Jacob Baradaeus
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox saint Jacob Baradaeus (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>), also known as Jacob bar Addai<ref>Gregory (2010), p. 138</ref> or Jacob bar Theophilus,<ref>Butin (1907)</ref> was the Bishop of Edessa from 543/544 until his death in 578. He is venerated as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox Churches and his feast day is 31 July.<ref name="Livingstone" >Livingstone (2006)</ref> Jacob's missionary efforts helped establish the non-Chalcedonian Syriac Orthodox Church, also known as the "Jacobite" Church after its eponymous leader, and ensured its survival despite persecution.<ref name="Livingstone" />
BackgroundEdit
Following the Council of Chalcedon 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.<ref name="SL3" /> Non-Chalcedonians lost political support at the ascension of Emperor Justin I in 518,<ref name="SL3">Saint-Laurent (2015), p. 3</ref> who subsequently persecuted non-Chalcedonians.<ref>Saint-Laurent (2015), p. 68</ref> 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.<ref>Saint-Laurent (2015), p. 96</ref>
BiographyEdit
Jacob was born in c. 500 in the city of Tall Mawzalt,<ref>Anderson (1999), p. 43</ref> and was the son of Theophilus bar Manu, a priest.<ref name="Barsoum"/> At the age of two, Jacob was left in the care of Eustathius, Abbot of the Monastery of Fsilta,<ref name="Venables">Venables (1911)</ref> and studied Greek, Syriac, and religious and theological texts.<ref name="Barsoum">Barsoum (2003), p. 100</ref> 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.<ref name="Ned">St. Jacob Baradaeus. Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church</ref> 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.<ref name="Ned"/> Later, Jacob was ordained a deacon and priest at the monastery.<ref name="Ned"/> At this time, Jacob became renowned as a miracle-worker and people came to him seeking healing.<ref name="Ned"/> 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.<ref name="Ned"/> He is also reputed to have ended the Siege of Edessa as Khosrow I was afflicted with a vision and abandoned the siege.<ref name="Ned"/>
Empress Theodora, a non-Chalcedonian, learned of Jacob and invited him to meet with her at Constantinople, however, he was reluctant to do so.<ref name="Ned"/> In a vision, Jacob was instructed to travel to Constantinople,<ref name="Ned"/> and thus, in c. 527, he arrived at the capital.<ref name="Irvin 2001 pp. 248">Irvin & Sunquist (2001), pp. 248–249</ref> Theodora received Jacob with honour, however, he was uninterested in life at court,<ref name="Venables"/> and entered the Monastery of Sykai,<ref name="Irvin 2001 pp. 248"/> where he remained for 15 years.<ref name="Livingstone" /> Whilst at Constantinople, he gained the favour of Theodora and Al-Harith ibn Jabalah, King of the Ghassanids, both fellow non-Chalcedonians.<ref name="Gregory">Gregory (1991)</ref> An outbreak of persecution of non-Chalcedonians carried out by Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch, spurred Empress Theodora and Al-Harith to urge Pope Theodosius I of Alexandria to consecrate bishops to counter Ephraim and ensure the survival of non-Chalcedonianism.<ref name="Gregory"/> Thus, Jacob was consecrated Bishop of Edessa by Pope Theodosius in Constantinople in 543/544.<ref name="Barsoum"/>
After his episcopal appointment, Jacob travelled to Alexandria,<ref name="Barsoum"/> where he, with two non-Chalcedonian bishops, consecrated Conon as Bishop of Tarsus and Eugenius as Bishop of Seleucia.<ref name="Venables"/> He then set about consecrating non-Chalcedonian clergymen throughout Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt.<ref name="Treadgold198">Treadgold (1997), p. 198</ref> 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.<ref name="Treadgold198" /> 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.<ref name="Gregory"/> Jacob ordained Sergius bar Karya as Bishop of Harran and Sergius of Tella as Patriarch of Antioch in 544.<ref name="Barsoum"/><ref name="Ned"/> After Sergius of Tella's death in 547, with Eugenius, Jacob ordained Paul as Patriarch of Antioch in 550.<ref name="Ned"/> Differences between Jacob and Eugenius and Conon later emerged and Jacob anathematised the pair for their adherence to Tritheism, and they anathematised Jacob on the accusation of adherence to Sabellianism.<ref name="Venables"/>
In 553, Emperor Justinian I convened the Second Council of Constantinople in an attempt to unite Chalcedonians and non-Chalcedonians.<ref name="Gregory318" /> 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.<ref name="Gregory318">Gregory (2010), p. 318</ref> Jacob ordained John of Ephesus as Bishop of Ephesus in 558.<ref>Saint-Laurent (2015), p. 74</ref> In 559, Jacob consecrated Ahudemmeh as Metropolitan of the East.<ref>Barsoum (2003), p. 99</ref> In 566, Jacob attended discussions held by Emperor Justin II at Constantinople between Chalcedonians and non-Chalcedonians with the goal of a compromise between the two factions.<ref name="Treadgold219">Treadgold (1997), pp. 219–220</ref> 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.<ref name="Treadgold219" /> 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.<ref name="Treadgold221" >Treadgold (1997), p. 221</ref> Jacob and the other bishops subsequently accepted communion from John Scholasticus, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.<ref name="Treadgold221" /> This angered many non-Chalcedonians, however, and the bishops withdrew their approval of the edict.<ref name="Treadgold221" />
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 non-Chalcedonians, and, in 576, Pope Peter IV of Alexandria 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-Harith's successor, and Paul attempted to discuss the conflict with Jacob, however, he refused to seek another compromise.<ref name="Venables"/>
Jacob, with several other bishops, abruptly left Syria with the intention of travelling to Alexandria.<ref name="Venables"/> 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.<ref name="Venables"/> 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.<ref>Barsoum (2003), p. 212</ref> Some historians note the name of the monastery as the Monastery of Cassian.<ref>St Gregorios Cathedral (Illinios) website</ref><ref>http://soc-wus.org/2011News/7302011135242.htm%7C Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch; Archdiocese of the Western United States website</ref>