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One of the most famous Church Fathers for his godliness and
piety, the greatest Apostolic fighter in support of the true faith, he attained
the summit of religious and austere asceticism. Subsequent to the Council of
Chalcedon in 451 AD, there remained no bishops in the Syriac Orthodox Church
towards the middle of the sixth century AD, except for three. Our Holy Syriac
Orthodox Church saw in the resolutions of the said Council a deviation from the
doctrine it received from the righteous Apostles and holy Fathers, whereas the
Byzantine state adopted its resolutions, and thus started persecuting those who
rejected them. The Byzantine state killed some of the rejecters and exiled
others. Others died as a result of the severity of persecution, and still others
were dislodged. In this crucial period, God sent to the church a brave man, the
monk Mor Ya`qub Burd`ono (St. Jacob Baradaeus), one of the greatest and foremost
among the leaders of the Syriac Orthodox Church who protected the Syriac
Orthodox Church against the attempts of its enemies to eradicate it. He
encouraged its followers to preserve the jewel of the Orthodox faith that it
received from the righteous Apostles and Fathers.
He was born at Tall Mawzalt ܬܠ ܡܘܙܠܬ (now Verensehir, Turkey), the son of a
priest named Theophilus bar Manu. While still young he became a monk at the
Monastery of Fsilta ܦܣܝܠܬܐ in the neighborhood of his homeland. At this
monastery he mastered the Syriac and Greek languages and penetrated deeply into
religious books and theological science as well as asceticism. He was a great
scholar, a successful preacher and a capable theologian, and was known by his
piety and working miracles. His rough garments became like saddle-cloth, hence
he was called Burd`ono.
In 528, he journeyed to Constantinople, and was received with great honor by
Empress Theodora, the daughter of a Syrian priest from Mabug (Manbej) and the
wife of Emperor Justinian. Empress Theodora served the non-Chalcedonian bishops
in distress. These were the Syrian and Coptic bishops, who were being persecuted
and executed. At the request of the Arab king al-Harith ibnjabalah al-Ghassani
andEmpress Theodora's efforts, he was ordained a universal bishop in 543/4 AD by
Mor Theodosius, Patriarch of Alexandria who was exiled at the time in
Constantinople. Three imprisoned bishops participated with Patriarch Athanasious
in laying hand. Mor Jacob, the universal bishop, set out on his mission touring
Syria, Egypt, Armenia, Cappadocia, Cilicia, Isauria, Pamphilia, Lycaonia, Lycia,
Phrygia, Cana, Asia Minor and the islands of Cyprus, Rhodes, Chios and Mitylene,
and also into Mesopotamia, and Persia. He visited and ministered to churches,
instructing and encouraging the Orthodox believers. Authorized by the patriarch,
he consecrated twenty-seven bishops and ordained a few thousand deacons and
priests, not for getting to return quite a few times to his monastery. He
continued this work for thirty-five years, indefatigably fighting the good fight
for the Church of Cod, which he supported in the time of adversity until he died
at the Monastery of Romanus or the Monastery of Cassian on July 29/30, 578 and
was commemorated by the Church.
St. Jacob drew up a liturgy in fifteen pages beginning with "0 Lord, the most
holy Father of peace," and several letters, four of which were published in the
Syriac Documents - three addressed to John of Ephesus and others, and a general
letter to the bishops and priests which is mentioned in his lengthy biography.
Source:
Website of the Archdiocese of the Western United States
@ MSCR - Malankara Syriac Christian Resources
contact email: mscrp@live.com