Jacob Of Edessa Analysis

The Response to Change:
Analyzing the Writings and Instruction of Jacob of Edessa

Adjusting to change is extremely difficult in our contemporary church culture. It is most challenging because it requires organizations to adjust their traditions to something that is new and unfamiliar. Progressive Christianity rarely makes connections with current contexts to that of early Christianity. How did they handle changing climates? My research paper seeks to analyze the responses of Jacob of Edessa to the increasing reign of Muslims between 684 and 708. How were the Christians told to react to the changing climate of their society? How did they manage their interactions with the Muslims while the Muslims were rebelling and civil wars were taking
His early training in the scriptures and doctrine was done by a very respected rural bishop named Cyriacus. Jacob later went on to study at Aphthonia, a monastery. At the monastery, it is speculated that Jacob’s teacher was the famous scholar Severus Sebokt. It was at this stage in his life that he began to study Greek. This proved to be useful being that he went on to study the Greek psalter. He later went to study in Alexandria where he ended up completing his studies before returning to Syria. When back in Edessa he was consecrated as the Bishop sometime after 684 (Ter 2008). However, while bishop he faced some challenges with the local clergy. His zeal for the ecclesiastical law resulted in a fall out with the bishops for their lack of enforcement of the law. The bishops hoped for a compromise but his refusal is what caused his resignation. However, Jacob did not go quietly. He ended up burning a copy of the canons outside the patriarchate which signified his protest (Ter 2008). He retired to a convent where he wrote two sermons on admonition. One sermon was against higher clergy and the second about offenders of the law. He then transitioned to another convent where he was asked to utilize his earlier training in Greek to revive the study of Greek there (Ter 2008). At the convent in Eusebona, he stayed for eleven years until he was forced out by some monks who did not like the Greek teaching. He then moved to the convent of Tell Adda where he stayed for nine years teaching seven of his students, engaged in the work of correcting the Old Testament. He then moved for a final time to serve as Bishop of Edessa again but only for four months due to his death. He died in 708 (Ter