edessa. He has stayed around the year 470 there. The Antiochene Christology of the two natures of Christ, whom he met there, he refused. With its Christological position he stood between the Alexandrian theology and teaching of the Council of Chalcedon. He was the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, which prevailed in Edessa, though hostile, but did not let on in this regard faith controversies. In his homily, the influence of Monophysitism remained so low that Orthodoxy could take him lay claim later. The few homilies that opposed the were considered to be foisted. Jacob wrote of Sarug homilies, hymns, apocryphal acts of the apostles and saints. In his letters on Biblical exegesis, he advocated a moderate allegory. In dealing with the Judaism he defended the Messiahship of Jesus. Jacob lived after his student years as an ascetic, but was still the Visitor for the area of Haura appointed. Then he became bishop of Batnae. Jakob von Sarug died on 29 November 521, in the 68th year, after a two and a half years of episcopate.

Jacob's position at the Council of Chalcedon

The formula of the two natures in one hypostasis brought great problems, since the Greek terms could not be adequately translated into Syriac. In Syriac, the terms for Nature ( kyana ) and hypostasis ( qnoma ) are mutually dependent. Therefore, one could usefully speak of a natural and a hypostasis or from two natures and two hypostases. What intuition Jacob represented, but is controversial. He was 518 Bishop, especially in the year of the Emperor Justin I. a settlement with Rome and the adherents of the Council of Chalcedon was looking for. This was often designed so that Jacob must have been a supporter of the Council. Letters in which Jacob took a antichalcedonensische Christology, were declared to be not authentic. On the other hand, the church-political situation was so confused that you can not close on its own theology of Jacob Bishop appointment. In the - probably true - letters to Mar bass from the year 512 Jacob represents a Christology that is called miaphysitisch. Two natures would mean a splitting of Christ. One should not count and string together the natures. Two natures led Jacob to two hypostases, since it considers the terms for Nature ( kyana ) and hypostasis ( qnoma ) as synonyms. It is based on the mia physis formula of Cyril of Alexandria. But Jacob was not a radical Monophysite. He held that Christ full of God and full man. The Confessions of Nicaea and Constantinople Opel he regarded as sufficient and leaned Chalcedon as unnecessary additional from. The Henotikon, the compromise formula Emperor Zeno, he supposed. Jacob was referring to the other side of a clear position against Nestorius. Jacob theology in the tradition of Cyril of Alexandria and the Alexandrian Christology, but also in the tradition of Syrian theology, which he met in Edessa, in particular Ephrem the Syrian. Jacob Priess the inscrutability of God and criticized the scholars who wanted to investigate the nature of God and have fallen out just in different schools of thought. The believer can speak of God only in pictures, his true nature is unfathomable for the creature.

Work

Jacob was known by Sarug especially for its metrical homilies. In them, Jacob treats the Old and New Testament, apocryphal literature, apostles, saints, church festivals and mysteries. In addition, there are homilies in prose, verse, songs, hymns and letters. Sure some of it is not from Jacob himself, but the scope of genuine writings is controversial.

Swell

• Paul Bedjan (ed.): Homiliae selectae Mar -Jacobi Sarugensis IV Leipzig 1908/1910.
• Peter Nagel: Jakob von Sarug, in: RGG IV Tübingen 4th edition 2001.
• Christian Lange: Jakob von Syrus, in: Wassilios Klein ( ed.): Syrian church fathers. Stuttgart 2004.
• Olinder G. (ed.): Jacobi Sarugensis Epistolae quotquot super sunt ( = CSCO, Scriptores Syri, Series II, vol 45. ). Paris 1937. Repr Louvain 1965.

• Gustav Bickell (ed.): Selected Poems of the Syrian Church Fathers. Cyrillonas, Isaac of Antioch, Jacob of Sarug ( BKV 77), Kempten, 1872.
• S. Landersdorfer (ed.): Selected Writings of the Syrian poet Cyrillonas, Isaac of Antioch, Jacob of Sarug, ( BKV second series, Volume 6 ), Kempten, 1912.