The Church in the Salvific Plan of God and the Motherhood of the Church in the Writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug: A Study on the Ecclesiology of Mar Jacob of Sarug [1 ed.] 9783631853047, 9783631853788, 9783631853795, 3631853041

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The Church in the Salvific Plan of God and the Motherhood of the Church in the Writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug

Titus Cheravallil John OIC

The Church in the Salvific Plan of God and the Motherhood of the Church in the Writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug A Study on the Ecclesiology of Mar Jacob of Sarug

Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available online at http://dnb.d-nb.de. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-3-631-85304-7 (Print) E-ISBN 978-3-631-85378-8 (E-PDF) E-ISBN 978-3-631-85379-5 (EPUB) DOI 10.3726/b18359 © Peter Lang GmbH Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften Berlin 2022 All rights reserved. Peter Lang – Berlin ∙ Bern ∙ Bruxelles ∙ New York ∙ Oxford ∙ Warszawa ∙ Wien All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems. This publication has been peer reviewed. www.peterlang.com

Table of Contents Acknowledgments ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  15 Syriac Transliteration Table �������������������������������������������������������������������������  19

A. Consonants �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  19



B. Vowels ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  20

Abbreviations ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  21 General Introduction ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  23

1. Why Ecclesiology ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  23



2. Method of the Study ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������  27



3. Hypothesis of the Study �����������������������������������������������������������������������������  27



4. The Structure of the Study ������������������������������������������������������������������������  28



5. The Relevance of the Study �����������������������������������������������������������������������  30

Chapter I Mar Jacob of Sarug and his Theological Thoughts ������  33

Introduction ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  33



1. Life and Early Activities �������������������������������������������������������������  33 1.1. Early Period of his Life ���������������������������������������������������������  34 1.2. The Initial Literary Activities �����������������������������������������������  35 1.3. His Ministry as Chorepiscopo and Episcopo ��������������������  37



2. The Literary Works of Mar Jacob ����������������������������������������������  39 2.1. The Metrical Homilies (Mēmrē) �����������������������������������������  42 2.1.1. The Date of Composing of the Metrical Homilies ����������������������������������������������������������������������  43 2.1.2. The Audience of his Metrical Homilies ������������������  44 2.1.3. The Characteristics of the Metrical Homilies ��������  45



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2.1.3.1. Mēmrē as Divine Revelation ����������������������  46 2.1.3.2. The Enigmatic Content of the Mēmrē ������  47 2.2. Madrōšē ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������  48 2.3. Sugitō ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  49 2.4. Bowutō ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  49 2.5. The Other Poetic Forms of Mar Jacob ��������������������������������  50 2.6. The Prose Homilies of Mar Jacob ����������������������������������������  50 2.7. Letters �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  50



3. The Profane and the Religious Background of Mar Jacob �����  51



4. The Theological Ambiance of Mar Jacob ���������������������������������  56



5. The Christological Position of Mar Jacob ��������������������������������  62



6. The Orthodoxy of Mar Jacob �����������������������������������������������������  66



7. Mar Jacob as an Exegete �������������������������������������������������������������  70



8. Historical Background of Mar Jacob’s Exegetical Tradition ��  71



9. The Exegesis of Mar Jacob ����������������������������������������������������������  74 9.1. The Scriptural Text of Mar Jacob �����������������������������������������  74 9.2. The Meaning of Exegesis ������������������������������������������������������  75 9.3. The Necessity of Exegesis �����������������������������������������������������  79 9.4. The Different Levels of Meaning �����������������������������������������  82 9.4.1. The Literal and Spiritual Meaning ���������������������������  82 9.4.2. Typological Meaning �������������������������������������������������  87 9.4.2.1. The Meaning of ‘Type’ �����������������������������  88 9.4.2.2. Type and Prophecy ����������������������������������  91 9.4.2.3. The Pedagogical Function of the Type ��  92



10. The Theological Thought of Mar Jacob ��������������������������������  94 10.1. Symbols of the Scriptures and the Nature ��������������������  97 10.2. The Nature of Mar Jacob’s Theological Thinking ��������  99 10.3. The Theologizing Method of Mar Jacob ���������������������  100



Conclusion ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  105

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Chapter II The Notion of the Church in the Writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug ��������������������������������������������������������������������������  107

Introduction ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������  107



I. The Concepts of the Church ������������������������������������������������  107 ܳ ܶ Bēyt 1. The Church as the House of God )‫ܒܝܬ ܱܐ ܳܗܐ‬/​ Ālōhō( �����������������������������������������������������������������������������  108 1.1. The House of God in the Bible ����������������������������  111 1.2. The Church: The House of Clouds ܶܶ )‫ܥ̈ܪܦܠ‬ ‫ ܶܒܝܬ‬/​Bēyt ‘Arpēlē) �����������������������������������������  111 1.3. The Church: The House of Profits ܶ Bēyt Yutrōnē( ����������������������������������������  114 )‫ܒܝܬ ܽܝܘܬ̈ܪ ܶܳܢܐ‬/​ ܶ Bēyt Gāzō(   115 1.4. The Church: The Treasury )‫ܒܝܬ ܰܓ ܳܙܐ‬/​ ܳ ܽ 2. The Church: A Community )‫ܟܢܘܫܬܐ‬/​ Knuštō( �������������  119 2.1. The Community around the Mystery ����������������  120 2.2. The Community of the Son ���������������������������������  121 2.3. The Daughter of the Nation and the Nations ����  125 2.3.1. The Election of the People of Israel ��������  127 2.3.2. The Rejection of God’s Plan by the People of Israel ������������������������������������������  128 2.3.3. The Election of Gentiles in Place of Israel �����������������������������������������������������������  130 2.3.3.1. The Types of the Election of Gentiles ��������������������������������������  132 2.4. The Community Prefigured on the Mountain ���  133 ܳ 3. The Church as Mystery )‫ܐ̱ܪ ܳܙܐ‬/​Rōzō( ������������������������������  135 3.1. The Church as Mistress of Mysteries ܳ Mōrāt Rōzē( ���������������������������������������������  137 )‫ܡ ܰܪܬ ܐ̱ ܳ̈ܪܳ ܷܙܱܐ‬/​ ܳ ܺ ܳܳ 3.2. Rachel: The Mystery of the Church )‫ܕܥ ̱ܕܬܐ‬ ‫ܐ̱ܪܙܐ‬/​ Rōzō d ‘Itō( ������������������������������������������������������������  139 3.3. The Mystery of the Church in Tamar �����������������  141



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II. The Symbols that Reveal the Church ����������������������������������  143 1. The Church as Bride ����������������������������������������������������������  144 1.1. The Bride in the Bible ������������������������������������������������  146 1.2. The Betrothal of the Heavenly Bridegroom and the Earthly Bride ��������������������������������������������������������  148 1.2.1. Betrothal at Mount Sinai �������������������������������  149 1.2.2. Betrothal at Jordan �����������������������������������������  150 1.2.3. Betrothal at Tabor �������������������������������������������  152 1.2.4. Betrothal at Golgotha ������������������������������������  153 ܳ ܽ ܶ 1.3. The Wedding Feast )‫ܡܫܬܘܬܐ‬/​ Mēštutō( ����������������������  154 ܽ ܳ ܰ 1.4. The Bridal Chamber )‫ܓܢܘܢܐ‬/​Gānunō( �����������������������  157 ܳ ܰ ܳ ‫ܠܬܐ‬ 1.5. The Bride of Blood (‫ܕܕܡܐ‬ ‫ )ܟ‬and the Bride of ܳ ܽ ܳ ܰ Light (‫  ��������������������������������������������������������� )ܟܠܬܐ ܕܢܘܗܪܐ‬159 1.6. The Theological Significance of the Symbol of Bride ����������������������������������������������������������������������������  162 ܳ ܺ ܳ ܽ 2. The Church as Tabernacle (‫ܫܟܝܢܬܐ‬/​ Škintō/​‫ܟܘܒܬܐ‬/​ Kubtō( �  164 2.1. The Biblical Foundation of the Symbol of Tabernacle �������������������������������������������������������������������  165 2.2. The Symbol of Tabernacle and the Church ������������  166 2.3. The Theological Significance of the Symbol of Tabernacle �������������������������������������������������������������������  167 ܳ ܶ ​Sēbaltō( �������������������������  173 3. The Church as Ladder )‫ܣܒܠܬܐ‬/ 3.1. The Symbol of Ladder and the Church �������������  173 3.2. Theological Significance of the Symbol of Ladder �������������������������������������������������������������������  176 ܺ Lminō( ����������������������  177 4. The Church as a Harbour )‫ܠܡ ܳܝܢܐ‬/​ 4.1. The Symbol of Harbour and the Church ����������  178 4.2. The Theological Significance of the Symbol of Harbour ������������������������������������������������������������  179 Conclusion ���������������������������������������������������������������������������  180

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Chapter III The Church in the Divine Economy of Salvation ���  183

Introduction ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������  183



1. The Role of the Church in the Divine Economy of Salvation ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������  183 1.1. The Creation of the World and Adam ��������������������������  185 1.1.1. The Creation of the World ����������������������������������  186 1.1.2. The Creation of Adam �����������������������������������������  187 1.1.3. The Fall of Adam and Expulsion from the Paradise �����������������������������������������������������������������  189 1.2. The Search of God for the Fallen Adam �����������������������  192 1.3. The Prefiguration of the Church �����������������������������������  193 1.4. The Nativity of the Son ���������������������������������������������������  194 1.5. The Incarnation and the Church �����������������������������������  196 1.6. The Church on the Road of Salvation ���������������������������  199 1.6.1. The Church at Jordan ������������������������������������������  200 1.6.1.1. The Types of the Church at Jordan �����  202 1.6.1.2. The Baptism of John the Baptist and the Baptism of Christ ��������������������  203 1.6.1.3. The Womb of Jordan �����������������������������  204 1.6.1.4. The Bride of the Nation and Nations at Jordan �����������������������������������  206 1.6.2. The Church at Golgotha ��������������������������������������  210 1.6.2.1. The Flow of Water and Blood beget the Church ����������������������������������������������  213 1.6.2.2. The Types of the Church on Golgotha  214 1.6.2.2.1. The Patriarch Jacob and the Mystery of the Church ��  214 1.6.2.2.2. Golgotha: The House of Holy Things ��������������������������  216 1.6.2.2.3. The Church with an Altar on Golgotha ����������������  218



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2. The Church and the Paradise �����������������������������������������������  221 2.1. The Church and the Paradise in the writings of Mar Jacob ��������������������������������������������������������������������������  224 2.1.1. The Tree of Life �����������������������������������������������������  225 2.1.2. The Tree of Life and the Cross ����������������������������  226 2.1.3. The Church as the Garden of Eden on Earth ���  227 2.1.4. The Heavenly and the Earthly Church ��������������  230 2.1.4.1. The Vision of Moses and his Construction of the Church �����������������  231 2.1.4.2. Ezekiel’s Vision of the Heavenly and the Earthly Church ������������������������  233



3. The Church and the Kingdom ���������������������������������������������  237 3.1. The Thief and his Entry into the Kingdom ������������������  240 3.2. The Kingdom and the Heavenly Marriage Banquet ���  242



Conclusion �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������  244

Chapter IV The Motherhood of the Church �������������������������������������  245

Introduction ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������  245



1. The Concept of the Motherhood of the Church ����������������  245 1.1. The Image of the Motherhood of the Church in Scripture ����������������������������������������������������������������������������  248 1.2. The Motherhood of the Church in the Patristic Literatures �������������������������������������������������������������������������  249 1.3. The Motherhood of the Church in the Early Syrian Literatures �������������������������������������������������������������������������  250 1.4. The Motherhood of the Church in the Writings of Mar Ephrem ���������������������������������������������������������������������  252 1.5. The Motherhood of the Church in the Liturgical Texts �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������  254 1.6. Mar Jacob’s Understanding of the Motherhood of the Church ������������������������������������������������������������������������  256



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2. The Motherhood of the Church and her Birth on Golgotha ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������  256



3. The Church as the Mother of Life ����������������������������������������  259 3.1. The Church and the Image of the Life-​Giving Fishnet   260



4. Baptism and the New Life ����������������������������������������������������  262 4.1. The Types of Baptism ������������������������������������������������������  265 4.2. Baptism provides ‘Sonship’ ���������������������������������������������  269 4.3. The Imageries of Life and the New Birth ����������������������  271 ܽ ‘Ubō) ����������������������������������������  272 ܳ ‫ܥ‬/​ 4.3.1. The Womb (‫ܘܒܐ‬ 4.3.1.1. The Womb of Baptism ��������������������������  272 4.3.1.2. The Baptismal Water as the Womb �����  273 ܳ ܽ 4.3.2. The Furnace (‫ܟܘܪܐ‬/​ Kurō) ���������������������������������������  275 4.3.3. The Robe of Glory ������������������������������������������������  276 ܳ ܺ Birō Ḥādtō) �������������������  280 4.3.4. The New Well )‫ܒ ܳܝܪܐ ܰܚܕܬܐ‬/​ 4.4. Baptism: A Representation of Death and Resurrection of Christ �����������������������������������������������������  282



5. The Life through Nourishment ��������������������������������������������  284 5.1. The Eucharist Provides Life ��������������������������������������������  285 5.1.1. The Types of the Eucharist ����������������������������������  288 ܺ Pirō d ܰ ‫ܦ ܳܝܪܐ‬/​ 5.1.2. The Eucharist as Fruit of Life )‫ܕܚ ̈ܶܝܐ‬ Ḥāyē) ���������������������������������������������������������������������  291 ܺܳ 5.1.3. The Eucharist as Tree of Life )‫ܐܢ ܰܚ ̈ܶܝܐ‬/​Ilōn Ḥāyē) ���������������������������������������������������������������������  293 ܰ 5.1.4. The Eucharist as Medicine of Life )‫ܣܡ ܰܚ ̈ܶܝܐ‬/​ Sām Ḥāyē) �������������������������������������������������������������  296 ܳ ܽ ܳ ܰ ‫ܘܪܐ‬ 5.1.5. The Eucharist as Table of Life )‫ܕܚ ̈ܶܝܐ‬ ‫ܦܬ‬/​ Pōturō d Ḥāyē) �����������������������������������������������������  301 5.1.6. The Eucharist as a Spiritual Fountain of Living Waters ��������������������������������������������������������  302



6. The Life through Teaching ���������������������������������������������������  304



7. The Theological Significance of the Motherhood of the Church ������������������������������������������������������������������������������  306



Conclusion �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������  310

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Chapter V Mary and the Motherhood of the Church �������������������  313

Introduction ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������  313



1. Mary and the Church in the Syrian Literature ��������������������  313



2. Mary and the Church in the writings of Mar Jacob ������������  317 2.1. The Imageries of Mary and the Church ��������������������������  322 2.1.1. The Imagery of Building ���������������������������������������  322 2.1.2. The Imagery of Second Heaven ����������������������������  324 2.1.3. The Imagery of the Chariot ����������������������������������  326



3. The Motherhood of the Church and Mary ��������������������������  329 3.1. Eve: Mary and the Church �����������������������������������������������  330 3.1.1. Church: The New Eve ��������������������������������������������  332 3.1.2. Mary and the Church: The Mother of Life ���������  333 3.2. The Virginity of Mary and the Church ���������������������������  335 3.2.1. The Imagery of the Virgin Motherhood of Mary and the Church ��������������������������������������������  338 3.2.2. Baptism is a Virgin Mother �����������������������������������  339



Conclusion ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  341

General Conclusion ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  343

1. Mar Jacob and his Method of Theologizing �����������������������������������������  343



2. The Ecclesiological Perceptions in the Writings of Mar Jacob �����������  346



3. The Motherhood of the Church �������������������������������������������������������������  352



4. The Ecclesiological Model of Mar Jacob �����������������������������������������������  355



5. The Relevance of the Ecclesial Model of Mar Jacob ����������������������������  357

Table of Contents

13

Appendix I The Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church ��������������������������������������������������������  383 The Love of God for Israel ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������  385 The Meaning of the Ascent of Moses to the Top of the Mountain ������������������  386 Moses Prepares the Bride According to the Covenant ������������������������������������  388 Moses Resembles Christ �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  389 The Election of the Bride and the Instructions of Moses ��������������������������������  390 The Descent of God and the Response of Heavenly and Earthly Beings �������  392 The Descent of God on the Mount Sinai ����������������������������������������������������������  393 The Events on the Mount Sinai and the Birth of the Church �������������������������  395 The Attitude of Moses, the Nation and the Corrupter ������������������������������������  396 The Wedding at Mount Sinai ����������������������������������������������������������������������������  397 The Bridegroom’s Arrival on the Mountain �����������������������������������������������������  401 Moses’ Ascend to the Most Holy One ���������������������������������������������������������������  403 The Relation of the Event on Mount Sinai and the Son of God ���������������������  405

Appendix II On the Consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses ����������������������������������������������������������������������  407 Moses Manifests the Church �����������������������������������������������������������������������������  408 Moses’ Vision of the Church ������������������������������������������������������������������������������  410 The Mystery of the Church ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������  412 Moses the Veil of Mysteries �������������������������������������������������������������������������������  414

Index of Bible Quotations ���������������������������������������������������������������������������  417 Old Testament ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  417

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations �������������������������������������������������  421 Mar Jacob of Sarug ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������  421

Acknowledgments This book is the doctoral dissertation defended at the Faculty of Theology of Philosophisch-​Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main. It deals with the ecclesiological themes in the writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug, a West Syrian Church father, who lived in the fifth and sixth century. As I come to the completion of the journey of my doctoral project, I wish to express my gratitude to all those who helped me for their indispensable support. My sincere thanks first of all goes to my moderator, Prof. Dr. Dr. Theresia Hainthaler, for accepting me as a doctoral student and patiently accompanying me throughout this work with useful inputs, suggestions and corrections. She was deeply involved in the development of this study right from the very beginning. Her friendly encouragements, unfailing support, constant availability, and constructive comments made the burden of this study lighter to a great extent. I remain indebted to her. I also express my gratitude to Prof. Dr. Karl Pinggéra, the second reader of the thesis, who is the professor of Church History at the Philipps University Marburg. As I complete my doctoral thesis, I gratefully remember all the professors of Philosophisch-​Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen, whose lectures have contributed largely to complete this study in a comprehensive manner. I also remember with gratitude Frau Petra Muth, and the staff of the library for their constant support to complete this work. I remember with gratitude the superiors of my religious congregation, Order of the Imitation of Christ, who inspired, encouraged, and supported me to pursue this study. In a special way, I remember Rev. Fr. Jerome Peedikaparambil OIC, who sent me to Germany to pursue my studies in the field of patristics. I also very much thankful to Rev. Fr. Jose Mariadas OIC, my former superior general, and Rev. Fr. Jose Kuruvila Peedikayil OIC, my present superior general for their caring support. I am very much beholden to Rev. Fr. Geevarghese Kuttiyil OIC, my former provincial superior, and Rev. Fr. Mathew Thiruvalil OIC, my present provincial superior, for their unfailing support, keen interest, and encouragement. I graciously acknowledge the constant encouragement that I have received from His Beatitude Cardinal Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis, the Catholicos and the Major Archbishop of the Syro-​Malankara Catholic Church. I am indeed thankful to Bishop Thomas Mar Antonios OIC, the Bishop of the Eparchy of

16

Acknowledgments

Saint Ephrem of Khadki, Pune for his loving care and brotherly accompanying and encouragement. I am very much indebted to ‘Aid to the Church in Need’ for providing me the financial assistance for the major part of this study. I am thankful to the Catholic parish St. Franziskus, Bassersdorf, Zürich, and the parish members for their enduring support and financial assistance for my studies. I thankfully remember the community of Menzingen Schwestern vom Heiligen Geist, Zug, for their loving care and constant support. My special thanks go to the Syro-​ Malankara community, Frankfurt for their support and encouragement. At this juncture, I express my gratitude to all the scholars, who extended me their valuable support at different stages in the formation of this work. Particularly, I thank Dr. Sebastian Brock, Dr. Robert Kitchen, Dr. Mary Hansbury, Rev. Ramban Dr. Roger Akhrass, Rev. Fr. Dr. Armando Elkhoury, Fr. Samuel Nedelsky of Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, Rev. Fr. Dr. Thomas Kollamparampil, and Simon Birol for rendering me their scholarly works, which are not available in the libraries. I owe my special gratitude to Rev. Fr. Dr. Jacob Thekeparampil, the director of SEERI, who coaxed me into the world of Syriac patrology through his constant encouragement. I am grateful to Imad Syryany, the co-​editor of the ‘160 unpublished homilies of Jacob of Serugh,’ for correcting my translations of the homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug. I am fully aware that it would not have been possible to accomplish this study without the help of Dr. Philip Michael Forness of Goethe Universität, Frankfurt am Main, whose constant availability to help me in finding the sources and the edited works of Mar Jacob of Sarug. I am very much indebted to him at the completion of my study. I express my sincere thanks to all my companions, with whom I lived and studied in Kolleg Sankt Georgen, for their love and encouragement. I acknowledge my profound gratitude to Rev. Frs. Santhosh Koickal and Tom Mulanjananny VC for their caring accompaniment and moral support. I sincerely thank Frau Dr. Renate Maier, who helped me to improve my German language and for being with me always as an inspiration for my study in Germany. I graciously remember Rev. Sr. Thamim SIC for her prayer and support during the journey of my studies. I thank all my friends in Germany and in Switzerland, who helped me during these years, especially Vinoo Mukkadan, Baiju John, Roy Vayalathu, Boby John, Sindhu Varghese, Sophy Roy, Smitha Rose Thomas, and Deepthi Cherian, for their love, care, and encouragement. Last but not least, I graciously remember my departed beloved father, who taught me Syriac language and inspired me to plunge into the ocean of the

Acknowledgments

17

patristic studies. I cherish to recall thankfully the prayerful accompaniment and support of my beloved mother and my sisters and my younger brother. ‘The mighty one has done great things for me’ (Lk 1:49). The guiding hand and the protective care of God Almighty has brought me so far. As I complete my strenuous journey of long years of study, I praise my Lord, who provided me His care and guided me under His wings.

Syriac Transliteration Table A. Consonants Transliteration

Consonants

‘

‫ܐ‬

b

‫ܒ‬

c

‫ܓ‬

d

‫ܕ‬

h

‫ܗ‬

w

‫ܘ‬

z

‫ܙ‬

ḥ

‫ܚ‬

ṭ

‫ܛ‬

y

‫ܝ‬

k

‫ܟ‬

l

‫ܠ‬

m

‫ܡ‬

n

‫ܢ‬

s

‫ܣ‬

‘

‫ܥ‬

p

‫ܦ‬

ṣ

‫ܨ‬

q

‫ܩ‬

r

‫ܪ‬

š

‫ܫ‬

t

‫ܬ‬

20

Syriac Transliteration Table

B. Vowels Transliteration a ō ē i u

Vowels ◌ܰ ◌ܳ ◌ܶ ◌ܺ ◌ܽ

Abbreviations Abbreviations for journals and series follow S.M. Schwertner, IATG2. Internationales Abkürzungsverzeichnis für Theologie und Grenzgebiete (Berlin, New York2 1992). In addition to Schwertner, note also those in the following list. CCT

Christ in Christian Tradition, Vol.1, J. Bowden (tran.), Oxford, 1965; London, 19752; Vol.2,1, P. Allen and J. Cawte (tran.), London, Oxford, 1987; Vol.2,2, P. Allen and J. Cawte (tran.), London, Louisville KY, 1995; Vol.2,3, T. Hainthaler (ed.), Oxford, 2013. Dem Demonstrations of Aphrahat EEC Encyclopedia of the Early Church, Vols. I-​II, Cambridge, 1992. ET English Translation FH Festal Homilies, T. Kollamparampil (tran.), Rome, 1997. FT French Translation GT German Translation Harp The Harp, Kottayam, I, 1985 ff. HAzym Des heiligen Ephrem des Syrers Hymnen de Azymes, E. Beck (ed. and tran.), CSCO 248/​249 (Scr.Syr. 108/​109), Louvain, 1964. HCJ Homélies Contre Les Juifs, M. Albert (ed. and tran.), PO 38, fasc.1, Turnhout, 1976, [References to this volume are indicated with the abbreviation HCJ + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + line(s)] HCru Des heiligen Ephrem des Syrers Hymnen de Crucifixione, E. Beck (ed. and tran.), CSCO 248/​249 (Scr.Syr. 108/​109), Louvain, 1964. HEcc Des heiligen Ephrem des Syrers Hymnen de Ecclesia, E. Beck (ed. and tran.), CSCO 198/​199 (Scr.Syr. 84/​85), Louvain, 1960. HFid Des heiligen Ephrem des Syrers Hymnen de Fide, E. Beck (ed. and tran.) CSCO 154/​155 (Scr.Syr. 73/​74), Louvain, 1955. HJS Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, Vols. I-​VI, S.P. Brock (ed.), Piscataway, 2006, [References to these volumes are indicated with the abbreviation HJS + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + line(s)] HPar Des heiligen Ephrem des Syrers Hymnen de Paradiso und Contra Julianum, CSCO 174/​175 (Scr.Syr. 78/​79), Louvain, 1957. HS Homiliae selectae Mar Jacobi Sarugensis, Vols. I-​V, P. Bedjan (ed.), Paris-​Leipzig, 1905–​1910, [References to these volumes are indicated

22

Abbreviations

with the abbreviation HS + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + line(s)] HTM The Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, USA HVir Des heiligen Ephrem des Syrers Hymnen de Virginitate, CSCO 223/​ 224 (Scr.Syr. 94/​95), Louvain, 1962. JSSt Journal of Semitic Studies, Manchester, I, 1955 ff. JSTC Journal of St. Thomas Christians, Rajkot, I, 1980 ff. Letter Iacobi Sarugensis Epistulae quotquot supersunt, G. Olinder (ed.), Paris, 1937, (CSCO 110, Scr. Syr. II, 45, Louvain, 1965), [All references regarding this source in this in this dissertation are from CSCO 110; References to this volume are indicated with the abbreviation Letter + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + line(s)] MHMJS The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug, Piscataway, 2008. Mus Le Muséon, Louvain, I, 1882 ff. OrSyr L’Orient Syrien, Paris, I, 1956 ff. OstKst Ostkirchliche Studien, Würzburg, I, 1952 ff. QHC Quatre Homélies métriques sur la Création, K. Alwan (ed.), CSCO 508/​509, Scr. Syr. 214/​215, Louvain, 1989, [References to this volume are indicated with the abbreviation QHC + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + line(s)] SHF Six Homélies Festales en Prose, F. Rilliet (ed. and tran.), Turnhout, 1986, [References to this volume are indicated with the abbreviation SHF + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + line(s)] SMS S. Martyrii, qui et Sahdona, quae supersunt omnia, P. Bedjan (ed.), Paris, 1902, pp. 614–​865, [References to this volume are indicated with the abbreviation SMS + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + line(s)] TV The True Vine, Roslindale, USA, I, 1989 ff. UHJS Unpublished Homilies of Jacob of Serugh, R. Akhrass and I. Syryany (ed.), Damascus, 2017. WuWS Wort und Wahrheit –​Supplementary issue, Wien, 1971.

General Introduction Mar Jacob of Sarug (+521), a sixth century West Syrian poet, influenced the theological development of the Churches of Syrian tradition, especially of the West Syrian tradition. As a prominent teacher and orator of his time, ‘he addresses mainly the socio-​religious and theological issues of his period by the thrust of his acquired tradition with its Hellenistic influences.’1 Though he was more engaged with addressing the theological issues of his time, in the voluminous corpus of his writings, especially in his verse homilies (mēmrē) and in his prose homilies (turgōmē), he explains the scriptural incidents and themes of Christian faith with its typological and symbolic meaning. Therefore, like the most important personalities of early Syriac tradition, Aphrahat and Ephrem, he also expressed his thoughts through typology and imagery either traditional (i.e. in terms of New Testament themes) or freely invented. Hence a study on the symbolic and typological thought patterns of Mar Jacob is necessary to expound his theological pattern, which is quite vital for theological reflection.

1.  Why Ecclesiology The systematic treatise on Church is called ecclesiology. Though a kind of such treatise on the Church appeared late in the history of Christian thought,2 the articulation of the Church and its relation to Christ is found in the Gospels as well as in the letters of St Paul. In the Gospel of Mat 28:16–​20; Mat 16:18; Jn 21:15–​18 and in Gal 1:6–​9, we see that the Church has been commissioned to proclaim the revelations of God’s Salvation. St Paul also explains in Eph 1:22–​23 that the Church is Christ’s body. The early interpretations of the biblical texts, particularly the interpretations of the ‘Songs of Songs,’ narrated the relationship between the Church and Christ as a relationship between a bride and a groom. According to authors like Paul Tanner, the traces of the allegorical interpretation of the ‘Songs of Songs,’ are found in the early Jewish Midrash.3 The early Christian commentators of the Bible applied a similar allegorical method in their interpretation of the Song, viewing the bridegroom as Jesus Christ and the bride

1 T. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ According to Jacob of Serugh, Bangalore, 2001, 2. 2 Cf. P. Avis (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Ecclesiology, Oxford, 2018, 1–​2. 3 Cf. P. Tanner, The History of Interpretation of Song of Songs, in: Bibliotheca Sacra 154 (1997), 26–​27.

24

General Introduction

as His church.4 Mark W. Elliott also points out, ‘some verses in the Song focus on the figure of the Groom. These inspired most early Christian writers to speak of the Word as that Groom, the agent or person in Christ who continues to play the initiating role towards souls, drawing them into following him.’5 In spite of such references of relationship between the Church and Christ, only in the end of the Middle ages we see the attempts of formulating a systematic treatise on the Church. It began in the West and reached its culmination at the Second Vatican Council. In this development of ecclesiological thought, scholars often distinguish three phases which are essentially related:6 (1) The fathers and the theologians up to the Middle Ages; (2) the formation of the treatise of the Church; (3) contemporary theological progress. My study in this context can only deal with the first phase in the development of the ecclesiological thought. It is obvious that the Church is a leading theme in the writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug. Though he does not give any definition of the Church, it is an important factor in his writings because the concept of the Church is visible from the beginning of the manifestation of divine mercy. According to Mar Jacob, the concept of the Church is traceable when God’s divine love is manifested and established through the creation. Through the creation, God wanted to constitute a community, which is in perfect union with God. This intention of God, however, was shattered through the sin of human beings. When the relationship between God and man ruptured, He came out to the humanity in order to restore the relationship between God and man. The concept of the Church, in Mar Jacob’s terms, is visible when God’s love is manifested to bring humanity again back to the perfect union with God. Therefore, in the writings of Mar Jacob we find that he portrays the Church, when he explains the divine-​human relationship, which is initiated ‘by the divine mercy that reveals itself in the incarnation, redemption, and salvation.’7 In the case of Mar Jacob, a good number of studies on his Christology and Orthodoxy of his teachings brought out his views regarding his Christology. Since western scholars took notice of him, they have studied and published on his writings. However, the notions of the Church as explicated in his terms have been left virtually unexamined. Tanios Bou Mansour published a two-​volume book that

4 Cf. R.E. Murphy, Patristic and Medieval Exegesis –​ Help or Hindrance? in: Catholic Biblical Quarterly 43 (1981), 505–​516. 5 M.W. Elliott, The Songs of Songs and Christology in the Early Church, Tübingen, 2000, 51. 6 Cf. G. Panicker, The Church in the Syriac Tradition, Kottayam, 1998, 11. 7 T. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 429.

General Introduction

25

dealt extensively with Mar Jacob’s theology. He systematized Mar Jacob’s theological comprehension of creation, anthropology, ecclesiology, and sacraments schematized his insights into Christology, trinity, and eschatology8 and, lastly, he provided Jacob’s exegetical and theological methods.9 The one chapter that Bou Mansour dedicated on the subject of the Church in the first volume is the most extensive study currently available on the topic. Apart from Bou Mansour’s treatment of the subject at hand, the researchers can also avail themselves to few scholarly publications like Susan Ashbrook Harvey’s paper on biblical women as images of Church in Mar Jacob of Sarug.10 Nevertheless, she expounds only one aspect of his rich ecclesiological imageries. Other scholars have written on the Syriac Fathers’ views on the Church and her nature, albeit in the wider realm of the Syriac world. They amassed Syriac works belonging to different authors to extract and summarize a global Syriac worldview on the notions of the Church. As valid as this method may be, it does not allow for a deep access to an individual Syriac author’s thought. Both Hieronymus Engberding11 and François Graffin12 explored the theme of the Church as Bride in Syriac liturgies and writings. While the former concentrated his efforts on that which could be found in the liturgy of the Church of the East, the latter had recourse to the Chaldean and Syriac breviaries and the homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug. Graffin, like Harvey, dealt with one ecclesiological theme found in Mar Jacob’s mēmrē, that is, the Church as Bride. Robert Murray employed the same approach as Engberding and Graffin in his book ‘Symbols of Church and Kingdom’ –​a reference book for those interested in Syriac symbols and types.13 Mar Jacob of Sarug, however, does not fall within the time span of the Syriac literature that Murray surveyed. He did not, therefore, avail himself to Mar Jacob’s writings. Wilhelm de Vries also disregarded largely Mar Jacob’s works, albeit for reasons other than Murray’s.14 8 T. Bou Mansour, La théologie de Jacques de Saroug: Création, anthropologie, ecclésiologie et sacrements, Tome I, Kaslik, 1993. 9 T. Bou Mansour, La théologie de Jacques de Saroug: Christologie, Trinité, Eschatologie, Méthode exégétique et théologique, Tome II, 2000. 10 S.A. Harvey, Bride of Blood, Bride of Light: Biblical Women as Images of the Church in Jacob of Sarug, in: Malphono w Rabo d-​Malphone. Studies in Honor of Sebastian P. Brock, G.A. Kiraz (ed.), Piscataway, 2008, 177–​204. 11 H. Engberding, Die Kirche als Braut in der ostsyrischen Liturgie, in: Orientalia Christiana Periodica (OCP) 3 (1937), 5–​48. 12 F. Graffin, Le thème de la perle chez Jacques de Saroug, in: L’Orient Syrien (OrSyr) 12 (1967), 355–​370. 13 R. Murray, Symbols of Church and Kingdom, London, 1972. 14 W. de Vries, Der Kirchenbegriff der von Rom getrennten Syrer, Rome, 1955.

26

General Introduction

His research interest lied in the time span that witnessed the divisions of the Church, mainly, after the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) and, specifically, in Syriac authors who rejected it. It was Sebastian Brock, who shed light on the various ecclesiological themes in the writings of Mar Jacob. He dealt with the theme of the Church with reference to its origin on the cross and its relation to the sacraments baptism and the Eucharist.15 A Maronite priest, Armando Elkhoury, undertook a study on the ecclesiology of Mar Jacob recently and in this study he brought forward different types and the symbols of the Church in the writings of Mar Jacob.16 However, no study is done so far on the ecclesiology of Mar Jacob, which elaborately discusses the doctrine of the Church in the writings of Mar Jacob. Therefore, I thought a serious study of the ecclesiological concepts of Mar Jacob of Sarug, who is one of the early sixth century West Syrian Church Fathers, would bring forth the doctrine of the Church in the patristic period of the early sixth century West Syrian tradition. After the second Vatican council, the development in the field of ecclesiology was rapid. Approaching the Church by means of models has been a significant trend in ecclesiology, especially since the publication of Avery Dulles’ book ‘Models of the Church’ in 1974. Dulles mentions in one of his books, ‘after Vatican II it became evident that a method was needed in which theologians of different schools could be treated with respect and understanding and in which all parties might hope to learn from one another.’17 Dulles approached the theological topic of the Church with his method of models because of the conviction that the Church is a mystery. Mysteries are realities, which comprise a hidden meaning within it and this meaning is beyond our comprehension. Therefore, if we wish to delineate the meaning of the mysteries, we must draw analogies afforded by our experience of the world. These analogies provide models. By attending to the analogies and utilizing them as models, we can grow in our understanding of the Church.18 As far as the patristic views of the early Syrian Church fathers are concerned, they relied very much on the sense of mystery in order to reach theological conclusions. Therefore, they use symbolic theology to explain theological doctrines. For the doctrines on the Church, we can also come across in the writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug a symbolico-​theological method to 15 S.P. Brock, “The Wedding feast of Blood on Golgotha,” an unusual aspect of John 19:34 in Syriac Tradition, in: Harp 6,2 (1993), 121–​134. 16 A.B. Elkhoury, Types and the Symbols of the Church in the writings of Jacob of Sarug, A Dissertation submitted in the Katholische Universität Eichstätt, Ingolstadt, 2018. 17 A. Dulles, The Craft of Theology: From Symbol to System, New York, 1999, 46. 18 Cf. A. Dulles, Models of the Church, Expanded Edition, New York, 1987, 9–​10.

General Introduction

27

approach the reality of the Church, since he also considered that the Church is a mystery. This similarity in approaching the reality of the Church between the early Syrian Church Fathers, like Mar Jacob of Sarug, and contemporary theologians like Dulles evoked in me an interest of doing a research in the ecclesiological concepts of the sixth century West Syrian Church Father Mar Jacob of Sarug.

2.  Method of the Study The aim of the study is to meet Mar Jacob’s theological teachings within the horizon of his writings for understanding his theological views about the Church, which is manifested to us through his own theological terminologies and orientations. In order to ascertain Mar Jacob’s theological orientations and concepts I have done an extensive reading of his own writings. The English translations of the festal homilies19 of Mar Jacob stand as the basis of this work. Apart from the festal homilies of Jacob, I referred mostly to the two useful homilies on the Church, which I have translated. Besides these translations, I have also made use of different other translations, and referred also to many of his homilies, of which no translations are available. The theological reflections of Mar Jacob are mostly based on the Bible and are Semitic in nature. He follows a discursive and exhortative mode of exposition, which depends much on biblical typologies and the symbolic allusions they hold. Taking note of this method of Mar Jacob, the present study generally follows a thematic synthesis in order to set out the various aspects of the Church, which show us how the Church becomes instrumental in the fulfillment of the salvific plans of God.

3.  Hypothesis of the Study The objective of this research is to find the ecclesiological perceptions of Mar Jacob as they are described in his writings. In the writings of Mar Jacob, we come across the notion of the Church in relation to God’s divine economy of salvation. The present study tries to explore the concept of the Church with regard to its role in the divine economy of salvation. Therefore, the hypotheses of the study are as follows: (a) the Church is a reality that manifests the mystery of the divine mercy of God, through which God intervenes into the history of humankind. The types of the Old Testament signify the meaning of this divine intervention, which reaches its fulfillment in Christ. (b) The starting point of this 19 T. Kollamparampil, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies (FH), Rome, 1997.

28

General Introduction

divine-​human relation begins with the creation. God created humanity; therefore, he nursed and cared his creation though they were torn apart from the communion of God. When humanity has gone astray from the will of God, he tries to bring them back to the perfect union that existed in the paradise. In order to achieve this goal, God revealed himself in many ways to humanity and the incarnation brought out the fullness of God’s manifestation. The purpose of the descent of God to humanity and the aim of the miraculous birth of Christ is made obvious in the journey of the incarnated Christ and it is fully manifested at Golgotha, where the Church is fully manifested. Therefore, according to Mar Jacob, the Church is a reality, which is traceable at every point of God’s intervention to bring humanity back to the primordial union and in Christ’s journey to bring humanity back into union with God. (c) The motherhood of the Church, as a functional title, shows us how the Church exercises the works of salvation on earth. This imagery is the celebration of life itself, in its fullness. The Church as a caring mother bears spiritual children and brings forth life to her children. The Church as mother extends life to her children, which enables them to become the children of God and hence the Church unites them to God. (d) Within the Church, mother Mary stands as model and microcosm of the Church because of her role in the divine plan of salvation. She is not identical with the Church, but she represents the model for the individuals, who collectively form the Church by being gathered around the mystery of Christ and, at the same time, she is the exemplar of what that Church should be.

4.  The Structure of the Study This study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter briefly discusses the life and activities of Mar Jacob. However, the main concern of this chapter is to bring out his theological thought and his theologizing method, which expound the ecclesiological dimensions of Mar Jacob. The second chapter in two parts explains rather elaborately the ecclesiological dimension in the writings of Mar Jacob. The first part of this chapter intends to expound the basic concepts of the Church. By analyzing these concepts, this chapter tries to bring out the relationship of the Church to the salvific plans of God. Mar Jacob identifies the most important characteristics of the Church through these basic notions. These perceptions of Mar Jacob, regarding the Church, bring out the identity of the Church and its main functions on earth. These concepts reveal the meaning of the Church and they are rich in theological implications.

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The second part of the chapter deals with the symbols of the Church that reveal the mystery of the Church. Because the Church is manifested through types and symbols Mar Jacob explains his concepts of the Church by analyzing the symbols and the types of the Church that manifest the role of the Church in the divine economy of salvation. The third chapter of the present study brings out a synthesis of Mar Jacob’s views on the Church about its role in the economy of salvation. Redemption, according to Mar Jacob of Sarug, occurs when Adam returns to the Garden of Eden to eat from the Tree of Life. Since the fallen Adam cannot accomplish this on his own, for the gate to Paradise is locked, and the cherubim with a fiery revolving sword guard the way to the Tree of Life to prevent Adam from coming back, the Tree of Life descended to him to bring him back to his original inheritance. Accordingly, the Tree of Life symbolizes the Son of God, its descent depicts his incarnation, and its fruit the Eucharist, that makes the Church the Garden of Eden on earth a symbol of paradise on earth. Chapter four enumerates how the Church on earth continues to offer the redemption to the people. The Church exercises her role in the divine economy of salvation by being a mother on earth. By being born from the side of Christ, who is the second Adam, the Church became the new Eve, the mother of life on earth. The Church exercises her motherly function on earth at the various levels of the life of the Church. The exploration on these levels, where the motherly functions of the Church are exercised, brings out the importance of this model in the field of ecclesiology. The last chapter of this work explains the relationship between Mary and the Church. The relation between Mary and the Church confirms the ecclesiological themes of Mar Jacob, which he explains in his homilies in relation to the Church’s role in the divine economy of salvation. Just as Mary participates in the divine economy of salvation, the Church also participates in the mystery of salvation. Therefore, Mar Jacob portrays Mary as the symbol of the Church on earth. Mary, by taking part in the plan of salvation, became the one who revealed the ‘hidden one’ to humanity for their salvation. The Church also functions on earth as the source of salvation by giving Christ to the world. The Church, which manifests the presence of God on earth, owes her origin to the plan of God. She continues the mission of Christ on earth by providing life to the humanity. Just as Mary gave life to the world by giving birth to the Son of God, the Church provides life through the fruits of life that she received from the cross. Both Mary and the Church associate each other in terms of their function of giving life to the world.

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5.  The Relevance of the Study The West Syrian Christian tradition, which is handed over to us through the writings of the West Syrian Church fathers, especially through Mar Jacob of Sarug, is the heritage of several different Oriental Churches, and it is today represented, wherever these Churches are to be found in the world. According to the tradition, it is believed that the evangelization of India took place by the arrival of Apostle Thomas in AD 52 at Kodungaloor, Kerala, in the southernmost state of India.20 In the course of time, the Church in Kerala came in contact with the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch by the arrival of a Syrian Orthodox bishop Mar Gregorios in the second half of the seventeenth C., who declared that he had come at the order of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.21 Thenceforth, the West Syrian liturgy and the worshipping practices were introduced in the life of the Church in Kerala, and it is continued and preserved today by all the Churches, which follow the Antiochene tradition. Thus, the West Syrian tradition is practiced at present not only in the Middle East and in the diaspora of these Churches but also in India (Kerala). The Churches in Kerala, which follow the West Syrian tradition, inherited the West Syrian theological patterns through the liturgical prayers, which were composed by the early West Syrian Church Fathers, especially by Mar Ephrem, Mar Jacob of Sarug, and Mar Balai. These prayers are taken either from the homilies or from other poetical compositions of these fathers of the West Syrian Church. There is no liturgical

20 Although the historians have different views about the exact date of the arrival of St Thomas, they all have the same opinion that St Thomas came to India between the year 52 and 72 AD. After having studied in detail all the old manuscripts and available writings about the arrival of St Thomas, Fr. Placid J Podipara concludes ‘there is no rival traditions nor rival Thomas Christians in the whole world. The details and the definiteness of traditions, above all the Mylapore tomb and everything connected with it, both oral and written, the Mesopotamian attitude towards them would seem sufficient enough, we think, to soften the assertion that all South Indian traditions depend on the Acts or the Edessene or the Persian and the Mesopotamian churches.’ P.J. Podipara, St. Thomas Christians, London, 1970, 28–​29; Cf. Cardinal E. Tisserant, Eastern Christianity in India, Calcutta, 1957, 2–​10. 21 Because of the Portuguese colonization, the Church in Kerala went through different turmoils, and it caused the division in the early Christian Church of Kerala. The divided group of Christians sought for a bishop in order to retain their ecclesiastical identity. Their search for a bishop resulted in the arrival of a Syrian Orthodox bishop, delegated by the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch in the second half of the seventeenth C. Cf. Archbishop C. Malancharuvil, The Syro-​Malankara Church, Alway, 1973, 3–​19.

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service, which is without a prayer from the compositions of these Church Fathers, particularly from the compositions of Mar Jacob. Hence, a proper study on various theological themes about the writings of West Syrian Church Fathers is necessary to enhance the theological thinking of the Churches, which represent the West Syrian tradition, especially in India. Therefore, the present study on the ecclesiology in the writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug is important for all the West Syrian Churches, particularly in India, to deepen their knowledge of the theology of the Church. Above all, Mar Jacob’s symbolic mode of theological reflection, based on the biblical thought patterns has a freshness, vitality, and perennial applicability of its own. His typological biblical exegesis often provides a healthy and synchronic outlook on the mysteries of Christian faith, and practices. They are appealing to all ages. Therefore, I foresee relevance for this study, especially in the Indian situation, where the Churches of the West Syrian traditions live together.

Chapter I Mar Jacob of Sarug and his Theological Thoughts Introduction This introductory chapter of the research intends to give a brief sketch of Mar Jacob’s life and works and as well tries to delineate his contributions in the field of theology and exegesis. Though he was born at the period of theological turmoil in the Church, he ardently safeguarded the true faith through his true allegiance to the scriptures. From the early period of his life, he devoted his life to scriptural reflections. His scriptural reflections are not only for satisfying his spiritual quench, but also for finding a proper understanding of the basic tenants of Christian faith. Therefore, he directs his biblical reflections to the level of theological thinking. In his scriptural as well as theological thinking, he used a methodology, which is purely dependent on the types/​symbols or mysteries. Hence, his methodology is widely known as symbolic or typological. He has imbibed this methodology from the Semitic background in which he was born and brought up. Mar Jacob, unwilling to engage in any current controversy, had survived the trivial religious and political situation and had stood firm for the unity of the Church. Therefore, his life and works and his scriptural and theological contributions are still noticeable in the Church and also inspire the researchers, who want to know about a theological query purely based on scriptural reflections.

1. Life and Early Activities The historical accounts regarding the life and the activities of Mar Jacob, give us not much details about his birth and his early activities.1 The available sources regarding him delineate some references, such as his years of study at the school of Edessa between the years 466 and 473,2 his appointment as chorepiscopo

1 It is A. Vööbus, who gives us extensive details of the manuscript sources about the biography of Mar Jacob. Cf A. Vööbus, Handschriftliche Überlieferung der Mēmrē-​Dichtung des Ja’qōb von Sarūg, CSCO 344, sub. 39, Louvain, 1973, 1–​16. Cf. W. Hage, Jakob von Sarug, in: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE) XVI (1987), 470–​474. 2 Cf. G. Olinder (ed.), Iacobi Sarugensis epistulae quotquot supersunt (Letter), CSCO 574, sub.110 (1937), XVI, 58–​61.

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during the year 502/​5033, his appointment as the bishop of Batnan during the year 518/​194 and his death in the year 520/​521.5 From the accessible sources we can divide the biography of Mar Jacob in the following parts such as, the early period of his life, his initial literary activities and his ministry in the Syriac speaking Church at Chorepiscopal and Episcopal levels in the midst of severe Christological debates.

1.1. Early Period of his Life The manuscript sources provide us scanty references of the birth of Mar Jacob and the early period of his life. Many of these references comprise of various legendary stories. Therefore Thomas Kollamparampil, a renowned scholar of Mar Jacob of Sarug and his works, has the opinion that ‘the available sources regarding the birth and the early period of Mar Jacob’s life present a more legendary figure than a historical person.’6 All the sources agree on the fact that Mar Jacob was born at Kurtam on the Euphrates and was brought up at Hawra, a Mesopotamian village near Edessa, in the district of Sarug.7 One of the manuscripts present the birth of Mar Jacob as a miraculous one and as a gift of God. His mother, who was sterile, offered many prayers for a child through her prayer and by the intercession of a wonder-​working monk she conceived and gave birth to the child.8 The date of his birth is found in all the historical references only as a probable one because no sources have given the exact date of his birth. The date of Mar Jacob’s death, the date of his stay in the school of Edessa and the date of his ordination as bishop of Batnan in Sarug are the reliable historical dates given in the manuscripts, which describe the life of Mar Jacob. Ms. Mardin

3 Cf. Letter XV, 62,4, Vööbus, CSCO 344, 1–​2. 4 Cf. J.S. Assemani, Bibliotheca Orientalis Clementino-​Vaticana I (BO), Rome, 1719, 206–​209. 5 The date of his death is varied in different manuscripts. In the summary given by A. Vööbus after analyzing various manuscripts the date of the death of Mar Jacob is 521. However, in the manuscript Ms. Mardin Orthodox Archbishopric 256 it is written that Mar Jacob died on 520. 6 Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 25. 7 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 1–​2. 8 Cf. CSCO 344, 5. According to Vööbus, the manuscript, which mentions the legend of Mar Jacob’s birth is Hs. Mardin Orth. 256. Vööbus mentions in his description of the manuscripts that manuscript Hs. Mardin Orth. 256 is the unique one, which has certain details other than other manuscripts. This manuscript came to us from well-​known Mar Hanājā or from Za ‘farān monastery.

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Orthodox Archbishopric 256 gives the year of his death as 832 (Greek year), which corresponds to 520/​21.9 Vita S. Jacobi Compendium ex Annonymo syro in J.S Assemani,10 gives the year (830 Greek year) as the year of his episcopal ordination at the age of sixty-​seven and a half and his death after two and a half years in November 833 (Greek year). These data help the historians to deduce the date of his birth in 451, episcopal ordination in 518/​9, and his death in 521.11 Regarding the details of his family there are no clear indications. Some manuscripts say about his father, that he was a priest, who lived in Kurtam.12 There is also a legendary report telling about the inspiration of the child Jacob.13 At the age of three, while in the Church on the feast of epiphany, the child got out of its mother and went up to the altar at the time of epiclesis, when the Holy Spirit descended. At the altar, he was given to drink by the angels. Though these legendary stories have no historical proof, its existence among the Syrian people is a sign that Mar Jacob was accepted and admired by his contemporaries and later generations, who took the richness of his literary excellence as being poured out to him by the Holy Spirit. Such legends could also be an attempt by the people to assert his characteristic name ‘the flute of the Spirit.’14 Moreover, by these legends the people insist that the inspiration of Mar Jacob was from the Holy Spirit rather than from any other forces as were the cases of pagan writers.

1.2. The Initial Literary Activities The early literary activities of Mar Jacob are well narrated in his letter XIV. According to the narratives in the letter, Jacob was a student in the school of

9 Cf. A. Vööbus, Eine unbekannte Biographie des Ja’qōb von Sarūg, in: Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte (ZKG) 85 (1974), 404. 10 Assemani, BO I, 286–​89. 11 Cf. S.P. Brock, Jacob of Serugh: A Select Bibliographical Guide, in: Jacob of Serugh and His Times, G.A. Kiraz (ed.), Piscataway, 2010, 238. 12 Cf. C. Lange, Jakob von Sarug, in: Syrische Kirchenväter, W. Klein (ed.), Stuttgart, 2004, 218. C. Lange gives the description of Mar Jacob’s life after analyzing five Syrian descriptions of Mar Jacob’s life. 13 Cf. J.B. Abbeloos, De Vita et scriptis sancti Jacobi Batnarum Sarugi in Mesopotamia episcopi, Louvanii, 1867, 311–​314, ET of the Biography by S.P. Brock in: Jacob of Serugh and His Times, 237. Cf. P.Y. Dolabani, Ein klärendes Gespräch über das Leben und Lehre des heiligen Jakob, E. Aydin (tran.), Warburg, 2014, 8. 14 S.P. Brock, Ya’qub of Serugh, in: The Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage, S.P. Brock et al. (ed.), Piscataway, 2011, 433. Cf. Assemani, BO I, 286: Sanctus Mar Jacobus Doctor, Spiritus fistula, et fidelis ecclesiae cynara.

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Edessa in 470 at the age of 20.15 When he was a student in the school of Edessa, the works of Diodore of Tarsus were being translated into Syriac from Greek.16 In the school of Edessa, Mar Jacob sided with the Cyrillian faction and argued against the Theodorian faction and was much preoccupied to refute all attempts to divisions in the person of Christ.17 Mar Jacob attempted to refute the arguments of his rivalries through his writings.18 The documental evidences prove that this could be the beginning of his literary activities. The manuscripts regarding the life of Mar Jacob also narrate his education and his literary activities. We find an episode of his literary activities in a panegyric of Ms. Jerusalem St Mark 156. There it is told that Mar Jacob became a creative writer at the age of 22 and he wrote his well-​known mēmrō on ‘the Prophet Ezekiel and his Vision on the Chariot’ and as a result, five bishops were appointed to examine his works. This source also mentions that his voluminous corpus of writings contains commentaries on scriptures, letters, madrōšē and sugitō apart from his 763 mēmrē.19 This source hence confirms that Mar Jacob began his literary activities even at the early stage of his life. Another panegyric in Ms. Mardin Orthodox Archbishopric 256 mentions the rivalry between Narsai20 and Mar Jacob regarding the mēmrē at the school of Edessa. This also indicates his literary activities in the early period of his life. Both were presented in the manuscript as arch rivalries in composing memre in order to propose their own theological opinions.21 1 5 Cf. Letter XIV, 58–​60. 16 Ibid. 17 The adherence of Mar Jacob to the Cyrillian thought of the unity in Christ is well attested in his letters. Cf. T. Bou Mansour, The Christology of Jacob of Sarug, in: Christ in Christian Tradition (CCT) 2,3, T. Hainthaler (ed.), Oxford, 2013, 432–​455. In this reference, we find the affirmation from André de Halleux that there was a Cyrillian and a Theodorian movement in the school of Edessa when Mar Jacob was in the school as a student. He also pointed out that Mar Jacob’s letters to the monks of Mar Bassus attest his clear position of his inclination to the Cyrillian faction at the school of Edessa. 18 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 6. 19 Ibid. 20 At the time of theological formation of Mar Jacob in the school of Edessa, Mar Narsai was the teacher of the school. Because of the conflict between the Cyrillians and Theodorians, Narsai left the school of Edessa and went to Nisibis. This was later instrumental for the establishment of the great theological school in Nisibis. Cf. T. Hainthaler, The ‘School of Antioch’ and Theological Schools in the Area of the Patriarchate of Antioch, in: CCT 2,3, 241. 21 After analyzing the manuscripts, A. Vööbus attested that both Narsai and Mar Jacob formulated mēmrē to defend their theological positions. ‘Narsais poetische Tätigkeit

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The commemorative mēmrē written about Mar Jacob by later Syriac writers mention his role as a teacher and as a man filled with the Holy Spirit, which indeed earned him the title ‘the flute of the Holy Spirit.’22 These qualities of Mar Jacob evoke the memory of Mar Ephrem by whom Mar Jacob was inspired to write his homilies. Because Mar Ephrem was an ihidoyo, and a so-​called ‘son of the covenant,’23 it is easy for those who have written of Mar Jacob to speak of him as ‘having lived as a monk, in an ascetic life-​style characteristic of Syriac monasticism.’24 The ascetical life of Mar Jacob is also attested in panegyric of Ms. Mardin Orthodox Archbishopric 256. The manuscript describes the ascetical life of Mar Jacob in the school of Edessa and its rigorous continuation throughout his life span.25

1.3. His Ministry as Chorepiscopo and Episcopo Mar Jacob was elevated to the status of chorepiscopo26 of his hometown Haura during the year 502/​3.27 This elevation shows two particular aspects of his life. The first aspect is his ascetical inclination and his saintly life and his creative writings as the result of his monastic ideals. According to W. Hage, the elevation of Mar Jacob as the chorepiscopo, is an appreciation for his ascetical practices and his holy life.28 The manuscript evidences also substantiate this argument of W. Hage. According to Ms. Mardin Orthodox Archbishopric 256, it was at this time that Mar Jacob wrote most of his homilies and flourished as theologian

erscheint hier im engen Zusammenhang mit der Mēmrē-​Dichtung des Ja’qōb als eine Gegen-​Reaktion, um die Anziehungskraft der Mēmrē-​Ja’qōbs und damit den stets wachsenden Einfluss der monophysitischen Richtung zu neutralisieren.’ Vööbus, CSCO 344, 6, Cf. A. Vööbus, History of the School of Nisibis, in: CSCO 266, sub. 26, Louvain, 1965, 65 ff. 22 Cf. P. Krüger, Ein zweiter anonymer memra über Jakob von Sarug, in: Oriens Christianus (OrChr) 56 (1972), 138. 23 S.H. Griffith, Images of Ephrem: The Syrian Holy Man and His Church, in: Traditio 45 (1989–​90), 7. 24 W. Hage, TRE XVI, 471. 25 Cf. Lange, 219. A. Vööbus, Eine unbekannte Biographie des Ja’qōb von Serūg, in: ZKG 85 (1974), 403. 26 Peryadewto (or Chorepiscopo) is an ecclesiastical office equivalent to that of an Episcopal visitator, as a helper to the Bishop. Cf. J. Payne Smith, A Compendious Syriac Dictionary, Oxford, 1903, 460. 27 Cf. Hage, TRE XVI, 471. 28 Cf. Ibid.

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of his theological position, namely the Cyrillian theological affirmations.29 This further shows the second aspect of his life as chorepiscopo. In the ecclesiastical office of chorepiscopo he was forced to involve in the theological differences and the polemics of his time. Though the manuscript gives a short description of his life as chorespiscopo, it narrates his constant relationship with Mar Severus, the Patriarch of Antioch (512–​518), and his traveling to Antioch.30 This could be an indication that he was compelled to engage in theological disputes of the ecclesiastical constellations of his time as he was raised up in the ecclesiastical hierarchy. In the year 519, Mar Jacob was elected as the bishop of Batnan, a city about 10 Roman miles from Edessa (Urhai), in the district of Sarug (modern Suruc in Turkey).31 The reasons for his episcopal election towards the end of his life are still debated. Many have different opinions. P. Krüger, one among the notable persons, who have different opinions on his episcopal election, has the opinion that Mar Jacob became a Chalcedonian in the last years of his life though he was a staunch follower of the anti-​Chalcedonian faction.32 P. Krüger arrived at such conclusion by the fact that Mar Jacob was nominated as bishop, when the Chalcedonian restoration began by emperor Justin in 518.33 On the contrary, T. Jansma rejected the theory of Krüger by pointing out that Paul of Edessa, who was a moderate ‘Monophysite,’34 named Mar Jacob as bishop. Jansma has 29 A. Vööbus mentions this manuscript in his study on the manuscripts of the Mēmrē of Mar Jacob. Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 6. Cf. Vööbus, ZKG 85, 402. 30 Cf. Vööbus, ZKG, 402. 31 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 4. 32 Cf. P. Krüger, Die kirchliche Zugehörigkeit, in: Ostkirchliche Studien (OstKst) 13, (1964), 28. 33 Cf. Ibid. 34 The term ‘Monophysitism’ is often used to denote the position of those who explain the unity of Christ in accordance with the miaphysis formula of ‘one incarnated nature of God the Word’ and oppose the decisions of the council of Chalcedon. However, the usage of the term is misleading because this term is also used to denote the position of Eutyches, a Byzantine monk, who proposed that after the union of Logos with the flesh there is one nature in Christ. Though this theory proposes one nature in Christ, it is quite different from that of the theory of Alexandrians and especially of Cyril of Alexandria and those who follow Cyrillian Christological positions. Eutyches also accepted the unity in Christ but he refused to accept that Christ is consubstantial with us. On the contrary, Cyril insisted on the unity of the divinity and humanity in the single person of Christ. According to this teaching, in the one incarnated nature of the Word of God, two different natures continue to exist without separation. So, in order to denote the proper dogmatic Christological position of those who opposed the Council

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the opinion that Mar Jacob was elected as bishop because the Chalcedonian restoration needed the support of a anti-​ Chalcedonian in fanatically non-​ 35 Chalcedonian areas. There are also opinions that Mar Jacob accepted the consecration “in order to defend the ‘Monophysite’ communities during the exile of other prominent leaders.”36 According to the references of Ms. Mardin Orthodox Archbishopric 256, Mar Jacob accepted the consecration against his will out of force by the priests and bishops.37 This is also an indication that many would like to see him as bishop in order to enforce each one’s course of opinions. It is rather difficult to find to which faction he belonged to at the time of his episcopal office. What we could only conclude is that Mar Jacob is a ‘citizen of two worlds’38 belonging to the Alexandrian as well as to the Syrian culture with his own standpoints, which avoid combative and polemic utterances of that time and this in turn made him acceptable to both polemic groups. Mar Jacob was on the throne of the bishop only for one and a half years and died on 29th November 520.39

2. The Literary Works of Mar Jacob Mar Jacob earns a major place in the Syrian literary history as a poetic writer due to the voluminous corpus of his writings. Among the Syrian Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Maronites, Armenians, Copts, and Ethiopians his writings are well accepted and they consider him ‘as one of their glorious ancestors.’40 Among of Chalcedon, like Severus of Antioch, Philoxenus of Mabboug, Mar Jacob of Sarug and others in the Cyrillian Christological tradition, the term miaphysite is acceptable since it refers to the Cyrillian Christological deliberations. Cf. https://​www.anglicancommunion.org/​media/​103502/​anglican-​oriental-​orthodox-​ agreed-​statement-​on-​christology-​cairo-​2014.pdf, 2–​6. Cf. D.W. Winkler, A New Term for use in the History of Dogma and in ecumenical Theology, in: Harp 10, (1997), 33–​40. Cf. T. Hainthaler, Christological Research and Oriental Churches, in: Orientalia Patristica No. IV/​2017 (2018), 100. 35 Cf. T. Jansma, The Credo of Jacob of Sarug: A return to Nicaea and Constantinople, in: Nederlands(ch) archief voor kerkgeschiedenis (NeKG) 44 (1961), 30–​32. 36 Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 30. 37 Cf. Vööbus, ZKG 85, 403. 38 T. Jansma, Die Christologie Jakobs von Sarug und ihre Abhängigkeit von der alexandrinischen Theologie der Frömmigkeit Ephraems des Syrers, in: Le Muséon (Mus) 78 (1965), 45. 39 Cf. Vööbus, ZKG 85, 403. 40 Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 31. Cf. P.M. Forness, Cultural Exchange and Scholarship on Eastern Christianity: An Early Modern Debate over Jacob of Serugh’s Christology, in: Journal of Eastern Christian Studies 70 (2018), 258–​263. Forness in

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his literary creations, the genre of mēmrē earned him fame and glory among the other Syrian writers. According to the Chronicle of Bar Hebraeus (+1286), Mar Jacob wrote 760 homilies.41 As stated by the biographers, ‘a large staff of scribes and copyists engaged in securing Jacob’s poetic production was put at his disposal.’42 According to another document, which is edited by Assemani and attributed to Mar Jacob of Edessa, Mar Jacob wrote 763 homilies.43 The latest list published by S.P. Brock in 2006 shows that nearly half of them are considered lost.44 In the field of the research of the homilies of Mar Jacob, P. Bedjan has done the most commendable collection and editing of these homilies. In his collection of homilies, we find about 195 homilies by Mar Jacob. In the process of collecting and editing these homilies, Bedjan’s intention was not to investigate the handwritten manuscripts, rather to provide another edited version of homilies along with the existing handwritten manuscripts. Therefore, he did not systematically and critically examine the question of the authenticity of these homilies.45 The problem of the authenticity of the homilies of Mar Jacob has been raised even before the compilation of the homilies of by Bedjan. In an article written in 1876, P. Martin cautions the readers about possible interpolations, which could have been made in Mar Jacob’s homilies by redactors.46 W. Hage also affirms that all literature appearing in the name of Mar Jacob cannot be considered as authentic.47 J. Konat in an article also describes that some of the mēmrē in Bedjan’s edition have been proved to be the works of other authors.48

this article substantiates the reasons of several ecclesiastical communities to claim Mar Jacob of Sarug as saint when the modern debate over his Christology began. 41 Cf. J.B. Abbeloos (ed.), Gregorii Barhebraei Chronicon ecclesiasticum, Lovanii, 1872, col.191. 42 A. Vööbus, History of Asceticism in the Syrian Orient: A Contribution to the History of Culture in the Near East III, CSCO 500, sub. 81, Louvain, 1988, 119. 43 Cf. Assemani, BO I, 299. 44 Cf. P. Bedjan (ed.), Homiliae Selectae Mar Jacobi Sarugensis (HS) I–​V, Paris-​Leipzig, 1905–​1910; P. Bedjan and S.P. Brock, (ed.), Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug (HJS) I–​VI, Piscataway, 2006, 37, the number of the homilies and its manuscript sources are given in VI, 373–​409. 45 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 35–​40. 46 Cf. J-​P.P. Martin, Un évèque poète au Ve et au VIe siècle ou Jacques de Saroug, sa vie, son temps, ses æuvres, ses croyances, in: Revue des sciences ecclésiastiques 4, no.4 (1876), 322–​324. 47 Cf. W. Hage, TRE XVI, 472. 48 J. Konat mentions in his article that in the collection of Bedjan, homily 56 of HS II (pp. 636–​649) is attributed to Narsai by Mingana. Cf. J.A. Konat, A Metrical Homily of

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P. Krüger, who too spoke extensively of the non-​authenticity of some of the homilies of Mar Jacob, considers that most of the collected homilies of Bedjan are authentic, because of its existence in the oldest manuscripts, which came out in sixth century.49 Unfortunately, after Bedjan very few studies took place about the collection of the homilies of Mar Jacob.50 However, the recently published two volumes of ‘160 unpublished homilies of Jacob of Sarug’ by Roger Akhrass and Imad Syryany provide us an edition of all the remaining memre that have not been previously published.51 The Syriac-​speaking Christians of the late antiquity had a great interest for hearing their scripture expounded in verse. It is evident from the very beginnings of Christian literature in Syriac because there was a marked preference for rhythmic speech in song, chant or recitative, such as we find in the Odes of Solomon or the Demonstrations of Aphrahat. The most notable contributor of the recitative homilies is Mar Ephrem. He formulated his homilies within the genre of madrōšē. In the hands of Ephrem, the madrōšē were an important means of catechesis. However, unfortunately it died with him as the regular vehicle of teaching and preaching in Syriac.52 Though Mar Ephrem excelled in the genre of madrōšē, he pioneered the development of another genre, which the modern scholars called as memre.53 This literary genre reached its pinnacle through the inheritors of the literary genius of Mar Ephrem, namely Mar Jacob of Sarug and Mar Narsai.54 Jacob of Sarug on the Mysteries, Types and Figures of Christ: Authentic or Compilation, in: Mus 118 (2005), 71. 49 P. Krüger was convinced of a second author in the name of Jacob because of the presence of certain concepts in the homilies regarding the Christology and the office of St Peter. But he strongly believes that most of the collected materials of Bedjan are original because he collected it from the oldest manuscripts such as Hs. London Br. Mus. Add 17, 157, f 92b, which was compiled in the sixth century. Cf. P. Krüger, Das Problem der Rechtgläubigkeit Jakobs von Sarug und seine Lösung, in: OstKst 5, (1956) 169; War Jakob von Sarug Katholik oder Monophysit, in: OstKst 2 (1953), 206–​208; Die kirchliche Zugehörigkeit Jakobs von Sarug im Licht seiner Vita, in: OstKst 13 (1964), 21–​27. 50 The main bibliographical tools for Mar Jacob are: K. Alwan, Bibliographie générale raisonné de Jacques de Saroug, in: Parole de l’ Orient (ParOr) 13 (1986), 313–​383; Brock, Jacob of Serugh: A select Bibliographical Guide, 219–​244. 51 R. Akhrass and I. Syryany, 160 Unpublished Homilies of Jacob of Sarug (UHJS) I–​II, Damascus, 2017. 52 Cf. S.H. Griffith, The Poetics of Scriptural Reasoning: Syriac Mêmrê at Work, in: Studia Patristica (StPatr) 78 (2017), 5. 53 I will explain these two literary genres in the coming sections. 54 Cf. Griffith, The Poetics of Scriptural Reasoning, 7.

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Mar Ephrem as well as Mar Jacob composed mēmrē in an isosyllabic manner, which is usually composed of two-​half lines (sometimes three) with equal number of syllables. Mar Ephrem composed mēmrē in which each half line featured seven syllables (7 + 7 syllable meter),55 whereas Mar Jacob wrote in twelve syllable half lines, where the full line consists of twenty-​four syllables. This metre of Mar Jacob is called as dodeca syllable (12 + 12). Since Mar Jacob used this syllabic structure throughout his mēmrē, he is considered to be the inventor of the ‘dodecasyllabic’ metrical hymnody56 and the West Syrians call this particular ܳ ‫ܝܫܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܢ‬,ܺ East Syrians attribute the same metre to metre Nišō d-​mōr ya’qub‫ܕܡܪܝ ܰܝ ܽܩܘܒ‬ Mar Narsai. As regards to Mar Jacob, this metre helps him to avoid, to a certain extent, repetitions and monotony as well as to furnish an eloquent language.57

2.1. The Metrical Homilies (Mēmrē) According to J. Payne Smith the word mēmrē has different meanings, such as, ‘speech, diction, a discourse, sermon, homily, especially a metrical homily and a treatise.’58 S. Brock describes mēmrē in different viewpoints. He illustrates it in one place as ‘narrative verse,’ in another as ‘verse homilies,’ and in yet another as ‘narrative poems.’59 S. Brock gives different designations to mēmrē because he noticed two different forms of metrical homilies. The first type is a biblical narrative ‘in the form of a sermon with the preacher interposing here and there, an explanation or a homiletic expansion, often of a moralizing nature.’60 The second type of metrical homilies are ‘verse narratives where the homiletic element is either minimal or absent; the majority of these mēmrē are anonymous.’61 Mar

55 According to S. Brock Mar Ephrem has a repertoire of some 50 different syllabic meters, ranging from the very straightforward (e.g. four lines each of 5 syllables) to the highly complex. S.P. Brock, A Brief Outline of Syriac Literature, Mōrān ‘Etho 9, Kottayam, 1997, 23. 56 Cf. Gabriel, Syro-​Chaldaic Grammar, Mannanam, 1956, 90. Cf. G. Khouri-​Sarkis, Notes sur les mètres poétiques syriaques, in: OrSyr 3 (1958), 63. 57 Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 32. 58 Cf. J. Payne Smith, A Compendious Syriac Dictionary, Oxford, 1903, 247. 59 Cf. Brock, A Brief Outline of Syriac Literature, 25. Cf. S.P. Brock, Treasure House of Mysteries: Explanations of the Sacred Text Through Poetry in the Syriac Tradition, New York, 2012, 15. 60 S.P. Brock, Syriac Liturgical Poetry –​ A Resource Today, in: Harp 7–​9 (1995–​1996), 60. 61 Brock, Syriac Liturgical Poetry, 61. S. Brock adds that these narratives are advantageous not only in giving insight into but also in making one ‘go back again to look at the details of the biblical text.’

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Jacob’s homilies, according to Brock, are ‘verse homilies’ because in Mar Jacob’s poems the homiletic elements are prominent.62 Although they are not directly preached in ecclesiastical surroundings, the metrical homilies of Mar Jacob are perceived as sermons among the scholars because of their homiletical, catechetical and pedagogical elements.

2.1.1. The Date of Composing of the Metrical Homilies The exact dates of the compilation of the metrical homilies are not exactly known. One of the manuscript evidences illustrate that Mar Jacob began to compile homilies at his twenty-​second age, when he was in the school of Edessa63 and the year would be 473/​74. We can also gather proofs for the dates of the compilation of the metrical homilies from Bedjan’s collected homilies of Mar Jacob. The important feature of this collection is that he mentioned the name of the manuscripts, from where he collected these homilies. According to the manuscripts given in his edited version of homilies, some of the homilies are collected from the manuscript, which was written in the year 565 AD in Edessa.64 S. Brock mentioned in one of his writings65 that Mar Jacob delivered these homilies at the time, when the Persian shah Kawad captured Amid in 502/​501. He found the evidence for his argument from the Chronicle attributed to Joshua the Stylite, composed in Mar Jacob’s own lifetime. In this document, we find that: (People) prepared to flee westwards, but Jacob, the periodeutes, who composed mimre on sections of the Scriptures and sughyotho and songs (zmirotho) on the time of the locusts, did not neglect his duty at that time. He wrote letters of exhortation to all cities, encouraging people to trust in divine salvation, and not to flee.66

With these evidences, we can presuppose that Mar Jacob began to deliver his homilies in the late fifth century and flourished as a writer in the early years of sixth century and his homilies are collected four decades after his death.

6 2 Cf. Brock, Treasure House of Mysteries, 15. 63 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 3. 64 One of the manuscripts, which Bedjan mentioned in his edited homilies of Jacob of Sarug, is Hs. London. Br. Mus. Add 17. 157. According to the dates given in the manuscript, this is written in the year 565 AD in Edessa. Cf. CSCO 344, 43. 65 Cf. Brock, Jacob’s forgotten Sughyotho, in: Jacob of Serugh and His Times, 39. 66 J.W. Watt (tran.), The Chronicle of Pseudo-​Joshua the Stylite, Liverpool, 2000, 63–​64.

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2.1.2. The Audience of his Metrical Homilies The actual Sitz-​im-​Leben of the mēmrē is not immediately apparent from his homilies. We do not a get direct answer from his homilies whether they were preached in an ecclesiastical setting or it derived from his ascetic background. There were some references indicating that some homilies are chanted in the Church.67 But occasionally mēmrē are also chanted in the houses of the faithful, that is, in connection with marriages and feasts etc.68 This indicates that the narration of the biblical stories in the homilies are destined to all the faithful and it focused on the upbringing of the faith of the people. So, the analysis of the mēmrē and the diverse themes of the homilies confirm the fact that the homily was delivered for all in the congregation of the faithful, whether lay or monastic, whether parents or avowed ascetics. The study of Rilliet on the rhetoric of Jacob’s prose homilies would lead one to conclude that the homily in verse with biblical exposition would more than likely to have been preached at less festive times of the liturgical cycle.69 Subsequent witness reveals that the mēmrē found their way into liturgical books such as homiliaries, church handbooks, and choral books.70 From the homilies of Mar Jacob, it is evident that it was addressed to a congregation. Direct address to the audience, even soliciting their participation in the interpretative reading of a scriptural passage is a constant feature of every mēmrō. The phrases such as ‘O my brothers,’ ‘O hearers,’ ‘O mortal men,’ or ‘O discerning ones’ explicitly denote the involvement of a congregation in the process of delivering the homily.71 Constant repetition of such phrases in the mēmrē marks an unmistakable indication of the oral character of the genre and

6 7 Cf. The Widow with Two Small Coins, HS III, Hom.Nr. 89, pp. 483–​500, here p. 487,2–​11. 68 Cf. Kolamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 34. 69 Cf. F. Rilliet, Rhétorique et style à l’époque de Jaques de Saroug, in: Orientalia Christiana analecta (OCA) 229 (1987), 293. 70 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 3. A. Vööbus has the opinion that ‘Der Memre-​Dichtung war eine sehr große Zukunft vorgesehen, nämlich den Bereich des Kults und der Liturgie zu erobern.’ 71 Cf. The Tower of Babel, HS II, Hom.Nr. 33, pp. 1–​28, here p. 4,15–​16, ET by A.M. Butts, in: The Metrical Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug (MHMJS) 15, Piscataway, 2009, 14, 69–​70. Since the textual proofs for such phrases from the homilies of Mar Jacob is not so much important as far as this thesis is concerned and it will consume more space to bring out all the textual proofs I offer only one textual proof from his memrō on ‘The Tower of Babel.’ In this homily we read: ‘Therefore prepare to listen sincerely, O discerning ones, To this mēmro, which is full of every profit for the one who gives heed to it.’ (Ibid.).

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its performance in a congregational setting though soon after their composition these mēmrē circulated as texts. Hence, we can arrive at a conclusion that mēmrē is a literary genre, which Mar Jacob largely used to teach the assembly of the faithful though there are no direct pointers in the homilies of Mar Jacob to describe its audience.

2.1.3. The Characteristics of the Metrical Homilies The distinctive features of Mar Jacob’s homilies are well narrated in the invocational openings of the mēmrē.72 The invocational openings are one of the characteristic features of the homilies of Mar Jacob, by which the scholars identify the authenticity of the homilies of Mar Jacob. These invocational prayers help the reader to identify Jacob’s homiletic style and his mode of biblical interpretation, with which I deal later in this chapter. Basically, the invocational prayers of Mar Jacob narrate that the act of preaching is not a single-​handed act; rather it is an activity of performance in which everyone is involved. The performance of the act of mēmrē is the formation of a four-​fold relationship, an interactive exchange, between God, speaker, speech, and listener. The opening lines of the homily on ‘the Sunday of the Pentecost’ illustrate this construction: O Lord, kindly opens to me the door of your treasury, so that I may carry along and bring forth all kinds of advantages. Grant me the word that by which I may recite your grandeur, and an exalted voice that proclaims about your glory all-​day. Let a homily of wonder be impelled within me by your gift; and in the hearers, wonder and love regarding your story.73

This four-​part relationship further manifests the distinctive features of the mēmrē and its lasting effect among its hearers.

72 Invocational openings are one of the established techniques of the ancient Greek and Syrian authors and especially the Christian liturgical poets employed it to a good effect. In the invocational prayers the authors used to establish the rhetoric of humility by which the unworthiness of the authors to deal with the themes of homilies are well established. Jacob’s invocational prayers share some resonance with these poetic conventions. Cf. S.A. Harvey, The Poet’s Prayer: Invocational Prayers in the Mêmrê of Jacob of Sarug, in: StPatr 78, 52–​55. 73 The Sunday of Pentecost, HS II, Hom.Nr. 58, pp. 670–​689, here p. 670,1–​6, ET by Kollamparampil, in: FH, XVII, 354,1–​6.

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2.1.3.1.  Mēmrē as Divine Revelation Mar Jacob begins his homilies with an invocational prayer to tell his audience that what he preaches is not his word, instead he preaches the word that God has given to him.74 So, the Lord is summoned to presence by means of petition. By virtue of prayer’s constitution, the Lord becomes not only the governing presence, but also the source of enablement of the other three constituents of the performance. The poet preacher requests words and voice for the task. Hence, these words will be not his own, but word and voice that are divinely provided. The mēmrē becomes God’s presence and God’s word but it is sounded through the words of the homilist. The invocational prayer from the homily on ‘the First Day of Creation,’ which named God as the creator and identified Jacob as creature, establishes the divine presence in the mēmrē. There we read: O Lord, sow in me a homily, so that, even with (my) thorns, a beautiful rose/​by means of Your Spirit might put forth the story with greatest beauty.75

Mar Jacob here identifies himself as a speaker, who summons divine words to be offered through his mouth. Thus, the mēmrē provide us the divine word and it will declare through the speaker-​the poet preacher-​an account of God’s work as revealed through biblical story or inspired teaching. Therefore, scholars like R. Kitchen describes mēmrē as ‘divine revelation in motion.’76 The verses of the opening prayer of the mēmrō on ‘Our Lord’s Question, and the Revelation which Simon received from the Father’ substantiate the argument of these scholars. There we read: Compassionate Father, who saves us through the blood of his Only Begotten from you I receive the strength for the Memra of your Only Begotten. True Son, who came to us to set us free, through you I will speak concerning the revelation about you. Holy Spirit, teacher of the foolish and uneducated through you the Memra is made wise and set in motion so that all is wondrous.77

74 Cf. The Sunday of Pentecost, HS II, 670,1– 6, FH, XVII, 354,1– 6. The basis of proving memre as the divine revelation is the above-​cited verses from the homily on ‘the Sunday of Pentecost.’ 75 The Six Days of Creation, First Day, HS III, Hom.Nr. 71,1, pp. 1–​27, here p. 1,13–​14, ET by R.D. Young, in: J.W. Trigg (ed.), Message of the Fathers of the Church IX, Wilmington, 1989, 184. 76 Cf. R. Kitchen, Mēmrē: Personification of Literary Genre as Independent Actor in Jacob of Sarug, 5. A paper presented in the Symposium Syriacum in Rome, on 20th August 2016. 77 Our Lord’s Question, and the Revelation which Simon Received from the Father, HS I, Hom.Nr. 19, pp. 460–​482, here p. 460,1–​6, GT by S. Landersdorfer, in: Ausgewählte

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2.1.3.2.  The Enigmatic Content of the Mēmrē Mar Jacob describes the inscrutability of the mēmrē in his opening prayers. According to him, the biblical story that is narrated through mēmrē is not fully comprehensible because God cannot be understood by the human mind through human speech. God’s works defy the constraints of human understanding or articulation. The poet preacher, therefore, must become a mediator of truth: the instrument through which God’s own self declares that what the human person can grasp. Because God is beyond our fullest finest comprehension, Mar Jacob is convinced of the inscrutable content of mēmrē. It is beautifully illustrated in the homily on ‘the Nativity of our redeemer According to Flesh.’ There we read: There is no mouth that is able to exhaust (the telling of) you except that of your Father; How then and by what means shall my tongue reach out to your hidden (being)?78

Thus, the mēmrē is enigmatic due to the fact that the content of the mēmrē is God himself, whose complexity cannot be understood fully by the human mind. The inscrutability of the mēmrē is narrated by Mar Jacob through his various depictions. His constant portrayal of his own unworthiness and his inability to narrate the mēmrē is a clear indication of his own understanding of the enigmatic nature of the mēmrē. He recognizes that the task of narrating the biblical story is beyond his control, so he seeks for divine assistance to perform it.79 By accepting his inability, he is not accepting his own inadequacy. He is supplicating God to do the work for him, to make the work of divine teaching happen through his own poetic voice. Certain use of words in his homilies also confirm that mēmrē is enigmatic by nature. The commonly used word by Mar Jacob to explain the inapproachability of the poet to the hidden meaning of the mēmrē is ‘wonder.’ According to Mar Jacob, homiletical preaching is an overflow of the wonder from the mind of the one meditating on the divine realities. The opening prayer of the homily on ‘the Nativity of our redeemer according to flesh’ shows how this term manifests the inadequacy of the poet to narrate the mystery of God. There we read:

Schriften der syrischen Dichter Cyrillonas, Baläus, Isaak von Antiochien, und Jakob von Sarug, BKV 1. Reihe, Band 6, Kempten, 1912, 332. 78 The Nativity of Our Redeemer according to Flesh, in: S. Martyrii qui et Sahdona (SMS), P. Bedjan (ed.), Paris, 1902, Hom.No. 6, pp. 720–​774, here p. 720,11–​12, ET by Kollamparampil, in: FH I, 41,11–​12. 79 See the footnote no. 73.

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Mar Jacob of Sarug and his Theological Thoughts Your Nativity, O Son of God, is a wonder and my mouth is inadequate to narrate your great story with my enfeebled tongue.80

The enigmatic content of mēmrē is further manifested through his long compositions of mēmrē. Mar Jacob has written some exceedingly long homilies, while he recognizes that the divine character of the mēmrē surpasses the finitude of even Jacob’s longest mēmrē. Father –​everything is from him and everything that exists is because of him From you I will receive the reason for the Memra which is without end.81

Because mēmrē are the divinely inspired word for Mar Jacob, it is moving beyond the written page and the human author to a realm of its own and move outside the human agent. It shows that the preached homily is not an end rather it opens a possibility of its further elaboration by its readers. Mar Jacob invites his audience to get inspired by the mēmrē, in order to continue the realm of preaching. As Bou Mansour notes, Mar Jacob is not sinking back into silent awe before the Word but responding with his own inspired word recognizing his human limitations. ‘Jacob invites us to the contrary to surmount our silence in order to develop a discourse on God, which exists according to a human standard.’82

2.2. Madrōšē Mar Jacob is also well known in another genre of poetry, namely the madrošē. It is basically a hymn, which gives out an exposition or a commentary or a hymn regarding a particular doctrine. The early Syriac history attested the existence of this literary genre and according to Kollamparampil this genre ‘flourished through the writings of Bardaisan’83 and was established through the writings of Mar Ephrem. Kollamparampil also attests that ‘Mar Ephrem used this genre to refute the teachings of Bardaisan, so often they deal with dogmatic, apologetic, and philosophical questions.’84 Few writers after Mar Ephrem regularly composed in his favorite genre. Among them, Mar Jacob wrote around fourteen madrōšē and many of them are preserved in the oldest manuscripts. Among the manuscripts, the manuscript of the British museum, Hs. Br. Mus. Add. 14, 592, which is dated back to sixth or seventh century, is the worthiest source. In this 8 0 The Nativity of Our Redeemer according to Flesh, SMS VI, 720,1–​2, FH I, 41,1–​2. 81 Our Lord’s Question, and the Revelation which Simon Received from the Father, HS I, 461,5–​6, Landersdorfer, 334. 82 Bou Mansour, La théologie de Jacques de Saroug II, 436. 83 Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 35. 84 Ibid.

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collection, the madrōšē of Mar Jacob appeared with the collection of madrōšē of Mar Ephrem and one madrōšō is about the world and the other nine are on sin and another three on the dead.85 The madrōšē of Mar Jacob are transmitted in the choral form because they are used mainly for the liturgical purpose. Therefore, they are survived mainly through the choral books and the liturgical texts. The oldest manuscript, which has the madrōšē in the choral form and in the form of the liturgical prayers, is dated back to eighth and ninth century.

2.3. Sugitō Mar Jacob also employed another genre of religious poetry sugitō, which was intended for the vocal performance in worship. Both madrōšē and sugitō are stanzic poems, but sugitō differs in its content. In addition to madrōšē, with which sugitō share the same melody, this genre is the most extensive in the Syrian liturgical poetry and in the varied form as song. According to S. Brock, this genre originated as a sung stanzic poem of a popular character. He says: Just as Ephrem sought to attract people away from the lure of Bardaisan’s poetry through his own poetry, it may well be that Jacob set his stanzic poems to currently popular tunes, and so these poems came popularly to be known as sughitho, as indicated by the passage on Jacob in the Chronicle attributed to Joshua the Stylite.86

The manuscript, Br.Mus. Add.17,141, written in the eighth and ninth century, brings in its last part a special collection of the sugitō. In this source, only a single piece contains the works of Ephrem, some are anonymous, and some are from Isaac of Antioch, but most of them are of Mar Jacob.

2.4. Bowutō Mar Jacob also used another genre called bowuto, which is mainly used in liturgical contexts. They are ‘supplicatory prayers often used in the Breviary.’87 In the West Syrian tradition bowutō are preserved in the manuscripts of the liturgical texts. The manuscript Hs. Birm. Ming. Syr. 245 of 11th century contains the largest number of bowutō of Mar Jacob. The large number of bowutō preserved in this manuscript is three times greater than those in the works of Mar Ephrem.88

8 5 Cf. Kollamparampil, 35–​36. 86 Brock, Jacob’s Forgotten Sughytho, 45. 87 Kollamparampil, 35. 88 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 25.

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2.5. The Other Poetic Forms of Mar Jacob Besides the above-​mentioned literary genre, Mar Jacob also used many other poetic forms to establish his literary excellence and they are preserved in various manuscripts. Since they are not so well known in the Syrian poetic tradition, I am giving only very short descriptions with their names. The other poetic forms are: (a) Tebartō –​the fragmented hymns, (b) Batte –​Verses use for the liturgical purpose, (c) Sebaltō –​Variety of texts, which are used for the liturgical celebrations, the ritual and prayers for the sacrament of marriage belong to this group.89

2.6. The Prose Homilies of Mar Jacob Mar Jacob also wrote prose homilies besides his poetical formulations. In this group of his literary works tūrgomē are the widely known work of Mar Jacob. On the contrary to mēmrē, tūrgomē are commentaries or homilies. These homilies are delivered on the occasion of important periods of the liturgical year of the Church such as Christmas, Epiphany, Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter.

2.7. Letters In this group of writings, the letters of Mar Jacob have received great attention from the scholars as the sources for the late antique Christianity in the Roman near East. A reliable critical edition by G. Olinder in 1937 gave scholars access to this corpus of Mar Jacob’s writings.90 Mar Jacob wrote 43 letters with various themes and according to the recent study of Philip Forness, it is further clarified that these letters are well accepted in the monastic communities from the fourteenth through eighteenth centuries in the Syriac Orthodox tradition.91 The

8 9 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 26–​27. 90 See the footnote nr.2 of the page 33. 91 Cf. P.M. Forness, The New Textual Evidence for Jacob of Sarug’s Letters: An analysis and Collation of Five Monastic Miscellanies, in: Hugoye 20,1 (2016), 51–​128. P. Forness after his serious studies on the manuscripts of the letters of Mar Jacob found that the collation of the letters in the five monastic miscellanies offers us the insight into the transmission of Mar Jacob’s letters and it also reveals that the communities that produced these manuscripts extracted a portion of a letter and repurposed it as a confession of faith, combined two letters to form a new text, and abridged a text. These manuscripts thus provide an important testimony to the manner in which Jacob’s letters were transmitted among monastic communities in the second millennium.

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scholars analyzed these letters in order to get a realistic impression of his life and dogmatic position during the era of theological disputes.92 Besides the above-​mentioned groups anaphorae, an order of baptism, and ascetical histories are also mentioned in the work of A. Vööbus as the works of Mar Jacob.93

3. The Profane and the Religious Background of Mar Jacob Mar Jacob lived and engaged with his literary activities within the Syrian-​ Mesopotamian culture during the second half of the fifth century and the first half of the sixth century. In fact, during this period the structures of secular power left their mark upon the Church, whose episcopal hierarchy organized itself along provincial and diocesan boundaries corresponding to those of the civil government. This era is also marked with a growing nationalism against the Byzantine rule, especially in Syria and Egypt.94 The people of the Syrian-​ Mesopotamian region turned against the imperial policies in order to achieve autonomy and self-​determination rights in many aspects of their social and political life. This spirit of nationalism found expression in religious discontent. In this social situation developed the scenario, where the religious aspirations of the people coupled with their eagerness to retain the autonomy of their land. Because of this challenge, the emperors wavered in their religious policies in order to safeguard the political unity of the empire. As Mar Jacob was born in the midst of the fifth century, the state was struggling to unite the Church, which was torn apart as Chalcedonians and anti-​Chalcedonians due to the decisions made at the council of Chalcedon. The socio-​political situation of Syria and Mesopotamia was marked by the continuous conflicts between the Roman Empire and the empires, who wished to capture these regions. The history of such conflicts began with the attempt of Parthians, who tried to expand their kingdom towards the Euphrates river.95 92 Cf. Bou Mansour, The Christology of Jacob of Sarug, CCT 2,3, 435–​455. In the first part of his analysis, Bou Mansour has given a detailed description of the Christological understanding of Mar Jacob only according to the letters of Mar Jacob. 93 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 28–​33. 94 Cf. P. Charanis, Church and State in Later Roman Empire, Thessalonikē, 1974, 27–​29. Charanis has the opinion that the religious controversies of the fifth century were not merely the work of the theologians, but behind them lay deep rooted cultural and national differences. 95 Cf. W.S. McCullough, A Short History of Syriac Christianity to the Rise of Islam, Chico CA, 1982, 3.

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During the same time, the Roman Empire was also acquiring its first territory in the eastern Mediterranean. This made Euphrates as a common frontier for Romans and Parthians, which in turn makes the provinces surrounding the river Euphrates like Syria and Mesopotamia as the regions of buffer zones and a war zone area between Romans and Parthians. Both Romans and Parthians tried to capture the possession of these lands and hence the control over these lands was switching over from Romans to Parthians occasionally.96 Later in 224 AD, Persians captured the Parthian kingdom and established the Sasanian dynasty and this dynasty retained its position in Persia until seventh century. Persians continued the wars, which Parthians had so frequently fought against Romans. Therefore, from the third century onwards the dominance over the lands of Syria and Mesopotamia were fluctuating from Romans to Persians. One of the characteristic features of the emergence of the Persian kingdom is that of the revival of Zoroastrianism, the religion of the Persian land. The resurgence of the religion gave impetus to the people to adhere closer to their land. This growing nationalism in the land of Persia led to persecutions of the Christians of the Persian land due to their non-​adherence to the religion of the land.97 This situation caused the migration of the Christians to the Roman side where the situation of the Christians was in a better state. The revival of the national feeling in the Persian Kingdom also influenced the people of the Roman side to take positions against the Roman rulers.98 At the time of the birth of Mar Jacob, Hawra, the Mesopotamian village near Edessa, where Mar Jacob was grown up, was under the Roman Empire, where Christians had religious freedom and recognition. There is no documental narration regarding the impact of the socio-​political situation on his life during his early period of life. The available sources illustrate the impact of the socio-​ political situation on his life and his response to it during his formation period at the school of Edessa and his teaching career at the school. The school of Edessa, where Mar Jacob had his theological formation, was known as the ‘School of Persians.’ This name suggests that the Persian Christians ‘Parthia had arisen as an independent power in the eastern region of the Seleucid Empire in the latter half of the third century B.C, and its subsequent westward expansion was at the expense of the Seleucids… About the same time that Parthia was expanding westwards, the Roman Republic was acquiring its first territory in the eastern Mediterranean.’ (Ibid.). 96 Cf. McCullough, A Short History of Syriac Christianity, 4–​19. 97 Cf. McCullough, 38–​42. 98 Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 12–​13.

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had something to do with its beginning. In 363, the emperor Jovian captured the city of Nisibis.99 One result of this was that many Christians of Nisibis moved to Roman territory where their Christian faith could be freely practiced. The migrants from the Persian land later in the fourth century founded a school for the training of their clergy.100 Though Ephrem was one of the refugees from Nisibis, it is doubtful, if he had anything to do with the establishment of the school and its daily activities.101 However, Vööbus has the opinion that this school comprises of theological thinkers like Ephrem and his disciples from Persia, and this earned it the title as the ‘Persian School.’102 The inclination of the school with the Persians is well narrated by J.B. Segal. In his book on ‘Edessa: The Blessed City,’ he suggests that the name was given ‘presumably, after the ethnic affiliations of the members of the staff.’103 Emperors with different religious policies ruled the Roman Empire during the lifetime of Mar Jacob. The religious policies of the Empires during this period were the real benchmark to identify the faith inclinations of the faithful. In the aftermath of Chalcedon arouse many groups in the Empire discontent with the Chalcedonian faith formulation. The Chalcedonian Church historian Evagrius Scholasticus who wrote at the end of the sixth century, spoke about the situation of the Churches during this period. He states, ‘all Churches were divided into distinct parties and their prelates had no communion with each other.’104 These divisions were the real threat to the emperor and hence the later emperors in the following half-​century tried to pacify the divided groups in order to rule the empire as smoothly as possible. Emperor Leo I (457–​474), who was a pro-​Chalcedonian, supported the synodal decisions of Chalcedon. The era of Zeno (474–​491) was marked by his efforts to unify the Chalcedonians and anti-​ Chalcedonians. During his era, Patriarch Acacius105 devised a model of union

9 9 Cf. McCullough, A Short History of Syriac Christianity, 61. 100 Cf. Ibid. 101 Cf. Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 239. 102 Ibid. 103 J.B. Segal, Edessa: The Blessed City, Oxford, 1970, 150. 104 J. Bidez and L. Parmentier (ed.), The Ecclesiastical History of Evagrius, Amsterdam, 19642, 126. 105 Acacius of Constantinople was the Patriarch of Constantinople since 471. In order to bring to an end to the ‘Monophysite’ dispute in the East, he formulated the famous document Henotikon and he induced the Emperor Zeno to legislate the document. Cf. F.W. Bautz, Acacius von Konstantinopel, in: Biographisch-​bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) I, Hamm, 1975, 16.

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between the Chalcedonians and anti-​Chalcedonians by composing a document, which “go down in history first as ‘Zeno’s Edict,’ and later as the ‘Henotikon.’ ”106 The ‘Henotikon,’107 an imperial edict of 482, neither proclaimed nor openly condemned Chalcedon. However, it prescribed an interpretation of Chalcedon according to the theology of Henotikon. Although this edict ‘blurred the boundaries between Chalcedonians and anti-​Chalcedonians, it did not succeed in reconciling the two parties.’108 On the contrary, it caused another schism between Rome and Constantinople and brought forth more extreme subgroups between two parties.109 The tension between the Chalcedonians and anti-​Chalcedonians had been evident from the activities of the school of Edessa.110 Though the school was not involved in the theological disputes of the fifth century, the conflicts between the Theodorians and the Cyrillians were a common scenario within the school. The disagreement among the scholars of the school intensified in 471 and in consequence of the conflicts the emperor Zeno closed the school and expelled the students and the staff of the school from the city.111 They immigrated to Persia

1 06 A. Grillmeier, CCT 2,1, London, 1987, 251. 107 Henotikon is an edict issued by emperor Zeno (474–​491) in 482. This edict was intended to serve as a compromise by skipping over the Council of Chalcedon. The edict reaffirms the councils of Nicaea, Constantinople and Ephesus, expresses desire for unity among the churches, anathematizes Nestorios and Eutyches, and affirms Cyril’s Twelve chapters, which dealt with the anathemas against Nestorios. This document of faith preserves the language of consubstantiality, featured in the creeds of Nicaea and Constantinople. It calls Mary the God bearer, a central aspect of the debate leading up to the council of Ephesus. But it avoids the controversy perpetuated by Chalcedon by omitting divisive language of ‘natures.’ It speaks of the divinity and the humanity of Christ but does not speak of a divine and human nature. In brief, it presents a new formulation of Christology that attempts to skip over the controversy over Chalcedon. Cf. A. Grillmeier, CCT 2,1, 254–​256. 108 V. Menze, Justinian and the Making of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Oxford, 2008, 15. 109 Pope Felix III, in 484, condemned the document of Acacius and excommunicated Acacius because of his refusal to accept the Chalcedonian faith formulation. Acacius in turn removed the name of Pope Felix from the diptychs and hence began the Acacian Schism. Cf. BBKL I, Acacius von Konstantinopel, 16. 110 Hainthaler explains that the school of Edessa has confronted many conflicts due to the different theological positions of the staffs as well as of the heads of the school, who are the in-​charges of biblical interpretations. Cf. CCT 2,3, 238–​241. 111 Cf. Hainthaler, CCT 2,3, 240–​241.

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and under the protection of the King of Persia; they started a new school in Nisibis.112 Anastasius I (491–​518), who succeeded Zeno, tried to follow the policies of his predecessor. He wanted to keep the Church and his reign from all disturbances and so he tried to unite the imperial Church by means of Henotikon. However, he could not maintain this unity because such policy was not only unacceptable for the Chalcedonians but also for the radical opponents of the council. Anastasius also tried to reestablish the relationship between Rome, which was broken after the establishment of Henotikon. But, he broke definitively with Pope Hormisdas (514–​523)113, when the political situation in the kingdom turned in his favour. This rift between Anastasius and Pope Hormisdas suggests a change in his religious policy in the later period of his reign to support those who oppose the council of Chalcedon. The ascension of Justin I (518–​527) to the throne meant a new era in the religious policy of the empire. Zeno and Anastasius had taken stand against and in favour of the anti-​Chalcedonians. On the other hand, Justin was a strong pro-​ Chalcedonian and he insisted allegiance to the decisions of Chalcedon in his entire kingdom. He actually wanted to establish a hierarchy of the Church, which is more in tune with the decisions of the council of Chalcedon.114 However, the new religious policy was not accepted in the entire kingdom. It was well accepted in Constantinople, but the situation was different for the Patriarchate of Antioch. In Antioch existed strong majorities against Chalcedon because of the influence of Severus of Antioch, who had been the Patriarch (512–​518) and a strong defender of anti-​Chalcedonism.115 Therefore, this region gave much trouble to Justin’s government. Hence, Justin convened a synod in Constantinople in 518 in order to enforce the decision of the council of Chalcedon upon his entire kingdom. This council prescribed the recognition of the four councils with an additional imperial edict order to accept Chalcedon.116 Thereafter, Justin started to enforce orthodoxy in his kingdom and as a result, many anti-​Chalcedonian bishops either left their see or were sent to exile. S. Brock mentions in his article on ‘The Conversations with the Syrian Orthodox under Justinian (532)’ that the intensity of the religious persecution at the time of Justin in the region of 112 Cf. A.A. Vasil’ev, Justin the Great: An Introduction to the Epoch of the Justinian the Great, Cambridge, 1950, 144. 113 Cf. A. Grillmeier, CCT 2,1, 310–​322. 114 Cf. Menze, Justinian and the Making of the Syrian Orthodox Church, 18–​30. 115 Cf. A. Grillmeier, CCT 2,2, London, 1995, 21–​128. 116 Cf. Vasil’ev, Justin the Great, 146–​147.

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Mesopotamia was severe. According to Brock, the most affected eastern provinces were Euphratensis and Osrhoene. He stated that ‘more than half of the bishops in Euphratensis and more than three quarters in Osrhoene (Edessa) lost their sees.’117 Though Justin enforced his anti-​Chalcedonian policies vigorously, he switched over the sides according to the needs of the situation. The election of two bishops John of Tella and Mar Jacob during his reign is considered as a sign of his tolerant position with regard to the needs of his kingdom.118 According to Vasil’ev, the enthronement of the bishop Paul of Edessa, who was the bishop of Edessa and a staunch anti-​Chalcedonian, and his return to his see after forty-​four days by the acceptance of the empire also shows the tolerance of Justin with the anti-​ Chalcedonians. Vasil’ev substantiates his argument by narrating a letter of Mar Jacob, which Mar Jacob had written to Paul of Edessa on his return to the see by praising the decision of the empire. Vasil’ev suggests that the letter from a ‘Monophysite’ writer with the high praise given to emperor is an added evidence for the degree of tolerance in Justin’s religious policy.119 The above-​mentioned historical facts during the lifetime of Mar Jacob show that the religious history of Mesopotamia and Edessa under the Roman Empire is inextricably interwoven with its political history. The Byzantine imperial policies during this period were very much influenced by the confrontation with the Chalcedonians and anti-​Chalcedonians. The emperors, Anastasius I and Justin, were forced to indulge in the theological disputes of the time because the religious discontent had grown as a threat to the unity of the kingdom. Since the primary preoccupations of the empire were to confront the nearby Persian enemy rather than preserving the Christian faith, they were compelled to alter their religious policies convenient to their situations and this hence brought forth Chalcedonian and anti-​ Chalcedonian ecclesiastical structures with its followers as its bishops.120

4. The Theological Ambiance of Mar Jacob Mar Jacob lived in an era, when the Christological controversies, especially in Syria and Mesopotamia, were at their peak.121 Nourished by the 117 S.P. Brock, The Conversations with the Syrian Orthodox under Justinian (532), in: OCP 47 (1981), 87. 118 Cf. Vasil’ev, Justin the Great, 231–​232. 119 Cf. Vasil’ev, 234–​235. 120 Cf. P. Charanis, Church and State, 18–​28. 121 Cf. P. Charanis, 9.

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tradition122 and by the use of New Testament Christological confessions123 the early Christianity expressed its belief in Jesus as true God and true Man. The presence of Gnosticism124 and Docetism125 of the second and third centuries with their Christological explanations of the truth of Christ’s incarnation and his existence as a human being brings up to our notice that there are different understandings about Christ. However, no doctrine of two natures in technical sense

122 The earliest Christological explanation must be sought in the primitive Jewish Christian community. It derived from the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In resurrection, Jesus Christ was made both Lord and Christ. Jesus became ‘Messiah’ in the full sense of the Jewish expectation in his resurrection. This tradition became the starting point of all the Christological explanations later. Cf. A. Grillmeier, CCT 1, London, 19752, 9–​10. 123 The Christological titles and the Christological confessions of the synoptic gospels, such as Son of God, Son of Man, Servant, Saviour and the Pauline Christological explanations are the starting points for the development Christology. Cf. A. Grillmeier, CCT 1, 3–​32. 124 Gnosticism is a teaching based on the idea of gnosis –​a Greek word that means ‘Knowledge.’ The reason that Gnostics made ‘gnosis’ their primary category is that for them salvation depended on correct knowledge. Gnosticism attempted to answer the great human questions, God, man and the world; the cosmos and history; death and the beyond; body, matter and spirit on material point of view. According to Grillmeier CCT 1, 80, “more recent scholarship has recognized that behind the ‘material’ of Gnostic doctrines and traditions, which were often no longer understood in their original sense, and behind the elaborate myth of redeeming Gnosis, there stood a new experience of God, man and the world, which had not emerged in antiquity hitherto.” This new experience stirred up the communities of pagans and Christians alike. Therefore, within one Gnostic experience, Christians had also grown up and this resulted in the development of Christian Gnosticism. The theological character of the second and the early third century was deeply influenced by the encounters with the early Christian Gnosticism. When Christianity began to grow up as a teaching, which tries to answer the basic human questions, it confronted with the Gnostic influenced doctrines and traditions. While Gnostics tried to explain the human questions on the material point of view, Christianity started to grow up as a teaching, on the basis of Christian revelation. Cf. A. Grillmeier, CCT 1, 79–​85. 125 Docetism is an early century heretical teaching. It teaches that the human form of Jesus is a mere appearance. According to Grillmeier CCT 1, 78, Docetism ‘is the attempt to solve the problem of incarnation and the suffering of the Son of God on a dualistic-​spiritualistic basis.’ This teaching has the consequence that ‘the humanity and the suffering of the Son of God become mere semblance.’ Ibid. Cf. A. Grillmeier CCT 1, 78–​79, Cf. T. Hainthaler, Doketismus, in: Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche (LThK) 3 (1995), 302.

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has come out, despite there were different explanations regarding the Godhead and Manhood of Jesus Christ. The real Christological problem became evident, when the question was raised on the unity of divinity and humanity in Christ, the incarnate Son of God. According to Grillmeier, until the second half of the fourth century “the Nicean questions had been dealt with –​the idea of ‘homoousios,’ the Godhead of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”126 The research of Grillmeier on the Christological thinking of the early centuries attested that the theologians of that time can be classified according to certain ‘frameworks’ or unitary principles namely Logos-​ sarx and Logos-​anthropos schemes127, which interpret the person of Christ from the point of view of the unity of divinity and humanity in Jesus Christ. The tension between these two ways of interpreting the person of Jesus Christ dominated then in the history of Christology and gave rise to schisms.128 The kerygma however had been interpreted in various ‘Christologies,’ or ‘theologies’ by means of certain ideas and notions and by means of well-​defined schemata (Logos-​sarx schema, Logos-​antropos schema), which gave emphasis on some firm aspects of the image of Christ. Though all profess to one Christ, being in true divinity and true humanity, there were differences of opinion in their explanations regarding the unity of divinity and humanity in Christ and these differences were evident in the different levels of expressions of the two important schools regarding the nature of Christ.129 Because of the mistrust, 126 A. Grillmeier, The Council of Chalcedon-​an Analysis of a Conflict, in: Wort und Wahrheit (WuWS) 1 (1972), 28. 127 Logos-​sarx Christology is a Christological model, which starts from Jn 1:14 and explains the unity in Christ as an immediate unity of the second divine person of the logos with the human body (sarx). On the contrary, the Logos-​anthropos Christology proposes a union of the divine and human nature through emphasizing the assumption of the human form by Logos. It begins from Phil 2:7 and emphasizes the complete humanity of Jesus Christ. Cf. A. Grillmeier, WuWS 1, 30–​35, Cf. T. Hainthaler, Logos-​Sarx Christologie, in: LThK 6 (1997), 1032. 128 A complete historical development of these two frameworks is not the main concern here. 129 Antiochene and Alexandrian Christologies are represented by the different Christological positions of two different schools of the east, namely Antiochene and Alexandrian school. These schools represent the two different exegetical approaches of the East, by which the mystery of Christ was interpreted and for which they depend on the Logos-​sarx and the Logos-​anthropos Christology of the fourth century. According to Grillmeier WuWS 1, 29, ‘the Antiochene theologians are thought to have advocated the ‘rationalistic’ point of view whereas the Alexandrine theologians are believed to have put more emphasis on the ‘mystic element.’ This classification, however, cannot

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everybody was thought to deny the ‘oikonomia’ of incarnation. This further leads to the rejection of the teachings of the concerned schools by each other. The Antiochene theologians maintained that Jesus Christ was a man who from the first moment of his conception in the Virgin’s womb was united in prosopon with the Son of God or that he was the man assumed by the Son of God from the moment the Virgin was conceived. They asserted that Christ was ‘two natures after the union’ and these two natures were united conjointly. On this ground, Nestorios and the Antiochenes opposed the term Theotokos with reference to Mary, a position that was condemned in the Council of Ephesus in 431. Cyril of Alexandria and his followers rejected this theory of the union in prosopon, which they found inadequate to explain the mystery of incarnation. Cyril asserted the strict unity of the Logos with the flesh. The union in Christ that Cyril proposed is a hypostatical union. Cyril in his second letter to Nestorios explained, ‘the Word hypostatically united to himself flesh, endowed with life and reason, in a manner mysterious and inconceivable.’130 So according to Cyril, the divinity and humanity are two distinct natures, which have become one without their distinctness having dissolved. This means that although there is a substantial essential unity in Christ (henosis kath’ hypostasin) the distinctness of natures is evident. Therefore, in view of Cyril, in incarnation Logos is ‘made flesh’ without changing its ‘hypostasis.’ The incarnated Christ is united of the two natures of Godhead and manhood, because God the Word became incarnate and was made man, and from the very moment of conception the perfect humanity is united to himself. Therefore, Cyril holds the view that united of two natures Christ is ‘one incarnate nature of God the Word.’ As the difference in understanding of the union in the natures of Christ get intensified, the Formula of Union was proposed by Antiochenes in 433 in order to overcome the schism after Ephesus and thereby it pacified the two divided groups and became the basis of union at least for some years.131 The Formula of Union was not fully accepted by the Cyrillian partisans but their reactions were controlled till the death of Cyril of Alexandria in 444. As Dioscorus came to the throne as the successor of Cyril, the reactions of the Alexandrians were again intensified and attained greater momentum, when Eutyches denied the explain all the difference in their respective doctrines, and reference to the different exegetic methods is not sufficient: Alexandrines practiced a more allegorical exegesis, whereas the Antiochenes resorted to philosophical-​rationalistic methods.’ Cf. B. Drewery, Antiochien II, in: TRE 3 (1978), 104–​109. 130 L.A. Wickham, Cyril of Alexandria: Select Letters, Oxford, 1983, 5. 1 31 Cf. A. Grillmeier, CCT 1, 484.

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humanity of Christ and that Christ is consubstantial to us. He confirmed his position by refusing to confess that Jesus has two natures after the union, which was considered as an extreme position of Alexandrian theology. The home Synod of Constantinople in 448 under Patriarch Flavian discarded the theory of Eutyches and excommunicated him. Eutyches in turn, filed a complaint against the decision and called for a revision of the decision in a council. Therefore, emperor Theodosius convened a council in 449 in Ephesus,132 which was chaired by Dioscorus of Alexandria, a staunch follower of Alexandrian Christology. In the Synod, Dioscorus rehabilitated Eutyches and excommunicated Patriarch Flavian of Constantinople and his Antiochene followers, which in turn added the fury of the Antiochenes against the Alexandrians. It was during this synod that Pope Leo I and his letter to Flavian (Tomus Leonis), the reply on the case of Eutyches, which explained the dogma concerning the natures in Christ, was rejected by Dioscorus to be read in the council. In his letter, Leo affirmed the two distinct natures in Christ in order to prevent the teaching of Eutyches. Leo considered Eutyches an advocate of Manichaeism and Docetism, by which the latter denied Christ’s true human nature and thus the incarnation.133 Dioscorus and his Alexandrian followers, in turn, condemned Leo I. This further worsened the relationship of the imperial Church with Rome. So, the different theological approaches of the one faith in the person of Christ and furies aroused out of it caused to convene an ecumenical synod to pacify and unify both the theological stratums. Thus, the Emperor Marcian in Chalcedon convened a Council on 451.134 The council of Chalcedon establishes that the unity in Christ has to be found in one person or the one hypostasis and the duality found only in natures. The distinction between the natural unity and the substantial unity lies in the subject, in the person. The definition hence makes a clear distinction between hypostasis (prosopon) and nature, towards which the Fathers were striving for from Ephesus (431). So according to Grillmeier, Chalcedon gives us a real

132 The synod at Ephesus in 449 is known as ‘Robber council.’ Dioscorus, who was the Patriarch of Alexandria, convened this council. Pope Leo I gave to the council the name ‘Robber council,’ because of the violent and autocratic leadership given by the Alexandrian group. The main agenda of this council was to affirm the Alexandrian position of the one nature of Christ. 133 Cf. A. Grillmeier, WuWS 1, The Council of Chalcedon, 37. 134 Cf. R. Price, The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon, vol. 1, Liverpool, 2005, 37–​41.

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model of union, which is ‘so deep and fundamental that any other union cannot be surpassed.’135 The purpose of the Council of Chalcedon was to restore the unity and peace of the Church, which had been disturbed by the dispute over the formulation of the Christological explanation of unity in Christ. However, unfortunately, this purpose was not achieved. In spite of the decrees of the Council, the dispute continued with unabated intensity. According to Price after the Council ‘Egypt honoured the memory of Cyril and Dioscorus, resisted the demands of the imperial government and clung firmly to the miaphysis Christology. Syria was bitterly divided between supporters and opponents of the Council. Palestine initially a hotbed of opposition eventually swung over to support of Chalcedon. The Latin west, following the lead of Rome, was firmly pro-​Chalcedon.’136 So immediately after the Council emerged a polarization among those who followed Chalcedon and those who rejected Chalcedon. As Mar Jacob was born and came to Edessa for his studies, the land and the school of Edessa were in the turmoil of different theological perspectives. Though the school of Edessa, where Mar Jacob studied, absorbed the heritage of Theodore of Mopsuestia, he rejected Theodore’s legacy and took position against ‘Dyophysitism.’137 T. Jansma presents Mar Jacob’s aversion to ‘Dyophysitism’ in the following way: ‘From the moment when, coming upon Diodorus’ writings as a young student at the school of Edessa, ‘coerced by none, but moved by divine grace alone,’ he learned to reject this ‘Dyophysitism,’ up to his last years he remained true to this rejection.’138 Mar Jacob’s strong relationship with Severus of Antioch,139 who heavily depended on Cyrillian teachings and led the anti-​Chalcedonians in Syria, is also an affirmation that Mar Jacob took the side

135 T. Hainthaler, A Short Analysis of the Definition of Chalcedon and Some Reflections, in: Harp 20, (2006), 325. 136 Price, The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon, 52. 137 Cf. M. Hansbury, Nature as Soteric: Syriac and Buddhist Traditions, in: Aram 5, (1993), 212. 138 T. Jansma, The Credo of Jacob of Sarug, 26. 139 Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 16, mentions that a strong ‘Monophysite’ hierarchy was emerged in the sixth century under the support of the emperor Anastasius I and by the support Severus of Antioch and Philoxenus of Mabboug. Mar Jacob’s theological positions are very much confirmed with the theological views of the Patriarch Severus. Some manuscripts mentioned his theological inclination to Severus and also narrated his strong affinity to Severus with the same intensity as that of his saintly life.

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of Cyrillian theology in his life-​time. So, the theological context of Mar Jacob during his period was a hot-​bed of Christological controversies. As Mar Jacob established himself as a preacher, a strong anti-​Chalcedonian hierarchy emerged under the leadership of Severus of Antioch in the reign of Anastasius I.

5. The Christological Position of Mar Jacob The Christological formulations of Mar Jacob were very much influenced by the cultural and the political background of his upbringing. He grew up in a Semitic Syrian culture within the borders of Mesopotamia, where the theological disputes due to the Chalcedonian Christological formulations were at its zenith. The Chalcedonian Christological formulation presented Christ as the one who is in two Natures (en dyo physesin) and in one Person (eis hen prosopon) and in one Hypostase (mian hypostasin).140 This formulation was rejected by many of the Syrian Christians with the fear that this formulation divides Christ into two different persons with two specific natures. Another reason for the rejection of this formulation is its affinity to the terminologies of Nestorios, who acknowledged two distinct natures in Christ, which his opponents considered as an attempt of acknowledging two sons.141 The opponents of the Council of Chalcedon mainly based on the teachings of Cyril of Alexandria, who confronted the teachings of Nestorios and rejected his theories. Mar Jacob was confronted with the teachings of Diodore of Tarsus, whose works were translated from Greek to Syriac, when he studied at the school of Edessa.142 In the school of Edessa, he was much preoccupied to condemn all attempts to division in the person of Christ by basing on the Cyrillian refutations.143 When he started to establish as a preacher, he was privileged to live in the kingdom of Anastasius I (491–​518), who was a staunch anti-​ Chalcedonian, and also influenced by the renowned teacher Severus of Antioch (+538), who was a great interpreter and follower of the teachings of Cyril of Alexandria and the Patriarch of Antioch (512–​538). The indication of Mar Jacob in his letter to the monks of the monastery of Mar Bassus about his participation in the eastern synod,144 which Patriarch Severus summoned, is a

1 40 Cf. A. Grillmeier, CCT 1, 543–​550. 141 Cf. Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 435–​477. 142 Cf. Vööbus, CSCO 344, 5. 143 Cf. CCT 2,3, 434. ܳ ܰ ܽ that the ܳ ‫)ܣ‬ 144 Letter XVII discusses, what was said at ‘an eastern Synod’ (‫ܡܕ ܳܢܚܝܬܐ‬ ‫ܘܢܗ ܳܕܣ‬ Patriarch Severus summoned. The letter uses a general term ‘eastern Synod’ to denote the Synod. So a reader could not specify the name of the synod. But the letter clearly

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further proof for his close link with the Patriarch Severus, who was a follower of the Christological positions of Cyril of Alexandria. The letter narrates the content of the discussions in the synod. The letter tells: ‘In the great gathering of the eastern synod, (Severus) spoke that which was done in signs and parables in the writing, the Henotikon, with clear expressions before the great gathering of the bride, the daughter of the day.’145 Modern scholarship has claimed Mar Jacob as an ecclesiastical leader with an inclination to the Christological positions of Cyril of Alexandria. Among the modern scholars, T. Jansma argues that Mar Jacob’s approach to Christology ‘shows an unmistakable relationship to Cyril of Alexandria and Ephrem the Syrian, as he himself very well might distinguish from his spiritual ancestors.’146 Jansma analyzes the letters of Mar Jacob and claims Mar Jacob as a supporter of the ‘miaphysite’ Christology,147 who has drawn his Christological concepts from the Alexandrian school of Christology. In one of his articles he narrates: The result of the Incarnation is unity, which is twice expressed by Jacob in the formula mia physis sesarkomenē [One single incarnate nature]. The opposite concept, that of number, is emphatically rejected. The acts of divine power which Christ performs and the human frailties which are visible in Him must not be divided over two subjects: they should be attributed to the one Word which was made flesh. As to the terminology: in the Christology, unlike in the doctrine of Trinity, physis (kyānā) and hypostasis (qnōmā) are employed as synonyms. This is, in broad outline, the Christology of a pupil of the Alexandrian school.148

One of the major studies on Mar Jacob’s Christology since Jansma is done by T. Bou Mansour. He analyzed both letters and homilies of Mar Jacob and published the chapter on Mar Jacob’s Christology in the ‘Christ and Christian

1 45 146 147

148

ܽ ܺ ‫ܣܘ ܳܐܪܐ ܰܦ‬ ܶ ‫ܘܒ ܳܢܐ‬ ܳ ‫)ܛ‬. narrates that Severus was in the synod as the Patriarch of Antioch (‫ܛܪ ܳܝ ܺܪܟܝܣ‬ Cf. Letter XVII, 84,28; 85,14. Letter XVII, 84,27 –​85,3. My own translation. T. Jansma, Die Christologie Jakobs, 46. My own translation. ‘Miaphysitism,’ a Christological position, which adheres to the Alexandrian school of thought, denotes ‘a single incarnate nature of God the Word’ (mia physis theou logou sesarkomene). This Christological expression is nowadays used to represent those who oppose the decisions of the synod of Chalcedon. The stress in this Christological perspective is on the coming down of the Word to assume full humanity and yet remaining the same without being divided. This concept is so important in the writings of Cyril of Alexandria and he made use of this concept to confront with the teachings of Nestorius. Cf. T. Hainthaler, Monophysitism, in: Encyclopaedia Aethiopica 3 (2008),1006–​1009. T. Jansma, The Credo of Jacob of Serugh, 25–​26.

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tradition’ series. In this work, he asserts that the theory of Alexandrian influence in the Christology of Mar Jacob, proposed by Jansma, is acceptable. He says: It has been said, correctly, that Jacob is a ‘citizen of two worlds’, belonging to the Alexandrian as well to the Syrian culture. According to T. Jansma Jacob is linked to Ephrem by the docta ignorantia and to the Alexandrians by the body of statements that make his Christology. This is accurate, and our analyses have verified T. Jansma’s theory.149

According to Bou Mansour, Mar Jacob explains the incarnation of Christ and the unity of natures in the person of Christ in the perspective of the Alexandrian school of thought. For Bou Mansour, the ‘fundamental axiom’ of Mar Jacob’s Christology ‘consists…. in the distinction between naturaliter (according to nature) and oikonomia.’150 As per this principle, the Son is being in the state of God by nature (kyono) and in the state of human by the oikonomia.151 That means the Son is in the state of God or divine by nature and after entering into the economy of salvation he becomes truly human and man. Therefore, according to Mar Jacob, the Son is being in the state of God and human without dividing the natures. For Mar Jacob, there is a distinction in the person of Christ but there is no division of natures in Christ. In explaining this principle, he uses hypostasis (qnumo) and nature (kyono) as synonymous.152 Mar Jacob, by insisting the fact that the one divine hypostasis or nature becomes human, compares ‘the oikonomia of the flesh with the ‘height of the divine nature’’153 and ‘interchangeably with the divine ‘hypostasis.’’154 In one of his letters, Mar Jacob emphasizes this Christological point. There we read: But he himself, his hypostasis, has become for us what we are and yet remaining without change what he is.155

The homilies of Mar Jacob also agree with the idea of the synonymous usage of hypostasis (qnumo) and nature (kyono) that he developed in his letters. In one of the homilies we read: The human body is descended from the house of David [while] his divinity’s glorious natures is from above.

1 49 Bou Mansour, CCT 2.3, 476. 150 Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 435. 151 Cf. Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 435–​436 152 Cf. Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 441. 153 Ibid. 154 Ibid. 155 Letter XIX,127,7–​9. English translation is taken from CCT 2,3, 441.

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The lineage (gensā) of his mother is of the line of Abraham, his hypostasis (qnumēh) is the Word of the majesty (rabutā), ‘the mistress of all tribes.’156

So, for Mar Jacob, in incarnation the Son has become as we are and yet remained unchanged as he is. Though Mar Jacob adheres to the Cyrillian Christology, according to Bou Mansour, he presents ‘a moderate Christology of unity which avoids the combative and polemical utterances that Philoxenus indulged in.’157 The main reason for Mar Jacob’s such moderate approach lies on his basic idea of the reality, which is beyond our comprehension. He approaches such reality as an unfathomable, inexplicable and an inaccessible reality. Therefore, he did not try to investigate the inexplicable reality as others have done to explain it. He receives this inaccessible reality as it is revealed to him. According to him, the failure of the wise men is that they tried to explain and investigate the unexplainable and an ineffable reality. For Mar Jacob, what is revealed to him through the mystery of incarnation is sufficient for approaching and understanding the incarnation. He explains hence the incarnation as he experiences it, that is Christ in the union of divine and human nature. Mar Jacob very well narrated his approach to the mystery in his homily on faith. There we read: Because there are in the world scribes and wise men, and interpreters, everyone speaks according to his own knowledge. My knowledge has risen to the stage, where it knows that, even if I wanted, I should not be able to do so…. I do not try to define the Son of God, for it is sufficient for me to know about him that He is indefinable. This discovery: that I know that He is without limitation, is to me a gift which sets me at rest, so that I am not going to inquire.158

The above-​mentioned approach of Mar Jacob resembles Mar Ephrem’s method to explain the mystery. Like Mar Ephrem, Mar Jacob too proposes the docta ignorantia to explain the ineffable. According to the principle of docta ignorantia, the person has become ‘ignorant’ in order to become ‘wise’ in the Lord. It is the submission to the mystery that brings into effect its greater knowledge. So, the Christological explanation is, for Mar Jacob, only an explanation of his own

156 (Theologicial) Investigation, and the Consecration of the Church, HS IV, Hom.Nr.134, pp.767–​789, here p. 778,11–​14, English translation is taken from CCT 2,3, 462. 157 CCT 2,3, 475. 158 Faith, HS III, Hom.Nr. 94, pp. 581–​646, here p. 632,5–​10, My own translation.

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experience of the unfathomable reality, that which is revealed to him, which in turn ward off all the polemic utterances, disputes and investigations. If such is the approach of Mar Jacob, a genuine question would appear in the mind of the readers: didn’t he then involve in the Christological controversies of his time? A direct answer to this question is difficult. We can only make certain assumptions with reference to his approach to the mystery. As a prominent figure of his period, Mar Jacob had to somehow address the questions and controversies of his time. However, he dealt with it with his own symbolic reflections, about which I discuss in the coming section of this chapter. But he is convinced of the fact that the investigation into the mystery of the incarnation is futile because the ultimate knowledge of an incomprehensible reality is unattainable. He has the opinion that in the development of dogma the teachings of the first two councils –​Nicaea and Constantinople –​are sufficient. In his opinion, the later councils were the results of mere disputes and hence do not add anything new as a dogmatic development to what had already stated in the first two councils.159 The later councils were additions, which rose out of theological disputes that do not respect the ‘hidden’ nature of the mystery, which is often emphasized by him. The above short survey on Mar Jacob’s Christological presumptions makes us clear that Mar Jacob as a poet and pastor of the Syriac tradition propounds the mystery of Christ within the cultural background of his upbringing. He adhered closely to the Alexandrian Christology and its formula ‘the one nature that incarnate itself,’160 which is propounded by Cyril of Alexandria. Mar Jacob, by sticking on this Christological schema, explains the unity of divinity and humanity in Christ, as it is comprehendible to the faithful. Though he was closely associated to the Cyrillian Christological fabric, he tried to avoid theological disputes by holding a moderate position unlike his contemporaries because of the conviction that the reality of incarnation is always unfathomable and hence it should be revealed in order to get its fuller meaning.

6. The Orthodoxy of Mar Jacob Perhaps the most frequently studied aspect of Mar Jacob’s thought has been his orthodoxy. The scholars investigated whether Mar Jacob was a ‘Monophysite’161 or a Chalcedonian. 1 59 Cf. Jansma, The Credo of Jacob of Sarug, 28. 160 Cf. Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 442. 161 The term ‘Monophysite’ is often seen in the discussions of the orthodoxy of Mar Jacob. The term often misleads the reader because it denotes also to the ‘one nature’ theory

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In 1716, E. Renaudot, in his Liturgiarum orientalium collectio, accused Mar Jacob of being a ‘Monophysite.’162 Three years later, in 1719, J. S. Assemani began publication of his monumental Bibliotheca Orientalis, and in it he argued strongly for the orthodoxy of Mar Jacob.163 The publication of the letters of Mar Jacob to the monastery of Mar Bassus by J.P.P.Martin164 in 1876 was quite decisive in presenting Mar Jacob as a ‘Monophysite.’ Following these, many others like S. Landersdorfer considered him as a ‘Monophysite.’165 In 1905 the publication of the homilies of Mar Jacob by P. Bedjan initiated studies on his Christological affirmations and this in turn intensified the discussion about his orthodoxy. P. Peeters166 was the prominent figure, who dealt rather extensively with the orthodoxy of Mar Jacob. By examining the letters and the homilies of Mar Jacob,

of Eutyches. But, in the discussions of the orthodoxy of Mar Jacob, the scholars used the term ‘Monophysite’ to denote the Christological position of Mar Jacob, which is ‘Miaphysite’ in nature. Historically the opponents of the two-​natures doctrine of the council of Chalcedon (One person or hypostasis in two natures) were called ‘Monophysites,’ who did not follow the ‘one nature’ theory of Eutyches rather took the mia physis (One incarnated nature of the God Logos) as their central Christological formula. In today’s dogmatic discussions the opponents and the Churches, who oppose the doctrine of the Council of Chalcedon, are referred to as ‘Miaphysite.’ In the discussion of the orthodoxy of Mar Jacob I stick on to the terms that the authors referred in their work. Cf. T. Hainthaler, Monophysitism, 1006–​1007. Please also see the footnote no. 34 of page 38–39. 162 Cf. E. Renaudot, Liturgiarum orientalium collectio vol.2, Paris, 1847, 367. 163 Cf. Assemani, BO I, 290. 164 Cf. J-​P.P. Martin, Lettres de Jacques de Saroug aux moines du Couvent Mar Bassus, et à Paul d’Edesse, relevées et traduites, in: Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft (ZDMG) 30 (1876), 217–​275. 165 Cf. S. Landersdorfer, Ausgewählte Schriften der syrischen Dichter: Cyrillonas, Baläus, Isaak von Antiochien und Jakob von Sarug, BKV 1. Reihe, Band 6, Kempten, 1912, 261. ‘Was den Standpunkt unseres Dichters in den damaligen christologischen Streitigkeiten anlangt, so ist diese Frage lang und eingehend erörtert worden, ist aber seit Veröffentlichung seiner Korrespondenz mit den Mönchen des Klosters des Mar Bassus bei Apamea wohl endgültig dahin zu entscheiden, daß Jakob von Sarug Monophysit war und dies auch bis zum Ende seines Lebens blieb. Aus diesen Briefen ergibt sich klar und deutlich, daß er bereits seit seiner Jugend der Lehre von zwei Naturen in Christus, die in Edessa vorgetragen wurde, feindlich gegenüberstand, daß er sich später zwar dem Henotikon des Kaisers Zeno fügte, dann aber ein überzeugter Monophysit wurde.’ (Ibid.). 166 P. Peeters, Jacques de Saroug appartient-​il à la secte monophysite? in: Analecta Bollandiana (AnBoll) 66 (1948), 134–​198.

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he established that Mar Jacob’s positions was orthodox. The main proof for his claim, which he relied upon, was the lack of the authenticity of the letters of Mar Jacob, which were taken as proof for the ‘Monophysitic’ inclinations of Mar Jacob. P. Peeters, who studied Mar Jacob, questioned his ‘Monophysitic’ narrations in his letters by declaring that the letters to the monastery of Mar Bassus published by J.P.P. Martin were forgeries.167 He also relied on Mar Jacob’s homily on ‘Mary and Golgotha,’ where he found a clear Chalcedonian affirmation of the person of Christ, who is in two natures.168 Though P. Peeters formulated his arguments for the orthodoxy of Mar Jacob by basing on his works, Peeters based exclusively on historic evidences. According to him, the appointment of Mar Jacob as bishop of Batnan in 519 during the era of Justin I, who was a staunch Chalcedonian, is the historical proof for his orthodoxy. P. Krüger was the main scholar who accepted the theory of P. Peeters and emphasized the theory by saying that ‘Mar Jacob became a Chalcedonian in the last years of his life.’169 T. Jansma confronted the theories of P. Peeters and P. Krüger and repudiated these theories by analyzing both the works and the historical background of Mar Jacob. Jansma discarded the theory of Krüger about the conversion of Mar Jacob to the Chalcedonian faction by saying that the bishop Paul of Edessa, who nominated Mar Jacob as bishop, was a moderate ‘Monophysite.’170 By analyzing the Chronicle of Edessa, Jansma asserted his argument with a detailed narration of the historical situation of Mar Jacob’s lifetime during the regime of Justin I. According to this detailing, Justin I was not an adamant oppressor of anti-​ Chalcedonians. As proof for Justin’s sober attitude towards anti-​Chalcedonians, Jansma narrated the story of reinstatement of the bishop Paul of Edessa.171 The emperor gave the bishop time to denounce the decisions of the council of Chalcedon and he began to take actions the opponents of Chalcedon only in

1 67 Cf. Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 433. 168 Cf. Jansma, The Credo of Jacob of Sarug, 19. In this article Jansma quoted the verses from the homily on ‘Mary and Golgotha,’ on which P. Peeters relied heavily to prove the orthodoxy of Mar Jacob. The verses are: ‘One man contemplates thy Godhead and thy greatness, He wants to hear that thou art God and nothing else; He disputes (thy Godhead) and hastens to exclaim in public that thou art a man; Yet another in his wisdom knows thee like this: Thou art two, one is God, the other is a man.’ (Ibid.). 169 Krüger, Die kirchliche Zugehörigkeit, OstKst 13, 28. 170 Cf. Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 433. 171 Cf. Jansma, Die Christologie Jakobs, 14.

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522, when he realized that bishop Paul of Edessa would not denounce the decisions of the council.172 Jansma pointed out that when the emperor began his pressure against the rivals of the council Mar Jacob was no more in the throne of bishop. So according to Jansma, the theory of Krüger of the conversion of Mar Jacob to the group of Chalcedonians is unreliable.173 Jansma also analyzed Mar Jacob’s letters and discarded the theory of Peeters, who denied the authenticity of the letters because he considered some of the letters of Mar Jacob as forgery. Jansma rejected this theory of Peeters by analyzing the manuscripts of the letters. He studied the letters and the homilies of Mar Jacob, which were preserved in the manuscripts, –​BL add.14857 and Vat.Syr.118 –​which are of sixth and seventh century of origin.174 Therefore, Jansma affirms that the manuscript tradition confirms the authenticity of the letters. The recent studies of Bou Mansour on the Christology of Jacob of Sarug in ‘Christ and Christian tradition’ series also confirm the Alexandrian inclinations of Mar Jacob. In this work, Bou Mansour analyzed both letters and the homilies of Mar Jacob and affirmed that the Christological position of Mar Jacob is a ‘moderate Christology of unity, which avoid combative positions of his predecessors, like Philoxenus.’175 The detailed studies of the orthodoxy of Mar Jacob from eighteenth century to till today show that Mar Jacob took a ‘moderate’ Christological position in the context of the divided Christian community. The intention of Mar Jacob was to preserve the unity of Christ by refuting the ‘Dyophysite’ tendencies of Antiochene theologians.176 According to S. Grill, Mar Jacob did not refuse the council of Chalcedon as a whole, but he refused the ‘Dyophysite’ terminologies of the council.177 This refutation alone cannot be sufficient to demarcate him as a ‘Monophysite’ or a Chalcedonian. In the present scenario of dogmatic discussions,178 Mar Jacob and his teachings are respected and admired by Catholics. 1 72 Cf. Jansma, Die Christologie Jakobs, 14. 173 Cf. Jansma, 14–​15. 174 Cf. Lange, Jakob von Sarug, 221. 175 Cf. CCT 2,3, 475. 176 Cf. P.M. Forness, Preaching Christology in the Roman Near East: A Study of Jacob of Serug, Oxford, 2018, 9–​19. 177 Cf. S.M. Grill, Die Forschung und das Heiligtum der Kirche, in: Heiligenkreuzer Studien (HeilSt) 13b (1963), 11–​12. 178 The studies on the dogmatic positions of the Church Fathers, who were considered as non-​catholic, gave great momentum especially in the field of ecumenical dialogues with the Churches, who were separated from the Catholic Church due to their inclinations to the dogmatic positions, which they upheld. However, the studies on the different dogmatic positions of the separated Churches brought the leaders of the

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The liturgical hymns and melodies of Mar Jacob are a common patrimony of the Syrian Catholics, the Syrian Orthodox, the Maronites, Armenians, Malankara Orthodox ad Malankara Catholics.

7. Mar Jacob as an Exegete Regarding the exegetical contributions of Mar Jacob there are different opinions among the scholars. A. Baumstark has clearly asserted that Mar Jacob has never proved himself as an exegetical author.179 A. Allgeier also expressed the same opinion as that of Baumstark. According to Allgeier, Mar Jacob was a free interpreter, who did not confine himself to any particular interpretative method. The text, the situation and the paraphrase of the text became a new entity in the hand of Mar Jacob. The situations are reinvented in order to trace out the new meaning out of it.180 Though there are above mentioned inconsistencies in the exegetical style of Mar Jacob, there are evidences for his interpretations, which indicate his inclination to exegetical methods. In his letter 22, Mar Jacob studied two biblical texts, Heb 10,26 and 1 Jn 5,16, respectively in order to explain the conflicting opinions of the texts, which the simple faithful find it difficult to understand. The letter to Hebrews, in which St Paul speaks of death and punishment due to sin is explained by Mar Jacob by comparing it with the letter of evangelist John and showed that the law aims at the salvation of man.181 The other evidence for his exegetical activity is the narration of his biographers. The biographies of Mar

Churches together and this brought forth common declarations. One of the common declarations between Pope Paul VI and the Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III states, ‘there is no difference in the faith they profess concerning the mystery of the Word of God made flesh and become really man, even if over the centuries difficulties have arisen out of the different theological expressions by which this faith was expressed.’ (Common Declaration of His Holiness Pope Paul VI and His Holiness Mar Ignatius Jacob III in 1971). This understanding is also applicable to the teachings of Mar Jacob and his acceptance as orthodox in the present situation. 179 A.Baumstark, Die Evangelienexegese der syrischen Monophysiten, in: OrChr 2 (1902), 160. ‘…als Quelle der späteren Evangelienerklärung der syrischen Monophysiten als dann aber nur noch Ja’qûb von Serûg (+521). Der Mann, welcher für die Jakobiten wesentlich dieselbe Stelle einnimmt, die für die Nestorianer Narsai behauptet, hat allerdings ex professo als exegetischer Schriftsteller sich niemals versucht.’ 180 Cf. A. Allgeier, Untersuchungen zur syrischen Überlieferung der Siebenschläferlegende, in: OrChr 5 (1915), 56. 181 Cf. Letter XXII, 145,8–​15.

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Jacob present him as the one who is responsible for commenting the holy scriptures. One of the biographies in the eleventh century manuscript states: The Holy Spirit revealed to him and explained all the secrets of the Holy Scriptures; this doctor became the vessel of the Spirit and filled the Holy Church with his wisdom by commenting on the Holy Scriptures….182

Though there are evidences for his exegetical adherences, it is difficult to place him as an exegete in the modern sense, employing linguistic and literary criticism and using parallel passages to arrive at a satisfactory historical interpretation. However, in fact, his poetical works, especially mēmrē, are mainly biblical, which consistently emphasize the typological significance of the Old Testament and its relation to Christ and the Church. His works also reveal to us that he is the one who lives in the imagery of the Bible. From his works, we can easily identify that he is brilliant to master a situation and his excellence to elucidate a deeper meaning out of it. This existence of the valuable materials in the biblical interpretations of Mar Jacob, both in terms of text and history, help us to consider him as an exegetical poet of the Syrian tradition.

8. Historical Background of Mar Jacob’s Exegetical Tradition The Syriac Fathers were interested in interpreting the biblical text from the early centuries itself. A. Baumstark has mentioned in one of his articles about the three different stages of the development of the exegetical traditions of the Syrian fathers. The first stage is the pre-​Ephesinian, which is described by him as purely Syrian.183 This stage manifested the legacies of the indigenous Syrian exegesis, which was led by Aphrahat and Mar Ephrem. This earliest form of Syrian tradition was not much Hellenized, and it exercised a sort of autonomy.184 The second stage of Syrian exegesis is with the dominant influence of Theodor of Mopsuestia (+428), whose works had been found by the Syrian translators since the beginning of the fifth century. The Syrian interpretation of the Bible moves much more freely at the third stage of its development. In the beginning of the sixth century emerged the biblical interpretations, when the exegetes were influenced by many different traditions, namely by Greek and Syrian, and by Alexandrian and

182 MSS Paris Syr. 177, 147a–​148b, Cf. B.M.B. Sony, La méthode exégetique de Jacques de Saroug, in: ParOr 9 (1979/​1980), 67. 183 Cf. Baumstark, Die Evangelienexegese, OrChr 2, 150. 184 Cf. R.M. Grant, Theophilus of Antioch to Autolycus, in: Harvard Theological Review (HTR) 40 (1947), 227–​256.

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Antiochene.185 Mar Jacob obviously belongs to the third stage of Syrian exegetical tradition, which has a mixed influence of the major Christian traditions of Antioch, Cappadocia, and Alexandria.186 S. Brock has also mentioned that the writers of the fifth and the sixth centuries deemed Greek more prestigious and there is a fusion of Greek and native Syriac elements in their works. However, according to Brock the Semitic pole is very prominent in the poet Mar Jacob.187 From the middle of the fifth century onwards the Syriac interpreters of the Bible fall into two main schools of exegesis, generally known as Antiochene and Alexandrian. As far as later Syriac exegetical tradition was concerned, the most important representative of the Antiochene School of exegesis was Theodore of Mopsuestia (+428), while for the Alexandrian school it was Cyril of Alexandria. The Antiochene School was particularly interested in historical interpretation whereas the Alexandrian exegetical tradition was distinguished by its willingness to employ allegory as a method of biblical interpretation. However, according to scholars it would be a mistake to limit these two schools in the frame of allegorical and historical interpretation because both schools maintain the primacy of allegory and history in their exegetical accomplishments. According to Bernard Ramm, Alexandrian school is the Syrian school, where the allegorical method of interpretation was used and also the primacy of the literal and historical interpretation were maintained.188 For S. Brock, the Alexandrian school of exegesis would best be described as typological rather than allegorical and in this respect, it has much in common with the Antiochene exegetical tradition,189 which, according to Schäublin, gives emphasis to literal exegesis in contrast to the methods of the Alexandrians.190 However, the later studies on these two exegetical schools reveal the fact that these two schools are, rather than opposing, complementing each other. T. Hainthaler while explaining the Antiochene exegesis described that the historical approach of the Antiochene exegetical scheme is not in opposition to the elevated (spiritual) meaning, on the contrary, it proves to be the foundation of the more elevated meaning.191 The evaluation of T. Spidlik 1 85 Cf. Baumstark, Die Evangelienexegese, OrChr 2, 150–​152. 186 Cf. T. Jansma, L’ Hexaèmeron de Jacques de Saroug, in: OrSyr 10 (1965), 144. 187 Cf. S.P. Brock, The Two Poles of Syriac Tradition, in: C. Payngot (ed.), Homage to Mar Cariattil: Pioneer Malabar Ecumenist, Kottayam, 1987, 59. 188 Cf. B. Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation: A Textbook of Hermeneutics, Michigan, 19703, 49. 189 Cf. S.P. Brock, The Bible in the Syriac Tradition, Kottayam, 1989, 64. 190 Cf. C. Schäublin, Untersuchungen zu Methode und Herkunft der antiochenischen Exegese, Köln-​Bonn, 1971,55. 191 Cf. Hainthaler, CCT 2,3, 225.

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about the Syrian exegesis summarizes the exegetical traditions of the early centuries in detail. He says: It is often said that Syrian exegesis is more literal whilst that of the Alexandrian Fathers is more allegorical. Like every general assertion, this one too needs nuancing. The exegesis of the spiritual authors was not a historical nor literal study. Their reading and commentary were always intended as a search for the spiritual sense of the Scripture, as an effort to understand what the Holy Spirit is saying to us at the very moment, we have the Book in our hands. This attitude is common to both Alexandrian and Syrians. The question is how to discover this spiritual meaning.192

In the fifth century the Antiochene exegetical tradition became prominent among the Syrians, probably because of the school of Edessa,193 and it exerted a pervasive influence on many Syriac writers, especially on the writers like Mar Jacob. Mar Jacob was a student at the school of Edessa and this happened to be the simple reason that though he had reacted against the theological teachings of the school, he nevertheless remained influenced by its tradition of biblical interpretation. Though he was influenced by the Antiochene exegetical system, he had issue with its emphasis on the historical and literal sense of meaning.194 However, despite of the differences he also used literal and historical analysis in his exegesis in order to reach the spiritual sense of meaning. This insisted the scholars like Baumstark to consider him as an exegete, who stands in the middle of Alexandrian and Antiochene thinking.195 Thus, the exegetical works of Mar Jacob represent an exegetical tradition, which is a blending of the Antiochene and the Alexandrian exegetical traditions.

192 T. Spidlik, Some aspects of Syrian Spirituality, in: C, Payngot (ed.), Homage to Mar Kariattil Pioneer Malabar Ecumenist, Kottayam, 1987, 68. 193 The first head of this school, Qioras, who also held the chair of Exegete, replaced the works of Ephrem, which had been standard, by those of Theodore of Moupsuestia, who was the pioneer of the Antiochene exegetical tradition. Cf. Hainthaler, CCT 2,3, 239. 194 According to B. Sony Mar Jacob remained closer to Ephrem than to Theodore whose works had been translated into Syriac by the time of his stay in School of Edessa. According to him, Mar Jacob resisted Antiochene exegetical tradition by saying that it is literal and prefers the ephremian and the Alexandrian tradition by considering it as spiritual. Cf. Sony, La méthode exégetique, 89. 195 Cf. Baumstark, Die Evangelienexegese, OrChr 2, 161.

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9. The Exegesis of Mar Jacob The task of finding the proper exegetical method of Mar Jacob is rather a difficult one because he was influenced by different traditions. As it has already been said he was a free interpreter of the Bible with the help of the tools available to him from the traditions, of which he was familiar. From his writings, it was obvious that his exegetical works are much closer to the views of Ephrem, which he inherited from the school of Edessa and especially with a sort of filtering through the Antiochene views.196 So, in the exegetical process of Mar Jacob we can discover high intense symbolic reflections paired with the contextual reading of the text.

9.1. The Scriptural Text of Mar Jacob As an interpreter of the Holy Scripture what would have been Mar Jacob’s source? Mar Jacob primarily used the text of Peshitta. R. H. Connolly and M. Black in their studies have shown that Mar Jacob made use of both Peshitta and Diatessaron. In 1907 R. H. Connolly, after analyzing the homilies published by Bedjan, stated, ‘Jacob of Sarug used both Peshitta and Diatessaron very freely, in the way no doubt that fourth century writers used Syriac Vulgate197 and Diatessaron.’198 However, after forty years M. Black reiterated the question after analyzing the letters of Mar Jacob published by Olinder. Unlike Connolly, Black believed that the Diatessaron is not the basic text of Mar Jacob, though he expressively quotes the Diatessaron by name ‘the Gospel.’199 According to him Mar Jacob’s basic text and his authoritative version is the Syriac Vulgate and sixty percent of the quotations are verbatim with Peshitta.200 M. Black too pointed that Mar Jacob also quoted from the Old Syriac201 readings. This finding may suggest that Mar Jacob quoted from the different versions of the scripture, which

1 96 Cf. Jansma, L’ Hexaèmeron de Jacques de Sarug, 253. 197 Syriac Vulgate here means the Peshitta version. 198 R.H. Connolly, Jacob of Serug and the Diatessaron, in: The Journal of Theological Studies (JTS) 8 (1907), 589–​590. 199 M. Black, The Gospel Text of Jacob of Serug, in: JTS 2 (1951), 63. 200 Cf. M. Black, The Gospel Text of Jacob of Serug, 63. 201 Old Syriac is the translated version of New Testament of the second or early third century. The New Testament version of pshitha is the revision of the Old Syriac. It is likely that the Old Syriac originally extended to the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles but there is no manuscript of Old Syriac version containing these books. The only available manuscripts of the Old Syriac contain the four Gospels. Cf. Brock, The Bible in the Syriac Traditon, 14–​15.

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is available to him at that time. B. Sony has the opinion that Mar Jacob quoted from the different versions because the Peshitta was not fully imposed during the era of Mar Jacob. These findings of the scholars show that Mar Jacob was open to the sources of the Scripture available to him and he approached them with great reverence and he used it in his homilies because of the conviction that the same Spirit works through the writers of the Scriptures, the interpreters and the readers or the hearers of the Scripture.202

9.2. The Meaning of Exegesis The technical term, which Mar Jacob uses to represent his exegetical interpretܽ According to Bou Mansour, this term is more often ܳ ‫)ܦ‬. ations, is pušōqō (‫ܘܫ ܳܩܐ‬ ܽ ܳ ‫)ܬ‬, used in the writings of Mar Jacob than turgōmō (‫ܘܪܓ ܳܡܐ‬ another Syriac word for interpretation.203 However, Mar Jacob employed this term not exclusively to biblical texts, rather he also used this term for his interpretations of the mystery204 and also for the interpretation of dreams of biblical personalities.205 This denotes that Mar Jacob employs this term in a general sense, and it encompasses all his interpretative efforts. According to Mar Jacob, the exegesis is an activity that brings out the riches of the Scripture. For Mar Jacob, Bible is like an ocean where you find pearls; and the duty of the interpreter is to plunge into it in order to extract them.206 Therefore, Mar Jacob compares the activity of an exegete to that of a pearl diver. An exegete as a pearl diver seeks after the pearls of the scripture. The intelligence searches for the pearls of the scriptures and supplies them to the hearers as ornaments to be hung on the ears.207 So, for Mar Jacob, exegesis is an activity of searching 2 02 Cf. Sony, La méthode exégetique, 89–​93. 203 Cf. Bou Mansour, La théologie II, 317. 204 His interpretations of the mysteries manifest his theological method. I will discuss this aspect in the heading ‘the theological thought of Mar Jacob.’ 205 Cf. The First on Daniel, and on the Dream which Nebuchadnezar saw, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 123, pp. 491–​517, here p. 506,6–​7, My own translation. In the homily of Mar Jacob on ‘Daniel and on the dream which Nebuchadnezar saw’ he uses the term pušōqō to denote the interpretation of the dream that was shown to Nebuchakdnezar. In the homily we read: ‘This dream was shown to you by God; ܽ as it is said to you.’ (Ibid.). ܳ ‫)ܦ‬ For he heard its explanation (‫ܘܫ ܶܩܗ‬ 206 Cf. Sony, La méthode exégetique, 91. 207 Cf. You are Priest Forever: In the Image of Malkizadek, HS II, Hom.Nr. 41, pp. 197–​209, here p. 197,7–​14, My own translation. ܳ ܳ ܰ ܶ̈ ܳ ‘‫ܪܓ ܺܢܝܬܐ ܺܗܝ ܰܠܕܪ ܶܚܡ ܳܠܗ܇‬ ‫ܶܡ ܰܠܬ ܚܝܐ ܡ‬

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the meaning that is hidden in the Scripture. Mar Jacob explains his concept of exegetical activity in his homily on ‘the parable of the workers in the vineyard.’ There we read: The Scriptures of the Son resemble to a sea and within that sea a pearl is thrown and it is concealed from the merchants; For the commentator is like a pearl-​diver going down after it. He explores the depths and brings up the pearl with him; When it is brought up, behold, it will be handed over to the merchants, then all of them, indeed, profit from it when they possess it…… …………. The intellect descends and dives in the Scriptures, while incompetent, explores and takes hold of the pearl of the divine abode; And behold, the tongue carries it in order to throw it over the hearers; suspend it upon your ears, O Daughter of light and be adorned by it.208

Though the interpretation of the Scripture is a human activity, Mar Jacob affirms that it is an activity guided by the divine grace. For Mar Jacob, it is God who opens the treasures of meaning to an exegete. Therefore, an interpreter of the Scripture is driven by the divine grace and brings out the meaning of the Scripture. Mar Jacob’s request for the hearers to pray for the grace of understanding at every beginning of his discourse confirms that Mar Jacob believes that God’s grace is the source of his interpretation and his catechetical activity. In the initial prayers of his discourse, he mentions his inability to grasp the mystery of God and seeks for the help of God to deliver his speech. Mar Jacob’s initial prayer in one of his homilies on ‘nativity’ mentions his ardent desire for the grace of God to bring out his catechesis. There we read. By the impulse of the Spirit let my mind bring forth the homily of your praise, for I am not competent for your homily: please speak through me. I am the flute, when your word is breath and your story is the voice. Please take control of it, and by your means may we sing to you using what is your own.209

ܰ ܽ ܺ ‫ܘܥܐ ܰܘ‬ ܳ ‫ܝܗ ܷܒ‬ ܳ ‫ܩܪܘܒ ܶܫ ܽܡ‬ ̇ ݁ ‫ܬܠ‬ ‫ܐܕܢܟ ܷܒܐܨܛ ܰܒܬ ܳܒܗ܀‬ The Scripture is (like) living pearls for those who love it; Come near hearer and suspend it on your ear and be pleased by it.’ (HS II, 197,7–​8). 208 The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, HS I, Hom.Nr. 14, pp. 320–​344, here p. 328,9–​329,3, My own translation. 2 09 The Nativity of Our Redeemer according to Flesh, SMS VI, 721,21–​ 722,3, Kollamparampil, FH I, 44,59–​62.

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More specifically in his homily on ‘the fig tree, which our Lord cursed’ he mentions that it is the divine goodness that opens the treasures of the Scripture. The homily expounds: Henceforth the path of the word towards the goodness So that as usual it opens up the treasure to the one who doesn’t deserve.210

Certain texts of Mar Jacob, other than his homilies, also underline that the divine goodness is the origin of the exegetical question that the seeker asks and the answer that the interpreter gives. In his letter to Mar Maron, Mar Jacob says: It is the divine grace that awakens the search of the questioner, for the latter to obtain the common good of the interpreter. It is the same grace that comes to the aid of the mind of the one who questions, so that he explains even if he is poor. Because the grace gives its riches by its action, poverty doesn’t exist. In fact, the one who interprets does not interpret with his own capacity, but his exegesis is the fruit of the divine goodness, which enriches everything.211

These texts show us that the divine goodness is the base of the biblical interpretation and it further expounds that Mar Jacob equates the act of exegesis with a gracious gift. However, this grace does not exclude the contribution of man. It is the effort of the interpreting person that initiates the spiritual character of the revealed word and makes people to grasp the meaning of the text. Thus, the exegetical activity of Mar Jacob appears because of a dialogue between the human activity and the divine goodness. Mar Jacob’s emphasis on love as an exegetical tool to interpret the Scriptures highlights the fact that the exegetical activity is an act that is initiated by God rather than a mere human pursuit. Mar Jacob looks at the Scriptures as a source of unguarded treasures, which reveal the divine plan of God. According to him, Scriptures rather than providing defined truths, furnish experiences of divine-​ human encounter.212 Scripture discloses God’s love and it is an ongoing revelation, through its mysteries, of God’s love for humankind. Therefore, he plunged deeper into the Scripture where instead of definitions the mystery (rōzō) of Christ is narrated.213 This mystery-​filled narrative of the Only Begotten is opened up to the person when he approaches the Scripture with love. To the one who loves the Word, the Scripture will array all treasures before the person, for ‘love is the door 210 The Fig Tree which our Lord Cursed, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 132, pp. 724–​740, here p. 729,15–​ 16, My own translation. 211 Letter XXIII, 168,13–​21, My own translation. 212 Cf. Kollamparampil, Festal Homilies, Introduction, 26. 213 Cf. Sony, La méthode exégetique, 83–​85.

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whereby one enters in unto the meaning.’214 One of his first homilies includes a reference on the power of love in the field of scriptural exegesis. There we read: On those chosen lips which you promised in the prophecy, may the wonderful teaching of your divinity be voiced by me. By the love which is the sum of all wisdom, let my discourse extend to the telling of what is incomprehensible.215

The complementarity of divine and human love in the field of exegesis is further detailed by Mar Jacob by looking at the exegetical activity as a response ܳ is the guiding factor behind the divine to the divine love. This divine love (‫)ܚܢ ܳܢܐ‬ ܳ ܽ ܺ economy. Mar Jacob situates the divine love within the divine essence (‫)ܐܝܬܘܬܐ‬. Though hidden, the divine love (ḥanōnō) makes itself known through its acts and taybutō, raḥamō, ḥubō are used to speak of interventions of God’s love. Therefore, it would seem that all human love participates and responds to the divine love, which is in the divine essence. So, for Mar Jacob the response of love to the divine love that reveals in the Scripture is the human participation in the divine love. Thus, for Mar Jacob our love towards the Scripture is an adequate response to God’s divine love and this response unveils the greater meaning of the text. The whole of his argument summarizes in one of his homilies. There we read: Scripture enlightens the soul’s eyes through study. Read, discerning one, and fill up with light from it through love. The Sun shines from divine Scriptural readings upon the minds of those who encounter them with discernment. Like lamps of a great light within the darkness God put Scriptures into the world so that it would be enlightened by scriptural readings and, possessing them, he walks as if in the great light of the day. Draw near to the Scripture, lovingly, and see its beauty, for without love it does not allow you to see its face. If you read without love you do not benefit, for love is the gate through which a man enters into understandings. Thus Scripture demands of you, when you have taken it up, not to read it unless you love it more than yourself.216

214 The Second on Elisha and on the King of Moab, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 117, pp. 282–​296, here p. 282,12, ET by Holy Transfiguration Monastery (HTM), in: True Vine (TV) 1, (1989), 55,12. 215 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 125, pp. 543–​610, here p. 544,20–​545,3, ET by A. Golitzin, in: MHMJS 14, Piscataway, 2016, 18,29–​20,32. 216 The Second on Elisha and on the King of Moab, HS IV, 282,1–​14, TV 1, 55,1–​14.

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The above-​mentioned exegetical dimensions of Mar Jacob sum up that the exegetical activity is neither a human nor a divine activity but a human activity that is empowered by the divine grace. It is an activity that endeavors the hidden meaning of the Scripture. Thus, the exegesis, for Mar Jacob, is an activity that comes out of an adequate response to the inexplicable truths, which are hidden in the Scripture.

9.3. The Necessity of Exegesis For Mar Jacob, exegesis is necessary for various reasons. The first and foremost reason for the interpretation of the scripture is the meaning hidden in the Scriptural texts. The hidden meaning of the Scriptures, according to Mar Jacob, is due to its relationship to the divine economy. The Scriptures communicate God, who lowered himself to the level of humanity in order to speak with men. But, this divine revelation is veiled and concealed from the humans, and even ܺ 217 So, for Mar Jacob a discovery of the meaning of the from the watchers (‫)ܥܝ̈ܪܶܐ‬. veiled reality is necessary in order to get a proper understanding of the intention of God, who interacted with the people through his divine economy. Mar Jacob explains the necessity of the discovery of the meaning of the veiled reality in his homily on ‘the veil on Moses’ face.’ There we read: Through you and by you, o Grace, may I be aroused to speak, for through revelation you are bountiful in expounding: come, o Grace, and bring with you the discovery of what was the reason for that Hebrew’s Veil.218

Mar Jacob mentions in his letters that the interpreters of the Scriptures will tell the hidden meaning of the veiled reality. He uses a particular vocabulary, such as ܳ ‫ܡ ܶܕܡ‬-​ ܶ ‘something in the place of another,’ to denote the interpretation of -​‫ܚܠܦ ܶܡ ܶܕܡ‬ the veiled reality. For Mar Jacob, the words of unity of the man and woman is the typical case in this subject. He tells in his letters that St Paul applies the passage

217 Cf. The Nativity of Our Redeemer according to Flesh, SMS VI, 720,9–​10; 13–​14, Kollamparampil, FH I, 41,9–​10; 13–​14. ‘Veiled is that human revelation of yours even from your mother so that is there to deal with your divine nativity? ......... Concealed is your story even from the watchers and by the expression Shall I send to you the gifts of my frail words?’ (Ibid.). 218 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, Hom.Nr. 79, pp. 283–​305, here p. 284,9–​12, ET by S.P. Brock, in: Sobornost (Sob) 3,1 (1981), 72,15–​18.

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of Gen 2:24 to denote the union of Christ and the Church and shows that Moses said, ‘one thing in the place of another.’ But when the mystery was revealed that Christ had come, and had married his Church, merged it to his body, shaped it and that two had become one, then the illustrious Paul did not consider the bridegroom and the married, but the Church and Christ, and proclaimed those who enter the chamber [nuptial], because this mystery is the one that is explained by the Church and by Christ. And Paul put Moses uncovered, saying one thing for another, and no one knew why [Moses] said stammering what he covered with a veil, until Christ removed the veil from his face [of Moses] and that he loosed his stuttering tongue, that he might speak clearly.219

Thus, Mar Jacob derives the conclusion that it is the mystery that necessitates the exegetical activity. According to Mar Jacob, the need of an exegesis is due to the prophecies and the metaphorical words in the Scripture, which have its fullness of meaning only when they are fully accomplished by the arrival of Christ. The role of the prophets and the prophecies according to Mar Jacob are to proclaim the advent of Christ. Mar Jacob explains that the Scripture, especially Old Testament, contains the veiled mystery of the Son in prophecies and in metaphorical words. So, Mar Jacob was convinced that we need a proper interpretation of these texts in order to reveal the truth, which hides behind the prophecies and the metaphorical expressions. The homily on ‘the veil on Moses’ face’ explains the role and functions of prophecy and prophets.220 In this homily, Mar Jacob explains that the whole prophecy is veiled like a bride who is waiting for the bridegroom. Until the arrival of Christ, prophecy veils the Son through symbols. Only at the arrival of Christ, the bridegroom, the beauty, and meaning of the prophecy were unveiled. Moses, who was seen veiled after the encounter with God, is a type of prophecy, which is also veiled. He is depicted in the homily as the type of the veiled character of the Old Testament, which is uttered in prophecy. The unveiling of this prophecy took place only by the arrival of Son. Therefore, the Old Testament, according to Mar Jacob, belongs to the world of images, which will be explained by the one who comes to accomplish them. At this point, there is little to say except to give textual evidence, which in itself is so powerful. The text expounds: That the veil of Moses openly cries out to the entire world that the words of scripture are likewise veiled:

2 19 Letter XXIII, 174,9–​15, My own translation. 220 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 284,5 –​291,14, Sob 3,1, 72,10–​76,164.

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Moses is the model of all that is uttered in prophecy, providing a type for the veiled character of the Old Testament. That veil was only removed with our Lord in whom all secrets were explained to the entire world. The Son of God came and uncovered the Moses’ face that had been covered, with no one knowing what he was saying; the New Testament entered and gave illumination to the Old, and the whole world became aware of its words in their unveiled form. Our Lord shone out as sun in the world, and all received light: symbols and figures and parables, all were explained.221

The above allusions give us the impression that the necessity of the interpretations is only imposed for the Old Testament. However, Mar Jacob’s New Testament exegesis is conditioned by his views on the relationship between both Testaments. According to Mar Jacob, the road of salvation in Christ is also hidden and revealed as the Son remains hidden and revealed in Christ. In all the festal homilies, Mar Jacob stresses the need of recognizing the hidden Son and his power revealed in the salvific road of Christ through a discernment of the divine pedagogy, which is revealed through types and prophecies.222 Mar Jacob has hence a predominant sense of necessity of the New Testament exegesis, because it gives expositions of the realization of many Old Testament images and types of the New Testament. As Mar Jacob strongly believes in the actualization of all Old Testament types and mysteries in Christ, in his New Testament exegesis he is keen on tracing all possible typological links behind the scriptural episodes. One of the best examples of Mar Jacob’s New Testament exegesis, which reveals the typological networks rooted in Old Testament, is his exegesis of the piercing of the side of Christ in Jn 19:34. Based on this event Mar Jacob weaves a complex net-​work of typologies involving Adam, Christ; birth of Eve, birth of the Church and sacraments; closed Paradise guarded with the sword and the opening of the Paradise by Christ through the sword that pierced him.223 The list of exegetical cases of both Old and New Testaments are numerous. However, the importance is not in the quantity, but in the well-​confirmed idea by Mar Jacob that the exegesis is absolutely necessary. Mar Jacob’s insistence on the proper exegesis of the scriptural texts is based on the fact that the scriptural

2 21 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 287,3–​14, Sob 3,1, 74,71–​82. 222 Cf. The Nativity of Our Lord, SMS, Hom.Nr. 8, pp. 790–​808, here p. 799,1–​15, ET by Kollamparampil, FH III, 119,175–​190. 223 Cf. S.P. Brock, The Wedding Feast of Blood on Golgotha an unusual aspect of John 19:34 in Syriac tradition, Harp 4,2, 121–​134.

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texts contain the hidden plan of God’s salvific plans, which is revealed through the Son. So, in the words of Mar Jacob, ‘the story is always hidden if the interpretation did not reveal it.’224 The exegesis is hence necessary to reveal the veiled meaning of the text and the words of Mar Jacob further confirms it: ‘if the interpretation did not open the words how shall come out (its) content.’225

9.4. The Different Levels of Meaning In the exegetical activity of Mar Jacob, we can come across different levels of meaning. These different levels of meaning are due to different modes of interpretations, exercised by Mar Jacob. As his predecessors, like Ephrem, he also approaches the scriptural text both literally and spiritually and as a result, both literal and spiritual meaning of the text is noticeable in his exegetical practice. He also used different exegetical tools like allegory and types as his predecessors to explain the hidden meaning of the text. So, allegorical and typological meaning is also obvious in his exegetical efforts. He looks at Scripture as the basis of all doctrines because the source of the Scripture is God himself.226 Therefore, a dogmatic meaning is always visible in his exegetical works.227

9.4.1. The Literal and Spiritual Meaning In the exegetical activity, Mar Jacob makes a distinction between two different modes of interpretation, namely, factual and spiritual interpretation. The factual or historical interpretation is concerned with illuminating the circumstances of the text, in which the whole episode takes place. The spiritual interpretation, on the other hand, is concerned with the eternal truths underlying the text. It seeks to penetrate beyond the surface meaning to the various inner meanings. Historical and spiritual interpretations of the Scripture thus provide two levels of meaning, namely an outer and an inner meaning. In one of the homilies of Mar

224 Mar Jacob’s basic idea of the necessity of exegesis is mentioned in his homilies on ܶ ܰ ܳ ܳܳ ܽ ܶ ‫​– ܰܘ‬The story is ܳ ‫ܟܣܐ ̄ܗܘ ܰܫ‬ parables. In one of his homilies, we read: ‫ܡܓܠ ܶܠܗ‬ ‫ܪܒܐ ܷܐܢ ܦܘܫܩܐ ܐܠ‬ hidden if the interpretation did not reveal it. The Fig tree which our Lord cursed, HS IV, 727,10. 225 The Flood, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 108, pp.1–​61, here p. 14,10. My own translation. 226 Cf. The Second on Elisha and on the King of Moab, HS IV, 282,1–​5, TV 1, 55,1–​5. Cf. Sony, La Methode Exégetique, 68. 227 I will explain the dogmatic meaning of the scriptural text when I discuss the theological thought of Mar Jacob.

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Jacob he himself narrates that the Scripture possesses two levels of meaning. In the homily on ‘the two sparrows in the law’ Mar Jacob narrates: There is another sense (speech) for the word than that which is mentioned in it. Diverse faculties are needed by the soul to give heed to it. The profit for the one who hears it is not from its speech; it has something else that it would give to the one who give heed to it.228

Mar Jacob did not define anywhere in his homilies the literal meaning that comes out of the historical interpretation of the Scripture. But certain terms are obvious in his homilies, which explain how he envisages these two layers of meanings. In order to delineate the literal significance of the text Mar Jaocb uses ܳ ‫ ​– ܰܦ‬pagrōnōyō)’. But according to Bou Mansour, the term ‘corporal meaning (‫ܓܪ ܳܢ ܳܝܐ‬ Mar Jacob uses the term not to define the literal significance of the text, rather ܳ ‫ ​– ܽܪ‬ruḥōnoyō)’ that proceeds from the to distinguish the ‘spiritual meaning (‫ܘܚ ܳܢ ܳܝܐ‬ 229 literal meaning. The literal meaning of the text, according to Mar Jacob gives ܳ ‫ ܽܣ‬and its adverb ‫ܘܥܪ ܳܢ ܺܐܝܬ‬ ܳ ‫ܣ‬, ܽ that he often the detailing of the reality. The terms, ‫ܘܥܪ ܳܢܐ‬ used to represent the reality and the literal interpretation of the text, make it clear that the literal interpretation of Mar Jacob describes a fact or a reality, that is actualized in the historical time. However, Mar Jacob makes sure that this literal meaning does not exclude the higher level of meaning. The reality, which he qualifies by the word su’rono, incites him to envisage the advanced meaning. The words of Mar Jacob describing the conception of Mother Mary in his homily on the ‘nativity of our redeemer according to the flesh’ are one of the best examples of his factual interpretation that provides the literal meaning and his openness to the higher level of meaning. We read in the homily: It is befitting to accept deeds rather than words, Because that fact [of conception] stands by itself, it is not a matter of controversy. The conception that is in your womb, behold, I am seeing indeed, And how shall I be convinced of your entreaties? I do not know.230

Mar Jacob perceives here the conception of Mary as an actualized reality rather than a concept that is explained through words. Though the reality is visible, he himself is aware that he does not know the exact meaning of the reality. Therefore, 228 The Two Sparrows in the Law, HS III, Hom.Nr. 76, pp. 724–​741, here p. 234,15–​18, FT by F. Graffin, Mimro de Jacques de Saroug sur les deux Oiseaux, in: OrSyr 6 (1961), pp. 51–​66. 229 Cf. Bou Mansour, La théologie II, 351. 230 On the Nativity of Our Redeemer according to Flesh, SMS VI 748,17–​ 20, T. Kollamparampil, FH I, 69,605–​608.

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he does not stop at the level of literal interpretation. He moves further in order to be engaged in a transcendental interpretation of the reality and this in turn gives rise to the higher level of meaning. In the homilies of Mar Jacob, we can find numerous passages, which prove the literal meaning of the text. However, nowhere in his homilies we find that this meaning stops at the literal level, rather it moves further to the higher level. In this process of acquiring the higher level of meaning, the literal meaning stands in its fullness along with the other meanings. It is not simplified to the level of meaning, which we can get rid of when we derive the spiritual meaning out of it.231 For Mar Jacob, the spiritual meaning that flows from the spiritual interpretation provides insight on the world of spiritual truth. Though Mar Jacob insists very much on the spiritual meaning of the text, it is rather difficult to find out the nature of the spiritual meaning from his writings. However, the usage of his classical imageries of the synonyms of the hidden meaning in his homilies gives us the impression that the text urges the reader of the Scripture to a higher level of meaning.232 Apart from the conclusions that we formulate from his homilies regarding his emphasis on the spiritual interpretation, the scholars give some more reasons for his adherence to the spiritual interpretation. According to B. Sony, there are two main reasons for Mar Jacob’s insistence to the spiritual interpretation. The first and foremost is Mar Jacob’s theological viewpoint, which gets along with the Alexandrian and Cyrillian tradition.233 B. Sony affirms that Mar Jacob tried to combine the Ephremian tradition with the Cyrillian tradition. For him, Mar Jacob’s attempt to find the presence of Christ everywhere in the Scripture and his effort to interpret the Scripture with Christ as the hermeneutical key for the interpretation of the Scripture expound that Mar Jacob succeeded in uniting these traditions in the exegetical domain.234 The necessity for a spiritual interpretation hence follows from the fact that he finds types and mysteries of Christ and the hidden meanings related to Him in most of the Old Testament passages, which he has ventured to interpret. Within the frame of this principle, for Mar Jacob, the New Testament is the actualization of what is said in the Old Testament through types and symbols. The second reason is Mar Jacob’s 2 31 Cf. Bou Mansour, La théologie II, 350–​354. 232 In the homilies of Mar Jacob, we come across a group of words that represent the ܺ ‫( ܷܐ‬form, shape), ‫ܘܗ ܳܡܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܽܦ‬ ܳ ‫ܣܟ‬ hidden meaning of the text. These words are as follows: ‫ܝܡܐ‬ ܳ ܽ ܳ ܽ ܳ ܰ (comparison, similitude), ‫( ܨܘܪܬܐ‬form, image), ‫( ܨܠܡܐ‬image, figure), ‫( ܕܡܘܬܐ‬figure, type), ܳ ܶ ‫( ܛ ܳܠ ܺܢܝܬܐ‬shadow, type). 233 Refer pages from 56–66 of this chapter for Mar Jacob’s theological viewpoints. 234 Cf. Sony, La méthode exégetique, 90–​91

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polemic against the Jews. Like Mar Ephrem, Mar Jacob accused the Jews of only looking at the exterior meaning and not understanding the interior meaning of the text and even of the commands of Moses.235 Mar Jacob has the opinion that due to the lack of spiritual interpretation, the Jews did not grasp the meaning of all the types recorded in the Old Testament and they were ignorant of the divine economy, which is manifested through Christ and is prefigured in the Old Testament through types.236 According to Mar Jacob, the spiritual interpretation of the Scripture and the emergence of the spiritual meaning out of the text is the result of the inner eye of faith. For him, the hidden depths of the spiritual meaning are given to those who approach the Bible with an ‘eye of faith’ and with an openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for this same Spirit will then lead the reader to discover the power which lies hidden within the text. Thus, for the Bible to become spiritually meaningful there is a need for openness to, and a co-​operation with the Spirit on the part of the interpreter as well as the reader of the Scripture, for only then he will be aware of the spiritual truths hidden within the Scripture. Mar Jacob narrates this in one of his homilies: Listen inside of you spiritually that your look doesn’t look out back, when you listen.237

This inside look is nothing other than the spirit of faith. Mar Jacob defines this look as a ‘spiritual one and a look that is prompted by the hidden Spirit.’ Mar Jacob illustrates this in his homily on the ‘Tower of Babel.’ There we read: The story is higher than literal understanding, and it was said only in spiritual rational. The fact that the Lord said, ‘Let us descend on earth’, only a hidden understanding is able to grasp it as it has been said.

235 M. Albert (ed.), Homélies contre les juifs (HCJ), in: PO 38, Fas.1, No.174, Turnhout, 1976, III, 86,7–​10. My own translation. One of the homilies of Mar Jacob against the Jews enumerates Mar Jacob’s dissatisfaction of this folk, who abandoned Christ and even misinterpret the commands of Moses due to their literal interpretation of the text. The homily says: ‘Oh Jew! about the Sabbath, spiritually one has to be moved; he wants to speak of it. He has to open carefully the ears of the soul to the book of Moses, What shall be done for you, because you hear corporally.’ (Ibid.). 236 Cf. Bou Mansour, La théologie II 389–​390. 237 Our Lord’s Combat with Satan, HS III, Hom.Nr. 82, pp. 335–​368, here p. 349,18–​19, My own translation.

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Mar Jacob of Sarug and his Theological Thoughts The hidden hint produced the voice according to the will, and for that will, the wondrous Moses wrote down the voice.238

From the above allusions of literal and spiritual meaning of the Scripture, we can conclude that Mar Jacob in his exegetical activity considers both these meanings as complementary. Both these meanings, which emerge out of two modes of interpretation, complement one another in order to give the fuller meaning of the text. For Mar Jacob, the text is important, because its author is God. The visibly manifested reality is the vehicle for him to reach out to the meaning of the hidden. It is Mar Jacob’s deep-​rooted concern that after having considered the literal meaning of a text, the interpreter should continue to its spiritual implication. In the homily on ‘the Red Heifer,’ he clearly summarizes his whole approach to a Scriptural text. There we read: Let the book come and show it in simplicity, and then the interpretation will show the beauty of the reading.239

In this narration, Mar Jacob clearly tells that the text gives us a simple meaning ܳ ܽ ܺ (‫)ܦܫܝܛܘܬܐ‬ and a higher meaning, which he denotes as ‘the beauty of the reading’ ܰ that comes from interpretation. Since a higher meaning is involved (‫)ܫ ܺܦ ܶܝܪܗ ܶܡܢ ܶܩ ܳܪܝ ܳܢܐ‬, with the text, he tries to penetrate the text through his spiritual interpretation rather than holding on to the given literal meaning. In this process of achieving the higher meaning of the text, he considers the manifested literal meaning of the reality as the fundamental meaning. The literal meaning is important for him because it points to the spiritual sense. The passage from the visible meaning to the hidden meaning reveals the fuller meaning of the intention of the text, which he calls the spiritual meaning. Mar Jacob very well narrates the complementarity of both these meanings in his homily on ‘Red Heifer.’ There we read: The people are blind because he can’t understand, his eyes are open, but his mind was darkened by his senses. If he wanted to fix his mind on His mysteries, he would have seen the cross of the Son without any trouble. By the visible things he could have accessed to the hidden things, by the things manifested, he could understand the secret things.240

The above inferences regarding the literal and the spiritual meaning of the Scripture in the exegetical practice of Mar Jacob prove Mar Jacob’s association

2 38 Tower of Babel, HS II, 18,14–​17, MHMJS 21, 42,365–​370. 239 Red Heifer, HS III, Hom.Nr. 77, pp. 242–​259, here p. 246,3–​4, My own translation. 240 HS III, 252,9–​14, My own translation.

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with the Antiochene school of exegesis. As a pupil of the school of Edessa Mar Jacob gives importance to the views of Antiochene hermeneutics.241 Mar Jacob speaks of the spiritual meaning of the text in conformity with the Antiochene understanding of theoria, which recognizes a higher level of meaning that overlies the literal/​historical level.242

9.4.2. Typological Meaning The typological meaning comes from the typological exegesis, where the types and symbols are analyzed within the light of the reality that it signifies. This kind of interpretation is apparent in the New Testament, where, for example, St Paul speaks of Christ as ‘last Adam’ (1 Cor 15:45). Later after the New Testament era, the early Syriac writers also profoundly used types and symbols in order to interpret the hidden meaning of the scriptural text.243 This exegetical tradition interprets all of history ‘in light of its fulfillment in Christ’ and it finds ‘shadows of New Testament truth in Old Testament events.’244 Mar Jacob used this typological mode of interpretation rather extensively, in order to unveil the meaning, which is hidden in the form of types in the Scripture. Since this mode of interpretation unveils the hidden meaning, many authors, like B. Sony, have the opinion that

2 41 Cf. Jansma, The Credo of Jacob of Serug, 29. 242 Cf. M. Simonetti, Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church, New York, 1994, 67. The Antiochene tradition of biblical exegesis stressed the historical aspects of Scripture and demanded that exegetes attain their interpretations from the historical details. The essential distinction within Antiochene exegesis was its stress on the ancient concept of historia, which, unlike modern historiography, focused on the chronological succession of God’s redemptive actions in the past and their insistence on the higher level of meaning, which they call as theoria. In the historia-​theoria method, the structured order of salvation history took precedence in hermeneutical endeavors. Thus, exegetes such as Theodore of Mopsuestia insisted on identifying and analyzing the salvific-​historical context underlying much of the biblical texts. Cf. Hainthaler, CCT 2,3, 224–​225. Cf. B.C. Gregory, The Sennacherib Error’ in Theodore of Mopsuestia’s Commentary on the Twelve Prophets: Light from the History of Interpretation, in: Journal of Theological Interpretation 3, 2 (Fall 2009), 213–​14. Cf. W. Kaiser, Psalm 72: An Historical and Messianic Current Example of Antiochene Hermeneutical Theoria, in: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 52, 2 (2009), 257–​70. 243 Cf. J.F. Coakley, Syriac Exegesis, in: The New Cambridge History of the Bible, James C. Paget (ed.), Cambridge, 2013, 697–​713. 244 J.M. Kee, Typology and Tradition: Refiguring the Bible in Milton’s Paradise Lost, in: Semeia 51 (1990), 155.

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the typological meaning is identical to the spiritual meaning. However, authors like T. Kollamparampil explain that ‘identifying the ‘spiritual sense’ with the ‘typological sense’ in Mar Jacob, without qualification, as B. Sony tells, is a distortion of the vision of Mar Jacob.’245 According to T. Kollamparampil: The goal of exegesis according to Jacob is to understand the purpose/​reason behind the types and prophecies and only that can enable one to understand the divine will and purpose. According to Jacob above the level of typological meaning and the teachings of the prophecy, there is a stage of transference to the level of the ‘understanding of the divine will and purpose’. Hence the ‘spiritual sense’ transcends even the ‘typological sense’ and the attaining of that level is the goal of exegesis.246

Therefore, the typological interpretation is a type of spiritual interpretation, which is employed by Mar Jacob to find the hidden meaning of the mystery revealed through types and symbols. It is an exegetical way of Mar Jacob to explain the meaning of the divine plan of God that is hidden in the Old Testament and revealed through the incarnation of Christ.

9.4.2.1.  The Meaning of ‘Type’ In the writings of Mar Jacob, he uses the term ‘type’ interchangeably or synonymously with certain other terms, which also connote the meaning of ‘type.’ ܳ In order to describe a type or symbol he uses several words, namely, rōzō (‫)ܐ̱ܪ ܳܙܐ‬, ܳ ܳ ܳ ܶ ܽ ܳ ‫)ܛ‬, dmutō (‫)ܕܡܘܬܐ‬, ܽ zurtō (‫)ܨܘܪܬܐ‬, ܽ and ṭēlōlō (‫)ܛ ܳܠܠ‬.247 However, the synoṭupsō (‫ܘܦܣܐ‬ nymity of these words in the writings of Mar Jacob does not affect its theological implication because these terms are used in the context where the hidden meaning of the Son is explained. S. Brock points it out very clearly and says that ‘from the subjective human perspective, type or symbol can be seen as a revelation of some aspect of the divine hiddenness, and from the objective divine perspective type and symbol is a place in which some aspect of divine reality lies 2 45 Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 94. 246 Ibid. ܳ ܳ ‫ ܽܛ‬,‫ܐ̱ ܳܪ ܳܙܐ‬ 247 Cf. Sony, La méthode exégetique, 92. B. Sony in his article narrates that ,‫ ܽܨܘܪܬܐ‬,‫ܘܦܣܐ‬ ܳ ܳ ܶ ‫ ܛܠܠ‬are the words, which Mar Jacob uses to indicate types. E. Beck in one of his articles explains the synonymous usage of rōzō and ṭupsō. In his article, Beck specifies the Greek rendering of rōzō by mysterion and the synonymity between rōzō and ṭupsō. Beck also explains that in Syriac rōzō and ṭupsō have deeper interrelationship, whereas the Greek mysterion and typos do not have such interrelationship. Cf. E. Beck, Zur Terminologie von Ephräms Bildtheologie, in: Typus, Symbol, Allegorie bei den östlichen Vätern und ihren Parallelen im Mittelalter, M. Schmidt (ed.), Regensburg, 1982, 240–​241.

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hidden.’248 In the type or a symbol, there resides the hidden meaning of the reality. So, it is not surprising that the vast majority of the types and symbols which Mar Jacob discovers latent in the Old Testament point forward to the advent of Christ, which is the reality that the types signify. In the own words of Mar Jacob, it is the type of the Son that shines among the readings of the Scripture.249 Types and symbols, therefore according to Mar Jacob, serve as pointers. They point the reality of Christ and his work and therefore they are effectively the symbol of the Son. A type therefore signifies the truth, which is ‘the Son’ and makes present what it signifies. In this regard, there is a deeper convergence between the early Syriac writers and modern contemporary philosophers. In the modern day understanding of symbol by hermeneutics and exegetes, ‘it is affirmed that symbols make provisions for the expression of religious experiences that are not purely conceptual reasoning.’250 The ineffable realities are explained and revealed through the symbols, which have an inherent relationship with the reality that they signify. P. Ricoeur, a contemporary philosopher on hermeneutics, emphasizes this inherent relationship between the symbol and the reality in his definition of symbol. He defines a symbol as follows: I define ‘symbol’ as any structure of signification in which a direct, primary, literal meaning designates, in addition, another meaning which is indirect, secondary, and figurative and which can be apprehended only through the first.251

Mar Jacob establishes the relation between the type and the Son, which is the reality that the type signifies, mainly by adhering profoundly to the notion, as his predecessors, that the Son is eminently present in the Scripture and every single line of the Scripture depicts him. Therefore, the type or symbol, which is in the Scripture, has the role to signify the Son.252 He narrates it in a brilliant way by illustrating; ‘it is the Son who act on them in a symbolic-​mysterious way.’253 The fulfillment or the revelation of the meaning of the type is often represented by scholars like B. Sony with the word antitype, for which there is no 2 48 Brock, The Bible in the Syriac Tradition, 59. 249 The Torrent which the Prophet Ezekiel saw, HS V, Hom.Nr. 164, pp. 430–​447, here p. ܰ̈ ܳ̈ ܳ ܳ ܶ ‫ܒܪܐ ܐܝܟ ܰܠ‬ ܳ 433,5, My own translation. ‫ܡܦ ̈ܝ ܳܕܐ ܽܕܢܘܗܪܐ ܪ ܳܒܐ‬ ܱ ‫ ܐ̱ܪܙܘܗܝ ܰܕ‬/​The mystery (type) of the Son (is) like a great lighted torch.’ (Ibid.). 250 Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 47–​48. 251 P. Ricoeur, The Conflict of Interpretations, Evanston, 1974, 12. 252 Cf. Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, Hom.Nr. 75, pp. 208–​223, here p. 208,9–​14. ET by HTM, in: TV 16, (1993), 51,9–​52, 10–​14. 253 The Two Goats, the Sacrifice of Azazae’el, HS III, Hom.Nr. 78, pp. 259–​283, here p. 273,7, My own translation.

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equivalent in the writings of Mar Jacob.254 To show the relation between the ‘type’ and the reality that it signifies, Mar Jacob uses in one context the word ܳ ܶ ܳ ‫)ܓ‬, ܽ which he refers as reality.255 ‘shadow (‫ )ܛ ܳܠܠ‬for type and the word ‘body’ (‫ܘܫܡܐ‬ ܳ ܳ to represent ܽ and (‫)ܫܪ ܳܪܐ‬ In another context, Mar Jacob also uses the words (‫)ܩܘܫܬܐ‬ the truth or reality. In all contexts, Mar Jacob categorically emphasizes that the types never have the strength and potential of the reality, which is Christ himself. In his homily on ‘the stretched hands of Moses’ Mar Jacob asserts this. There we read: ܳ The type (‫ )ܐ̱ܪ ܳܙܐ‬of the servant serves only on one level, ܳ ܽ of the Lord completed his truth on all levels.256 and the truth (‫)ܩܘܫܬܐ‬

The types therefore can never become as effective or perfect as the reality, which they signify. They have an importance only up to the appearance of the truth. Mar Jacob in his homilies emphatically affirms that the fulfillment of all the meanings of types/​symbols happens in the incarnation of Christ.257 Thus, a ‘type’ or a ‘symbol’ according to Syriac writers, especially for Mar Jacob, signifies ‘the Son’ and makes present ‘the Son,’ who, according to Mar Jacob, is the basic principle behind the type. Since a ‘type’ has the function of revealing the Son, it operates at all levels, wherever the hidden meaning of the Son is revealed. Therefore, at the operational level they are the means of expressing relationships and connections and means of instilling meaning into everything in relation to the Son. S. Brock enumerates this function of the types and symbols by saying that the types ‘operate in different ways, between Old and New Testaments, between this world and

254 B. Sony listed different types and antitypes in his article. He also mentioned in his article different levels of types and antitypes. Cf. Sony, La méthode exégetique 93–​102. 255 Cf. Bronze Serpent, HS I, Hom.Nr. 4, pp. 49–​67, here p. 49,11–​12, ET by HTM, in: TV 6 (1990), 41,11–​12. 256 Moses’ extended hands during Battle, HS V, 303,1–​2. 257 Cf. Samson, HS V, Hom.Nr. 160, pp. 331–​355, here p. 337,15–​20, ET by HTM, in: TV 11 (1991) 57,135–​140. One of the best illustrations of the appearance of the meaning of the type by the arrival of Christ is narrated in the homily on ‘Samson.’ There we read: ‘He framed a parable, and of the Philistines he demanded the interpretation; but the secret was kept, to be explained only in its own time. For the riddle filled with mysteries was kept close and stored up Until the Son of God dawned forth and clarified them all. Nor did Samson understand the parable that he fashioned,For the time was not yet come for the mystery to be told openly.’ (Ibid.).

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the heavenly, between the New Testament and the Sacraments, between the Sacraments and eschaton.’258 The homilies of Mar Jacob clearly illustrate this operational function of a ‘type.’ At the functional level, a type incorporates the old into the new and thereby it helps each one to participate in the divine plan of God, which has its fulfillment in eschaton. In this regard, a ‘type’ is an active agent in the narrative of salvation history in a way that it seems to interlink past, present and future. Mar Jacob’s homily on ‘Abraham and his types’ are a clear example of his Christocentric perception of a ‘type’ and his typological way of exegesis. The ‘type’ or a ‘symbol’ is described here as the means to unfold the meaning of the text. In this homily, Mar Jacob interprets the Old Testament text Gen 22:1–​11 within the Christocentric point of view. All the events happened in the life of Abraham and his son Isaac are absolutely linked to the event of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. Abraham saw and experienced the divine plan of salvation in the events of his life, which Mar Jacob illustrated as a ‘type’ (figures). Mar Jacob explains this at the end of this homily and there we read: Abraham rejoiced in the day of the Son that he saw in his Son (Jn 8:56), and he understood in the whole matter the reason of the crucifixion. ܺ The hiddeen symbols (‫ )ܐ̱̈ܪ ܷܙܐ ܣܛܝ̈ܪܷܐ‬were explained to him in the sacrifice of his son and by means of the figures that happen there he came to an insight.259

9.4.2.2.  Type and Prophecy According to Mar Jacob, prophesies and types stand together in order to present the New Testament concealed in the Old Testament. Both prophecy and type are perceived as a device to present the hidden meaning of the reality, which is Christ. B. Sony describes the relation between prophecy and type in accordance with their affinity to the truth. According to him both, prophecy and type, represent the reality in a different way. A type signifies an event, which is announced by facts or by the people who narrate it, whereas prophecy reveals the reality through words or by the text.260 Mar Jacob considers both prophecy and type to be complementary because prophecy, according to him, acts sometimes in typologies and sometimes in prophets. The role of prophecy according to him, as that of a type or a symbol,

2 58 S.P. Brock, Saint Ephrem: Hymns on Paradise, New York, 1990, 42. 259 Abraham and his Types, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 109, pp. 61–​103, here p. 101,17–​19, My own translation. 260 Cf. Sony, La méthode exégetique, 92.

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is to proclaim the advent of Christ. In this process, a prophecy sometimes acts as a type, sometimes a type describes the prophecy, and sometimes a prophet who proclaims the prophecy stands as a type. In all the contexts, the role of the prophecy is to signify the hidden reality and to manifest what it signifies. The homily on the ‘veil on Moses’ face’ explains the interchangeability of both prophecy and type according to their functional roles. Prophecy is considered as type because it has a secret meaning. At the same time, prophecy is unveiled through parables, enigmas and through symbols. In the homily, Mar Jacob narrates the functionality of both prophecy and type. The homily expounds: He wished to speak to his beloved one through prophecy and so covered Moses to make him a figure for prophecy, so that, whenever a prophet arose on earth to speak it might be recognized that his words were veiled from those who heard them, that there was something hidden in the matter of which he spoke, and his words to be understood, required an awareness of what they symbolized. Thus he cries out in the prophet, ‘I have a secret, I have a secret’, so that the world might be aware that the prophecy contained secrets hidden in symbolic language, the words and actions of prophecy are veiled, it hides its contents in parables so that they might not be recognized; it devices figures and utters its wonders as if in secret so that the world might not become openly aware of the Son of God.261

9.4.2.3.  The Pedagogical Function of the Type In the homilies of Mar Jacob, the narration of types was aimed at teaching people about the divine economy of God. A type or a symbol is not only revealing the hidden meaning but also teaches the world that the hidden meaning contains the information about the reality so that the world would have no doubts when the reality came. Mar Jacob delineates this pedagogical purpose of the ‘type’ in one of his homilies. There we read: Before he comes he delineated that he is coming, so that when he comes. the people should not ask ‘who is he? Whose son? Or what is his tiding?262

This pedagogical function of a ‘type’ hence narrates that a type or a symbol is a part of the teaching process of God. God wanted to show what was going to happen literally before it happened, so that the impious one might not blaspheme

2 61 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 285,1–​11, Sob 3,1,72,27–​73,38. 262 The Two Goats, the Sacrifice of Azaza’el, HS III, 281,9–​10, My own translation.

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when Christ became incarnate. By being part of the teaching process of the reality, which is to come, a type is in the part of the divine pedagogy of God. In the divine pedagogy, God makes all efforts to teach man that He is the creator and he reminds humanity about his divine plan of salvation that He envisaged through His Son. According to Mar Jacob, the whole Scripture is the narration of this divine teaching of God’s divine economy.263 God started this divine teaching of salvation in paradise. So, according to Mar Jacob, even the creation of Adam was to teach the world about the form in which Christ was going to be incarnate. In this perspective Adam is the type of Christ, which teaches the world about the reality of the form, which Christ was to take in the future. Mar Jacob clearly narrates this in his homily on ‘the chariot that prophet Ezekiel saw.’ In this homily, he tells that the Father considered the form in which Christ was going to come to the world. It was according to this form that Adam was created. So, in the strict sense man was created in the form, which Christ was to take in the future.264 Since God himself teaches the world about his plan of salvation through types and symbols, they function as pedagogical device of God’s divine economy in the world. Mar Jacob also narrates the reason for God’s intention to use types in his divine pedagogy. According to Mar Jacob the time was not yet come to reveal the Son fully, because it was the time of idolatry. If God had spoken of His Son, it would have become the cause for a new idol. So, God wanted not to reveal the Son, but at the same time He wanted to teach the world partially of His existence. Even when God announced that the Lord is one, the people multiplied the idols. Thus, in earlier times the Son was hidden in symbols. God announces the Son through the writers of the Old Testament in figures and types so that it is easy for the world to understand the reality when it comes. Mar Jacob’s homily on the

263 Kollamparampil well narrated the divine pedagogy in the thought of Mar Jacob. The affirmation is worth citing. ‘Hence all events and developments described in the Scriptures as history of salvation are interrelated and issue out of a single teaching running through the Old and New Testaments. It is this interrelationship that gives coherence and edifying enlightenment to the typological vision of Jacob of Sarug.’ Kollamparampil, FH, 21. 264 Cf. The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 591,13–​16, MHMJS 14, 110,1015–​1018. ‘Father gazed at the likeness of His Son and moulded Adam, since He was going to give the Son to the world, He delineated Him beforehand. For this cause he said, ‘Let us make man in our image’, in this same likeness in which Mary gave birth to the Only One.’ (Ibid.).

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‘veil on Moses’ face’ well narrates the reason of the purpose of the pedagogical function of types in divine teaching. In the homily we read: If the people multiplied idols and filled the world with all kinds of gods without being aware that God had a Son, how much more would they have done so had they had been aware of the hidden Son; this would have done so had they been aware of the hidden Son; this would have been an excuse for them to multiply idols on earth! The Father thus provided no such excuse for multiplying idols on earth, crying out instead, ‘the Lord is one, the Lord is one,’ while his Son was announced in prophecy, being spoken of in parables and figures.265

10. The Theological Thought of Mar Jacob Though Mar Jacob is considered as an exegetical thinker, he is also counted as one among the great poet-​theologians. In his large body of religious poetry, he deals directly with the theological doctrines. He is certainly not a systematic theologian, who is continuously seeking for definitions. For him, the search for precise definitions on the topics that belong to the areas beyond the experience of human capacity and intellect is the concern of the rationalist and he insisted his readers that this model should not be imitated. According to Mar Jacob, such kind of intellectual theological pursuit ends up with disputes and division and hence he proposes a theological thinking, which emphasizes more on the mystery hidden in the scripture. His animosity toward rational or rationalistic analysis of the things of God is part and parcel of his deeply traditional emphasis on a kind of ‘learned ignorance’ (docta ignorantia) or, more positively, on what he himself refers as ‘wonder’ before the mystery of God became man. As he puts it in one of his letters: This is why the discerning soul should abandon the debate (over Christ) and be filled with the wonder of Christ. Let it be filled with the wonder who is Christ! Whoever pries into the unsearchably begotten [of Father] no longer has Christ in himself. If some investigation has set him off in search of wonder, this is because he has lost that wonder.266

Therefore, the theological endeavor of Mar Jacob is not a fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding), as in the West, but a matter of fides adorans mysterium (faith adoring mystery).267 In this way of theological thinking, Mar 2 65 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 285,13–​20, Sob 3,1, 73,39–​46. 266 Letter XXII, 150,5–​8, My own Translation. 267 Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 89. R. Murray characterized the theology of Mar Ephrem as fides adorans mysterium. This theological approach is fully applicable for

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Jacob, as his predecessors, emphasizes that the theological thinking is a contemplative exercise, through which one explores the inner resonance of divine revelation, which is revealed through symbols or types. Hence, if a label is required for Mar Jacob’s theological thinking, ‘symbolic theology’ would be the appropriate designation for his theological approach. As theology is a matter of reflection on the inexplicable divine reality, in Jacobian concept theology is a ‘speech on God,’ or a human discourse on God, which highlights the work of God.268 For him, the reflection on God is gifted by the grace of God. As we have seen in the exegetical activity of Mar Jacob, he also considers that theology is a divine grace, a gift of God. In his homily on ‘the Torrent which the Prophet Ezekiel saw’ he makes it clear that the speech on God comes out of the grace of God. There we read: Without your gift neither sun has the light nor the moon has any change or course nor the mouth has the voice and the word; without your gift nor the intellect has the full movements of discernment.269

The reality of the speech of God as a grace is confirmed by the usage of certain words in the homilies of Mar Jacob. It is common in his homilies that he begins almost all his homilies by asking the grace of God in order to speak about God’s works. The most common words, which he employed in his homilies in ܺ 270 We can also connect to these ܰ and ‘grant’ (‫)ܨܒܝ‬. this regard, are ‘give’ (‫)ܗܒ ܺܠܝ‬ words certain metaphorical expressions, such as, ‘open my mouth’271 so that

Mar Jacob as well because he approaches the mystery with love to enfold the meaning that the mystery holds in it. 268 Cf. The Blessed Virgin, Bearer of God, Mary, SMS Hom.Nr.1, pp. 614–​639, here p. 615,11–​12, ET by HTM, in: TV 17 (1993), 8, 24–​25. ‘In you all are rich, and you enrich all without measure, May my speech be enriched by you with beauty to speak of you.’ (Ibid.). 269 The Torrent which the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS V, Hom.Nr. 164, pp.430–​447, here p. 430,9–​12, My own translation. 270 An exhaustive statistic on this topic is impossible. Mar Jacob begins almost all his homilies with an invocational prayer. In this introductory prayer, almost all the invocational prayer has the words ‘give’ or ‘grant.’ Some examples are as follows: The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 543,2, MHMJS 14, 16,2; The Sunday of Pentecost, HS II, 670,3, Kollamparampil, FH XVII, 354,3, Please also see page 45–46. 271 The Prodigal Son, HS I, Hom.Nr. 12, pp. 267–​299, here p. 268,13, ET by HTM, in: TV 20 (1994), 12,16

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he can speak about ‘your salvation’272 or ‘reveal His mystery’273 or ‘showing his wonder.’274 All these indicate that Mar Jacob was convinced that it is by God and by His word he is moved to speak about God. The above expressions also show that the role of God in the speech of God is at the cost of human collaboration. Mar Jacob as a preacher identifies himself as an assigned worker of God, who speaks of the divine works of God, which are incomprehensible to human mind through human speech. He, as a poet, who is endowed with speech, wonders at the doctrines275 of God to the extent as it is revealed to him and conveyed it through his words. More precisely, it is the word of the Lord, or His doctrine, which illuminates the human word. Therefore, as a preacher, who is endowed with the grace of God, Mar Jacob becomes a mediator of truth or doctrine: the instrument through which God’s own self will declare what can be grasped by the human person. Mar Jacob considered himself as an empty instrument who was filled with the praise of God and as the one who delivers the mightiness of God as God wills it. In his homily on ‘the chariot that prophet Ezekiel saw’ Mar Jacob narrates: The opened mouth as an empty vessel –​see! –​is looking to you, as you have promised me: fill it with praise for your love’s sake. Were you to will it, it would be easy for the stones to speak of Your glory, deign rather to be praised by lips that speak.276

Here Mar Jacob portrays himself as the one who speaks of the glory of God to the extent as God wills it. This attempt of Mar Jacob to present God in human terms to the level of what God desires it, earns him the designation a theologian. Indeed, it is mainly due to the fact that he makes the works of divine teaching happen through his poetic voice. ܳ ‫)ܫ‬ ܰ comes often in the homilies of Mar Jacob, especially in 272 The term ‘your story’ (‫ܪܒܟ‬ his introductory prayers. This denotes that the basic content of his homilies is the narration of God’s works. 273 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 543,2, MHMJS 14,16,2. 274 HS IV, 544,7, MHMJS 14, 17,16. ܳ ‫ܝ‬.ܽ This word has also got the 275 The term that Mar Jacob used for the doctrine is ‫ܘܠܦ ܳܢܐ‬ meaning ‘teaching.’ But in the translations of Mar Jacob’s homilies by the renowned Syriac translators, like Brock and A. Golitzin, the word is translated as ‘doctrine.’ So, it is an indication that the revealed truth of God’s work is perceived and received by Mar Jacob as the doctrine of God and its implication is much more influential in the field of theological thinking. For the references of the usage of this Syriac term one can look at the translations of A. Golitzin. Cf. HS IV, 545,15, MHMJS 14, 22,44. 276 HS IV, 545,7–​10, MHMJS 14, 20,37–​22,40.

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10.1. Symbols of the Scriptures and the Nature Since the precise nature of Mar Jacob’s theological endeavor is based on the mysteries revealed, whatever has the potential of being a pointer to Christ becomes the source of his theology. Mar Jacob finds the pointers everywhere both in the Scriptures as well as in the Nature. Because there is a fundamental relation between God and the orders of his creatures, according to Mar Jacob, nature manifests the hidden meaning of God. The immanence of God in the nature gives it the potential to become a pointer to God. Mar Jacob substantiates this through his profound sacramental understanding of the created world. For Mar Jacob, creation is an activity of the divine mercy, involving various levels such as fashioning out of nothing sustenance, and the bringing up to perfection: The Father gestures and the Son creates and the Spirit perfects, And the world rises in a triune way, out of nothing.277

For Mar Jacob, this process of creation has two aspects, namely, the creation from nothing and the continued creation.278 They form two phases of the same divine mercy. As the love of the mother for her child, divine mercy is the source of the creation. Continued creation is a logical sequence of the primary divine act of creation from nothing.279 A sort of divine force inhabits in the creatures to sustain them as the soul holds up the body. Thus, the divinity is immanent and transcendent with regard to the world. Mar Jacob narrates the presence of divine force that is in the primary divine act of creation and its presence in the creatures as the source of power in his homily on ‘the chariot that prophet Ezekiel saw.’ There we read:

277 The Six Days of Creation, First Day, HS III, 13,15–​16, ET by T. Muraoka, in: Ancient near Eastern Studies 52, 27,243. 278 Cf. Bou Mansour, La Théologie I, 33. ‘Souvent associées chez Jacob la creatio ex nihilo et la creatio continua forment comme les deux aspects d’une même réalité.’ (Ibid.). 279 Cf. The Six Days of Creation, Third Day, HS III, Hom.Nr. 71.3, pp. 43–​60, here p. 52,6-​ 11, My own translation. ‘And like a merciful mother he created the creation, He bore her and the powerful one rose up and the mercy are veiled mightily. And so it was neither annoying him nor annoying the mother with her Son for the motherly compassions are linked with the love of the child. The divinity is a merciful mother,and as she bore the child, she bore the world with great love.’ (Ibid.).

98

Mar Jacob of Sarug and his Theological Thoughts The power abides in the creation like a soul abides in the body’s members, and the creatures are moved by it as the body is moved by the soul. If the soul abandons the body, the latter ceases to exist, And if His power abandoned creation, the latter would be dissolved.280

It is due to the dialogical relationship between the creator and the creation the created realities assume a symbolic power to signify and proclaim the creative force of the divine Word. Thus, the creation reveals God, the creator, in a symbolic manner. Therefore, in every step of his theological reflection he underlies the essential distinction between God, the creator, and the created beings. The primary factor of the symbolic power of the nature is further asserted by Mar Jacob, by considering the created nature as a teacher281 or a master, which is capable of leading humanity to God. According to him, the created nature provide wisdom to recognize the Son of God. The knowledge of God is infused in the nature of the creature282 so that the world can recognize God as Lord without the help of the Scripture.283 The nature preceded the Scripture in the process of leading humanity to God. According to Mar Jacob, the Scripture came only at a later stage, when the soul failed to comprehend the beauty of the created nature due to sin. It is the advent of the sin that causes the necessity of giving the Scriptures in order to bring back the humanity to God. So, Mar Jacob even admits that the Scripture would not be necessary if man does not have sinned. In one of his homilies, Mar Jacob narrates the role of both the nature and the Scripture in the realm of revealing God. Nature has seniority, and is as it were the teacher of the sons of men, and all the prophetic books are its juniors. Nature is prior to both Moses and the Law, and was made a painless teacher for those with discernment.

2 80 The Chariot that Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 553,19 –​554,2, MHMJS 14, 38, 219–​222. 281 Cf. The Admonition, HS V, Hom.Nr. 182, pp. 771–​781, here p. 778,20. 282 Cf. HS IV, 546,16–​17, MHMJS 14, 24, 67–​68. ‘You have concealed that knowledge, which knows Your business, in human nature, and in the case whatever human nature does not know, error steps in and takes hold.’ (Ibid.). 283 Cf. Praises at Morning and Evening, HS III, Hom.Nr. 107, pp. 907–​912, here p. 909,1–​6. ET by HTM, in: TV 26, (2000), 61,39–​42. ‘From His signs, and from the outgoings of the morning and the evening Let the world learn to be aroused to sing His praises. Even without scriptures and without the prophetic books, let the world learn, from the signs that are in the nature.’ (Ibid.).

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But because nature turned aside, and fell through free will, It was needful for Scripture to come and raise it from its fall. Anyone whom nature moves to glorify the Godhead Does not need Scripture to come rouse him up to praise.284

Therefore, both the nature and the Scripture are perceived as two witnesses, which God himself conferred upon men in order to lead them to God. This shows that in the divine plan of God there is a correspondence between the hidden meanings of the created nature and those of the Scriptures. God uses both in his divine pedagogy to lead humanity in a progressive manner to perfection. Hence, Mar Jacob relies precisely on both the created nature and the Scripture in his theological endeavors, which bring out the divine teaching in human language.

10.2. The Nature of Mar Jacob’s Theological Thinking Mar Jacob’s theology is developed between apophatic and cataphatic poles. On the one hand, he stresses God’s transcendence and the incommunicability of the reality of God in human terms285 and on the other hand, he speaks about God to the extent it is revealed to him.286 At the level of explaining God, Mar Jacob admits that God is hidden, except insofar as he allows himself to be revealed. According to him, this human experience is only possible through God’s various instances of self-​revelation.287 Only what is revealed of God can be experienced and understood by the human intellect. God in his mercy has given the glimpses of his hidden being and hidden plan through symbols and types. Only these glimpses can mediate between the unknowable and the finite intelligence. They are not proper instances of divine manifestation, but pointers to the truth that will one day be revealed in the due course of God’s progressive self-​revelation. Each individual approaches the hidden reality through different set of pointers, which manifest the reality only at the level of the person, who approaches it.

2 84 Praises at Morning and Evening, HS III, 909,7–​14, TV 26, 61,45–​52. 285 Cf. The Chariot that Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 543,2;11, MHMJS 14, 16,2;11. Here in these verses God is named as the ‘hidden one,’ who is inaccessible and exalted above all heavenly beings. 286 Mar Jacob speaks of the revealed one in almost all his homilies. Mostly these narrations occur in the introductory part of his homilies. 287 In the above paragraphs, when I explained exegetical and theological activity of Mar Jacob, I have mentioned that these activities are the gift of God. It means that Mar Jacob’s all attempts to explain the mystery of God is based on the truth that is revealed to him.

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God reveals himself because of his loving kindness and mercy and it is an act of divine condescension. What God has revealed of himself is only in so far as, what is needed for humanity to arrive at the knowledge of divine realities and attain salvation. However, the quantity of what is revealed is not sufficient to reconstruct the whole divinity. Though God has revealed himself for the sake of humanity there are other aspects of divinity that are hidden. Mar Jacob calls this divine reality as the truth, which is God’s actual being (ituto) that objectively exists and can be experienced in a hidden manner. So, Mar Jacob asserts that the reality of God remains always as hidden and cannot be bypassed by human discourses. Thus, in one of his homilies he highlights: Mystery is mystery, if it is made known; even then the mystery remains, With that he is loved, because he is concealed from the distractors. The mysteries of the Son go beyond the explanation Even if he shall grow in number and shall reveal, they are mysteries.288

Because God and the divine realities remain mysterious even in revelation, Mar Jacob always takes note of the hidden and the revealed aspect of divine reality in any talk about God. For him, the fact of transcendence and immanence of God is the basic factor of the revealed nature of divinity. In a creative manner, he maintains the tension between the hidden and the revealed or the transcendence and immanence of God in all his efforts to explain God and His activities. So, he speaks of God always by interweaving the concepts of what is hidden and what is revealed. Therefore, it is very well fitting to describe his theological activity as a blend of two perspectives of theology, such as apophatic and cataphatic.

10.3. The Theologizing Method of Mar Jacob In Mar Jacob’s theologizing process, we come across two different methods of approaching the reality, namely the approach of ‘investigation’ and an approach that of ‘love.’ The distinction between these two approaches depends on the attitude of the one who inquiries into the divine realities. These two ways of looking at the divine reality are characteristics of the Syriac tradition. The Syrian church fathers consider the investigative approach to the divine mystery as inadequate to represent the divine reality. However, they appreciate very much the approach of ‘love.’ S. Brock, in analyzing this approach, says: The correct approach, as Ephrem sees it, is to recognize the fact that if we can learn anything about God, it is only because He has bent down first to the level of understanding.

288 The Two Sparrows in the Law, HS III, 234,18 –​235,1.

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A proper awareness of this will result in an attitude of wonder, a key word in Ephrem’s hymns. It is the absence of a sense of wonder that leads to ‘prying and investigation.’289

Like Ephrem, Mar Jacob condemns the ‘investigative’ and ‘prying’ mentality. The right attitude needed for theology is the attitude of humility, love, and discernment. The method of ‘investigation’ is inappropriate for Mar Jacob because of the object of the theological enquiry. The object of the theological enquiry is the inexplicable reality of God. Through symbolic deeds and symbolic language, the Scriptures depict the mysterious manner in which God made himself present through historical persons and events. The object of enquiry is hence available to the ‘investigator’ as an incomprehensible reality in its revealed form. The investigator gets involved with an inexplorable reality in the process of his investigation. Since this object of enquiry is an inexplicable, inexplorable, unfathomable and an ineffable mystery of the Word any sort of analysis and rationalization are doomed to fail. This shows that Mar Jacob discard any investigation on the reality that is ineffable, because he believes that it will distort the nature of the inexplicable reality. Mar Jacob narrates this in his own words: Because there are in the world scribes and wise men, and interpreters, everyone speaks according to his own knowledge. My knowledge has risen unto the stage where it knows that the Son of God is ineffable. I do not wish to rise to any other stage, for I know that even if I wanted, I should not be able to do so.290

The disinterest of Mar Jacob for an investigative approach is highlighted through his usage of different words in order to denote the theological enquiry. No specific word as such is used to denote the act of investigation. I have found more than four different words from his narration for the act of investigation. There may be more words, used by Mar Jacob, since his writings are voluminous. The ܶ ܶ first word is 291‫ ܐܱܕܪܟ‬the aphel form of the verb ‫ܕܪܟ‬, which means to follow closely, ܰ which in ethpael form overtake, come upon, and seize. The second word is ‫ܥ ܶܩܒ‬, ܰ ܰ 292 ܳ which (‫) ܷܐܬܥܩܒ‬, means to be sought out, investigated into. The third word is ‫ܒܨܐ‬, means search into or out, trace out, inquire into, and investigate.293 Moreover,

289 S.P. Brock, The Luminous Eye, The Spiritual world Vision of St Ephrem, Michigan, 1992, 51. 290 Faith, HS III, 632,5–​10, My own translation. 291 The Nativity, SMS VII, 783. Cf. J. Payne Smith, A Compendious Syriac Dictionary, 97. 292 The Perpetual Virginity of Mary, SMS IV, 687. Cf. Payne Smith, 424. 293 SMS IV, 691. Cf. Payne Smith, 51.

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ܰ which means to dig, break and pierce through.294 The utithe fourth word is ‫ܕܩܪ‬, lization of these different words for one particular concept could be an indicator to show his dislike for the investigative method. We can narrate many instances from his homilies to illustrate his dispassion for the investigative method for explaining an ineffable reality. In his homily on ‘the Nativity of our Redeemer’ he says that the birth of our Lord is not to be investigated. ܰ ‫)ܡ‬, ܶ I shall stay away from that distant (birth) which should not be investigated (‫ܬܥ ܰܩܒ‬ and let me press on a little bit to that which is close at one hand, which is ineffable.295

As an approach opposite to the investigative method, Mar Jacob proposes an approach of love to speak about the reality under enquiry. This approach looks at the hidden truth as a reality to be experienced and as a wonder to be encountered.296 In this method, God is not looked at as a reality that stands apart from the person who looks at it, rather the person who admires the reality is being part of the reality and so he approaches the reality with love. When one approaches the reality out of love the unapproachable truth itself opens up its treasures before him and the understanding of the reality takes place. Therefore, unlike in the investigative method, where both the subject and the object of enquiry keep a dispassionate distance, the approach of love maintains a passionate interaction between the subject and the object of the enquiry. Hence, this approach is a two-​ way affair, involving a continual interaction. By means of such interaction of love occurs the human knowledge of the divine truth. Mar Jacob’s homily on ‘The Second on Elisha and on the King of Moab’ clearly narrates the inner dynamics of the approach of love. The homily expounds: If you are motivated by love and the desire to understand me, I shall move all my riches to you, so that you may take them. If I see that your soul is open to me with love I shall open all my gates for you so you may enter. I possess measures, and weights, and portions, and I repay my debts to each person with honesty. I love the one who loves me when he reads in me, and if he asks me, I shall give him all my treasures. But when he reads in me without loving, then I in turn like him,

2 94 The Perpetual Virginity of Mary, SMS IV, 687. Cf. Payne Smith, 96. 295 The Nativity of Our Redeemer according to the Flesh, SMS VI, 724,7–​8, Kollamparampil, FH I, 45,87–​88. 296 Cf. T.M. Finn, Early Christian Baptism at the Catechumene: West and East, Minnesota, 1992, 114.

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shall confront him and confound him with external voices. Whoever holds on to me is able to subdue me with his own love, so that I will array all my treasures before him if he loves me.297

The method of love treats the mystery as a ‘wonder’ and therefore safeguards the mysterious nature of the subject matter. According to Mar Jacob, ‘wonder’ is not simply an emotion brought on by what surpasses expectation or experience but a way of seeing, perceiving and feeling divine realities. Therefore, it is an integral part of revelation and bears an integral part of revelation and understanding the divine realities. He calls ‘wonder’ sometimes as the revealed mystery, which is revealed by God himself, and sometimes the feeling of the believer who experiences the mystery.298 So for Mar Jacob, when one tries to explain the divine reality only through his wisdom, the aspect of wonder removed from it.299 Hence, ‘wonder’ is an expression of the person who approaches the divine reality with love in order to comprehend and understand it. Mar Jacob considers that the approach of ‘love’ is an appropriate method to understand the divine reality for three reasons. Primarily, it is due to the fact that the divine truth is only accessible through love, because it manifests the unexplainable divine reality. God has come to us because He loved his creation. Those who seek him with an attitude of love can experience this love of God. Therefore, the human love is a response to God’s love as seen in the human economy.300 The door of doctrine will open only for those who approach the mystery of God with love.301 The second reason for Mar Jacob’s inclination is that the method of love is profitable. A discourse presided over by love is beyond debates, disputations and controversies. While the method of ‘investigation’ looks at an unexplainable 2 97 The Second on Elisha and on the King of Moab, HS IV, 283,4–​13, TV 1, 56,21–​30. 298 Cf. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary, SMS IV, pp. 685–​708, here p. 692,13–​16, ET by J. Puthuparampil, in: Mariological Thought of Mar Jacob of Serugh, Kottayam, 2005, vii,151–​154. ‘Give his wonder to him, since apart from Him, there is no wonder, and take silence of yourself, because your word is too short to reach him. The virgin conceived Him, and she was a virgin when she gave birth to Him, because of this His name is ‘wonder,’ which is unexplainable.’ (Ibid.). 299 Cf. SMS IV, 691,20–​21, Puthuparampil, vi,135–​136. ‘If you have explained the whole matter in your wisdom Wonder is taken away from the history and everything is revealed.’ (Ibid.). 300 See page 78 of this chapter, where I explained how love works in the exegetical activity of Mar Jacob. 301 See the footnote 297. The verses from the homily of Mar Jacob says, ‘If I see that your soul is open to me with love, I shall open my gates for you so you may enter.’

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reality as a ‘controversy’ or a problem to be dealt with, the method of ‘love’ speaks out the matter of ineffable reality without disputation. Mar Jacob explains the fruits or the profit of the method of love in his homily ‘On the Perpetual Virginity of Mary.’ In this homily we see: The matter of Mary is not to be interpreted by the wise, and the orators cannot speak with the course of their words. Love can speak about the matter without disputation, with a simplicity, which is higher and purer than controversy. Let us give now listening to love which has risen to speak, without investigating about the virgin mother full of wonder.302

The final reason inclines to his belief. He believes that this method is authentic because it is biblical. In the homily on ‘the Perpetual Virginity of Mary’ Mar Jacob calls the attention of the readers to pay heed to Ezekiel’s prophecy, in which the approach of love is brought out clearly. In the homily we read: Ezekiel, it is your lot to speak today, speak upon Mary and hold back the investigation about her. Let us listen now what was said in prophecy, about this marvelous mother, who is not to be investigated.303

Mar Jacob explains the approach of love by enumerating the model of three wise men. He clarifies in his homily on ‘The Star seen by the Magi, and the Slaughter of the Innocents’ that the wise men came to honor the Son by their love. They came to Jesus without investigating him. In the homily we read: When they offered their gifts to him, they did not investigate him, They honored him with love, though they did not stand in awe with his feebleness.304

Though Mar Jacob discarded the method of investigation to examine the divine reality, he also admits a certain amount of enquiry into the divine truth. In his homily on ‘the Nativity of Our Redeemer,’ he states that the mystery was revealed to Mary because she had enquired about it and it was revealed to her. For Mar Jacob, we get the clarification of the hidden truth when the right question is raised at the right time.

3 02 The Perpetual Virginity of Mary, SMS IV, 689,19–​690,1–​4, Puthuparampil, iv,93–​98. 303 SMS IV, 694,19–​20, Puthuparampil, ix, 201–​202. 304 The Star seen by the Magi, and the Slaughter of the Innocents, HS I, Hom.Nr. 6, pp. 84–​ 153, here p. 117,18–​19, My own translation.

Conclusion

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Since Mary inquired, she crushed inquiry from the audacious, and by her question she set down silence to the disputants. If she had not stirred up a disputation with the watcher Disputation would have increased in the world concerning her birth-​giving. If she had been silent when she had heard [the word] “Behold the Lord is with you” iniquitous disputation would have chocked the whole world.305

This indicates that enquiring into a divine reality is not contrary to love, if the enquiry is made with the proper disposition. Such an approach to divine truth enables the one who has the love to wonder at God’s mercy. The theological method, which Mar Jacob followed to expound the divine truth and to participate in the divine pedagogy, shows that Mar Jacob’s theological endeavor does not give prime importance to human intellect and the areas of theology, which can be investigated by the human intellect. Rather than an intellectual pursuit, he looks at theology from the perspective of human experience, where human love has the primary role.

Conclusion The brief review on the life and works of Mar Jacob helps us to know the great Syriac teacher par excellence. The voluminous corpus of his writings manifests his poetic as well as his literary caliber through which he handed over the true faith to the faithful. However, the socio-​political and religious ambiance of Mar Jacob’s life causes many misunderstandings about his theological positions. Though he was grown up in an Antiochene tradition of exegetical and theological thinking, he was influenced by the Alexandrian tradition and hence he was considered as an Alexandrian theologian and a staunch opponent of Chalcedonian Christological formulations. However, the later studies prove that Mar Jacob is a blend of both Antiochene and Alexandrian traditions. The poetical works of Mar Jacob, especially his homilies (mēmrē), establishes his exegetical talent. For Mar Jacob, the Scripture contains the story of the divine economy. Therefore, the goal of his scriptural exegesis is to learn the divine purpose underlying the various events and episodes of the Scriptures. The divine economy, according to him, is prefigured as types/​symbols or mysteries of salvific activities of God, which have to be actualized in Christ. Therefore, Mar Jacob furnishes an exegesis of the actualization of the Old Testament types and/​symbols and mysteries in Christ. Since his exegetical activity is very much connected 305 The Nativity of Our Redeemer according to the Flesh, SMS VI, 736,11–​ 15, Kollamparampil, FH I,57, 347–​352.

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to the types/​symbols or mysteries, Mar Jacob is well known among the scholars for his typological exegesis, the method, which he inherited from the early Syriac tradition. Indeed, the typological exegetical method is considered out-​fashioned by modern biblical scholars given to the historical critical methods, it should be noted that it helps us to understand a tradition, which successfully incorporates the old into the new and thereby it opens up a method of exegesis, which blends both literal as well as spiritual meaning. Mar Jacob stands as an exemplary figure in this regard, who convincingly used the typological method for making the divine pedagogy known to the faithful. The literal works of Mar Jacob, set in evidence his biblically oriented theological reflection. Since the categories of his theological expressions are derived from the Scriptures coupled with his symbolic mode of theological reflection, his theological vision has great importance in today’s world. The basis of his theological thinking is submission to the mystery revealed because the whole revelation is a communication in symbols. So, in Jacobian concept theology is, more than an intellectual affair, a discourse, or an awareness of God, which one achieves through one’s own participation in the hidden divine truth. The studies regarding any dogmatic position of Mar Jacob thus unveil the legacy of Mar Jacob, which is more strongly bound to the early Syriac tradition.

Chapter II The Notion of the Church in the Writings of Mar Jacob of Sarug Introduction The Church and its relation to God’s salvific plan is a leading theme in the writings of Mar Jacob. In his homilies, he affirms an understanding of the Church whereby the Church is part of the mystery of God and a visible manifestation of God’s work of salvation. Mar Jacob consistently deploys the idea that the Church is a reality that ‘God himself fashioned mysteriously’1 to fulfill his salvific plans. So, in the homilies of Mar Jacob, especially, in his homilies concerning the Church, we can identify a progression of the formation of the Church by the initiative of God the Father and its manifestation through His Son and its growth in the world through the gifts that the earthly Church is providing2 and through the constant companionship of the Spirit. Because she is manifested mysteriously, Mar Jacob uses the Old Testament events, the life of the patriarchs, the visions of the prophets, and the New Testament events and the preaching of the Apostles and the parables of Jesus to enumerate the evolution and the origin of the Church. This chapter elaborately expounds the basic concepts of the Church and the mystery of the Church, which is revealed through the symbols and the images, employed by Mar Jacob in his homilies.

I. The Concepts of the Church The homilies of Mar Jacob narrate the basic concepts of the Church by analyzing its relationship to the salvific plans of God. Mar Jacob identifies the most important characteristics of the Church through these basic concepts. These basic themes of Mar Jacob regarding the Church bring out the identity of the Church and its main functions on earth. Undoubtedly, these concepts reveal the meaning of the Church and they are rich in theological implications. Thus, in fact, the analysis of the basic concepts of the Church as the first part of this chapter will

1 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, Hom.Nr.3, pp. 36–​48, here p. 40,7–​10, ET by Myself, in: Appendix II, 408,37–40. 2 Cf. Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, Hom.Nr.95, pp. 646–​663, here p. 647,8–​ 648,2, ET by A. Harrak, in: MHMJS 17, 8,15–​30.

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allude the reasons by which Mar Jacob looks at the Church as an essential reality in the salvific plan of God.

ܳ 1. The Church as the House of God )‫ ܶܒܝܬ ܱܐ ܳܗܐ‬/​Bēyt Ālōhō( The first basic theme regarding the Church which continuously occurs in the homilies of Mar Jacob is that of a building. In many of his homilies, the term ‘house’ is referred to the Church. The Church, which Mar Jacob explained in his homilies, is prefigured in Mount Sinai, where Moses had a vision of the Church. On Mount Sinai, Moses saw the Church like a building, and this building is in the form of a house. He saw in the flame the building of the Crowned [i.e. the Church], and the wide space of the Delicate in the great high place [i.e. heaven].3 He saw allegorically the inner house like that one he had made, and a courtyard surrounding it from the outside as that one he had constructed.4

For Mar Jacob, prophets, priests and patriarchs toiled as architects in building the house.5 In fact, they contributed, in their ways prefiguring of building the Church, which their prophetical types and symbols constructed. This prefiguration of the Church through the form of a building is perfected in the course of time and found its fulfillment in Christ. This schema of representing the Church in the form of a building from the time of theophany to the time of Christ is evident in his homilies. The theophany at Mount Sinai revealed to Moses the prototype of the Church, which was built in mystery.6 On the mountain, Moses saw the precedence of the 3 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 42,2–​3, Appendix II, 410,75–76. 4 HS I, 43,12–​13. Appendix II, 411,107–108. 5 Cf. The Law Giver of the Old and New Testament is one and the same, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 136, pp. 789–​803, here p. 801,15–​16, My own translation. ܳ ܰ ܳܳ ܳ ‫ܝܬܐ ܰܠܝܘ ܐܱܪ ܶ̈ܕ ܶܟܠ ܳܗܐ ܶܡܢ ܳܥ‬ ‘:‫ܠܡܐ‬ ‫ܒܗܢܐ ܒ‬ ܳ ܰ ܽ ‫ܺܢܒ ̈ܶܝܐ‬ ܽ ܳ ܳ ܳ ‫ܒܓ‬ ܶ ‫ܘܟܘܡ̈ܪܷܐ ܘܐܱܒܗܬܐ‬ ‫ܠܝܢܝܗܘܢܢ܀‬ Behold, the builders laboured in this house for ever, the prophets, priests and the patriarchs with their prophesies.’ (Ibid.). 6 In the homilies of Mar Jacob, Moses is depicted as a figure, who hides all the prophesies. In his homily on ‘the Veil of Moses,’ he expounds that the veil on the face of Moses represents the words of prophecy that are veiled. These concealed prophecies are fulfilled when the Son of God comes. So, Moses’ experience of the Church upon the Mount Sinai is also regarded as a veiled experience, which will be fulfilled at the time of the Son of God. Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 285, 7–​16, Sob 3,1, 70, 75–​84.

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Church7 and that is in the form of a building. God revealed to Moses ‘what he shall build, the tabernacle which serves the age with the mysteries of the Church.’8 He fashioned these types as he experienced them at the top of the mountain, which reveal to the people the presence of God. The Church, which Moses saw upon the Mountain, embraces the whole universe.9 He witnessed a Church on Mount Sinai, ‘which possesses the edges of heaven and her tent cords are thrown upon the regions.’10 It is the descent of God upon the mountain made the Church visible and it perfected her so that she is constituted untroubled.11 This Church resembles the temple with the holy of holies and the ornament of the burning coal within the temple perfects it.12 The expressions that Mar Jacob uses in his homilies in order to explain the concept of the Church are one of the added proofs for his perception of the Church as a ‘house.’ With reference to a constructed building, he portraits ܳ the Church as ‘palace of light’(‫ ܺ ܰ ܬ ܽ ܰܗܪܐ‬/Birāt nuhārō)13 and a palace that the 14 bridegroom built for his bride and a ‘royal home,’15 where the bridegroom is depicted in various ways. The Old Testament event of Patriarch Jacob’s vision at Bethel (Gen 28:10–22) delineates the continuation of the prefiguration of the Church as building, which progresses to its fulfillment. In his homily on ‘the vision of Jacob at Bethel,’16 Mar Jacob explains the formation of the house of the Lord. Jacob, the type of

7 Cf. The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I 40,15–16, Appendix II, 409,45–46. 8 HS I, 40,21–22, Appendix II, 409,51–52. I explain in this chapter the tabernacle as the symbol of the Church. 9 Cf. HS I, 42,6–7. Appendix II, 410,79–80. 10 Ibid. 11 Cf. HS I, 42,22 – 43,1, Appendix II, 411,95–96. 12 Cf. HS I, 42,16–17, Appendix II, 411,91–92. ‘Coal of Fire’ is a symbolic title of Christ developed with reference to Is 6:6 with its Eucharistic overtones referring to the Eucharistic body of Christ as ‘live coal’ which the Seraph carried from the altar. Cf. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 103–106. 13 Cf. Our Lord’s Question, and the Revelation which Simon Received from the Father, HS I, 477,15, Landersdorfer, 329. 14 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 287,18, Sob 3,1, 70,87. ܳ 15 Cf. HS III, 287,19, Sob 3,1, 70,88. The Syriac word used in the homily is ܳ ܰ ‫ܐ‬. It is another word for ‘palace.’ However, S. Brock translated it as a royal home. 16 Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HS III, Hom.Nr. 74, pp. 192–207, GT by S. Landersdorfer, in: Ausgewählte Schriften der syrischen Dichter Cyrillonas, Baläus, Isaak von Antiochien, Jakob von Sarug, BKV 1. Reihe, Band 6, Kempten, 1912, 333–344.

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the Lord, who followed the path of the Son with the divine mysteries, prepares the way of the Son.17 As he walks along the path, he rested at the mountain by putting a stone under his head. Since the stone represents the Church,18 Mar Jacob explains, ‘the mystery of the Son did not wander without the Church.’19 In a dream, Jacob saw a ladder, which combines heaven and earth and through which some of the heavenly creatures ascend to heaven while others climb down to earth.20 This vision makes him to realize that he is in a place, which manifests really ‘the house of God and obviously the door of heaven.’21 Immediately after this vision, Jacob began to build a Church by placing a stone at the place of vision and pouring out the oil upon the stone.22 Through this, the prototype of the Church, which is the ‘house of God,’ is pictured in its full clarity. Mar Jacob narrates the fulfillment of the prefiguration of the Church in the form of a building, when describes the Church as ‘house’ in his homily on ‘the revelation, which Simon Peter received from the Father.’ In this homily, he extensively describes the Church as ‘house,’ which Christ built upon his beloved apostle St Peter. He began the building of the house and selected Kepha and set up the foundation And gave him the grace to conquer death and Satan.23

Though the building of the Church is entrusted to the Son, the participation of God the Father in the foundation of the Church is obvious and emphasized. Simon Peter was selected as the foundation stone of the Church because of his confession that Jesus is the Son of God. According to Mar Jacob ‘this revelation came out from the house of the Father for that apostle.’24 Because Simon Peter pronounced the revelation, he became the foundation stone of the Church. The deposit of the revelation, which he acquired from the hidden knowledge of the Father, made him worthy to become the foundation stone of the Church.

1 7 Cf. Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HS III, 192,1–​10, Landersdorfer, 333. ܺ is used as a symbol for the Church in many homilies of Mar Jacob. The 18 The Stone (‫)ܟ ܳܐܦܐ‬ most notable references of the stone symbolism come in the homily Our Lord’s question and the Revelation which Simon received from the Father, Landersdorfer, 317–​332. 19 Cf. HS III, 193,14, Landersdorfer, 333. 20 Cf. HS III, 195,8–​12, Landersdorfer, 334. 21 HS III, 201,7–​8, Landersdorfer, 339. 22 Cf. HS III, 201,12, Landersdorfer, 339. 23 Our Lord’s Question, and the Revelation which Simon Received from the Father, HS I, 477,5, Landersdorfer, 326. 24 HS I, 473,14, Landersdorfer, 327.

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The revelation came from the hidden knowledge of the Father, He descended, and the house shall be built for the Son, where He shall be served by him.25

1.1. The House of God in the Bible The concept of seeing the Church as the house of God is a recurring theme in the scripture. It is St Paul, who used this theme extensively, though it has some Old Testament precedents.26 St Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians explains the Church as a building, built by a ‘skilled master builder.’27 The unique foundation of this spiritual building is Jesus Christ.28 In the gospel, we read that Jesus authorizes St Peter to ‘build’ his Church. Therefore, the imagery of the foundation can be applied to Jesus, the apostles as well as to the prophets29 and it is a reminder for us that these illustrations can be used in different contexts to teach different lessons.30 Mar Jacob uses this theme in his homilies in order to explain the intrinsic relationship between the Church and God the Father and Christ.31 The building to which the Church is most often compared in the scripture is the temple. One of the specialized uses of the term ‘house’ that we come across in the New Testament is that it is the home of the deity. The classical example of such an overtone is Mat 21:13, where we see that Jesus cleanses the temple. As he entered the temple, he said to them, ‘it is written, ‘my house shall be called the house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.’ This pericope suggests that not just any building is the house of God, but specifically the temple, in which the divine dwells.

ܶܶ 1.2. The Church: The House of Clouds )‫ܥ̈ܪܦܠ‬ ‫ ܶܒܝܬ‬/​Bēyt ‘Arpēlē)32 Mar Jacob uses the symbol of ‘cloud’ in his homilies to denote the presence of God. The association of God’s glory with the cloud is also used in the Old Testament 25 Our Lord’s Question, and the Revelation which Simon Received from the Father, HS I, 478,2–​3, Landersdorfer, 329. 26 2 Chr 3:3, 5:1, Ps 42:4, Hos 9:8, Joel 1:16. 27 1 Cor 3:10. 28 1 Cor 3:11. 29 Eph 2:20. 30 Cf. E. Ferguson, The Church of Christ: A Biblical Ecclesiology for Today, Michigan, 1996, 125. 31 The exegetical craftsmanship of Mar Jacob of Sarug explained in Chapter 1. 32 The common Syriac word for the ‘cloud’ is ‫ ܱܥ ܳܢ ܳܢܐ‬. However, in the homily of ‘Descent of ܶ ܶ the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church’ Mar Jacob used the word ‫ܥܪܦܠ‬, when he specifically connects the house with the cloud. This word also has the meaning of ‘cloud,’ though its original meaning is a dark mist. Cf. Payne Smith, 429.

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texts especially in the event of Mount Sinai, on which Mar Jacob wrote a particular homily. The symbol of the ‘cloud in Mount Sinai’ in the Old Testament could be seen as: (1) the sign of God’s glory that filled the tabernacle.33 (2) The sign of God’s protective power over the Israelites, for we see that God moved ahead of the Israelites in a pillar of cloud to lead them along their journey.34 (3) The sign of the manifestation of God, for we read, ‘And Mount Sinai was wrapped in Smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.’35 The cloud thus reminded the Israelites of the presence of God and it became a reminder that they should worship God. ‘And when people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the door of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, every man at his tent door.’36 In the homilies of Mar Jacob, regarding the mystery of the Church, he uses the symbol of the ‘cloud’ to represent the descent of God upon the Mount Sinai. It is the presence of the cloud that manifests God’s presence upon the mountain. First and foremost, Mar Jacob looks at the cloud as a curtain, which hides the magnificence of the Lord. The cloud upon the mountain is an assurance that God is within the mountain. He extended the cloud as double veil and encircled the mountain, as if behold, He is entirely within it.37

The hidden meaning of the cloud becomes clearer when Mar Jacob explains the vision of Moses on the Church. God gave Moses a vision of the perfect Church in order to inscribe her likeness. The Church is manifested to Moses in the very image of God himself because God descended. Similarly, the Creator made with Moses, his servant, He manifested to him the accomplished Church in order [for him] to inscribe her resemblance. In order that the image does not get lost from him when he descends, he saw her truly, so that he does not forget her when she is inscribed.38

3 3 Ex 40:35. 34 Ex 13:21. 35 Ex 19:18. 36 Ex 33:9–​10. 37 Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, Hom.Nr. 2, pp. 3–​36, here p. 23,8–​9, ET by Myself, in: Appendix I, 396,410–​411. 38 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 41,13–​16, Appendix II, 409, 65–​68.

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The Church is made visible in the likeness upon the Mount Sinai and Moses saw it within the veil of the cloud. Upon the mountain, the clouds encircled the Church and they stand instead of curtains. He saw the curtains and the posts encircling it: the work of light which is hewed and engraved by the fiery coal [or: the flame]. He saw the clouds, and each one of them attached to it [i.e. the courtyard], and instead of them, he formed curtains for his own one [i.e. the tabernacle].39

Moses saw the bridegroom when God lifted up the veil, which is the cloud. Moses went up to the holiness within the cloud and God manifested him the place where he dwells, which is the house of clouds. He lifted up before him the curtain of the clouds (Ex 20:21; Sir 45:5) that he enters to see the Bridegroom in his glory where he is. The command went out, cut a path for him through the dark clouds that the immense brilliance out of Sinai not terrify him.40

Mar Jacob uses the similar explanation of the symbol of the cloud in order to explain the presence of God in Mary. In one of his hymns, he extols Mary’s Glory by saying that she is like the cloud over Mount Sinai because God dwells in her. Mary’s bosom is like the cloud over mount Sinai Wherein resided the Lord of the heights: A great wonder it was, for the mountain shook, whereas Mary’s bosom did not stir at all.41

The above-​mentioned inferences make it clear that the cloud represents a mystery, which conceals a meaning with it. The meaning that the cloud manifests is that of the presence of the bridegroom, which is ‘sustained in the cloud,’42 and the existence of the house of God. The mystery, which the cloud symbolizes, is the mystery of God. This mystery is not confined to any particular event or meaning. Therefore, Mar Jacob employs both singular and plural form of the word mystery in his homilies, when he denotes the mystery of God. Since the word ‘cloud’ is also used in his homilies regarding the Church to refer a veiled reality, it also

39 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 43,16–​19, Appendix II, 411,109–​112. 40 Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 33,12–​15, Appendix I, 403,620–​623. 41 Anonymous Hymn on Mary, in British Library Manuscript Add. 14520, ET by S.P. Brock, in: Bride of Light, Mōrān ‘Ethō 6, Kottayam, 1994, 98. 42 HS I, 29,6, Appendix I, 400,531.

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denotes the mystery. So here also, he uses both singular and plural form of the word ‘cloud.’ This signifies that the reality, which is veiled by the cloud, is the type of the mysteries. Hence, his narration of the Church as the house of clouds signifies a place where one can experience the mysteries of God. So, Mar Jacob writes: Moses entered the bed-​chamber of the Bridegroom-​King, to learn his mysteries and bring the Bride to the Holy One.43

1.3. The Church: The House of Profits )‫ ܶܒܝܬ ܽܝܘܬ ܳ̈ܪܳ ܶܢܐ‬/​Bēyt Yutrōnē( The homilies of Mar Jacob, related to the liturgies celebrated in the Church, explain the nourishments that the Church provides to her sons. He exhorts the faithful to wake up and receive the benefits from the house of profits. Wake up, man, and rouse yourself for the petition Do not be weary: When they give you life you shall take it. Mercy brought you into this house full of profits; If you remain long in it, consider not this a loss of time.44

The narration of the house full of profits indicates that the Church is the ‘place full of light and life,’45 where people get nourishments for their life. The multifarious profits, which people receive from the Church, are narrated in the homilies. The primary benefit that the faithful receives from the Church is the knowledge of God. The Church provides people a good platform to be enriched by listening both to prophets and apostles.46 They spoke the same truth and like pearls and rivers, they give them life that has no end. Learn and believe that the Testaments are rivers, for in both of them you have life that has no end. Listen to the New and pay heed to the Old, and realize that in both one and the same truth is spoken to you.47

The faithful is benefited by the ‘life springs from the service of the house of God.’48 The house of God is the source of life mainly because it contains the ‘tree of life,’49 43 Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 33,14–15, Appendix I, 403,623–​624. 44 Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 652,12–​15, MHMJS 17, 18,125–​128. 45 Ibid., 18,122. 46 Mar Jacob mentions both Old and New Testaments by prophets and apostles. 47 HS III, 653,5–​8, MHMJS 17, 20,139–​142. 48 HS III, 653,20, MHMJS 17, 22,153. 49 HS III, 653,13, MHMJS 17, 20,147. The comparison between the Edenic ‘tree of life’ with Christ and with the cross of Christ is a common usage in Syriac writers. The cross

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which situates within the Church. Mar Jacob here mentions the Eucharist that the Church prepares for her sons. The Church shares the ‘table’50 with her sons and happily opens her gates for them and ‘she tears the body of the Bridegroom to feed them so that they may satisfy their spiritual hunger.’51 Therefore, Mar Jacob exhorts the faithful, ‘not to abstain from its benefits.’52 The Church provides the faithful the gifts of profits through her teaching. She teaches the soul so that it overcomes the darkness and is illuminated. The life, which the Church offers to her sons, heals the wounds of her sons and purifies them. Therefore, Mar Jacob narrates: The Church in the world is like a teacher to the human being, teaching, educating, and treating the wounds of all who come to her. From her teaching, the soul becomes illuminated through repentance, so that she may overcome the darkness of death when it meets her. Come, enter, you stupid ones defiled by fleshly desires, And purify your lives by the teaching of the daughter of light.53

The above-​mentioned profits that the Church offers and people receive from the Church are the gifts offered by the Church for the salvation. The Church, being part of the salvific plan of God, offers these profits to the faithful, as she received it from her Lord.

1.4. The Church: The Treasury )‫ ܶܒܝܬ ܰܓ ܳܙܐ‬/​Bēyt Gāzō( The Church as the house of treasure is understood from the point of view of the concept of treasure. In the scripture, the term ‘treasure’ is mentioned in various perspectives. In the Old Testament, the gifts presented to the Temple were considered as treasures54 and these treasures are preserved in the temple. Apart from such usages, Old Testament also uses the term ‘treasure’ figuratively in order to show the hidden presence of God as well as the possession of God. The references of the people of Israel, who are the treasured possession of God, in the

of Christ as the antitype of the ‘tree of life’ is the source of divine life and nourishment. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 323–​324. 50 Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 646,3, MHMJS 17, 6, 3. 51 HS III, 646,6–​18, Ibid., 6,6–​18. 52 HS III, 653,21, MHMJS 17, 22,154. 53 HS III, 655,4-​9, MHMJS 17, 24,179-​184. 54 In the book of Joshua, we see that he dedicated the booty from Jericho to the Lord (Josh 6:19). Temple Treasures are listed in the book of Ezra (Ezr 2:69–​70). Royal treasures are listed in 2 Chr 32:27–​29.

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book of Exodus (Ex 19:5) and the expressions of the wisdom as the hidden treasure in Prov 2:4; Isa 33:6 are some of the examples of such figurative usage of the term ‘treasure.’ However, in the New Testament the term treasure is used more symbolically to depict the kingdom of God and the means of salvation. In the gospel of Matthew, the kingdom of God is referred as the treasure hidden in the field (Mat 13:44). The same gospel also narrates that one should store up in heaven good treasures of salvation by faith and loyalty (Mat 6:20–​21). In St Paul, the gospel of salvation itself is a treasure (2 Cor 4:7). The above illustrations hence make it clear that the term ‘treasure’ may be used for a precious gift that a person could find for his own salvation or it may be referred as a valuable means for one’s own salvation. The kingdom was hidden in the work and words of Jesus and it was apparent not to human perception. It was disclosed in and through the proclamation of Jesus. The joy of finding this kingdom is like the joy of finding a hidden treasure, which shone forth in the person and message of Jesus.55 Therefore, the term ‘treasure’ could also be an allusion to Jesus himself. Both Ephrem and Mar Jacob conceived the same idea of the ‘treasure’ from the scripture and expressed it in their homilies. For both of them, the term ‘treasure’ is a symbol of Christ and the graces that come out of him. In the hymns on the nativity of Ephrem, there are many references to denote Christ as the treasure. In one of his hymns, he narrates that the nativity is the opening of the treasure house of the first-​born. Behold the First-​Born has opened His feast day for us like a treasure-​house. This one day, the [most] perfect in the year, alone opens this treasure-​house. Come let us prosper and become rich from it before it is closed.56

The same mode of expression is also noticeable in the homilies of Mar Jacob. He too mentions in his homilies on nativity that Christ is the treasure, who has come to us. In this month that multiple bonds of borrowers the Treasure through which all debts are blotted out, has come to us.57

5 5 Cf. A.J. Hultgren, The Parables of Jesus: A Commentary, Cambridge, 2000, 415–​416. 56 Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen de Nativitate (HNat), in: CSCO 186, Scr.Syr. 82, E. Beck (ed.), Louvain, 1959, V,8, 47, ET by K.E. McVey, Ephrem the Syrian Hymns, New York, 1989, 107. 57 The Nativity of Our Redeemer According to the Flesh, SMS VI, 772,16–​17, Kollamparampil, FH I, 91,1107–​1108.

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In one of his prose homilies on nativity, Mar Jacob narrates that it is Christ, who is the precious treasure, to whom the virgin gave birth for the creation. Today the mouth of Eve has been opened so that she can say with an exalted voice and with confidence that her fault has been forgiven by the second virgin who has repaid the debt of her fathers by the precious Treasure to which she gave birth for creation.58

ܺ The depiction of Christ as the rich one (‫ )ܥܬ ܳܝܪܐ‬in the homilies of Mar Jacob confirms that Christ is the one who is the treasure, from whom the faithful receive the goodness. He received his richness from the Father, who is the fullness of all ܺ ܰ Mar riches, so he is portrayed in the homilies as the son of the rich one (‫)ܒܪ ܥܬ ܳܝܪܐ‬. Jacob narrates that His nativity is the visitation of the rich one to the poor, by which the poor are sufficed by His treasures. In this month in which all the poor are in need, The Rich One has come sprinkling His treasures upon the mendicants.59

Mar Jacob looks at the nativity of the Son as an act of opening of the treasury of God. Through nativity, ‘the son of the rich one opened his treasuries for the poor.’60 The term treasury is here depicted in relation to Christ to denote his possessions. Christ is the inheritor of the possessions of the Father and he distributes his possessions to the needy through his nativity. When Mar Jacob as well as Ephrem describes the Church, they either use the word treasury or treasure, which inherits the Church, to describe it. As from the observations of the term treasure and treasury,61 which I made above, we can assume that this is an attempt of these fathers to present the Church as an existential reality, which has an inherent relationship to Christ. A direct reference of the treasury to the Church in the homily of Ephrem on the Church ascertains it. There we read: My Lord, I enter your treasury not to explore your wealth

58 F. Rilliet, Jacques de Saroug: Six Homélies Festales en Prose (SHF), The Nativity, Hom.Nr.1, pp. 538–​549, in: PO 43, Fascicule 4, No.196, Turnhout, 1986, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH IV, 133,12. 59 SMS VI, 772,5–​6, FH I, 91,1095–​1096. 60 The Nativity of Our Lord, SMS Hom.Nr.8, pp. 700–​808, here p. 804,4, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH III, 124,285. 61 Commonly the word ‫ ܰܓ ܳܙܐ‬is used for the term ‘treasure’ and ‫ ܶܒܝܬ ܰܓ ܳܙܐ‬refers to treasury. Normally these words are used when the treasure related to God and His Son. But there ܳ is another word for ‘treasure’–​‫​– ܺܣܝܡܬܐ‬, which is used in the sense of hidden treasure. Most often, this word is used to refer to show something hidden.

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but to go out filled as much as I can to enrich my poverty.62

The homily of Mar Jacob on ‘the revelation which Simon received from the Father’ narrates that the Church is the custodian of the treasures. In the homily, Mar Jacob describes that the Church was built on Simon Peter and he was entrusted with the keys of the possessions of the Church. The revelation rose from the hidden treasure of the Father and it descended to strengthen the house in which the Son is to be served.63 He saw that they receive from the father this revelation, and He gave her the keys of the vast wealth and the whole treasure.64

For Mar Jacob, St Peter revealed the identity of the Son, which he brought along with him from the house of the father.65 Therefore, Mar Jacob is convinced that the revelation of St Peter about the identity of the Son is also willed by the Father. Since St Peter’s revelation is the basis of his selection of being the foundation of the Church, the formation of the Church is also willed by God the Father and accomplished through His son. Hence, Mar Jacob has no hesitation to say that it is the Father who gave the keys to the Church. The Church receives here the keys of His possessions. By receiving the keys, the Church became the ‘mistress of his possessions’ –​the possessions of God the Father. Lord has engaged to the daughter of the poor people and made a contract with her and handed her the keys so that she was the mistress of his possessions.66

The above expressions of Mar Jacob, which are very much coined with his predecessors, like Mar Ephrem, show that the Church is a treasury of God’s possessions. It contains treasures from the house of the Father, which descended and strengthened the house. These treasures are not the worldly wealth rather they are the possessions of God himself. Since Mar Jacob equate the treasure with Christ, the concept of treasury ascertains the presence of God within the Church through His Son.

62 Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen de Ecclesia (HEcc), in: CSCO 198, Scr.Syr 84, E. Beck (ed.), Louvain, 1960, X,1, 29, My own translation. 63 Our Lord’s Question, and the Revelation which Simon Received from the Father, HS I, 478,2–​3, Landersdorfer, 329. 64 HS I, 481,11–​12, Landersdorfer, 331. 65 Cf. Ibid. 66 HS I, 480,4–​5, Ibid.

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ܳ ܽ /​Knuštō( 2. The Church: A Community )‫ܟܢܘܫܬܐ‬ The Church as a community is the most common terminology that we find in the scripture. The designation of the Church as a community or a gathering is mentioned in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament by the word ekklesia. The Septuagint uses the word ekklesia as the translation for qahal, which means a meeting or gathering. People gather or are summoned for any and every purpose and that gathering is named as qahal.67 The most significant qahal in the Old Testament is the assembling of Israel before God on Horeb (Deut 4: 10; 9:10; 10:4), when God sealed his covenant with them. However, this term is also used for a liturgical gathering. It designates the chosen people when it is assembled to worship God. When the people of Israel reached at the Promised Land, particularly, during the dedication of the temple of Solomon (1 Kgs 8:14) and at the time of the restoration of the temple after the exile (Neh 13:1), we see that the people of Israel are referred as the ‘assembly of God.’68 In the New Testament the word, ekklesia comes 114 times, and most of the occurrences are in the writings of St Paul. Paul used the term ekklesia in its concrete sense of an actual assembly to refer to the meetings of Christians. The term often occurs when a specific congregation gathers for prayer, instruction, and deliberation.69 So, the term ekklesia was used to designate a particular communal reality. The very nature of this community is expressed when the descriptive phrases are added to the word. When the term was used in the sense of ekklesia of God the meaning of the term becomes more explicit. The one who summons or gathers it then qualifies the nature of this community. Therefore, the meaning of the ekklesia becomes a community that belongs to God because he has called it into being, dwells within it, and rules over it.70 Hence, the ekklesia is the term that expresses the complete sense of qahal, and the qahal of Israel is an exact prefiguration of the sacred assembly of the New Testament.71 Mar Jacob also adheres to the scriptural notions of the term ekklesia. But, ܰ (to come together, assemble) is a rare usage in Jacob’s work. the verb qahal/​‫ܩܗܠ‬

67 Cf. P.S. Minear, Church, in: The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, New York, 1968, 608. 68 Cf. B.D.L. Soujeole, Introduction to the Mystery of the Church, Washington D.C, 2014, 350. 69 Cf. P.S. Minear, Church, 608. 70 Cf. Ibid., 608. 71 Cf. B.D.L. Soujeole, 351.

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Often, he uses the verb kanesh (to gather, bring together, assemble) to denote the assembly of the people. However, there are instances in his writings, where he uses the word qahal to describe the community. In one of his homilies, we read ‘Christ came to gather the people on earth.’72 Here in this text we see the verb qahal is placed next to the term kanesh. In another homily, he uses the verb qahal to denote the gathering, which the Jews called together in order to denounce Jesus. ‘They [Jews] called together and brought a big community to shout for his death, and they raised the voice in front of the judge so that he is condemned to death.’73 These examples show that Mar Jacob also used the term qahal to indicate a community, which is called together for a purpose and he emphasizes that this assembly is the one, as it is perceived in the scripture –​a community that is called together by God himself.

2.1. The Community around the Mystery The community that we come across in the homilies of Mar Jacob, especially in the homilies regarding the Church, is the assembly gathered around the mystery. The people of Israel gathered around Moses, who experienced the mystery upon the mountain, depicted as the prefiguration of the Church. Moses as foreshadow of the coming of God’s Son on earth holds the mystery of the Son. Sometimes, he himself is mentioned as the mystery. His image acquired the vehemence from that of Christ, and the flock held [or: followed] him with great fear as God. The mystery weaved a nest of fire in [Moses’] face, and couched in it, and he [Moses] frightened those who saw him. The whole figure of [Christ/​the Mystery] was depicted in that savior [Moses], and because of his glory [or: beauty] he left fear in all of his spectators. He shone forth in colors of Christ, and they mixed up in him, and behold, the people were about to think that he was God.74

ܰ and ‫ܰܟ ܶܢܫ‬ 72 HCJ III, 101,237. In this homily, we come across a sentence with two verbs ‫ܩܗܠ‬ ܰ ܶ ̈ ܰ ܶܰ ܰ ܳ ܳ ܽ ܳ used next to each other. The Syriac sentence is as follows: ‫ܡܫܝܚܐ ܕ ܷܐܬܐ ܩܗܠ ܩܢܫ ܥܡܡܐ ܕܐܱܪܥܐ‬. According to the grammarians, the usage of two verbs without a connecting particle and having one common object indicate that the one verb merely gives expression to a modification of the other. Mar Jacob uses the verb qahal in order to give emphasis to the verb kanesh. Cf. T. Nöldeke, Compendious Syriac Grammar, London, 1904, 274. 73 For the Vigil of Holy Friday, HS II, Hom.Nr. 53, pp. 522–​554, here p. 532,10–​11, My own translation. 74 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 45,21 –​46,6, Appendix II, 413,159–166.

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Moses manifests Christ to the people and hence they came near to see him and to have the experience of God.75 Mar Jacob describes that the community that assembled around Moses is the prefiguration of the Church, because the congregation receive Christ through the gathering. Mar Jacob explains this prefiguration of the Church when he narrates the importance of the veiled Moses. The congregation honored Moses in the veil, and the Church received our Lord in His humanity. The veil which fell on the face of Moses with the congregation, is a type of the Church that held the body of our Lord.76

There are also other illustrations in the writings of Mar Jacob to indicate the oneness of the assembly with the Church. When Moses had a vision on the Church ‘he saw gatherings, who utter praises.’77 Mar Jacob depicts that the people of Israel as betrothed to God and the betrothal having taken place on Mount Sinai. By being the bride on Mount Sinai, the assembly of the people of God justifies the idea that it is the prefiguration of the Church that will be perfected by the advent of Christ. All creatures assembled to go with her, so that the world shall see the great wedding feast made for her. She was led with her companions until Sinai, and she reached the land which her Lord had appointed for her. Moses, the friend of her Bridegroom,78 left her before the mountain and went up, in order to go and see when the Bridegroom will come to meet her.79

2.2. The Community of the Son The community, who gathered to be saved in the presence of the covenant of God, is found to continue in the New Testament. Mar Jacob acknowledges this community as the one which is ‘full of truth of the only begotten.’80 It is the community gathered by God the Father through the Son. God the Father attached the people with Himself and made them His brothers. Because He united

75 Cf. The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 45,21 –​46,1, Appendix II, 413,159–​160. 76 HS I, 48,2–​5, Appendix II, 415,205–​209. 77 HS I, 42,20, Appendix II, 411,93. 78 Ex 25:9 ff 79 Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 8,11–​17, Appendix I, 386,104–​109. 80 Letter XVI 61,9.

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the people with Himself, they became the brothers of His Only Son. Mar Jacob explains the mission of God the Father of gathering people in one of his homilies. There we read: He brought them forth from the followers of idolatry’s images, And kneaded them Himself in glory to become His brethren. The straying entered and began to call His Father “Our Father,” And were kneaded with Him, becoming brethren of the Only-​Begotten.81

The Son continues the mission of the Father and gathered people together as part of his saving ministry. The Son continues the mission because the Father sent him. The Father sent him after the sheep of Israel and he gathered the people in order to redeem them. He redeems them by ‘restoring their infirmities’82: After the sheep of the house of Israel has the Father sent me, And it is right that I should seek them now and find them. The redeemed flock of the house of Abraham I have gone out to find For by every means I desire to gather them together.83

The Son gathered not only the living but also the dead. He gathered all and made all of them his brethren. Therefore, the community gathered around the Son comprised of both the living and the dead and hence the so-​called Church –​ the gathered people –​represented the entire humanity. The community of the deceased, who are gathered by the Son, is mentioned in one of the homilies of Mar Jacob. There we read: Because He came to be dead with them He made them alive and since He descended to the depth, to the height did He raise them. He seasoned them, prepared them, and made them wise; He gathered, brought and ushered them in.84

Thus, Mar Jacob’s concept of the Church portrays a community gathered by the Father through the Son and it comprises the whole humanity, both living and the dead. Mar Jacob gives a much clearer expression of such a community in his homily on the transfiguration of our Lord. When Mar Jacob portraits the

81 The Kingdom of Heaven is like Leaven, HS III, Hom.Nr. 86, pp. 411–​424, here p. 421,14 –​ 17, ET by HTM, in: TV 3 (1989), 54,205–​208. 82 Five Loaves and Two Fishes, HS III, Hom.Nr. 87, pp. 425–​462, here p. 435,11. 83 The Canaanite Woman, HS I, Hom.Nr. 17, pp. 424–​444, 432,12–​15. ET by S.A. Harvey, in: MHMJS 44, Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on Women whom Jesus Met, Piscataway, 2016, 24,163–​166. 84 HS III, 424,4–​5;8, TV 3, 56,255–​256;260.

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gathering upon the Mount Tabor he mentions that it is the gathering of both the living and the dead with the Son of God. This would be the best example of Mar Jacob’s portrayal of the Church as a community of both the living and the dead. Then the gathering that was on the mountain of the Son was glorious: Apostles, prophets, the living and the dead, and the Son of God.85

Mar Jacob delineates the act of Jesus’ gathering by using interesting symbolic ܰ who set a snare for the weary expressions. He presents Jesus as a ‘hunter (‫)ܨ ܳܝ ܳܕܐ‬, ones.86 In the episode of the healing of the Samaritan woman, Mar Jacob clearly shows that by gathering people through hunting, Jesus brings the weary people to the true knowledge of God. So, Mar Jacob writes; ‘By the Samaritan woman, He hunted the Samaritans who had fled from knowledge and divine learning.’87 ܳ ܺ The expression of Jesus’ waiting for the people with a net (‫)ܡܨܝܕܬܐ‬ would also be another illustration of gathering. By the whole earthly ministry of Jesus, he waits for people and draws them close to him. Our Lord hid the snare of life in the place of death, And He sat, watching, to fill His net, and then drew it. His work became the pretext for His scheme in a moment’s space, So that while he was at rest His road might proceed successfully.88

In the context of the multiplication of the loaves, Mar Jacob says that the crowd, which gathered around Jesus, manifests the Church. Here Mar Jacob narrates the Church with certain descriptions. The large number of people gathered around ܳ ܰ ܳ ܺ Jesus is referred as ‘the big Church’.(‫)ܥ ̱ܪܬܐ ܪܒܬܐ‬ Our Lord rose up like the day and satisfied his people. ܳ ܰ ܳ ܺ The big Church (‫)ܥ ̱ܕܬܐ ܪܒܬܐ‬ came out from the place with our salvation And the broad space opened its door to get served by him.89

The image of the crowd detaching themselves to follow Jesus may have inspired Mar Jacob to see them as the beginning of a community, which is defined by its aptitude to leave everything behind to follow Jesus in spite of its failures. But the question is, can it be identified as the Church, which realized its identity during

85 The Transfiguration, HS II, Hom.Nr. 49, pp. 347–​345, here p. 372,9–​10, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH VIII, 228,529–​530. 86 Cf. The Samaritan Woman, HS II, Hom.Nr.46, pp. 281–​312, here p. 284,5, MHMJS 44, 64,65. 87 HS II, 310,6–​7, MHMJS 44, 118,609–​610. 88 HS II, 285,14–​17, MHMJS 44, 68,95–​98. 89 Five Loaves and Two Fishes, HS III, 448,17–​19, My own translation.

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the time of Jesus’ earthly life? According to certain texts, it seems evident that it is during Jesus’ baptism that John the Baptist introduced the bridegroom to the people and he gave them instruction to follow the bridegroom. The resplendent John was filled with the Holy Spirit who reveals all mysteries, And by the Spirit was he stirred at the appearance of the Son of God. “This is the Bridegroom” he told the Bride, “to whom you are betrothed; This is the lamb who takes away the sin of Adam, This is he who causes the levitical sacrifices to pass away, Himself becoming the sacrifice on behalf of the sinners.”90

Therefore, the community, who saw Jesus, had certain questions in their mind that ‘where is he who has been announced by John?’91 The crowds gathered around Jesus with an intention to see what was hidden. When the bridegroom appeared, they realized from the reactions of John the Baptist that this was the Bridegroom, of whom he had preached.92 This signifies that Mar Jacob has the opinion that during the public life of Jesus, he was well introduced to the people as the Bridegroom and those who follow Him with a conviction that they are following for whom they were awaiting and this further manifests the community, gathered around Jesus. The community, which Mar Jacob narrates in his homilies, is the community of faith. When Jesus came to restore the humanity, he searched for the faith of the community.93 He ‘binds her closely and set her within the community of the faithful.’94 People gathered around Jesus out of their faith in him. In the homilies regarding the miracles of Jesus, Mar Jacob portrays the whole creation in such communities. In the miracles, which Jesus performed for his woman believers, Mar Jacob describes that each woman, who approaches Jesus, is either a symbolic expression of the whole earth95 or the manifestation of the particular congregation,96 who go astray from God by the power of the evil Spirit.97 90 The Baptism of the law the Baptism of John and the Baptism our Lord gave the Apostles, HS I, Hom.Nr. 7, pp. 153–​167, here p. 157,17–​22, ET by S.P. Brock, in: Early Christian Baptism and the Catechumenate: West and East Syria, T.M. Finn (ed.), Minnesota, 1992, 192,95–​100. 91 HS I, 155,18, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 191,54. 92 Cf. HS I, 156,4–​8, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 191,60–​64. 93 Cf. The Fig Tree which Our Lord Cursed, HS IV, 730,18–​19. 94 Letter XVI 68,27. 95 Cf. The Canaanite Woman, HS I, 437,9, MHMJS 44, 12,57. 96 Cf. The Samaritan Woman, HS II, 308,15, MHMJS 44,116,575. 97 Cf. The Woman who was Hunched Over, HS V, Hom.Nr.169, pp. 506–​535, here p. 310,20–​21, MHMJS 44, 136,67.

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Because they are the expressions of communities, when they approach Jesus, they manifest the formation of a community, who believe in Jesus. Their reception of enlightenment and joy from Jesus are the expressions of their faith in Jesus.98 They reveal an assembly, who in faith looks upon Jesus as the author of salvation and a source of unity and peace. Like the community of faith formed at Mount Sinai by looking at the mystery, which Moses brought down from the mountain, a community is formed around Jesus. So, here the allusion would be that of the establishment of a community around the mystery of Jesus, which Moses prefigured at Mount Sinai. Since the community around the mystery at Mount Sinai prefigured the Church, we can also conclude that the community around the mystery of Jesus is the manifestation of the Church. According to Mar Jacob, the earthly Church, which continues the ministry of Jesus, is also the expression of the community of believers. The community of the faithful is drawn towards Christ through the act of baptism and so Mar Jacob ܳ ܽ ܰ ‫ܘܫܬܐ‬ designates the Church as the community of the baptized (‫ܕܥ ܺܡ ܳܝܕܐ‬ ‫)ܟܢ‬. And how then can he not be alienated from this party of the house of Jesus? you are the assembly of the baptized, whose husband and God is Jesus and how will he not become jealous, since you praise idols?99

2.3. The Daughter of the Nation and the Nations100 The chosen people of God, the Nation, which has been replaced by a new people, the Nations, is a predominant theme of anti-​Jewish polemics in Syriac writers. The concept of the Nation and the Nations for denoting the Church is an indication of the bitterness of the Syrian Church Fathers against the Jews. They use the parallelism between the Nation and the Nations, in order to demonstrate the rejection of the Son of God by the Jews and their rivalry against His deeds and its result of the election of the new community, which is mainly comprised of gentiles. Among the early Syrian writers, Aphrahat, Ephrem, and Isaac of Antioch ܳ ‫)ܨ ܽܠ‬ ܳ and used harsh terms against the Jews with their use of the words sōlubō (‫ܘܒܐ‬ ܳ ܳ zōqupō (‫ ​– )ܙ ܽܩܘܦܐ‬both mean ‘crucifier.’101 Mar Jacob also follows the tradition of

9 8 Cf. The Samaritan Woman, HS II, 310,4, MHMJS 44, 118,605. 99 C. Moss, Homily on the Spectacles of the Theatre, in: Mus 48 (1935), 109. 100 Mar Jacob also refers the Church as Church of Nation and Nations. However, he often uses the term ‘daughter’ whenever he mentions the Church in relation to the Jewish as well as to pagan community. 101 Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 41.

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these fathers, especially of Ephrem and Isaac of Antioch.102 Though the parallelism between the Nation and Nations indicates the election of the gentiles at the expense of the Jews, Mar Jacob uses these concepts to expound the development of the Church through the community gathered by God. Mar Jacob, in developing the theme of the election of gentiles in place of the former Israel, uses the technique of typological parallelism, where Old Testament figures are compared with the community, which came together through the synagogue and by the people of gentiles. The categorical example of such parallelism is in the interpretation of Mar Jacob on Lea and Rachel. These two women are described as the type of the two assemblies. A great mystery, ‘the mystery of the Churches ܳ ܽ ܳ ܳ 103 (‫ܕܟܢܘܫܬܐ‬ ‫ ’)ܐ̱ܪܙܐ‬shone in the two sisters. The nation and the nations were signified by Lea and Rachel; The Synagogue and the Church were heralded in the two sisters.104

The usage of particular word pattern in the writings of Mar Jacob to describe the particular community shows that the community refers to a religious gathering. The appellation that we see in the writings of Mar Jacob for the particular ܳ ܳ ܶ ܳ ܳ ̄ race, especially for Jews, is in feminine singular –​ ‫ܒܪܝܬܐ‬ ‫ ​– ܥ‬ebrōytō105 or ‫ܘܕܝܬܐ‬ ‫​– ܝܗ‬ 106 yudōytō. According to Bou Mansour, it is an indication of presenting a religious community.107 The people, who receive the name of the city of Zion108 or Jerusalem,109 where they gathered to pray, is also another rendering that the community is a religious community. The community of peoples, whom Mar

102 Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 41. The same words, which Ephrem uses to denote the Jews, occur also in the writings of Mar Jacob. We see the word solubo in For the Vigil of Holy Friday, HS II, Hom.Nr. 53(5), pp. 522–​554, here p. 543,1; For Holy Friday, HS II, Hom.Nr. 53(6), pp. 554–​580, here p. 567,1 and zōqupō in HS II 566,16; The Two Goats, the sacrifice of Azaza’el, HS III, Hom.Nr. 78, pp. 259–​283, here p. 278,17. 103 Bou Mansour, La Théologie de Jacques de Saroug, I, 180. 104 Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III Nr. 75, pp. 208–​223, here p. 219,8–​9, ET by HTM, in: TV 4,4 (1993), 54,70–​73. 105 Edessa and Jerusalem, HS V, Hom.Nr. 180, pp. 731–​747, here p. 734,7; 738,13. 106 HS V, 740,10. 107 Cf. Bou Mansour, La Théologie de Jacques de Saroug, I, 172. Bou Mansour has of the opinion that the feminine usage represents a religious community. He asserts it so because we see this feminine usage in the context of explaining the Jewish community. Moreover, the Syriac word for community is feminine. 108 Cf. The Samaritan Woman, HS II, 297,8; The Prophet Jonah and his preaching in Nineveh, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 122, pp. 349–​367, here p. 462,13. 109 Cf. Monday of Hosannas, HS V, Hom.Nr. 174, pp. 613–​631, here p. 617,1.

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Jacob narrates as the Church of nations, is also a gathering to praise the Lord. Mar Jacob in his homilies keeps a contrast between the Nation and Nations through the notions of daughter of Hebrews and daughter of Arameans. Mar Jacob describes that the daughter of Arameans exults the Lord and is glad with the Lord.110 They are the redeemed gathering of the Church of the peoples who shout joyfully to their Lord.111 The above-​mentioned allusions from the homily of Mar Jacob proves the fact that the terms ‘the Nation and the Nations’ refer to the community, that is gathered to praise the Lord. The theological stratum that Mar Jacob wants to propagate through the notions of the nation and the nations are multifarious. However, Mar Jacob presents his theological impressions regarding the Church within a scheme, where three main themes regarding the ‘nation’ and the ‘nations’ are mentioned. These themes are: (1) the election of the people of Israel, (2) the rejection of God’s plan by the people and (3) the formation of the new people, the Nations.

2.3.1. The Election of the People of Israel In the writings of Mar Jacob, the historical realization of the Church is depicted through the election of the people of Israel. God the Father saw the people in Egypt when the Egyptians mocked them and He let her depart from Egypt.112 As they reached at Mount Sinai, God the Father betrothed her.113 The betrothal of God the Father with the people is manifested through the image of Moses. ‘Moses betrothed her by the holy name so he preserved the trust of the house of God with her.’114 In Mount Sinai Moses witnessed ‘the elected Church, which was built forever.’115 The Church that he witnessed at Mount Sinai is only a ‘precedence of the Church’ that which is going to be built by him. The Church, which was witnessed and ‘fashioned by Moses’ in Mount Sinai is not complete in itself, but a movement in history. The evolving of the Church is progressed through the establishment of institutions such as covenant and circumcision, priesthood 110 Cf. Sunday of Hosannas, HS I, Hom.Nr. 18, pp. 445–​459, here p. 458,15–​18, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH X, 260,281–​284. 111 Cf. Ibid. 112 Cf. Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 6,20. Appendix I, 385,72. 113 Cf. Monday of Hosannas, HS V, 617,1. 114 HS I, 7,10–​11, Appendix I, 385,82–​83. 115 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 40,11–​12, Appendix II, 408,41–​42. The term ‘elected Church’ for the people of Israel indicates that they are the elected Nation for the fulfillment of the God’s plan of salvation.

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and the assembly or synagogue. At Mount Sinai God gave her commandments as precious stones.116 The circumcision introduced through Moses was to separate his own people as Hyis possession from the idolatrous world.117 The priesthood is established through the Levites, who ‘journey with her as fixed stars’118 in order to serve her. By forming the people through these institutions, God the Father ܳ ܽ ‘aspired the congregation (‫)ܟܢܘܫܬܐ‬ that is the daughter of the just people.’119 Thus the Church, which God envisages, first of all resembles a community. For Mar Jacob, the Church that God forms through the people of Israel is in a concealed form. As far as it is in the hidden form, the types told of her. The types are fully revealed at the arrival of the Son of God. Therefore, Mar Jacob insists on the idea that the Father summoned the synagogue for His Son. It is to the Son that the people of Israel are betrothed.120 Mar Jacob substantiates this through the Old Testament figures such as Moses and the Patriarch Jacob. Both these figures in all their ways depicted Christ, the bridegroom. The formation of the Church that God foresees is in the symbolism of the betrothal of these two figures. Moses betrothed the people of Israel ‘by putting in her hand a ring which he received from the bush.’121 On the other hand, the Patriarch Jacob forced to betroth two maidens, the synagogue and the Church respectively.122 This is an indication that the depiction of the Church by the community of Israel is not in its full-​fledged form and it is not confined to a particular community rather it has its own progression towards the fulfillment and that is accomplished by the arrival of the Son of God.

2.3.2. The Rejection of God’s Plan by the People of Israel Although it is the bridegroom, who took initiative to come to the People of Israel, they refused to welcome him. Mar Jacob narrates this initiative of the bridegroom and the rejection of the people from the very beginning of God’s intervention to the life of the people of Israel. At Mount Sinai, the people preferred the golden calf rather than God who descended upon the Mount and the words of

1 16 Cf. Monday of Hosannas, HS V, 624,6. 117 Cf. HCJ II,107–​206. 118 Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 10,8–​9, Appendix I, 387,140–​141. 119 HS I, 6,18, Appendix I, 385,70. 120 Cf. Monday of Hosannas, HS V, 624,9–​10. 121 HS I, 7,9, Appendix I, 385,80. 122 Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 219,6–​9, TV 4,4, 60,234–​236.

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Moses, who is the symbol of the bridegroom.123 The rejection of God’s initiative to save the people reaches its pinnacle when they rejected the Son of God. As the Son of God came to the world, the people rejected all the prophecies concerning him124 and refused to be taught and enlightened by them.125 Mar Jacob multiplies the reasons in his homilies, which caused hatred against the Son. They are (1) either the Son denounces the people126 (2) or because the Son did not come like a king127 (3) or because the People see that the Son accomplished the actions of the Father.128 The last reason seems to have been Mar Jacob’s favourite that by standing on this reason the People crucified the Son.129 The other significant reason for the people’s rejection of the bridegroom is their idolatry. The heart of the people ‘was captivated by her beloved calf and was held up by it.’130 Mar Jacob well depicts the hatred of the people of Israel symbolically through the imagery of the ‘unfaithful bride’ in his homilies.131 Mar Jacob in his festal homilies uses the Old Testament images of the idolatry and the adultery of Israel. The ‘Hebrew Nation’ became companion of idols and hated God.132 It is in this situation the Son of God came down to search them and to liberate them from idols. But they rejected the bridegroom because the people are very much bonded with the idols and they feared that their ‘misconduct would be unveiled by him.’133 The unfaithfulness of the chosen People hinders them to recognize the true light, which is brought by the Son of God and hence leading them to alienate from the vision of the economy of Christ.

123 In the homilies regarding the Church, the descent of God upon the Mount Sinai is the prefiguration of the Church. The union between the bride and the bridegroom is symbolized by the relationship of the people of Israel to Moses. In this realm, Moses is depicted as the bridegroom, who represents God who descended upon the Mount. Therefore, he prefigures the Son of God. 124 Cf. Monday of Hosannas, HS V, 625,7. 125 Cf. King Uzzia and the Prophet Isaiah, HS V, Hom.Nr. 163, pp. 393–​430, here p. 402,1. 126 Cf. Sunday of Hosannas, HS I, 450,1–​4, Kollamparampil, FH X, 252,101–​104. 127 Cf. HS V, 625, 3–​6. 128 Cf. For Monday of Holy Week, HS II, Hom.Nr. 53 (1), pp. 447–​470, here p. 454,15–​16. 129 Cf. HS V, 405,17. 130 HS I, 449,3, FH X 251,82. 131 Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 243. 132 Cf. The Transfiguration, HS II, 369,1–​5, Kollamparampil, FH VIII, 255, 455–​460. 133 The Sunday of Hosannas, SHF, Hom.Nr. 4, pp. 586–​609, here p. 596,25, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH XI 270,25.

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2.3.3. The Election of Gentiles in Place of Israel The election of the gentiles and the origin of the Church in the paganism is a recurring theme in the writings of Mar Jacob. According to Mar Jacob the gentiles, who flock around the Son of God, and their union with Him manifests the Church. There are so many allusions we can find from his writings regarding the union of the assembly of nations and Christ. Mar Jacob brings out this union through the type of betrothal. One of the most important references of such betrothal is in Mar Jacob’s narration of the story of Rachel. Rachel, the bride of the Patriarch Jacob, represents the assembly of nations.134 Patriarch Jacob, who resembles Christ, betrothed her at the well because he saw that ‘the assembly of nations sprinkled beauty upon this daughter of pagans.’135 Mar Jacob finds another type of the betrothal of Christ to the Nations in the story of Samson, who married a Philistine woman, daughter of an uncircumcised man.136 Samson resembled our Lord who came to betroth the Church of the Nations and met death as a mighty foe. He met with a whelp of lion (Judg 14:5–​6), in symbolic terms, with death, which he subjugated. So also, the Lord met death and subjugated it while betrothing, ‘the daughter of pagans.’137 Through the mediation of the history of Israel, Mar Jacob shows at his best as a theologian how and why the peoples replace the former nation. First and foremost, the reason for the election of the gentiles is the infidelity of the ‘former Nation.’ In contrast to the infidelity of the Nation, Mar Jacob sets the fidelity of the pagans in the Son. In front of the Son of God there are always two communities staying in contrast to one another. The attitude and the faith of the communities in the Son of God and their relationship with Him form them as a community, which the Son of God actually wants to build up. The Jewish community addresses Jesus with all the riches of their heritage, whereas the community of Nations comes to their Lord from deep obscurity of paganism. When the Jewish people denied Jesus, out of faith and love the people of Nations welcomes him. They believe without dispute that He is the Son of God and with gratitude, they experience the joy of being saved. According to Mar Jacob this is a clear indication how the Son of God draws near all creations to Him. When the peoples are drawn towards the saving mystery of the Son of God, it forms the community around the mystery and hence it becomes the true model of the Church.

1 34 Cf. Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 211,11–​14, TV 4,4, 54, 70–​73. 135 HS III, 211,12, TV 4,4, 54,71. 136 Cf. Samson, HS V, 331,15 –​332,13, TV 3,11, 51–​70. 137 Cf. HS V, 334,14, TV 3,11, 55,90.

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131

Through the narration of the stories of the Canaanite and the Samaritan women, Mar Jacob delineates the faith of the pagan community in Jesus. In the homily on the Canaanite woman we read: When He crossed the land of pagans with His disciples, His faith was proclaimed by the Canaanite woman. He crossed the boundary of Tyre and Sidon and He astounded them, And their Gods of nothingness began to tremble. By His shining forth He rent the darkness of impiety, and He began to spread His light throughout the world. The Leaven of life fell into the dough of the idolaters and restored it, and He began to draw all creation to His fragrance.138

By confirming the origin of the Church in paganism, Mar Jacob intends to bring out the progression of the Church in its fulfillment. According to Mar Jacob, God wills to build the Church, which includes the whole humanity. He presents the intention of the Father by calling the Church as ‘daughter of Adam,’139 who unites all the communities (humanity), going beyond the Jewish community.140 God the Father ‘letting him free from the worship of idols and bound him within the law.’141 There after God continues His mission and He entrusted the mission to the honorable people namely to Patriarch, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to the prophets and especially to Moses.142 The participation of these people with the plan of God makes the people free from idols and this in turn forms them as a liberated community. Mar Jacob explains it when he gives exegesis about the vineyard. There we read:

1 38 The Canaanite Woman, HS I, 426,6–​13, MHMJS 44, 12,35–​40. 139 Cf. Our Lord’s remaining on Earth for 30 Years before performing Miracles, HS III, Hom.Nr. 81, pp. 321–​334, p. 335,5. 140 According to Mar Jacob, the creation of Adam has a significant role in the salvation of humanity. God fashioned Adam out of dust and painted the divine image on him in order to provide a dignified status to humanity. He stands as a ‘rational icon’ or the ‘icon of God’ on earth, through whom God governs and the creatures in turn recognize the Creator. Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 280–​281. In the festal ܳ ‫ܺܪ‬ homilies of Mar Jacob Adam is named as the ‘head of the Generations/​Nations ‫ܝܫܐ‬ ܽ ܰ ‫ ܕܛ‬/​rišō d ṭuhāmō(. )‫ܘܗ ܳܡܐ‬ Cf. Nativity of Our Redeemer according to Flesh, SMS VI, 767,14, Kollamparampil, FH I, 86,997. 141 Monday of Hosannas, HS V 620,20, 621,1. 142 The Patriarchs and Moses are the types, who reveal the saving plan of God, which is fully manifested through Christ.

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I [God] saw that the house of adorations was bound to idols, I sent prophets and they bound her with the vine.143

As we come in the New Testament account of the work of Christ, we come to know that Jesus continues the ministry of the Father to liberate the creation from the idols. In contrast to God’s People, the daughter of Peoples realized that ‘he (Christ) liberated her from the stumbling blocks of vain idols’144 and they emerged as a liberated community. Since the community gathered around Christ depicts the Church, the community that is liberated from the clutches of idolatry represents the Church. The Church, hence, becomes the community of the liberated and the Son of God carries out this liberation. This clarifies that the first freedom of Adam by law is only the preparation and anticipation of the freedom of the Church, which is carried out by the Son of God145 in the course of his saving action.

2.3.3.1.  The Types of the Election of Gentiles Mar Jacob very well narrates theme of the election of gentiles and its meaning, when he describes the healing ministry of Christ. When Mar Jacob tells the story of the healed women, who were all pagans, he presents them as the type of the whole creation.146 The approaching of these women to Jesus is depicted as the impending of the whole creation near to Jesus in order to be redeemed. Their ailment is also depicted as the type of illness that the whole creation suffered because of the worship of idols. The Lord who healed her shows that the whole humanity/​creation is liberated from the illness of idolatry. In this woman who was bent down He depicted a type: that the Evil One had bent down all creation in the worship of idols. And our Lord came and straightened the bent Woman from her illness, and [straightened] creation from the worship of all images.147

Mar Jacob depicts the election of the gentiles for the salvific plan of God through the betrothal of Old Testament types. In the homily on the betrothal of Rebecca Mar Jacob depicts Abraham the figure of the Father as the one who betrothed his son to the ‘Church of Nations’ to enable her to inherit her treasures. Abraham sent

1 43 Monday of Hosannas, HS V, 621,13–​14. 144 Sunday of Hosannas, HS I, 458,15, Kollamparampil, FH X, 260,282. 145 Cf. HS V, 622,2–​3. 146 Cf. The Canaanite Woman, HS I, 427,9–​10, MHMJS 44, 12,57–​58. 147 The Woman Hunched Over, HS V, 509,20–​23, MHMJS 44, 136,63–​70.

The Concepts of the Church

133

out his servant Eliezer to arrange the betrothal of his son Isaac with Rebecca.148 Eliezer is the type of John the Baptist who prepared the betrothal of Christ and the Church at Jordan. Isaac by all his deeds depicted the Son, and Rebecca, who was a pagan woman, betrothed to Isaac at the well represented the Church at Jordan. This validates that God the Father wills the formation of the Church by the union of the daughter of Nations.149 The above typological references of Mar Jacob show that God wants to form a liberated community and this community acquires the liberation through their faith in the Son of God. The Son of God offers the liberation from idolatry that God wants to extend to the whole creation. The calling of the gentiles in place of the people of Israel clearly illustrates the intention of God to form a community, which has faith in the salvific acts of God. This community comprises the whole creation and the nation through which God served the purpose of fulfilling his plan for the salvation of the world.

2.4. The Community Prefigured on the Mountain In the homilies of Mar Jacob, the Church formed through the gathering of the people is well manifested in the mountain. In the homily on Ascension, he portraits the formation of the Church on the Mount Olives. The disciples were gathered to witness the ascension and Mar Jacob tells that this gathering unveils the Church. To the Mountain of Olives He gathered the Church for which he had died so that she might see Him there as He was taken up to his exalted place. The disciples, apostles, and friends and the sons of the mystery were gathered, so that He might show himself to them in public when He was ascending150

Here Mar Jacob presents the gathering on the Mount Olives as the representation of the Church. The assembly on Mount Olives, rather than a witness to ascension, emphasizes on the idea that the gathering itself is the Church, and the formation of the Church is an act of Christ and about which the Church herself has

148 Cf. Betrothal of Rebecca, UHJS I, Hom.Nr.60, pp. 477–​485, FT by F. Graffin, Recherches sur le thème l’Église-​Épouse dans les liturgies et la littérature de langue syriaque, in: OrSyr 3 (1958), 326. 149 In the homily on ‘the betrothal of Rebecca,’ the Church formed by the union by the betrothal is named as ‘daughter of Rebecca.’ It is an indication that the Church is formed by the Peoples/​Nations. 150 The Ascension of Our Lord to Heaven, SHF, Hom.Nr. 9, pp. 808–​832, here p. 816,17–​18; 817,11–​12, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH XVI, 338,169–​170; 339,183–​184.

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the knowledge. When the Church saw that her bridegroom ascended to heaven in glory she confesses that she always needs to be gathered in him. This confession of the Church about her existence as a gathering in Christ is highlighted in one of the verses of his homily: Let me go with you, Bridegroom, to your place because I love you. reckon me in your flock: I have gone astray, may I be gathered in you.151

The event of transfiguration upon the Mount Tabor is another instance of the revelation of the Church as a community. At Mount Tabor, we see a gathering of apostles, prophets, and the Son of God. The importance of this gathering according to Mar Jacob is that it is the place where Old and New came together. The presence of the Son of God reveals the prophecies spoken through the mysteries in the Old Testament. So Mar Jacob writes: On the exalted Mountain the New [things] with the Old [things] are joined. and they heard the Father giving testimony about His beloved One. The Gospel is treated as equal with the law, and it is joined to it. because between both of them stands Our Lord as the Heir of all. The New [covenant] is united with the Old and they are made One, by the unique Mediator for whom they and in whom both of them exist.152

The disciples experienced upon the mountain the oneness of the Father and the Son and the prophets. The apostles are united in this oneness. The Father made for them a cloud and in this cloud, all are united as one. Mar Jacob perceives the unity of the Father and the Son in the cloud and the union of the gathered with the Father and the Son as the manifestation of the Church. The disciples saw that all that Father has, the Son too has: power and glory and the great light, as His Father. One [tabernacle] alone was made for the One, who is the Only-​Begotten and He [the Father] brought the [other] two to nothing, and [so] Simon knew that the Son is the only One. The Father taught him through the single tabernacle of light that He made, that one is the Church, and one is the cross that is ministered in it.153

The above allusions demonstrate the concept of Mar Jacob on the Church. Mar Jacob handed over to us an impression that the Church is a community united

151 The Ascension of Our Lord to Heaven, SHF IX, 823,2–​3, FH XVI, 344,301–​302. A similar confession of the Church is found in HCJ VI, 179,313–​344. 152 The Transfiguration, HS II, 372,15–​20, Kollamparampil, FH VIII, 228, 535–​540. 153 HS II, 374,5–​6; 9–​12, FH VIII, 229, 565–​566; 569–​572.

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or gathered in the Son through the Father. The characteristic feature of this community is that the Father perfects the community by being united with the gathered community in the presence of Son of God. This act confirms the existence of the reality of the Church with the presence of God, which is ensured by the presence of the Son of God. It is the Church ‘whom the symbols betrothed affectionately to the One (Son).’154

ܳ 3. The Church as Mystery )‫ ܐ̱ܪ ܳܙܐ‬/​Rōzō( ܳ The Persian loan word155 ‫ ܐ̱ܪ ܳܙܐ‬is an important term in the writings of the early Syriac writers. This term has variety of meanings. It can mean ‘a secret, anything having a mystical meaning, something hidden, a type symbol or likeness.’156 When it is used in the plural the term is a standard one for the Eucharistic Mysteries, but in the biblical context the word has to be often most helpfully translated by symbol, that is a pointer to a greater reality.157 That means, the term rōzō as symbol participates in some sense with the reality and at the same time it reveals the hidden power or meaning to which it links with. In the homilies of Mar Jacob, he also uses the term rōzō in the similar way that of a symbol,158 which reveals the hidden realities. The reason for his inclination to the term rōzō/​mystery or symbol is that his theological frames are contingent on the divine revelation. In Mar Jacob’s understanding of the notion of revelation, the fact of transcendence and imminence of God is the basic factor. This vision affirms the inhabitation of the divinity in humanity that is created in the image and likeness of God. But on account of God’s transcendence, He is described as hidden. This hiddenness of God is primarily due to the inability of the finite human faculties to approach and understand the divinity.159 The role of symbols comes into play in this realm. Symbols guide the humans into a participatory knowledge of the divine and through it to a higher level of knowledge. According to Mar Jacob, God, who knows the inability of finite beings, reveals himself out of his divine mercy and loving kindness. Because He is a hidden one, 1 54 The Transfiguration, HS II, 374,16, FH VIII, 230,576. 155 Cf. R.E. Brown, The Semitic Background of the Term Mystery in the New Testament, Philadelphia, 1968, 6. 156 Payne Smith, A Compendious Syriac Dictionary, 28. 157 Cf. Brock, Treasure-​House of Mysteries, 18. 158 In the writings of Mar Jacob, we come across different words denoting a symbol. Apart ܳ ܽ ܽ ܳ ‫)ܛ‬, from the word rozo he also employs the words such as ṭupsō (‫ܘܦܣܐܐ‬ dmutō (‫)ܕܡܘܬܐ‬, ܶ ܳ rēmzō (‫ )ܪܡܙܐ‬to denote a symbol, image, or likeness. 159 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 286,6–​7, Sob, 3,1, 73,53–​54.

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He reveals himself through symbolic terms. Mar Jacob enumerates this in his homily on ‘the Veil on Moses’ Face.’ There we read: The Father kept the Son in concealment, without anyone knowing, And he wanted to reveal this matter to the world in symbolic terms. Thus he cries out in the prophet, ‘I have a secret, I have a secret’, So that the world might be aware that the prophesy contained secrets hidden in symbolic language.160

Thus, in the writings of Mar Jacob the term rōzō/​mystery stands as a reality that functions horizontally with the historical time where the revelations of God took place and it gives humans the fullness of knowledge of the divine. An example of Mar Jacob’s use of the symbol/​mystery is the above-​mentioned citation from his homily on ‘the veil on Moses’ face.’ In this homily he portraits Moses as a visible representation of the prophesies that has to be fulfilled. Here Moses becomes the symbol or mystery in the sense that he is a visible manifestation of the meaning that has yet to be fulfilled.161 Moses becomes a symbol in the way that he reveals something of what is otherwise hidden. When Mar Jacob presents the Church as a mystery, his intention was to delineate the Church as a reality, which has a hidden meaning in it. He features it clearly in his homilies. In one of his homilies he expounds: He saw in her a place, which is splendid and glorious and cannot be expounded, and its inside is hidden and proper and cannot be investigated.162

Another reference of Mar Jacob, regarding the hidden mysteries of the Church, is in his homily on ‘Abraham and his types.’ This homily presents the hidden mysteries of the salvation of God through the type of Abraham and his son Isaac. Abraham, for Mar Jacob, indeed a person who sees the day of Jesus because he was led by the mysteries that shall be fulfilled through Jesus.163 The sacrifice upon the mountain and the altar that he built upon the mountain is referred as the prefiguration of the mysteries. We find certain references regarding the Church at this stage. Though the reference has only an implicit relation to the Church, the allusions of Mar Jacob could also be considered as a proof for his intention of presenting the Church as a reality with a hidden meaning. When Mar Jacob 1 60 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 284,19–​20; 285,7–​8, Sob 3,1, 72,25–​26; 33–​34. 161 Cf. HS III, 286,1–​10, Sob, 3,1, 72,49–​60. 162 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 43,6–​7, Appendix II, 411,101–​102. 163 Cf. R. McCarron, An Ephiphany of Mystical Symbols: Jacob of Sarug’s Memra 109 on Abraham and His Types, in: Hugoye, vol 1,1 (1998), 73.

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depicts the sacrifice, he tells his audience that it is the mystery that has shown the way to Abraham how to perform the sacrifice. When the priest and the offering [victim] arrived at the top of the mountain, the tabernacle of mysteries had shown that how it is performed.164

When Mar Jacob speaks of the altar that Abraham built upon the mountain to sacrifice his only son Isaac, he depicted the work of Abraham as the fashioning of the house of mysteries, because in this house the mysteries are performed. The master builder of faith came and he fashioned the house, So that the house shall built there for mysteries, which have to be performed.165

These two references are linked with each other through the term rōzō. Abraham, who is guided by the tabernacle of mysteries fashioned a house for the mysteries ܳ ܰ (‫)ܒܝܬܐ ̱ܐܠ ܳܪܳ ܶܙܐ‬, which guided him. Because Abraham is depicted by Mar Jacob as the type, who is guided by the mysteries of salvation, the description of Mar Jacob about the house, which is built by Abraham for the mysteries that accompanied him, is a prefiguration of the Church, which is also a house that possesses mysteries. By emphasizing the hidden meaning of the Church Mar Jacob asserts that the Church as a whole is mysterious. In his enumeration, he emphasizes that what is visible in the Church as well as what is invisible in her constitutes the one whole that is the Church and that consequently is a mystery. What is visible in her represents ‘the hidden’ and ‘becoming.’ That means the hidden meaning of the Church is achieved through what is visible in her and this visible meaning is not an end in itself rather it denotes the movement of meaning towards its fullness. Seen from this perspective, the Church is not only manifesting the hidden meaning, but also it has a hiddenness, which points to something that one day be revealed. Therefore, Mar Jacob perceives the Church as mystery from the point of view of the meaning that it brings forth to the world and the hiddenness that it keeps in itself. Mar Jacob by using various terms and figures explains that the Church is the possessor of mysteries.

3.1. The Church as Mistress of Mysteries )‫ ܳܡ ܰܪܬ ܐ̱ ܳ̈ܪܳ ܶܙܐ‬/​Mōrāt Rōzē( Mar Jacob uses the term ‘mistress’ in different perspectives in his homilies. In his homily on the ‘kingdom of heaven is like leaven,’ he employs the term to refer the

1 64 Abraham and His Types, HS IV, 89,20–​21, My own translation. 165 HS IV, 90,7–​8, My own translation.

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Godhead.166 In the homily on ‘the consecration of the Church,’ he uses the term to denote the Church. When the Godhead is named as the ‘mistress of the house,’ Mar Jacob intends to present the Godhead as the possessor of the house, whom the woman took, when she makes the leaven. The leaven is our Lord, the Word, the Son of God, And she that took it, the Godhead, the mistress of the house.167

Whereas when the Church is called a mistress in the homily on ‘the consecration of the Church,’ she is the possessor of mysteries. He uses it when he describes the sanctuary. By the tabernacle, he depicted the dwelling place of the Crowned, and by the holy of holies the splendid sanctuary of the Mistress of the Mysteries.168

Another instance where Mar Jacob uses the term ‘mistress’ is in his homily on ‘Tamar,’ where Mar Jacob depicts her as the symbol of the Church. In this homily, the divine plan, which is the ‘mistress of mysteries,’ incite the women, who were depicted as the symbols of the Church, to run after the Son of God. Here Mar Jacob shows that the divine plan has certain hidden meaning in possession. When and how have women so run after men As these women who contented over the Medicine of Life? The divine plan, the mistress of mysteries, incited these women With love of the Only-​Begotten before He had ever come.169

In all these instances the intention of Mar Jacob is to delineate a personified subject, who is the possessor of certain properties. The above references of the term ‘mistress’ and its variety of usages in the homily of Mar Jacob with the intention of showing the possession of certain properties by a subject confirms that the usage of the term ‘mistress of mysteries’ for the Church is to describe that the Church possesses certain mysteries. The narration of the Church as ‘mistress of mysteries’ sheds light to the role of the Church in revealing the hidden meaning regarding the divine plan of God’s salvation. The divine revelation that is manifested through the Son of God employs an important function in the homilies of Mar Jacob. Mar Jacob tries to 1 66 Cf. The Kingdom of Heaven is like Leaven, HS III, 415,15, TV 3, 49,80. 167 Ibid. 168 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 44,21–​22, Appendix II, 412,137–​138. 169 S.P. Brock (ed.), Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug (HJS), Tamar, HJS VI, Hom.Nr. 12, pp. 255–​269, here p. 258, 97–​99, ET by S.P. Brock, in: Mus 115 (2002), 295,97–​99.

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set the whole of the biblical history under the divine salvific will that acts out with the incarnate Son as its focus. The words and deeds as well as the types and symbols of the Old Testament are inherently affiliated to the salvific deeds of the Son.170 It is the same light of Christ that leads all through the Church. From the very beginning of the manifestation of the Church at Mount Sinai, God reveals the intrinsic relation between the Church and the Son and Mar Jacob in his homilies attested it. He depicts Moses as the symbol of Christ and he stands in front of the people of Israel as the bridegroom. For Mar Jacob, the type of Moses reveals the relationship of the Church with Christ and in turn, the reality of the Church manifests the Son in the world. Moses was like our Lord in what he did, for he is His likeness, shadow, and image of His body. In that structure which that Levite saw on the mountain, he depicted the Church of Christ.171

The above citations of Mar Jacob affirm that the Church holds the mystery within herself and manifested through different types and symbols. Mar Jacob presents different Old Testament types in his homilies in order to unfold the mysteries of the Church, which reveals the divine plan of salvation.

ܳ ܺ ܳܳ 3.2. Rachel: The Mystery of the Church )‫ܕܥ ̱ܕܬܐ‬ ‫ ܐ̱ܪܙܐ‬/​Rōzō d ‘Itō( The most common and widely discussed type, which Mar Jacob used to represent the mystery of the Church, is the Old Testament figure Rachel. In the homilies of Mar Jacob, especially in the homily on ‘Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel,’ Mar Jacob directly typifies Rachel as the type who manifests the mystery of the Church. ‘The mystery of the Church lay on her face like a jewel.’172 The basic reason for this representation is the betrothal of Jacob with Rachel. In the betrothal of Rachel and the Patriarch Jacob Mar Jacob envisages various revealed mysteries, whereby Rachel becomes the real mystery of the Church. The Patriarch Jacob, according to Mar Jacob, carries the mystery of the Son, the bridegroom. Since he represents all the mysteries revealed through the Son of God, his journey in poverty to the house of Laban is depicted by Mar Jacob as the prefiguration of the Son of God, who came to the people, who are downtrodden

1 70 Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 304–​305. 171 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 44,6–9, Appendix II, 412,123–​126. 172 Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 211,11, TV 4,4, 54,69.

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among the idols.173 At the house of Laban, Jacob saw Rachel as the one ‘who was brought up among the idols,’ and he toiled hard to get betrothed with her. When Jacob saw her, ‘he was stirred up by her beauty.’174 ‘Her grace, love and her beauty’ impressed him.175 Mar Jacob views that the beauty of Rachel symbolizes the assembly of the nations. ‘The assembly of nations sprinkled beauty upon this daughter of pagans.’176 Therefore, when Jacob sees Rachel, he was inspired by the faith and allegiance of the community of the nations in Rachel and hence the betrothal of Patriarch Jacob and Rachel symbolized the betrothal of Son of God with the people of Nations. Thus, the prime mystery that Rachel carries in herself is the mystery of the community who flocked around the Son of God out of their faith in Him. Secondly, Rachel characterizes a very sublime relationship with the Church and the Son of God. Jacob desired Rachel not with lust177. He betrothed Rachel with tears. According to Mar Jacob, the tear of the Patriarch Jacob symbolizes the sufferings of the Son’s mysteries. ‘The sufferings of the Son’s mysteries were fallen upon him’178 when he kissed Rachel. For Mar Jacob, this denotes the betrothal of the Church by Christ through the sufferings of the Son. As Rachel was sanctified on account of Jacob, so the Church also was sanctified by the splendor of Christ, the Lord of Jacob.179 As Jacob withstood all hardships on account of his love for Rachel so Christ too suffered everything because of his love for the Church. Mar Jacob portraits the love of Jacob for Rachel at the well as the manifestation of the great mystery of the redeeming function of the Church through Christ. The meeting place of Jacob and Rachel was in the vicinity of the well, which was closed by a stone. Jacob met Rachel when she came there to give water to her sheep. However, she could not get water because a stone shuts the well. Mar Jacob depicts the huge stone, by which the well remained shut up hindering the grazing of the sheep, was the sin of the world.180 Since the Patriarch Jacob carried the mystery of the Son, he alone removed the huge stone, which normally many shepherds together could not have removed. For Mar Jacob, it

1 73 Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 214,13–​17, TV 4,4, 56,135–​139. 174 HS III, 211,6, TV 4,4, 54,65. 175 Ibid. 176 HS III, 211,12, TV 4,4, 54,71. 177 Cf. HS III, 212,3, TV 4,4, 54,82. 178 HS III, 212,4, TV 4,4, 55,84. 179 Cf. HS III, 209,13–​14, TV 4,4, 52,29–​30. 180 Cf. HS III, 213,3–​4, TV 4,4, 55,104–​105.

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is the shadow of the great shepherd that rested on him.181 The Patriarch Jacob ensures the drinking water for the sheep because of his love for Rachel. The well, which was opened by the Patriarch Jacob, was full of life-​giving mysteries rather than water.182 Jacob opened up the mysteries on account of Rachel and the sheep became nourished by the water. For Mar Jacob, it is a prefiguration of the salvific act that will be fulfilled through the Son. Like the sheep receive the nourishment because of Rachel, the faithful receive the mystery of salvation because of the Church. She became the source of the reason for opening up the mysteries and as a result, Mar Jacob presents her as the mystery of the Church. The above descriptions of Rachel make clear that, though she is referred as the mystery of the Church, she manifests a bundle of mysteries, which reside in the Church. The love of Patriarch Jacob for Rachel and her allegiance to Jacob, who represents the mystery of the Son, makes her as the mystery of the Church, which is united to Christ. As the sheep are nourished on account of her, the Church redeems people by distributing mysteries or introduces people to the mysteries, which are opened up by the Son of God.

3.3. The Mystery of the Church in Tamar Mar Jacob described the mystery of the Church through his exposition of the story of Tamar, an Old Testament figure in Genesis 38. Tamar is presented in the homily of Mar Jacob as the one having faith in the coming of Messiah,183 who is expected to come from the house of Abraham.184 She entered the house of Judah and became the daughter-​in-​law ‘while faith in the house of Abraham was burning in her.’185 Even she was rejected from the family in the course of her life, ‘she set her gaze on a child from the family of Judah, because she felt

1 81 Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 213,21, TV 4,4, 56,121. 182 HS III, 210,14, TV 4,4, 53,51. 183 Cf. Tamar, HJS VI, 261,20–​23, Mus 115, 297,181–​184. 184 Cf. HJS VI, 258,28 –​259,21, Mus115, 295,97–​120. According to Mar Jacob, women in Israel were expecting to get a child from the family of Abraham. This is because of the revelation of God the Father that the people would be blessed in his elect seed and also because of the prophecy that the Son of God was expected from this clan. Mar Jacob described in the homily that the marriage of Rachel and Lea with the Patriarch Jacob is on account of this expectation. Mar Jacob also linked the story of Ruth and her marriage to the yearning of the Israelite’s women for the blessed seed. Ruth’s interest in an old man Boaz, who belongs to the clan of Judah, inspired her to desire for Christ. 185 HJS VI, 261,20, Mus 115, 297,181.

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under compulsion to wait for a Savior to shine forth from her.’186 It was this faith, which made her attempt to deceive Judah, her father-​in-​law, and steal the blessed seed that was hidden in Judah.187 For Mar Jacob, Tamar’s faith and her ardent passion in searching the Saviour make her the symbol of the Church. She became the symbol of the Church because of her seeking of the redemption, which is manifested through Christ. She paves the way for the Church to search her bridegroom even at the crossroads. The verses, where Mar Jacob compares Tamar and the Church, expound the manifestation of the mystery of the Church through Tamar. Whom did she resemble as she was travelling by the crossroads what image did she portray there, sage woman that she was? For it was for the Saviour that both the Church and Tamar were yearning, to seek for the Saviour of the ages by the crossroads.188

According to Mar Jacob, Tamar is the symbol of the Church because of the fact that as mirror she shows the world the ways of deliverance.189 She displays the world how the deliverance is achieved. She sought deliverance from her state of widowhood through her incessant seeking for the seed. She also stands as an image in front of the world as the one who delivered from great punishment. She achieved this freedom from punishment through the three pledges, which she got from Judah, her father-​in-​law. She preserved these pledges with her as witness of her relationship with Judah, which in turn saved her life from the punishment of death. The three pledges, the ring, staff, and scarf,190 though they are the material witnesses, Mar Jacob sees these pledges with symbolic meaning when he represents Tamar as the symbol of the Church. For him, the three pledges stand for faith, baptism, and the cross of light, which the Church preserve by herself to get saved. Mar Jacob arrives at this conclusion by linking the acts of Judah with the Son of God and Tamar with the Church. The visiting of Judah to Tamar is portrayed as the visit of the Son of God to humankind and when He came the Church fell in love with Him and she wanted to be His own. Faith, Baptism and the Cross of Light, the three witnesses which will deliver her from Gehenna. The upright Judah, when he went to see his sheep

1 86 187 188 189 190

Tamar, HJS VI, 262,4–​7, Mus 115, 297,195–​198. Cf. HJS VI, 265,16–​18, Mus 115,298–​300. HJS VI, 267,29 –​268,1, Mus 115, 301,371–​374. Cf. HJS VI, 265, 19–​20, Mus 115, 302,417. Cf. HJS VI, 264,22–​23, Mus 115, 299,273–​274.

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found Tamar by the wayside and he turned aside to her, and the Son of God, in order to visit the sheep –​humankind –​ came down from His home, and the Church fell in love with Him, wanting to be His.191

The concept of the Church, which is here narrated by Mar Jacob, stands as an existing reality in the world by preserving pledges which she received from the Saviour with the hope that by them she will overcome the ‘flames of the great judgment.’192 This description of the Church as a reality, which preserves certain pledges for its final judgment, indicates that Mar Jacob wants to present the concept of the Church for his readers as a reality waiting for its fulfillment. These overtones establish Mar Jacob’s eschatological positions. The Church is regarded here not as a perfect community (societas perfecta) but as an entity that figures in the salvation history and as a reality that is waiting for the final judgment at the end time. The Church keeps with her the pledges of the Son with the hope that she will be saved at the Day of Judgment, which is regarded as the end of time. So, Mar Jacob expounds: Faith, Baptism, and the cross of light, The three witnesses which will deliver her from Gehenna.193

Thus, in the type of Tamar Mar Jacob describes the Church as an entity that ardently awaits Christ and received from Him the pledges of faith, baptism and the cross of light and preserved these pledges in order to get saved at eschaton.

II. The Symbols that Reveal the Church Mar Jacob looks at the Church as the possessor of mysteries from the point of view of its relationship with the divine revelation. He substantiates the hidden meaning, which the Church keeps with her, through symbols and types. But since Mar Jacob uses the terms ‘symbol,’ ‘type,’ and ‘mystery’ synonymously, it is rather difficult for a reader to sort out these terms separately and make an investigation of these terms individually. Therefore, we consider the term symbol/​ type/​mystery as one word, which signifies the hidden meaning attached to the Church. In the writings of Mar Jacob, we come across many types which reveal the hidden meaning of the Church.

1 91 Tamar, HJS VI, 268,6–​11, Mus 115, 301,379 –​381,384. 192 HJS VI, 268,15, Mus 115, 302,388. 193 HJS VI, 268,7–​8, Mus 115, 302,380–​381.

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1. The Church as Bride The imagery of the bride is a frequently used symbol of Mar Jacob to represent the Church. In the writings of Mar Jacob, the personification of the Church as the bride of Christ has its foreshadowing in God’s marriage with the former Synagogue and this relationship came to its fullness in Christ. Mar Jacob employed this imagery to demonstrate the divine-​human relation that is envisaged in the economy of salvation. ܳ ܳ ܺ Mar Jacob used two particular words, such as ‫ ܰܟܠܬܐ‬and ‫ܡܟܝܪܬܐ‬ (kāltō and mākirtō) to delineate the Church as bride in his writings. The most frequently used term for the bride in his writings is kāltō. The term is often used to express the bridal relationship with Christ and the Church, though the word is also used to denote the synagogue and the Jewish community.194 The expression mākirtō refers also to the bride and it is used in relation to betrothal. The word comes from the root ܰ which means ‘to betroth.’ According to Payne Smith’s compendious Syriac ‫ܡܟܪ‬, dictionary, the meaning of the word comes from the root meaning of mkār ‘to barter.’ So, when the term is used to denote a betrothal, it relates to a relationship that comes into being through the exchange of certain things. According to H. Engberding, this word is closely associated to the marriage customs of the Orient. In the Orient, when a marriage takes place, the father of the bridegroom gives the bride a certain amount of money. Therefore, in the marriage, the family of the bridegroom takes the bride by giving her money and it is expressed through the word mkār. Engberding points out that this original expression of the Orient for marriage –​‘to take a bride’ –​is preserved in the writings of the early Syrian Church Fathers.195 They use the concept of ‘taking a bride’ for the relationship between Christ and the Church. However, the exchange of goods for taking a bride is not money in their writings. When Mar Jacob uses this word to represent the bride, he presents the bride as the one, which Christ has bought with a bride

194 There are many instances in the writings of Mar Jacob where Israel is depicted as the bride. Israel is the community, which is betrothed to God, and this betrothal took place at the time of the Covenant, the lawgiving, on Mount Sinai. Cf. Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 13,13; 14,13, Appendix I, 389,207; 390,228, The Sunday of Hosannas, SHF IV, 596,25, Kollamparampil, FH XI, 270,25. 195 Cf. Engberding, Die Kirche als Braut in der ostsyrischen Liturgie, 12. The very first act of the marriage in the old oriental and biblical tradition is the betrothal. At the time of the betrothal, the bridegroom gives the bride the bride price in order to confirm the contract of marriage between them. Cf. J. Michl, Verlobung, LThK 10 (1965), 715.

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price, which is his own blood.196 S. Brock has the opinion that the symbolism of giving blood as the bride price through the death of the bridegroom originates from the Mediterranean tradition where the marriage is considered as death. The lament of Jephtha’s daughter in the first century writings of pseudo-​Philo, where the author narrates biblical episodes from Adam to Saul with his own additional episodes, expounds the death as a different kind of marriage, because all the sensual delight of the bride die with her marriage.197 According to Sebastian Brock, the Syriac writers drew upon this very ancient Mediterranean tradition when they explained the nuptial imagery, which is intermixed with the specter of death.198 Along with the theme of bride price, the Syrian Church Fathers drew very much from the biblical tradition where marriage is portrayed according to the Jewish tradition. Unlike Western marriage practices, the Jewish marriage has a greater degree of formalism involving numerous steps. Its first step is betrothal, which involved the prospective groom’s traveling from his father’s house to the home of the prospective bride, paying the purchase price, and thus establishing the marriage covenant. In the second phase, the groom returns to his father’s house, which meant remaining separate from his bride for 12 months, during which he prepares the living accommodations for his wife in his father’s house. At the third step, the groom comes for his bride at a time not known exactly to her. The fourth step involves his return with her to the groom’s father’s house to consummate the marriage and to celebrate the wedding feast for the next seven days and during this period the bride remained closeted in her bridal chamber.199 In the writings of the Syrian Church Fathers, especially in the writings of Mar Ephrem,200 we can identify all these aspects of the Jewish marriage customs. Therefore, the symbolism of the bride in the writings of the Syrian Church fathers emerges by translating the meaning of the marriage system that existed in their cultural background. Mar Jacob used this imagery brilliantly in his homilies to express the relationship between Christ and the Church by employing

196 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 290,15, Sob 3,1, 75,144. ‘Who, from the world’s beginning, ever gave his blood as the bride price?’ 197 M. Alexiou and P. Dronke, The Lament of Jephtha’s daughter: themes, traditions, originality, in: Studi medievali 12 (1971), 824. 198 S.A. Harvey, Bride of Blood, Bride of Light: Biblical Women as Images of the Church in Jacob of Sarug, in: Malphono w Rabo d-​Malphone: Studies in Honor of Sebastian P. Brock, G. Kiraz (ed.), Piscataway, 2008, 178. 199 H. Lamberty-​Zielinski, Hochzeit; Biblisch-​theologisch, in: LThK 5 (1965), 192–​193. 200 Cf. Brock, The Wedding feast of Blood on Golgotha, an Unusual aspect of John 19:34 in Syriac Tradition, 121–​134.

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the customs and the images of the marriage system of the Jewish culture such as betrothal, wedding feast, and the bridal chamber.

1.1. The Bride in the Bible The imagery of a bride to represent the Church is part of the scriptural tradition. The representation of Israel as the bride in the book of Isaiah 54 and in Jeremiah 3 and the images of the bridegroom in the Song of Songs and in Psalm 45 affirm the rich sources of representing the Church within the nuptial imagery. In the New Testament, both St John and St Paul expressed this relationship more legibly. In the gospels, we see direct allusions of the bridegroom. In the gospel of Matthew (Mat 25:1–​13), the image of the bridegroom surfaces in the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins who await the bridegroom. In the gospel of John (Jn 3:29–​30), John the Baptist identifies Jesus as the bridegroom and himself as the bridegroom’s friend, who must ‘decrease’ while the bridegroom ‘increases.’ However, the first depiction of the Messiah as bridegroom is found in St Paul’s words to the Corinthians: ‘I betrothed you with Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband’ (2 Cor. 11:2). In his letter to the Ephesians, we see that the image of bride is domesticated through the model of Christ and the bridegroom’s marriage to his bride, the Church.201 The early interpreters of the Bible, especially the interpreters of the Song of Songs, depict this relationship between the bridegroom and the bride more vividly. They turned the hero of the text into the bridegroom, Christ, and represented him as married to the Church.202 They interpreted the visions and dialogues in the Canticles to relate how the Church, as Christ’s body, is loved by him and loves her ‘Head,’ who is the exalted Christ.203 These interpretations influenced the patristic thoughts in later periods. According to Robert Murray, the theme of spiritual marriage between the consecrated virgins with Christ the heavenly bridegroom, in expectation of the common union with him in the heavenly chamber, dominates in all the early literature from Odes of Solomon to the fifth century.204 Among the fourth and fifth century Syrian Church Fathers Aphrahat and Ephrem have brought out the image of bride in relation to the Church.205 In the writings of Ephrem, the marriage of

201 Cf. E. Clark, The Celibate Bridegroom and His Virginal brides: Metaphor and the Marriage of Jesus in Early Christian Ascetic Exegesis, in: Church History 77,1 (2008), 10. 202 Cf. E. Clark, The Celibate Bridegroom and His Virginal bride, 11. 203 Cf. Elliott, The Songs of Songs and Christology in the Early Church, 51. 204 Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 157. 205 Ibid.

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Christ and his Church is a more frequent theme. He figures the Church as the ‘Bride adorned,’ who is adorned with the beauty of all nations.206 The homilies of Mar Jacob expound the image of bride with direct references from the Bible, upon which the early interpreters of the Bible relied on to depict the bridal image of the Church. In one of the homilies of Mar Jacob, we see that he uses exactly the same words of the book of Song of Songs to represent the Church. In the homily on ‘the Church and the Synagogue’ the Church herself acclaims by proclaiming the words of Song of Songs 1:5 ‘I am black but beautiful.’207 In another homily of Mar Jacob on ‘the veil on Moses’ face,’ we see that he uses the same words of St Paul’s letter to Ephesians 5:31–​32, when he explains the mystery of the union between the Church and Christ. There we read: The apostle trembled and cried out ‘how great is the mystery’ And began to show what the covered picture was: ‘In those called “man and wife” in the prophetic writings I recognize Christ and his Church, the true being one.’208

In the poetry of Ephrem, the imagery of the bride of Christ features in two different contexts: first at the baptism of Christ, where John the Baptist reveals the bridegroom to the bride, and secondly at the entry into Jerusalem, where the bridegroom’s intended bride (Israel) as rejecting her betrothed, and being replaced by the new bride –​the Church of the Gentiles.209 However, Mar Jacob was not content to confine the scene of the change of brides only to these two scenes. He also describes the bride as the one who takes her very origin from the side of Christ at the time of crucifixion and as the one who receives the bridegroom’s gift in the form of his blood. This enumeration of the bride through the different occasions of Christ’s life reveals to us that the writings of the Syrian fathers introduce us this imagery in two different forms such as the bride, who is already in existence and the bride who takes her very origin from the side of Christ. Sebastian Brock has the opinion that the existence of these two forms

206 Cf. Murray, 139. I am not mentioning at length what Ephrem speaks about the imagery of bride. My intention is only to mention his direct description of the Church as bride, in tune with the interpreters of the Bible. 207 Tamar, HCJ VI, 179,313–​314. ‘I am black but beautiful O daughter of Hebrews, do not make fun of me, darkness that light married.’ 208 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 289,8–​11, Sob 3,1, 75,117–​120. 209 Cf. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 115–​127.

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‘gives us a clue concerning the source of this particular imagery, which has been attached secondarily to the already rich typological associations of Jn 19:34.’210 These expressions prove that the image of the bride is the one, which is already either developed or explicitly present in the Bible and further developed in the writings of the fathers of the Church, and well attested in the writings of the Syrian Church Fathers.

1.2. The Betrothal of the Heavenly Bridegroom and the Earthly Bride The nuptial imagery is more explicitly brought to our notice in the writings of Mar Jacob through the image of betrothal. Mar Jacob did not consider the nuptial imagery as a traditional title to refer to the anthropological reality of union between man and woman. Rather than an anthropological reality, he uses the nuptial imagery to elaborate the historical realization of the economy of salvation that takes place through the divine-​human relationship. The betrothal of the bride takes place at all levels of the divine-​human encounter in the salvation history. So, in the writings of Mar Jacob marriage is a pedagogical device211 to show that how the divine-​human relationship come into its fullness through the relationship between Christ and the Church. In this pedagogy, the imagery of betrothal delineates the descent of the heavenly bridegroom and reveals the divine, who is tangible to humanity through the redeeming death of the incarnate son. The betrothal of the heavenly bridegroom with the earthly bride came into reality through various stage points of the incarnate son. Hence in the writings of Mar Jacob, we can see a progressive picture of the image of the betrothal of Christ and the Church. The mystery of the union between the bridegroom and the bride has been progressively set out and revealed through images and types of the Old Testament. It began in Gen 2:24, describing the union of man and his wife as a type of the future reality.212 Then it developed through Old Testament types before Moses and in Egypt at the time of Moses, at Sinai, at Jordan, at Tabor and at Golgotha. Corresponding to this progression of the knowledge of the betrothal there is a progressive recognition of the bridegroom from the part

210 Brock, ‘The Wedding Feast of Golgotha’ an unusual aspect of John 19:34 in Syriac tradition, 123. 211 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 287,17–​18, Sob 3,1, 74,85–​86. ‘The hidden Father betrothed the bride to his only-​begotten, having instructed her through prophesy in a symbolic way.’ (Ibid.). 212 Cf. HS III, 289,1, Sob 3,1, 75,110. ‘And he announced them as ‘man and his wife’ imply as a device.’ (Ibid.).

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of the bride as well. This recognition of the bride of her bridegroom is considered in the writings of Mar Jacob as the revealing point of the mystery of the union between them and the manifestation of the Church.

1.2.1. Betrothal at Mount Sinai The betrothal at Mount Sinai envisages the union between God and His people through the covenant. However, this betrothal has a prototype, which was made fulfilled through Moses, in Egypt. Moses was sent to the people of Israel in Egypt as bridegroom213 and he went there and he betrothed the people and took them out of the land. Moses took her as bride by giving her the ring that he received from God. The Levite went down, performed terrible things, took her and went up, and he put in her hand the ring which he received from the bush. He betrothed her to be on the name of the Holy One, and ascended from Egypt, for he preserved her as the trust of the house of God.214

According to Mar Jacob, the betrothal of the people by Moses is the continuation of the nurturing she received from honorable people like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.215 The betrothal of Moses confirmed to the people once again that God does not abandon them. Through the betrothal, they are reminded of the union they had with God through their ancestors, this in turn enhances her faith in the bridegroom, and in union with God, ‘she became His dwelling place.’216

213 Cf. Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 7,6, ܳ Appendix I, 385,78. The word ‫ ܳܡ ܽܟܘܪܐ‬is used in this homily to denote Moses, when he ܳ ‫ ܰܚ‬is used when God is depicted as is depicted as the bridegroom, whereas the word ‫ܬܢܐ‬ bridegroom. In some verses, Moses is depicted as the friend of the bridegroom. Mar ܶ to denote the descent of God as well as the coming Jacob employs the same verb ‫ܢܚܬ‬ of Moses to the people of Israel in Egypt. Though Mar Jacob used two different words for bridegroom, the usage of one particular verb to denote the coming of God and Moses to the people could be a pointer to show that the role of Moses in the divine plan of God is to represent the bridegroom. The different words used to denote the bridegroom is also an indication that Moses represents the bridegroom in a symbolic way. 214 HS I, 7,8–​11, Appendix I, 385,80–​83. 215 Cf. The Parable of the Vineyard, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 133, pp. 724–​766, here p. 757,15 –​ 758,1. In this homily, Mar Jacob dedicates great respect to patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, to other prophets, and especially to Moses. These honorable people have cultivated the vineyard of God and passed it to Caiaphas, Judas, and Hanne. 216 HS I, 13,18, Appendix I, 390,213.

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Therefore, the betrothal results in the redemption and it enriches her faith and allegiance in her true bridegroom. Moses led her until Mount Sinai and at Mount Sinai; he betrothed the bride to the true bridegroom who descended upon the mountain. At the mountain God, the bridegroom, met his bride,217 the daughter of Hebrews, whom He saved from the contempt of Egyptians.218 At the foot of the mountain, Moses stood as the friend of the bridegroom and he left her there and went up to the mountain to see the bridegroom.219 The bridegroom, who descended upon the mountain, gave her a covenant through Moses220 and Moses attested it to her and got consent from her to go with the bridegroom.221 The bride was not only given the covenant but also decorated by His priesthood.222 According to Mar Jacob, the law and the priesthood are the dowry paid by the bridegroom to get the bride. Here are the ornaments of his precepts upon your years, the dowry of His laws in your hands, the necklace of priesthood around your neck and the garment of His ministry upon your body.223

Therefore, the betrothal at Mount Sinai gives us a picture of the formation of a community with whom God has betrothed and whom God took as His bride through the dowry of law and priesthood.

1.2.2. Betrothal at Jordan The baptism of Christ at Jordan is portrayed by Mar Jacob as the betrothal of Christ and the Church. For Mar Jacob, the betrothal at Sinai is a prefiguration of the betrothal that comes to fulfillment through Christ. He says: Christ came down to humanity with this image [the image of the bridegroom], He saved and betrothed her, sanctified her purity, healed and cleansed her.224

At Jordan, John the Baptist opened the gate of baptism, which brings man into the house of the Lord. He brought the bride to the waters of baptism, made her clean, and brought her again into the state of purity so that she can meet the 217 Cf. Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 8,9, Appendix I, 386,106. 218 Cf. HS I, 6,19, Appendix I, 385,71. 219 Cf. HS I, 8,10–​11, Appendix I, 386,108–​109. 220 Cf. HS I, 10,19–​20, Appendix I, 388,151–​152. 221 Cf. HS I, 11,12–​13, Appendix I, 388,164–​165. 222 Cf. HS I, 10,3–​4, Appendix I, 387,136–​137. 223 Sunday of Hosannas, SHF IV, 596,24, Kollamparampil, FH XI, 269,24. 224 HS I, 13,17–​18, Appendix I, 390,212–​213.

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bridegroom. As Moses in Mount Sinai, John the Baptist made the bride prepared to betroth the Son of God, who is yet to come.225 Mar Jacob presents Jesus’ baptism by the hands of John the Baptist, who prepares the bride to betroth the bridegroom, as the sign of the fulfillment of the betrothal that took place in Mount Sinai. Since John the Baptist is the ‘son of the Levites,’226 Christ’s baptism at his hands provides the means by which the priesthood is transferred to Jesus. Therefore, at the baptism Jesus received the deposit of priesthood, which ‘the Father gave to Moses on the mountain.’227 As Moses betrothed the bride at the mountain with the priesthood that he received from the Father, Christ betrothed the bride at Jordan in the waters of baptism. Jesus, the bridegroom, saw the Church that was weak, desiccated, and wearied and he sent her to the waters to wash herself, and then to be betrothed. In order to fulfill this betrothal, he himself went down to the waters and put the fire and the spirit in the waters so that the Church put on light from the divine waters. The baptism of Jesus in the waters of Jordan transforms it into the colour of the bridegroom and hence when the bride comes into the baptismal waters she is changed by the colour of the bridegroom and it actualizes the betrothal between the two. The purpose of Christ’s baptism to betroth the bride, who is with infirmities, is well enumerated in his ‘homily against the Jews.’ In this homily the Church identifies herself with the black girl and says: Christ brought down for me fire and Spirit and put them in the baptismal water. My former ugly colour was changed, for I put on light from the divine waters.228

Therefore, in the betrothal of Christ and his bride, the Church, at Jordan we find the union between the two as we see in the Old Testament types, especially at Mount Sinai as Moses visualized it.

2 25 Cf. Baptism of the Law, HS I, 154,10–​21, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 190, 25–​35. 226 The Baptism of Our Redeemer in the Jordan, HS I, Hom.Nr. 8, pp. 167–​193, here p. 191,16, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH VI, 185,501. ‘It was handed down by the tribe of Levi.’ (Ibid.). 227 Ibid. At Mount Sinai, the Father together with the Son gave the whole treasure to Moses. According to the divine economy, the Son again comes to receive upon himself what was his own and has been given to the people earlier through Moses. This Christ made renewal of all what he has and his own. Cf. HS I, 192,8–​9, FH VI, 186, 511–​512. 228 HCJ VI, 173, 203–​204.

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1.2.3. Betrothal at Tabor The betrothal at the mountain of Tabor has a special significance in relation to the union between Christ and the Church. On the mountain, in front of the Son, apostles, and prophets, the living and the dead were gathered. The symbols of the prophets and the discourses of the apostles were united and the Son bore witness to this union. The Father spoke to the Son and showed the cloud of light and all understood that he is His Only Begotten. Prophets were gathered, apostles were present, generations hastened; light shines forth, the Father speaks, Son is glorified. On the exalted mountain the New [things] with the Old [things] are joined. and they heard the Father giving testimony to His Beloved Son.229

The Father brought the cloud of light as a bridal chamber for his Son. There the Father betrothed the Daughter of light,230 the Church, to his Only Begotten, the bridegroom of light. There the Father gave command to the Church, the bride, to hear his Son, her bridegroom at the betrothal at Tabor. The Father made the cloud of light as the bridal chamber for His Son; so that Simon might not make the tabernacle as he had requested.231 His Father portrayed the bride of light in the cloud of light, for she is the only one whom the symbols betrothed affectionately to the One [the Son] For the daughter of light the father set the signet-​ring of light and He betrothed her to His Son because the bridegroom as well is wholly light. He designated the Church in the single cloud of great light and the Father commanded her to give heed to His Son, to all that he says to her. Through the apostleship and through prophesy one thing was manifested: that One is the blessed bridegroom because everything has been perfected in his mystery.232

The community of the living and the dead represented by the apostles and the prophets within the cloud of light is portrayed here as the bride of light. The Son, the bridegroom of the light, is betrothed to this bride. This union signifies that the Son as the bridegroom unifies both the living and the dead and by

2 29 The Transfiguration, HS II, 372,13–16, Kollamparampil, FH VIII, 228,533–536. 230 The Church is called ‘the daughter of Light’ in the context of Christ being the ‘Bridegroom of Light.’ Cf. HS II, 374,18, FH VIII, 230,577. I will explain this concept in detail later when I explain the ‘Bride of Light.’ 231 HS II, 374,8–​9, FH VIII, 229,567–​568. 232 HS II, 374,15 –​375,2, FH VIII, 230,575–​582.

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unifying both prophets and apostles, he unifies the teachings of the prophets and the proclamations of the apostles. Hence, the betrothal at Tabor manifests the Church, the bride, which is betrothed to Christ and this Church is comprised of both the living and the dead and formed by the unity of the teachings of the prophets and the apostles.

1.2.4. Betrothal at Golgotha233 The betrothal between Christ and the Church reaches its culmination at Golgotha. For Mar Jacob, the betrothal at Golgotha is the zenith of all the other betrothals because this betrothal occurred not in the same way as that happens in the life of a man and woman. At Golgotha, the bridegroom gives his blood for her bride as the bride price. The bridegroom seals the betrothal at Golgotha through his suffering. Mar Jacob marvels himself at the experience of this union between the bride and the bridegroom at Golgotha, which occurred in an unprecedented manner. So, we read in one of his homilies: Women are not joined to their husbands in the same way as the Church is joined with the Son of God. What bridegroom died for his bride apart from our Lord? What bride sought out a slain man to be her husband? Who, from the world’s beginning, ever gave his blood as the bride price? Apart from the crucified one, who sealed the marriage with his wounds?234

The homilies of Mar Jacob mention many Old Testament events, especially the betrothals of the Old Testament figures, as typological expressions of the betrothal of the Son and the Church, which is sealed by the suffering of the Son. In his homily on the story of the Patriarch Jacob, we can find many traits related to the suffering of the betrothal. The weeping of the Patriarch Jacob while he kissed his bride Rachel and the tears of Jacob when he betrothed her are depicted by Mar Jacob as the symbols of the sufferings that the Son experienced while he betrothed his bride at Golgotha. Mar Jacob typifies the tears of Jacob as the blood shed by the Son for his bride. The weeping and tears hence, according to Mar Jacob, are the shadows of the great passion whereby the bride, the Church,

233 The betrothal of the Son with the bride is one of the basic themes in the works of Mar Jacob, which explains many ecclesial themes. In this division, I am only explaining the betrothal that causes the union between Christ and the Church. The other meanings of the death of the Son on the cross and its relation to the Church will be explained in the coming chapters. 234 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 290,10–​15, Sob 3,1, 75,139–​144.

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receives redemption. The direct association of these aspects are in the following lines of Mar Jacob: It was fitting that he wept and suffered when he kissed her, To signify in his betrothal the sufferings of the Son. With the tears he painted an image of the Son of God’s passion; For when He betrothed the Church, He suffered, and only then was she betrothed…… Jacob gave Rachel tears when he espoused her, And our Lord sprinkled the Church with His blood when He redeemed her.235

The suffering of the bridegroom on the cross manifests his love for the bride and the bride realizes that the suffering of the bridegroom brings her the gift of salvation so that she has life. Contrary to the separation of wives from husbands by death, ‘the bride is joined to her beloved by death.’236 By being betrothed to the Only Begotten,237 she is liberated from the idolatry by the light of the cross.238 The betrothal at Golgotha manifests the Church, which came out of the state of hiddenness and appeared in front of the world without deception and stood as a reality being one with Christ, and this state is illumined by the words of Moses ‘the two shall be one.’239

ܳ ܽ 1.3. The Wedding Feast )‫ ܶܡܫܬܘܬܐ‬/​Mēštutō( The imagery of the wedding feast is portrayed in the writings of Mar Jacob as the continuation of the betrothal, between Christ and the Church. It is the bridegroom, who invites the bride for the banquet,240 which he himself prepared for

2 35 Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 212,7–​14, TV 4,4, 55,87–​94. 236 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 290,20–​21, Sob 3,1, 76,149–​150. 237 Cf. Faith, HS III, Hom.Nr.94, pp. 581–​646, here p. 603,19–​20. 238 Cf. The Parable of the Vineyard, HS IV, 761, 20–​21. 239 Cf. HS III, 287,1–​2; 288,12 –​299,10, Sob 3,1, 73,70 –​74,71; 74,100 –​75,120. Mar Jacob interprets the hidden meaning of Gen 2:24 ‘the two shall be one’ through the device of veiled Moses. According to Mar Jacob, the veiled Moses represents the prophecies that have to be fulfilled. For Mar Jacob the story of the veiled Moses represented the bridegroom and Mar Jacob portrayed his relationship to the bride as relationship between a man and woman as it is in the passage of Gen 2:24. Therefore, for Mar Jacob this man and woman are in the veiled form of the bridegroom and the bride. Moses explains the hidden meaning of Gen 2:24, for which St Paul provides the explanation in Eph 5:32. The betrothal at Golgotha reveals the hidden meaning of being one through the union of the bridegroom and the bride, who is Christ and the Church respectively. 240 Cf. The Miracle which Our Lord performed in Cana, HS V, Hom.Nr. 167, pp. 470–494, here p. 480,15.

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her.241 At this banquet, she recognizes her bridegroom and she is made his bride by his contact.242 The banquet made the bride glad because of the union that she experiences with the bridegroom at the banquet.243 As we have seen in the symbol of betrothal, this imagery has also a progression from the life of Israel to the formation of the Church by the peoples. However, unlike in the imagery of the betrothal the symbol of the wedding feast has its fulfillment in the eschaton. According to Sebastian Brock, the imageries of ‘betrothal,’ ‘wedding feast’ and the ‘bridal chamber,’ illustrate the relationship between events in historical time, here and now, and the events in the eschatological time. The betrothal takes place in the historical time, whereas the imagery of the marriage feast and the mystery of the consummation of marriage in the bridal chamber belong to the eschaton.244 Mar Jacob explains the historical and eschatological meaning of the wedding banquet of the bride and the bridegroom by delineating its link to the economy of salvation. According to Mar Jacob, the marital relationship began in Eden. The calumniator threw discord into the marriage.245 In order to spoil the marriage feast in Eden Satan took off the ‘tunic of glory’ of the human couple through the serpent246 and they found themselves nude and unacceptable for the marriage feast. For Mar Jacob, the betrothal and marriage feast are God’s plan in order to restore the union. Mar Jacob expounds it in one of his prose homilies. There we read: ‘The royal bridegroom who betrothed her at Sinai came to his bride in order to celebrate his marriage feast.’247 As Christ came, he restored the union through preparing a perfect marriage feast at Golgotha. At Golgotha, the bridegroom prepared a wedding feast for his bride and restored the union that had been damaged.248 At this banquet, the bride receives the body of the bridegroom to eat and she gets his blood to drink249, being fully in union with the bridegroom. It is

2 41 Cf. The Baptism of Our Redeemer HS I, 167,1–​2, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 162,1–​2. 242 Cf. Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 20, 4–​5, Appendix I, 394,344–​345. 243 Cf. HS I, 20,8–9, Appendix I, 394,348–​349. 244 Brock, The Luminous Eye, 116. 245 Cf. K. Alwan (ed.), Jacques de Sarug, Quatre Homélies Métriques sur la Création (QHC), The Creation of Adam, Hom.Nr. IV, pp. 87–​113, FT, in: CSCO Scr.Syr. 215, Louvain, 1989, here p. 97,175–​176. 246 Cf. Ibid., 184. 247 The Sunday of Hosannas, SHF IV, 596,24, Kollamparampil, FH XI, 269,24. 248 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 290,16, Sob 3,1, 75,145. 249 Cf. HS III, 291,1–​3, Sob 3,1, 76,151–​153.

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not only the bride but also the guests of the banquet are nourished by the body of the bridegroom.250 The bridegroom provides his body as food for his own wedding feast, which is a new deed that the Son of God had done, so that all ‘can eat of him and live with him without end.’251 The banquet, according to Mar Jacob, is in an ‘already and not-​yet’ form. The concept of the banquet as an everlasting gift of the bridegroom to the bride252 shows that the bride receives the body of the bridegroom and is nourished in her constant growth towards the perfected kingdom, where she hopes to be united in glory with her bridegroom. This theme is well narrated by Mar Jacob in his homily on ‘the Ten Virgins described in our Saviour’s Gospel.’253 In this homily, he explicitly linked the kingdom of heaven to the ten virgins who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom and the bride, who were coming.254 These virgins expected both the bridegroom and the bride in order to enter into the great feast, which is prepared by the bridegroom.255 When the prepared virgins entered the feast with the bridegroom they were nourished by the bridegroom, who himself is the ‘table and wine bowl for all His worlds.’256 As the bridegroom himself became the food for the bride and for the guests of the wedding feast at the banquet of Golgotha, he nourishes the bride, and the entire creation in the kingdom of heaven, by becoming the table of food and drink. This is a clear indication that the wedding feast at Golgotha inaugurated the heavenly marriage feast that is prepared by the heavenly bridegroom in the kingdom of heaven.

2 50 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 290,18, Sob 3,1, 75,148. 251 Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 663,15, MHMJS 17, 42,360. According to Amir Harrak, this banquet is the expression of the Eucharist that the Church provides for her faithful. The Church as the bride receives the body of the bridegroom as food and provides it to her faithful in the Eucharist. He substantiates his argument by attesting Mar Jacob’s words in the homily ‘On Partaking of the Holy Mysteries.’ He points out that Mar Jacob exhorts the faithful in the homily to remain in the Church to participate in the ‘new deed’ that the Son of God had done. MHMJS 17,4. 252 The term ‘without end’ in the citation above is a reference to the existential presence of the banquet even beyond the historical time. 253 The Ten Virgins Described in our Saviour’s Gospel, HS II, Hom.Nr. 50, pp. 375–​401, ET by HTM, in: TV 4,1 (1992), 39–​62. 254 HS II, 377,11–​13, TV 4,1, 41,40–​43. 255 Cf. Ibid.. 256 HS II, 396,20, TV 4,1, 58,439.

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The above allusions to the ‘marriage feast’ show that Mar Jacob uses this nuptial imagery in order to explain the historical realization of the relationship between the bride and the bridegroom and its fulfillment in the time yet to come.

ܳ ‫ ܰܓ ܽܢ‬/​Gānunō( 1.4. The Bridal Chamber )‫ܘܢܐ‬ The term ‘bridal chamber’ is also particularly important in Mar Jacob’s religious vocabulary regarding the relationship between the bridegroom and the bride. In his writings, this imagery is employed in manifold ways. It may serve as a metaphor for the kingdom of heaven in the eschatological sense or it may be used to represent the place where the consummation of the marital union between the bride and the bridegroom takes place. Since the marital relationship between the bride and the bridegroom refers to the intrinsic relationship between Christ and the Church, the imagery may also signify to the kingdom as realized.257 The imagery of ‘bridal chamber’ indeed narrated by Mar Jacob to show the intrinsic relationship between the bride and bridegroom. According to Mar Jacob, this bridal union envisages the divine plan of salvation. Therefore, entering the bridal chamber has the meaning of reaching to the life of salvation, which is the ܰ ܰ mkirin lālōhō hāyō.258 state of being betrothed to the living God –​‫ܡ ܺܟ ܺܝܪܝܢ ܠ ܳܠ ܳܗܐ ܰܚ ܳܝܐ‬/​ As we have seen in the imagery of marriage feast, Mar Jacob explains the imagery of the ‘bridal chamber’ as the one, which existed primordially and has its movement towards the eschaton. For Mar Jacob, there was a primordial union that existed in Eden within the primordial bridal chamber of Adam and Eve. God has fashioned this bridal chamber for Adam, the bridegroom, and Eve, the bride. Mar Jacob explicitly narrates this primordial union in the bridal chamber in his verse homily on creation. There we read: God made Adam a bridegroom in this Bridal Chamber that He had fashioned, He adorned Eve as a virgin bride, and gave her to Adam, providing her dowry, the sea, dry land and air. All the ages gathered for the great wedding feast He had made, the bridal couple were radiant in their crowns and their garments: He had covered them with glorious light and splendid radiance. He left them on their own among the trees with their fruits, having given them as a wedding present every kind of tree with their fruit. The Garden rejoiced at the beloved bride and groom.

257 In the writings of Mar Jacob, the Church identifies with the Kingdom to the extent of its relation to Christ and the Paradise. I will explain this relationship in Chapter III. 258 Cf. S.P. Brock, The Bridal Chamber of Light, in: Harp 18 (2005), 179–​191.

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As for the Tree of life, He had hidden it in Eden’s great Bridal Chamber to be there for the bridal couple of light once they had been perfected.259

However, the disobedience of Adam and Eve sent them out of the garden and put them in an unperfected situation. For Mar Jacob, the whole economy of salvation is for the restoration of the union that had been raptured in Eden. So, in the conception of Mar Jacob possibly every divine human encounter after the disobedience of Adam and Eve is the symbolic way of expressing the union between the bride and the bridegroom. Hence, Mar Jacob describes in his homilies that the places, where the bride and the bridegroom meet and come in union with one another, are the bridal chambers. Therefore, we find that in his homilies, the Mount Sinai, the cave of Bethlehem, the river of Jordan, Golgotha, the cave-​ tomb, and the Sheol are the depictions of the bridal chambers. The bridegroom descended upon the Mount Sinai and made the union with the bride but she committed adultery in her own bridal chamber on Mount Sinai.260 In the nativity, the divine bridegroom made himself small within the dimension of humanity to enter into the bridal chamber of the cave of Bethlehem.261 At river, Jordan the bride was invited to the bridal chamber so that she gets the garment from the bridegroom as an armoury and as enlightenment.262 The marriage of the bride and the bridegroom is consummated in the bridal chamber of Golgotha through the self-​giving of the bridegroom to the bride. In all these stages the primordial union, which has been lost, is being reinstated by the divine plan of God through the different stages of life of the bridegroom. Nevertheless, this primordial union will be fully restored in the eschatological paradise where the bride finally will enter at the end of time by the righteous. Mar Jacob explains the entering of the bride into the kingdom of heaven through the righteous in his homily on ‘the Ten Virgins.’ The parable of the ten virgins is of course a parable of the Kingdom of heaven and so it is not surprising that the context of the references to the bridal chamber in this homily is usually eschatological. This homily narrates the entry of the five wise virgins to the bridal chamber, which God himself made for the bride in order to be in union with her. God interwove this bridal chamber in expectation that the bride is fully prepared when He comes to invite her to his

2 59 The Creation of Adam, QHC IV 96,157–​167, ET by S. Brock, in: Harp 18, 185. 260 Cf. Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 23,12 ff, Appendix I, 396,412 ff. 261 Cf. The Nativity, SHF I, 544,19, Kollamparampil, FH IV, 134,19. 262 Cf. The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 154,21 –​155,10, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 190, 35–​45.

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wedding feast.263 He takes only the prepared one along with him to the bridal chamber and ‘He rejoiced over the good, who entered His bridal chamber by reason of their conduct.’264 This narration of Mar Jacob is a clear indication that he has the opinion that there is a bridal chamber in the eschatological paradise where the situation of the fall is remedied and is again made available for those who are righteous. The above references followed by its meaning on the imagery of the bridal chamber provide a clear picture of the bridal union and its relevance in the life of the Church. Since the bridal chamber is a place of the union between the bride and the bridegroom, and this union brings out the salvation of the bride, it recalls the intrinsic relationship between the Church and her bridegroom, Christ.

ܳ ܰ ܳ ܳ ܳ ‫ܠܬܐ‬ 1.5. The Bride of Blood (‫ܕܕܡܐ‬ ‫ )ܟ‬and the Bride of Light (‫) ܰܟܠܬܐ ܽܕܢܘܗܪܐ‬ Mar Jacob employs two particular terms such as ‘bride of blood’ and ‘bride of light’ to denote the relationship of the bride to her bridegroom and it further reveals the Church and her bridegroom, Christ. The bride is named as ‘bride of blood’ and ‘bride of light’ in relation to her betrothal. The characteristic features of the betrothal and the identity of the bridegroom to whom she is betrothed earn her the title of the bride of blood and the bride of light. The homilies of Mar Jacob, present the bride as the bride of blood because of her betrothal to the sacrifice. A direct allusion to this imagery is in the homily of Mar Jacob on ‘Jephtha’s daughter’ where he presents her as the bride of blood because she is betrothed to the sufferings. As it is in the scripture (Judg 11:29–​ 40), Mar Jacob also depicted the sacrifice of Jephtha’s daughter as the fulfillment of her father’s vow. But Mar Jacob narrated this sacrifice as the wedding feast, in which there was no veil for the betrothed woman and it is the banquet of the bride of blood so that the bride might uncover her face.265 In this description, the imagery of feast and celebration is attached to the language of sacrifice. As we have seen in the section of the betrothal and wedding feast, Mar Jacob combines also in this homily the language of betrothal to that of the wedding fest. The wedding feast is here the sacrificial banquet. The banquet is an act of bloodshed in which the daughter will die. She undertook this sacrifice for her father Jephtha.

263 Cf. The Ten Virgins Described in our Saviour’s Gospel, HS II, 396,1 –​399,20, TV 4,1, 59,460 –​60,500. 264 HS II, 396,19, TV 4,1, 60,478. 265 Cf. Jephtha’s Daughter, HS V, Hom.Nr. 159, pp. 306–​330, here p. 315,6–​7, ET by S.A. Harvey, in: MHMJS 16, Piscataway, 2010, 29,185 –​30,186.

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For Mar Jacob, Jephtha is the type of God the Father. Therefore, the sacrifice of his daughter is for God the Father. She gave herself wholly to the Heavenly bridegroom by her self-​offering. She is ‘betrothed to sufferings’ and becomes a bride of God the Father and her stature as the bride of the Father makes her as the type of the Church. According to S. Harvey, the relation of daughter’s sacrifice to marriage makes her as the type of the Church. So, Harvey narrates: ‘Vowed to God, her death by sacrifice replaces marriage to any other husband.’266 The Mediterranean culture also looks at marriage in the similar perspective.267 They see marriage as a meeting of life and death and as a relation that occurs by the transaction of the bride price, that is blood. The bridegroom gives the bride price normally but in the homily on ‘Jephtha’s daughter,’ the daughter’s death is the price of her betrothal, a price Jephtha owes and must repay. In the sacrifice of Jephtha’s daughter, we see a reverse description of what we see in the sacrifice of Golgotha. In Golgotha, the Son of God shed his blood as the bride price for his bride whereas in the case of Jephtha’s daughter her blood is the bridal price. However, both these events are described in terms of marriage feast, where a union between the bride and bridegroom is depicted. Therefore, the daughter becomes the type of the Church in terms of the bride of blood, which she paid to be betrothed to God the Father. It is noteworthy that in the ‘bride of blood’ imagery Mar Jacob signifies the Church, the bride, which sheds its blood for having the union with her bridegroom. It is an indication that the Church through her sacrifice maintains the bridal union, which Christ established through his death on the cross, The Church is also depicted as the ‘bride of light’ in the homilies of Mar Jacob because of her relationship to the bridegroom who himself is the perfect light.268 Mar Jacob delineates the identity of the Church as the bride of light through a striking narration of the bride of light in one of his homilies. The homily expounds:

266 Harvey, Bride of Blood, Bride of Light: Biblical Women as Images of Church in Jacob of Serug, 190. 267 In pages 144–145, I have explained that the Mediterranean culture looks at marriage as a meeting of life and death. The early Syriac writers were influenced by this culture. This is the origin of looking at marriage in terms of sacrifice that occurred according to the bride price, the blood. 268 The imagery of light is employed by Mar Jacob to explain Christ as the source and medium of enlightenment or the light for the salvation of the world. Jacob delineates the whole history of salvation through the contrast of two imageries such as light ܳ ܳ ‫)ܚ ܽܫ‬. ܶ Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 331. (‫ ܽ)ܢܘܗܪܐ‬and darkness (‫ܘܟܐ‬

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His Father portrayed the bride of light in the cloud of light, for she is the only one whom the symbols betrothed affectionately to the One [son]. For the daughter of light the Father set the signet-​ring of light And He betrothed her to His Son because the Bridegroom as well is wholly light. He designated the Church in the single cloud of great light. and the Father commanded her to give heed to His Son, to all that He says to her.269

Mar Jacob gives a notable expression of the bride of light in his homily on Tamar. He states plainly in this homily that her character should be understood as an image of the Church, the true bride of light.270 Mar Jacob presents Tamar as the bride of light because she managed to have a relationship with the heavenly bridegroom through the conception of a child from the person of the messianic lineage. Her ardent desire for having the blessed seed and her guarding of the tokens, that she preserved for proving her innocence makes her an image of the Church.271 Just as Tamar guarded the three tokens that proved her innocence, so too, Mar Jacob exhorts, that the Church must guard the three tokens, namely faith, baptism, and the cross of Light, which her Lord left for her protection. By these, the bride of light will arrive safely at judgment day.272 The above allusions make clear that the terms ‘bride of blood’ and ‘bride of light’ reveal the relationship of the bride and the bridegroom and thereby they become the symbols of the Church. The homilies that bring out these terms are basically narrated to point out the symbol or image of Christ, which is revealed along the road of salvation history.273 Mar Jacob extols this road of salvation but he makes an inversion for the bridal imagery and grants it to the women. Instead of referring the death of the bridegroom for the bride and presenting the bridegroom as the light, the women characters are presented as the one who died for the bridegroom and the one who bears the light. So, the women characters are named as bride of blood and bride of light. The women became the bride by their self-​offering to the divine and by their possession of the light. Therefore, the intention of Mar Jacob, for deploying these two terms, is to present the Church as a reality with a certain model of behavior: that of utter self-​giving to the divine, in physical terms no less than spiritual. These paradigms hence further reveal that the Church is a reality, which is fully dedicated to her spouse and whose love is perfect for her divine bridegroom. 2 69 The Transfiguration, HS II, 374,15–​20, Kollamparampil, FH VIII, 230,575–​580. 270 Cf. Tamar, HJS VI, 265,19–​20, Mus 115, 300,301–​302. 271 I have explained the three tokens of Tamar in above sections. see p. 143. 272 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 298,2; 302,17–​18, Sob 3,1, 80,302; 82,405–​406. 273 Both the homilies begin with powerful invocations addressed to Christ and reveal the images of Christ on the road of salvation history.

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1.6. The Theological Significance of the Symbol of Bride In presenting the Church as bride, Mar Jacob denotes the intimacy and the permanence of the union of Christ and the Church. Indeed, this symbol is predominantly a symbol of the lordship of Christ over the Church, emphasizing the necessary dependence of the Church upon Christ. Mar Jacob explores the union, existing between Christ and the Church, by analyzing the sentence of Moses ‘and they become one flesh’ (Gen 2:24) and like St Paul, he applied it to the relationship between Christ and the Church. In fact, the teaching of Moses on the unity of the man and woman is a hidden teaching under the veil and St Paul reveals in due course the mystery of the unity of the Son and the Church.274 Mar Jacob portrays the mystery of the union between Christ and the Church through his explanation of the union. For him, the union between Christ and ܳ ܳ ܽ the Church is a spiritual union (‫ܘܚ ܳܢܝܬܐ‬ ‫)ܪ‬. Though he spoke of the union literally by delineating the image of the union in marriage, his intention was to deploy the image of the union spiritually.275 According to Mar Jacob, the union between Christ and the Church is a spiritual one because this union transcends death. The union in marriage, which he used to describe the spiritual union, is not sustainable because it passed through many disputes and conflicts and even it disappears with the death.276 On the contrary, the union between the Son and the Church, which the marital union reveals, transcends death because ‘the bride is joined to her beloved by death.’277 It is a union that is sealed by death and defined by the gift of the bridegroom on the cross and this union continues in the gift of himself as a sacramental form, in the Eucharist and baptism.278 For these reasons the union between Christ and the Church is authentic, permanent, and purely ontological by nature. Therefore, the spiritual union, which is manifested through the symbol of bride, portrays an indissoluble union between Christ and the Church and reveals the Church as a reality, which adheres to the Son through the sacraments ‘so that the world sees that both are one.’279 In order to characterize the union between the bride and bridegroom, Mar ܳ ܽ Jacob uses the term ‘mixture’/​ḥulṭōnō (‫)ܚܘܠܛ ܳܢܐ‬, which is derived from the verb

2 74 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 288,16 –​289,12, Sob 3,1, 74,104 –​75,120. 275 Cf. The End IV, HS V, Hom.Nr. 194, pp. 873–​886, here p. 882,18. 276 Cf. HS V, 880,10–​13. 277 HS III, 290,21, Sob 3,1, 76,150. 278 Cf. HS III, 291,1–​5, Sob 3,1, 76,151–​155. 279 HS III, 291,6, Sob 3,1, 76,156.

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ܰ 280 According to Bou Mansour, the term refers to an ontological ḥlāṭ (‫)ܚܠܛ‬.

reality281 because ‘by His mixture the saying is established that the two are one.’282 By the union of the bride and bridegroom, Mar Jacob insists that the two of them are made one. Though it is not clear the manner in which they are conceived of as being one, Mar Jacob insists that the mixing creates ‘one spirit.’283 This points to the fact that the mixing involves a change in the condition of the bride, the Church: she becomes one reality with the bridegroom. This in turn gives her the identity as that of the bridegroom. Another important aspect of the nuptial imagery is that it brings an eschatological perspective of the Church by placing the Church beyond the limits of time. In the eschatological dimension the symbol of the Church as the bride of Christ describes that the Church is the one ‘who waits for her bridal banquet.’284 The Church is here pictured as a bride waiting for her bridegroom and being united with him when he comes. Mar Jacob narrates in his homily on ‘the ten Virgins’ about the bride, the Church, who comes into its fullness by being fully united to the bridegroom at the time of the marriage feast, which is prepared by the bridegroom.285 The bride, who waited for her bridegroom, enters into the marriage feast when the bridegroom comes. At the marriage feast, she is ‘spiritually minܺ ܺ ܶ ‫ܝܛܝܢ‬ ܰ 286 ܺ ‫ܬܒ‬ ܰ ‫ܘܡ‬ ܳ ‫ܣܡܝܢ ܶܒܗ ܽܪ‬ gled with Him and making merry with him’ (‫ܘܚ ܳܢ ܺܐܝܬ‬ ‫)ܥ ܶܡܗ ܚܠ‬. The Church, the bride, who experienced the spiritual union at the cross and continues to experience it in the sacraments, experiences the spiritual union in the ܰ parellel to hlaṭ to represent the action of mix 280 Mar Jacob also uses the word nqāp (‫)ܢܩܦ‬ ܰ He uses this ing. Another word for mixing that occurs in his writings is mzāg (‫)ܡܙ ܓ‬. word to describe the relationship between Christ and the bread and the wine of the Eucharist. Cf. R. Chesnut, Three Monophysite Christologies, Oxford, 1976, 132–​–1​ 36, Bou Mansour, CCT 2,3, 475–​476. 281 Cf. Bou Mansour, La Théologie de Jacques de Saroug I, 164. 282 Our Lord’s remaining on Earth for 30 Years before performing Miracles, HS III, 333,15, TV 4, 48,246. 283 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 290,8, Sob 3,1, 75,138. 284 Cf. The Ten Virgins Described in our Saviour’s Gospel, HS II, 387,20, TV 4,1, 50,257. 285 In the homily on ‘the ten Virgins’ Mar Jacob the term bride is an individual term as well as a collective term. When he uses the term bride as an individual one, he calls the soul as bride. Whereas, the collective usage of the term represents the whole humanity and creation as bride. So, he narrates the ten virgins signify ‘all who go forth to meet Him the day that He comes.’ Cf. HS II, 385,10 –​387,2, TV 4,1,48,205 –​ 49,217–​239. 286 HS II, 397,5, TV 4,1, 58,444. We find the same word used for ‘spiritual mingling’ in this homily as he explained the spiritual union with the imagery of the marital union.

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kingdom with the bridegroom. This indicates that the symbol of the Church as the bride gives us a picture of the Church on earth, which has her fullness in eschaton. The symbol of the Church as the bride of Christ also has a Christological focus. Mar Jacob explains the Christological overtones of the union in his interpretation about the transfiguration of our Lord. For him, the scene of transfiguration reveals the perfect union of the Father and the Son and the union of both prophecy and apostolate.287 At the mountain of transfiguration, both prophets and apostles are united as one within the one light, which is also the union of the light of the Son and the voice of the Father. Mar Jacob interprets it as the one Church, which is united by the only begotten. Therefore, for Mar Jacob the Church is the one, which integrates both prophecy and apostolate. Two realities, prophesy and apostolate, form a unity in the presence of one bridegroom, who is also one reality. So, Mar Jacob tells: One [tabernacle] alone was made for the One, who is the only begotten, And He [the Father] brought the [other] two to nothing, and [so] Simon knew that the Son is the only One. The Father taught him through the single tabernacle of light that He made, That one is the Church, and one is the cross that is ministered in it.288

The above-​mentioned theological nuances of the symbol of the Church as bride, without doubt, express the innermost nature and the destiny of the Church. This symbol indeed conveyed an image of the Church, which is intrinsically linked to Christ. The love and intimacy of Christ and the Church further reveals that the Church is a reality that awaits her bridegroom for the fulfillment of her true love for the bridegroom. This eschatological significance of the symbol gives meaning to the life of the Church on earth, where she manifests her union with Christ through her participation in the sacraments and the distribution of the gift of the union through the sacraments for the community of believers.

ܳ ܺ ܳ ܽ Kubtō( 2. The Church as Tabernacle )‫ܫܟܝܢܬܐ‬/​ Škintō/​‫ܟܘܒܬܐ‬/​ The symbol of the tabernacle and its various details in the writings of Mar Jacob stand as a device for his reader to analyze the relationship between Christ and the Church. The imagery of the tabernacle occurs regularly in the course of his narrative about the theophany at Mount Sinai. At Mount Sinai Moses received the

2 87 Cf. The Transfiguration, HS II, 373,13, Kollamparampil, FH VIII, 229,553. 288 HS II, 374,9–​12, FH VIII, 229,569–​572.

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most sublime revelation of the presence of God, through God’s presence upon the mountain. The confining of God’s presence at this place makes the mountain the habituation of God or in other words the tabernacle of God. As Mar Jacob explained the events of the Old Testament from the point of view of divine revelation, he looks at the experience of Moses on the dwelling place of God as the type, which is fulfilled at the time of Christ. In this realm, the tabernacle becomes the symbol of the Church. Since Mar Jacob considers the journey of Moses as the journey that foreshadows the path of Christ, he explains the experience of Moses on the dwelling place of God upon the mountain as the prototype of the place that God builds in order to confine his presence upon the earth.

2.1. The Biblical Foundation of the Symbol of Tabernacle The term tabernacle and its detailed description are obviously important for the Israelites. Israel regarded the tabernacle as an important element of worship because it contained everything that the Israelites considered as the symbols of God’s presence. We come across the detailed description of the tabernacle in the book of Exodus Chapters 25, 26, 27, 35, 36, 38, 39 and 40. These chapters meticulously present the will of God to build a tabernacle for being with the Israelites and God’s authorization of the work of constructing the tabernacle to Moses (Ex 25:8). Moses built the tabernacle and God ensured his presence in the tabernacle by hovering into the tabernacle in the form of a cloud (Ex 40:34). This dwelling place of God was taken along with the people of Israel as they journeyed towards the promise land. So, the tabernacle ensures the presence of God with the Israelites. After God settled the Children of Israel in the land promised to Abraham, there was no more reason for a tent, which was pitched and removed –​ so King David planned to build a House for God, which would house His Ark and His Glory (2 Sam 7). But God wanted it to build by Solomon, the Son of David (2 Sam 7:12–​13). Hence, it is clear that the Tabernacle, even though it was not a permanent structure, was also known as the House of God (Ex 23:19, 34:26, Deut 23:18, Judg 18:31, 20:18, 21:2). In the scripture we come across three terminologies in reference to the tabernacle: (1) the tabernacle of the tent of meeting (Ex 39:40; 40:2; 1 Chr 6:32), (2) the tabernacle of testimony (Num 1:53; 10:11) and (3) the tabernacle of the Lord (Num 1:53; 1 Chr 21:29; 2 Chr 21:29; 2 Chr 1:5). These three terminologies reveal that the tabernacle is a place where people could approach God and experience His presence. The abiding of God in the tabernacle and its presence along the journey of the people of Israel to the Promised Land and its sustained

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presence within the temple built by Solomon proves the fact that the tabernacle was the prototype of the temple, which is fully manifested in the later periods.

2.2. The Symbol of Tabernacle and the Church Mar Jacob describes the relationship between the tabernacle and the Church through his description of the building of the tabernacle by Moses and by its manifestation in the vision that the prophet Ezekiel had (Ezek 1:4–​28). The tabernacle and its furnishings by Moses are delineated by Mar Jacob in order to show the willingness of God to meet with human beings on earth. The Lord told Moses: When the Lord of Moses commanded him to reveal and build the tabernacle that served the time with the mysteries of the Church. When He counted all of its sorts (or colors), He defined here: “according to the pattern I show you on the mountain” (Ex 25:40) [Moses] went up, and [the Lord] showed him within the cloud the Church built, What he saw there was the free Jerusalem that is above (Gal 4:26)289

According to Mar Jacob, this vision is the revelation of God to Moses, what he shall build, reveals the tabernacle, which serves the ages with the mysteries of the Church.290 Therefore, ‘the tabernacle that was built became a type,’291 in which Moses ‘depicted the perfect dwelling place,’ which is the house of God. For Mar Jacob, the Church, which was manifested to Moses through the vision of the tabernacle, is built since eternity.292 Moses had the experience of the heavenly Church and he enclosed it in the tabernacle that he built on earth. He built the tabernacle what he had seen on the mountain. This formation of the tabernacle on earth helps us to conclude that the Church is the earthly tabernacle, which ensures the presence of the heavenly tabernacle upon the earth. Mar Jacob explains this in his homily on the consecration of the Church. There we read: Through Moses, the Church was pictured mystically, and, because it was a type, it was called the tabernacle.

289 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 40,21 –​41,4, Appendix II, 409,51–​56. 290 Cf. HS I, 40,21–​22, Appendix II, 409,51–​52. 291 HS I, 44,20, Appendix II, 412,137. 292 The presence of the Church in eternity refers to its existence at the time of creation. The existence of the concept of the Church in paradise is a theme in Mar Jacob’s writings. I will deal with this theme in Chapter III, where I explain the salvific role of the Church.

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He didn’t truly build her because he was not her Lord; he fashioned her mystically, and left and passed away. Behold, ever since the beginning, the chosen Church was built, and Moses who saw her likeness293 on the Mount Sinai, witnesses. It is not my thoughts that rolled down and set this argument, the truth beckoned to me [saying] “this is the fact, and it shall be proclaimed through you”. Moses saw on the mountain the anteriority of the Church, He descended and fashioned her in the camp so that it may be firmly set through her. When he was given orders concerning the construction of the tabernacle, he truly saw the pattern of the Church.294

For Mar Jacob, the Church, which is represented by the tabernacle built by Moses on earth, foreshadows the Church, which is fulfilled by the arrival of the Son. Mar Jacob portrays this in his homily on the transfiguration of our Lord. Mar Jacob tells here that as Moses experienced the dwelling place of God upon the mountain, the disciples of Jesus experienced the tabernacle upon the mountain of transfiguration. Mar Jacob narrates this as the tabernacle of the Only Begotten and the manifestation of the one Church. The Father taught him through the single tabernacle of the light that He made, that one is the Church, and one is the Cross that is ministered in it. There were no tabernacles but a tabernacle for the Only Begotten, because there are not churches but a Church for the Son of God….. He designated the Church in the single cloud of great light, and the Father commanded her to give heed to His Son, to all that he says to her.295

By presenting the two particular events of the Old Testament and the New Testament and interpolating the symbol of tabernacle into these events in order to show the presence of the Church, Mar Jacob makes it clear that the Church is the presence of God on earth and it is the continuation of the saving act of God himself.

2.3. The Theological Significance of the Symbol of Tabernacle The symbol of tabernacle appears in the writings of Mar Jacob to represent the presence of God. According to A. Golitzin, the very term itself is a technical 293 I used the word ‘likeness or image,’ just to make it resonate with the idea that Moses is in the likeness of the Lord. 294 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 40,7–​18, Appendix II, 408–409,37–​48. 295 The Transfiguration, HS II, 374,11–​14; 19–​20, Kollamparampil, FH VIII, 229,571–​574; 230,579–​580.

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word (terminus technicus) in order to present the glory of God that descends to ܳ ܺ ܶ with a particular place.296 The Syriac word ‫ܫܟܝܢܬܐ‬ which derives from the root ‫ܫܟܢ‬ the meaning of ‘to dwell,’ also substantiate the significance of the symbol of tabernacle to represent the presence of God who descended. One of the translation choices of S. Brock on a particular line in the homily on ‘The Veil on Moses’ face’ also indicates that the symbol of tabernacle represents the descending presence of God. S. Brock translates the line 311 of the homily as: The brightness of the Father tabernacled there on the face. ܶ ‫ܦܪܨ‬ ܳ ‫ܡܚܗ ܰܕ‬ ܶ ܶ‫ܨ‬ ܺ ‫ܐܒܐ ܐܱ ܶܓܢ ܰܬ ܳܡܢ ܰܥܠ‬ ‫ܘܦܗ‬

Here it is worth indicating that S. Brock translated the most common Syriac word āgēn as ‘tabernacled.’ This particular verb āgēn is used both in the peshitta version of Lk 1:35 and Jn 1:14 with the meaning of ‘overshadow or dwell.’297 But S. Brock shifts from a prosaic translation, ‘dwelt’ to a more evocative ‘tabernacled.’ R. Kitchen has the opinion that the shift in the translation is perhaps because of John’s use of the root šken, ‘tent or tabernacle.’298 This is an indication that the symbol of tabernacle and its root meaning are technically used for portraying the importance of God’s descending in order to make feel His people about His presence, which accompany them. The presence of God, which the symbol of tabernacle manifests, gives it the theological importance with regard to its relationship to the Church. The symbol of tabernacle connects the Church to the heavenly temple. The description of the theophany of God by Mar Jacob in his two particular homilies regarding the Church and his explanation of the heavenly temple in the homily on ‘the chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw’ give us a clear picture of the link between the heavenly and the earthly Church. According to Mar Jacob, the experiences of Moses and the prophet Ezekiel, serve the same purpose, that is the manifestation of the earthly Church, which is the image of the heaven. The vision of Moses of the heavenly presence on the Mount Sinai as well as the experience of Ezekiel of the presence of God on the chariot shows that the Old Testament tabernacle and the

296 A. Golitzin, The Image and Glory of God in Jacob of Serug’s Homily ‘On that Chariot that Ezekiel the Prophet Saw,’ in: St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 47, 3–​4 (2003), 335. 297 Brock has examined and explained this particular word aggen in his well–​known article. S.P. Brock, Passover, Annunciation, and Epiclesis: Some Remarks on the Term Aggen in the Syriac Versions of Lk 1:35, in: Novum Testamentum (NT) 24, 3 (1982), 227–​230. 298 R. Kitchen, Sebastian Brock, Jacob of Sarug’s Homily on the Veil on Moses’Face: Book Review, in: Hugoye 16, 2 (2013), 352.

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temple are an image of heaven. Mar Jacob clearly expounds this in his homily on ‘the chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw.’ There we read: Moses saw the whole form of these mysteries, and he came down from Sinai to trace it in the tabernacle and its furnishings. And, just as Moses saw, so Ezekiel saw them as well, and these mysteries of the place of the angels were hinted at, the mystery of the Church was prior both Moses and Ezekiel, and on it the angels, too, longed to gaze.299

In both cases, Moses and Ezekiel had the vision of the presence of God, which Mar Jacob narrates as the tabernacle.300 Moses was accorded a vision of heaven where he has shown the celestial temple301 and Ezekiel had a vision of the chariot, which is the place made for God’s presence.302 Mar Jacob narrates this as the heavenly tabernacle, which is built by God himself. In his homily on ‘the chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw’ he says that God himself formed the chariot to condense his presence in a particular place. The chariot is explained here as having been created for the sake of angels, since otherwise God, who in himself is hidden from them. Therefore, God himself made this place in order ‘that the whole vision of the heavenly ones might be concentrated, caught up and tied to that one place where His banner is placed.’303 On the Mount Sinai God manifested to Moses His presence/​His dwelling place, which He himself built for the people of Israel and He instructed Moses to built a tabernacle in order to be with the people. The earthly tabernacle, which Moses built, hence ensured that the will of God is preserved through maintaining the presence of God upon

299 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 599,3–​ 9, MHMJS 14, 125,1169 –​126,1174. 300 In the homily on ‘the chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw’ the chariot represents the ܳ ܺ presence of God. The word ‫ܫܟܝܢܬܐ‬ of this homily is translated by A. Golitzin as ‘the presence’ and the place, where God’s presence resides. The term ‘chariot’ also became the dwelling place of God because God’s presence resides in it. So, in this homily we read: And he depicted a place for His presence…. and he made it like a chariot/​ ܶ ܺ ܰ ܳ ܳ ܳ ܽ ܰ ‫ܘܪ ܳܒܐ‬ ‫ܥܒܕ ܶܠܗ‬ ‫ ܰܘܐܝܟ ܩ‬....‫ܫܟܝܢܬܗ ܽܕܘܟܬܐ‬ ‫ܘܨܪ ܠ‬/​HS IV, 570,13–​14, MHMJS 3, 68, 573–​574. 301 Cf. The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 42,4–​15, Appendix II, 410,77–​88. 302 HS IV, 570,14–​15, MHMJS 3, 68,574–​575. In the homily we read: ‘And He depicted a place for His presence, that there it might dwell, and He made it like a chariot.’ In this ܳ ܺ line the word ‫ܫܟܝܢܬܐ‬ is translated as ‘the presence’ and the place, where the presence ܰ ‫ܘܒܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܘܐܝܟ ܳܩ ܽܪ‬.ܰ resides, made it like a chariot/​‫ܥܒܕ ܶܠܗ‬ 303 HS IV, 570,15–​16, MHMJS 14, 70,575–​576.

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the earth by the earthly tabernacle. So, the tabernacle fashioned on earth is well related to the heavenly tabernacle. Though Mar Jacob presented God in a confined space, he ensures that the omnipotence of God transcends even the chariot and the place, where he forms his dwelling place. For Mar Jacob, the creation of the heavenly temple is an act of divine condescension with the intention of manifesting his hidden form so that the people can experience it. As Godhead He is in the exalted place where there is no chariot either to ascend or to seek out.304 In the homily on ‘Ascension’ Mar Jacob categorically emphasized the exalted place, which is above all the angelic orders. In the episode of ascension Mar Jacob attests: He [Jesus] reached at the chariot, however, he did not remain on the chariot, for above that (chariot) to the extended heights He was being raised.305

The heavenly tabernacle thus reveals –​both terminological and essential level –​ the preexistence of God and His care for the creation. Every expression of Mar Jacob regarding the tabernacle is a symbolic expression of the intelligible space, where one can experience the presence of God. By expounding the vision of Moses and Ezekiel as the vision of the Church, Mar Jacob confirms the Church as an earthly tabernacle, which manifests the presence of God. According to Mar Jacob, the heavenly tabernacle upon the earth is the manifestation of the nativity of the Son of God, whose descent fulfills the saving plan of God. For Mar Jacob, the incarnation of the Word makes the heavenly tabernacle earthly, which in turn connects the act of incarnation to the establishment of the Church. We can arrive at this conclusion by the terminological analysis of the act of dwelling in the homilies of Mar Jacob and its interpretation given by him through the analysis of the Old Testament events, which veiled the act of ܳ to denote the act of dwelling. He incarnation. Mar Jacob often uses the word ‫ܫܪܐ‬ used this word to express the act of indwelling of God upon the mountain, where Moses had a vision of the heavenly tabernacle306 and to denote the dwelling of

304 Cf. The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw,HS IV, 601,1–​2, MHMJS 14, 128,1209 –​ 129,1211. Mar Jacob’s vision of the omnipotence of God is well attested in these lines. There we read: ‘There is no chariot there, either to ascend to, or to seek out, Nor are there wheels, nor creatures in their different kinds, Where the Trinity dwells in great splendor.’ (Ibid.). 305 The Ascension, SMS IX, 827,15–​16, Kollamparampil, FH XVI, 349, 397–​398 306 Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 17,18–​19, ܳ ܽ ܰ ܳ ܳ ܺܰ ܶ ܶ ‫ܪܥܠ ܽܟ‬ ܶ ‫ܘܪܐ ܰܘ‬ Appendix I, 393,296.‘‫ܘܠܗ‬ ‫ܢܚܬ ܬܩܝܦܐ ܫܪܐ ܥܠ ܛ‬ He descended powerfully and dwelt upon the mountain and fully oscilated it.’ (Ibid.).

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God in the womb of Mary at the time of incarnation.307 This common usage of the word to denote the indwelling is an indication that there is a parallelism between the incarnation and the establishment of the Church. Both events have one and the same archetype. Mar Jacob narrates the parallelism between the incarnation and the establishment of the Church through his interpretation of the vision that the prophet Ezekiel had on the chariot. In the chariot, the prophet saw the presence of God, which He himself set for the heavenly beings. The experience of this divine presence, for Mar Jacob, is the manifestation of the Church, which represents the earthly confining of the presence.308 In the revelation, the prophet saw the presence in a great mystery. He saw ‘in what likeness the Son of God would descend to the earth.’309 Within the presence, he saw the Son of God in human form (in the form of a servant). This revelation depicted the whole path of the Son of God and it taught the mystery of the incarnation. Daniel saw him borne on the clouds, and coming, as a man to judge the kings and their empires. Ezekiel, too, sees Him on the high throne atop the chariot, As seated like a man, He who was also God. That likeness of a servant that He assumed within the womb was whispered on the wings of the heavenly beings.310

The importance of this revelation is that the prophet saw within the heavenly tabernacle the image of the Son of God, who was also God. That means the revelation of the heavenly tabernacle is the revelation of Christ. Since the Church is the manifestation of the heavenly tabernacle and it keeps the mysteries within her we can categorically affirm that Mar Jacob, by enumerating the symbol of tabernacle, has also deliberately aimed to present the figure of the Church with the mysteries of the Son of God, who is a manifestation of God himself. The vision of the altar that the prophet Ezekiel saw on the chariot is also an indication that the chariot, which manifests the presence of God, is a type of the earthly Church. Mar Jacob narrates that the prophet had not only the vision of 307 The Nativity of Our Redeemer According to the Flesh, SMS VI, 740,14, Kollamparampil, FH I, 61,433. ܳ ܺ ܰ ܳ ܽ ‫ܬܓ ܱܐܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܒܥ‬ ܰ ‫ܝܬܐ ܰܟܕ ܶܡ‬ ‘‫ܘܒܐ ܕܐܱ ܽܒܘܗܝ‬ ‫ܫܪܐ ܒܕܟ‬ He dwelt in the pure woman while remaining glorious in the bosom of His Father.’ 308 In the chariot, Ezekiel had a vision of the Church with mysteries. See the footnote no. 300. 309 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 582,12, MHMJS 3, 94,826. 310 HS IV, 575,11–​16, MHMJS 3, 80,679–​684.

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the human form of God but also an altar with his body. He saw the coal of fire on the chariot, which depicts the body of the Son. The Son of God is all the beauty of prophesy And without him there is neither prophecy nor revelation. In the coals of fire are depicted the pearls of his body, And in the chariot the holy altar of divinity. ……. These coals of fire that are in the chariot depict his body. They were placed in it both for retribution and for forgiveness.311

This picture, Mar Jacob tells us, is a type of the Eucharist, by which the earthly Church makes the presence of God visible to her believers. This vision delineates the picture of heaven where the same mystery of the Son is celebrated. It is an indication that both in heaven and on earth the same mystery is celebrated. Therefore, the earthly Church that is made manifest through the revelation of the presence (tabernacle) is one and the same. Mar Jacob expresses this thought in one of the lines of the homily. There we read: Within the chariot holy coals of fire, In the holy altar are precious pearls. In the altar is the Body and on the chariot, fire abides, For both above and below there is a single mystery of the Only One.312

Though it is not so directly mentioned as it is in the homily on ‘the vision of the chariot that the prophet saw,’ the homily on the ‘consecration of the Church and the prophet Moses’ tells us also about the mystery of the Son, which is celebrated in the heaven. When Moses had a vision of the heavenly tabernacle, he saw the bride, whose ornament is perfected by coal313 and a house, which is full of fire.314 In the homily we read: Moses saw her, that her ornament is perfected by coal, and her big house, that is full of fire from all sides.315

311 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 596,2–​5; 8–​9, MHMJS 3, 118,1105–​ 1108; 1111–​1112. 312 HS IV, 596,12-​14, MHMJS 3, 120,1115–​1118. 313 Coal is a symbolic title of Christ with refference to Isa 6:6. 314 One of the most striking and significant of the images which Mar Jacob uses to describe the incarnate word is that of the fire, the flame, or the coal. Christ himself is often called ‘the fire’: Jesus is called ‘the living fire which came down to the earth ܳ ܰ ܳ ܽ ܳ ‫ܝܬܐ ܶܕܢ ܺܚܘܬ ܰܐܠ‬ from the house of the father’–​‫ܪܥܐ ܶܡܢ ܶܒܝܬ ܐܱ ܳܒܐ‬ ‫ܢܘܪܐ ܚ‬, For Monday of Holy Week, HS II, 457,2, Cf. R. Chesnut, Three Monophysite Christologies, 137. 315 The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 42,18–​19, Appendix II, xxviii,91–​92.

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Mar Jacob here also mentions the heavenly Church, which has the mystery of the Son as it is celebrated in the earthly Church. Everything said so far reveals that the tabernacle is an expression of God’s presence. Since the Church keeps the presence of God in the symbol of tabernacle, it serves as the type of the Church in the homilies of Mar Jacob. According to Mar Jacob, the revelation of the heavenly tabernacle and its resemblance to the earthly Church proves the fact that the Church preexists in God’s vision and hence the Church on the earth is the historical realization of salvation. The Church in this context is a place of encountering God through the person of Only Begotten Son.

ܳ ܶ Sēbaltō( 3. The Church as Ladder )‫ܣܒܠܬܐ‬/​ The symbol of ladder comes often in Mar Jacob’s homily on ‘Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel.’ The homily presents a quite attractive explanation of Gen 28:10–​22, where Mar Jacob pays attention to explain the deeper mystical meaning of the narrative and its relationship to Christ and the Church. He interprets the whole narrative as a typological anticipation of the Son’s role as saviour of humanity on the cross and founder of the Church. So, Patriarch Jacob is presented in this homily as the one, who walked along the path of the Son, encouraged by the divine mysteries.316 According to Mar Jacob ‘as soon as he (Patriarch Jacob) left the house of his father the mysteries followed and accompanied him as a merchant on his journey.’317 So, Mar Jacob explains that Jacob did not do anything on his journey without anticipating the later events.318 That means every event that follows on the journey of Jacob has a symbolic meaning. On this point of view the symbol of ladder gets a special relevance in the homilies of Mar Jacob with regard to the Church.

3.1. The Symbol of Ladder and the Church In the homilies of Mar Jacob, we never find any direct reference of the symbol of ladder with reference to the Church. But the narration of the symbol of ladder in the homily on ‘Jacob’s revelation at Bethel’ with its role in the establishment of the sanctuary and its relation to the cross of the Son link the symbol of ladder to the Church.

3 16 Cf. Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HS III, 192,15 –​193,4, Landersdorfer, 333. 317 HS III, 193,34–​35, Landersdorfer, 333. 318 HS III, 193,33–​34, Landersdorfer, 333.

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At Bethel, Jacob received a vision of the ladder and he formed a sanctuary at the place, where he got the vision. What actually impelled him to build the sanctuary is the vision of the ladder. While sleeping, he saw a ladder, which combines heaven and earth.319 He saw that some of the heavenly creatures ascend on it to heaven, while others climb down to earth on it.320 Jacob perceives that God himself would climb down on the ladder to the earth.321 Mar Jacob uses the symbol of ladder in some of his other homilies. Only when one analyzes these references one would be able to fully understand the meaning of the symbol of ladder in Jacobian perspective. In his prose homily on nativity Mar Jacob narrates that it is the Son, not God the Father, who revealed himself on the ladder.322 The ladder is narrated in this homily as the one, which explained the meaning of the nativity, that is, the purpose of the descent of the Son is to make the human beings ascend to heaven.323 Mar Jacob confirms this interpretation in his homily against the Jews.324 Mar Jacob explains the meaning of ladder much more clearly in his prose homily on the resurrection. In his interpretation of Christ’s resurrection, Mar Jacob narrates the ladder combines the Lord’s tomb with heaven. In the homily we read: For there appeared to the guards the light which had dawned, glory that flashed out. An awesome clamour of angel was heard from air, a ladder of light was placed between the tomb and heaven, the one that has been seen by Jacob at bethel; and the Lord was standing, not above it, ready to descend but below it, ready to ascend.325

Mar Jacob’s focus here rests upon the identification of the ladder. It is the same ladder that appeared to Jacob at Bethel. Whereas, however, the homily on the vision of Jacob had explained that the ladder of Bethel had also emptied the Sheol and allowed the dead to ascend to heaven.326 The meaning of the ladder, which Mar Jacob intends to explain, is to be traced out from his above-​mentioned array of explanations of the ladder. In all these interpretations of the ladder, we can see a common element of the act of descending and ascending. God descends in the incarnation and ascends to heaven through the ascension of the Son of God. The faithful, who are in the Sheol also ascend to 3 19 Cf. Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HS III, 195,5–​6, Landersdorfer, 334. 320 Cf. HS III, 195,11–​12, Ibid. 321 HS III, 204,6–​7, Landerdorfer, 340. 322 Cf. The Nativity SHF I, 543,20, Kollamparampil, FH IV, 135,20. 323 Ibid. 324 Cf. HCJ IV, 125,179. 325 The Sunday of the Resurrection, SHF VI, 634,10, Kollamparampil, FH XV, 322,10. 326 Cf. HS III, 197,9. Landersdorfer, 336.

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God by virtue of the resurrection and the ascension of the Son of God Therefore the symbol of ladder is an image of God’s relationship to the world as well as it is an image of the way to ascend to the heaven for the faithful. Patriarch Jacob, after receiving the vision of the ladder that combines heaven and earth, constructed a sanctuary at the same place of the vision by placing a stone at the place and pouring oil over it. Mar Jacob narrates that this is as an act of the prefiguration of the Church. He says, by this act ‘the fullness of the image of the Church to be completed clearly.’327 The figure of the Church built on a place, where the image of the ladder is revealed, is a clear indication that the Church is a place where people can experience the descending and the ascending of God and thereby they can ascend to the heights of the heaven in this place. Thus, though Mar Jacob did not explicitly tell that the Church is ladder, its construction upon the place, where the symbol of ladder is revealed, makes her as the symbol of ladder. Another reason for the relationship of the symbol of ladder to the Church is its identification with the cross of the Son of God. Mar Jacob describes that Jacob had a vision of the ladder which resembles the cross of the Son and that it is the way to heaven. He looked at the cross as it stood on earth like a ladder and it served as a way on which the heavenly hosts were walking.328

For Mar Jacob, the cross resembles the ladder because it reveals the ‘mystery of the way of the Son of God.’329 In the homily of Mar Jacob on ‘Jacob’s revelation at Bethel’ he explains that the cross is like a ladder because it reveals the great function of the nativity of the Son. As the incarnation of the Son ‘reconciles the heaven and the earth,’330 the cross combines the heaven and the earth as ladder. He says, ‘through the birth of the Son the angels came down to earth and unite heaven and earth,’331 which were separated. The cross has broken down the great wall between the heavenly and the earthly beings. The cross penetrates the fence of separation between heaven and earth and it again unified them.332 Mar Jacob perceives here the cross as the one, which completes and fulfills the purpose of the incarnation of the Son. Therefore, Mar Jacob says that the heavenly powers

Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HS III, 201,14, Landersdorfer, 339. HS III, 198,7–​8, Landersdorfer, 337. HS III, 196,7, Landersdorfer, 335. The Nativity of Our Redeemer According to the Flesh, SMS VI, 765,9–​10, Kollamparampil, FH I, 84,949–​950. 331 HS III, 196,11–​12, Landersdorfer, 335. 3 32 HS III, 196,17–​18, Ibid. 3 27 328 329 330

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looked at the cross to descend to see the wonder of incarnation and people look at the cross in order to ascend to heaven.333 He also says that the cross emptied the Sheol and allowed the dead to ascend to heaven, so it is easy for the mortals to climb up to heaven.334 The cross, therefore, manifests the descended Son of God and his purpose of descent and it becomes a ladder for human beings to ascend. Hence Mar Jacob tells that though Jacob had a vision of the ladder, it was the vision of the cross and Jacob saw ‘truly the crucified one,’ on the cross.335 The resemblance of the cross to Christ and its presence within the Church in order to manifest the presence of God link the cross to the Church. For Mar Jacob, the Church is a place where the cross is ministered in it as the symbol of Christ. He clearly tells this in his homily on ‘the transfiguration.’ There he says: The Father taught him through the single tabernacle of light that He made, that one is the Church, and one is the Cross that is ministered in it.336

Since the cross resembles the ladder, the prefiguration of the Church on the place where Jacob had a vision, manifests a place where people can ascend to heaven through the cross. Therefore, the Church, where the cross is present, becomes a ladder for the human beings in order to ascend to heaven.

3.2. Theological Significance of the Symbol of Ladder The theological significance of the symbol of ladder with regard to the Church lies on the fact that the Church is a place of divine-​human relationship. The symbol of ladder manifests that the Church is a level of the experiential realization of the divine-​human relationship initiated by the divine mercy that reveals itself in the incarnation, redemption, and salvation. The vision of the ladder discloses to Jacob that God is present in the place, where he thought that the place is isolated from the presence of God. God showed him how does God make relationship with the place and the people. The act of descending and ascending of the heavenly beings reveal to Jacob that the place is not deserted from the presence of God. Mar Jacob interprets that this action is the act of God’s mercy that is revealed through the incarnation of the Son in order to make people ascend to heaven. The redemption of people that is reinstated through the Son is manifested to Jacob. This vision illuminated Jacob, he realized the presence of God on

3 33 334 335 336

Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HSIII, 196,21–​24, Landersdorfer, 336. Cf. HS III, 197,7–​8, Ibid . Cf. HS III, 197,17–​18, Landersdorfer, 336. The Transfiguration, HS II, 374,11–​12, Kollamparampil, FH VIII, 229, 571–​572.

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the mountain, and he calls the place the house of God. He attests that the place is ܰ 337 ܳ ‫)ܬ‬. ܰ ‫ܪܥܐ‬ obviously the gate of heaven (‫ܕܫܡ ܳܝ ܳܢܐ‬ Therefore, the symbol of ladder manifests the reality of the Church, which is a place where people can experience the salvific works of God and this in turn opens them the door of heaven. Mar Jacob formulates the concept of the Church as a place, where the divine-​ human relation is made possible, by enumerating the act that the symbol of ladder reveals. It is the act of descending and ascending of the heavenly beings through the ladder that makes the ladder as a link between heaven and earth. The formation of a sanctuary upon the place, where the vision of the ladder is seen, establishes the fact that the Church holds the act that is manifested through the symbol of ladder. Since Mar Jacob considers that the act of descending and ascending reveals the salvific plan of God, the act of descending and ascending, which is manifested through the symbol of ladder, has also a salvific meaning and the place where one can experience this act of descending and ascending becomes the place of salvation. So for Mar Jacob the Church is a place where one can experience salvation, with regard to the act of descending and ascending.

ܺ /​Lminō( 4. The Church as a Harbour )‫ܠܡ ܳܝܢܐ‬ In the writings of the early Syrian Church Fathers, the symbol of harbour is common in representing the Church. Behind the depiction of the Church as the harbor lies the firm conviction that the Church is the place where everyone should reach as the destination to get the salvific grace of God. Though very rare biblical texts could have influenced the early fathers of the Church in relation to the theme of the harbour, they used this imagery by the influence of their social and the cultural background.338 In the writings of Aphrahat and Ephrem,

3 37 Cf. Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HS III, 201,5–​8, Landersdorfer, 339. 338 In the writings of the early Syrain Church fathers, we come across rare occasions of the usage of the term of harbour as that it occurred in the scripture. We can find that Ps 107:30 –​‘and he brought them unto the harbour which they desired’ –​-​often inspired the early fathers to narrate the imagery of the harbour. In many of the writings of the fathers, we see the expression as it is in the Psalms. The faithful are depicted as the one who are brought to the harbour. The second reason for their inclination to this imagery is the symbolic theology of the Judeo-​Christian communities. E. Hambye has the opinion that the early Church Fathers were also seemingly attracted by the Greek classical tradition of sea-​faring peoples and by the stoic philosophy, though their writings were not hellenistically influenced. Cf. E.R. Hambye, The Symbol of the ‘Coming to the Harbour,’ in: OCA 197 (1974), 406–​410. Cf. H. Rahner, Symbole der Kirche: Die Ekklesiologie der Väter, Salzburg, 1964, 549–​564.

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this imagery is used with the imagery of the ship of the Church sailing to the heavenly haven. Aphrahat speaks about the world as a ship directed by just men towards the place or harbour of rest.339 Though in the writings of St Ephrem the symbol of harbour is seen from various perspectives, a direct reference of the symbol of harbour to the Church is missing.340 Mar Jacob also uses the symbol of harbour not too frequently. Most of his allusions regarding the harbour are to indicate the end of this earthly life. However, he uses the term ‘harbour’ to present the harbour of rest. As he sees the death as the harbour, he looks at death like the harbour of the people, where they will get rest from all their exhaustions.341 His inclination to the harbour of rest gives the term an eschatological overtone, which in turn connects the Church to the harbour.

4.1. The Symbol of Harbour and the Church In the homilies of Mar Jacob, a direct allusion of the symbol of harbour with regard to the Church comes in his homily on ‘the partaking of the holy mysteries.’ In this homily, Mar Jacob tells that the Church in the world is a great harbour.342 A harbour is universally understood as a place where ships may shelter from the weather or are kept safe. In the same way, people come to the Church for protection and peace. The Church is a place to rest from all the evil things. Jacob calls the people who are wandering after worldly things, ‘...O lovers of the world, come in from wandering of the evil world, and take rest in the abode that is full of compassion for the ones who enter it.’343 Therefore, the Church becomes a harbour from the perspective of the rest that the Church provides for her faithful. In this homily, Mar Jacob presents the earthly Church as the harbour filled with peace.344 The earthly Church is a refuge for the faithful in order to get rest at the time of their fatigue.345 The faithful are invited to the table of the Church, which is full of life.346 Therefore, the rest and the peace that the faithful receive 3 39 Cf. E.R. Hambye, OCA 197, 406. 340 In the writings of St Ephrem, we see the metaphor of harbour from various angles: eschatological, theological, moral, ascetical, monastic, and ecclesial. Cf. E.R. Hambye, OCA, 197, 407, Murray, Symbols of Church, 249–​253. 341 Cf. A Daughter of the Covenant who Departs from the World, HS V, Hom.Nr. 191, pp. 821–​836, here p. 821,7–8 342 Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 648,19, MHMJS 17, 10,47. 343 HS III, 649,3–​4, MHMJS 17, 12,51–​52. 344 Cf. HS III, 648,19, MHMJS 17, 10,47. 345 Cf. Ibid. 346 Cf. Ibid.

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from the Church is the peace and rest offered by the life and the blessings and all the delightful things reside in the Church.347 Mar Jacob here denotes that the earthly Church becomes the abode of rest and peace because of the delightful banquet and the delightful nourishments that the Church prepares for her faithful. Hence, the Church becomes the harbour of rest in the world by providing spiritual food for the faithful, which in turn satisfy their spiritual hunger and gives the faithful peace and rest. Since the Church becomes the abode of peace because of the presence of Christ in the form of Eucharistic body of Christ, it can provide the faithful the rest and the peace. Though here in this homily Mar Jacob does not call Christ as the harbour, he implicitly links the Church and the Christ by relating them as the providers of peace and the rest. Mar Jacob here also adheres to the traditions of the West Syrian Church, which looks at Christ as the harbour.348

4.2. The Theological Significance of the Symbol of Harbour The theological nuances of the symbol of harbour is based on the meaning which the symbol of harbour communicates to the reader of Mar Jacob’s homily. Mar Jacob uses the symbol of harbour to delineate the Church as the abode of rest and peace because of the presence of Christ within the Church in the form of the Eucharist. Apart from this explanation of the harbour, he also uses the symbol to indicate the end of the earthly life, where the death is considered as the harbour. The death is delineated as the harbour because of the fact that ‘in it (death) one can rest from all the exhaustions.’349 Since death is the end of the earthly life and the beginning of the life with God, Mar Jacob here tells implicitly about the peaceful life that one can experience at the abode of God and that enforces Mar Jacob to consider death as the harbour. By portraying the Church as the harbour, Mar Jacob presents the Church as the reality, which manifests the foretaste of the experience of the end of one’s own earthly life. That means within the Church one can experience the reality of peace and rest, which has its fullness in the eschaton. Therefore, the symbol of harbour demonstrates the eschatological meaning of the Church.

3 47 Cf. Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 649,21–​22, MHMJS 17, 12,68. 348 The tradition of the West Syrian Church is known through their prayers. The phrases such as ‘harbour of life’ and ‘harbour of peace’ in relation to Christ occur in many of the prayers of the West Syrian tradition. Cf. E.R. Hambye, OCA 197, 403. 349 A Daughter of the Covenant who Departs from the World, HS V, 821,8.

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The Notion of the Church in the Writings of Mar Jacob

The Church provides the rest and peace to the faithful by inviting them to the table of life where the mystery of the death of Christ is celebrated. In the participation of the mystery of the death of Christ, the faithful are given the opportunity of being in the state of rest. This rest is provided through the experience of the truth that God himself manifested through His Son, who gave his life for the Church in order to unite her fully with the Father. The faithful experience this mystery of truth at the table of the Church. So, the peace and rest provided by the Church originates from the mystery of the Son’s salvific activity in the world. This indicates that the Church becomes the harbour in the world by its possession of the truth of God’s salvific acts, which has its fulfillment in the eschaton. Hence the symbol of harbour manifests the Church, which anticipate the mystery of death and resurrection of the Son and thereby it becomes the provider of life to all those who enter into it.

Conclusion This chapter rather elaborately dealt with the basic concepts of the Church, which are narrated in the homilies of Mar Jacob through the symbols. For Mar Jacob, the fundamental concepts regarding the Church are based on the fact that the Church is an essential part in the revelation of God’s salvific plan, which is manifested through the Son. The important themes such as the ‘house of God’ and the ‘community’ shows that the Church is the earthly manifestation of God’s plan and it is constituted by the gathering of the people. The people who gathered around the mystery of salvation, which is manifested through the deeds of the Son, constitute the earthly Church. Mar Jacob narrates the formation of this Church by analyzing the Old Testament events, where he saw the prefiguration of the Church, which is fulfilled in Christ. Mar Jacob explained the inner dynamics of the identity of the Church through the symbols. The symbols reveal the hidden meaning of the basic identity of the Church. The basic identity of the Church is linked to its relationship with Christ. The bridal imagery of the Church manifests that the Church is intrinsically united with Christ and therefore this union is indissoluble. The symbol of the tabernacle shows that the Church is the presence of God on earth and it is the manifestation of the heavenly tabernacle on earth. The symbol of ladder manifests that the role of the Church on earth is to combine heaven and earth so that God can descend on earth and the faithful can ascend to heaven. The symbol of harbour reveals that the Church is a place of the abode of rest and it provides rest to her faithful through the presence of Christ, who resides in the Church in the Eucharistic form. All these symbols

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confirm consistently the fact that the earthly Church provides the foretaste of the fulfillment of the union with Christ, which reaches its culmination in the eschaton. Therefore, the basic concepts of the Church delineated by Mar Jacob through the narration of symbols describe that the Church is the possessor of the mystery of God’s salvific work upon the earth.

Chapter III The Church in the Divine Economy of Salvation Introduction In the previous chapter of this study, I have brought out the basic concepts of the Church in the writings of Mar Jacob and its manifestation through various types and imageries. This chapter aims at a synthesis of Mar Jacob’s views on the Church about its role in the economy of salvation. The saving acts of God begin with the creation, so the analysis begins with the story of creation. Mar Jacob held a view that the original creation is a perfect one, but subsequently spoilt by man’s disobedience and ultimately restored to its original perfection by the work of Christ. All this was expressed in the familiar and convenient terms of paradise, the fall, and man’s restoration to paradise. The restoration of man and creation take place when he makes the reentry into the paradise. According to Mar Jacob, Christ made possible this reentry of man into paradise through his act of baptism and his death on the cross. At baptism, man retrieved the lost robe of glory of Adam and his death on the cross removing the sword that barred humanity from entry into paradise. For Mar Jacob, the Church is perceived at these two pivotal events of the saving ministry of Christ so the role of the Church on earth is to represent the paradise, where the humanity wants to reenter. Hence, this chapter tries to find out the relation of the Church and paradise, which is envisaged by Mar Jacob, and this further helps to substantiate the functions of the Church on earth as the medium of salvation.

1. The Role of the Church in the Divine Economy of Salvation The locus of Mar Jacob’s ecclesiological thinking is the self-​revelation of God. God manifested himself and made known his actual being to the world, which can only be experienced in a hidden way. Therefore, the instances of self-​revelations of God have a hiddenness, which points to something that will one day be revealed in its fullness. Seeing from this perspective, the early Syriac Christian theology does not count this divine revelation of God as something designed for the total manifestation of the divinity. This is the self-​revelation of certain aspects of the divinity and divine realities that are bearable to humanity and that are necessary for divine-​human relationship.1 For the early Syrian Church Fathers, especially for Aphrahat and Mar Ephrem, God is hidden, except as far as he allows 1 Cf. S.J. Beggiani, Early Syriac Theology, Washington, 2014, 2–​3.

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himself to be revealed. By holding this view, they generally affirm the supreme transcendence of God, the creator, and the finiteness and the dependency of the creatures on the creator as well as the harmony between God and the orders of the creation.2 This shows that the early Syrian Church fathers, especially the West Syrian Church Fathers, are convinced that each individual gets the experience of the divine through the revelations of God in so far as how much God reveals himself. Their views also connote that the individual experiences regarding the hiddenness of God are something partial and hence it discloses the possibility of further revelations in the course of time. The salvific events that we come across in the divine-​human relationship hence establish that the self-​revelation of God reaches its fullness in a progressive manner. The early Syrian Church Fathers look at the origin and the role of the Church in this world within the framework of the self-​revelation of God, which moves forward progressively as the divine-​ human relation progresses. Therefore, for them the Church is perceivable when God makes his divinity tangible to the world and to human beings in order to make them participate in the divinity of God. Hence, within the spectrum of the revelation of the hiddenness of God the Church is seen as a reality, which manifests God’s plan and as well as enables people to experience the salvific plan of God. Mar Jacob also follows the same thinking pattern of his predecessors. For him, God is hidden because of the inability of the human faculties to approach and understand the divinity.3 In his homilies, Mar Jacob explains this unapproachability to the divinity by the analogy of ‘fire.’ The homily on ‘faith’ describes a fearful fire flowing from God.4 Therefore, God is far from worshippers and believers and fearful to those who would wish to seek him. Though God is ineffable and unapproachable, Mar Jacob explains that humans can experience God because he reveals himself out of his divine mercy and his loving kindness. For Mar Jacob, God reveals himself out of his mercy in various modes, such as in creation, redemption and salvation. It is in this respect Mar Jacob finds creation, redemption, and salvation as acts of divine mercy. In all these acts, God makes himself available for the sake of humanity and the humanity is given the power of discernment and understanding in order to comply with the divine plan and purpose.

2 Cf. R. Murray, The Theory of Symbolism, ParOr 6–​7, (1975–​1976), 2. 3 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 284,16 –​286,21, Sob 3,1, 72,21 –​73,66. 4 Cf. Faith, HS III, 583, 5–​7.

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Mar Jacob in his homilies distinguishes several levels in the progressive self-​ revelation of God, which manifests his mercy, with proper emphasis. The first act of his mercy for the humanity is the creation of Adam. It expresses itself further as compassion towards the house of Adam, which, in its wider connotation means compassion towards the whole creation. T. Kollamparampil in his work on the Mar Jacob’s homilies asserts that the continuation of the revelation of the divine mercy for the humanity should be categorized in three levels, such as the ‘Path of the Law,’ ‘the Road of Christ,’ and ‘Road of the Apostolate.’5 This progressive nature and the presence of the divine revelations in the course of time are always governed by the immutable and eternal divine plan. The divine plan of God, which is realized in creation, gradually continues through acts, which help the creation coming in relation to God. This vision hence enumerates the divine-​ human encounter in the history of salvation, which gradually progresses to its fullness. According to Mar Jacob, each stage distinguishes the progressive mode of divine revelation. The initial path ‘Path of the Law’ includes the teaching of the prophets and functions until the coming of Christ. The second stage ‘Road of Christ’ revealed in the salvific acts of Christ had its portrayal in the Law and the Prophets. The third stage ‘Road of Apostolate’ begins with its preaching of the actualized ‘Road of the Salvation’ in Christ. It is at the level of ‘Road of Apostolate’ that Mar Jacob finds the role of the Church. The Church stands at this stage for the realization of salvation in Christ. Therefore, it is appropriate to say that Mar Jacob brings out the notion of the Church in relation to the divine economy of salvation. According to him, the Church derives her authority to act from her origin as a work of the divine economy of salvation. The analysis of the events of the divine economy of salvation will substantiate how the Church manifests the salvation that is revealed through the divine plan.

1.1. The Creation of the World and Adam Mar Jacob explained the creation of the world and of the first parents Adam and Eve with prime importance in his homilies because of its pivotal role in God’s plan of salvation, which is fully manifested in Christ. For Mar Jacob, there is a definite purpose of creation. Creation is an activity of divine mercy. Creation is not for any fulfillment in God but an expression of his mercy in benevolence towards whatever is created. This perfect benevolence of God is explicit in the creation of man in the ‘image and likeness’ of God.’ When he elaborates his theological expressions regarding the role of Adam in the salvific act of God, he 5 Kollamparampil, Introduction, FH, 19–​20.

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describes Adam as a representative of the whole humanity.6 In the homilies of Mar Jacob, the whole humanity in Adam was so real to conceive the very constitution of the physical body of Adam, and as a symbol of the real oneness of humankind in Rabbinic doctrines.7 For Mar Jacob, God created Adam with all the shades that are within the natures of created beings. Therefore, God saw him as the representative of the human beings of the whole world. He included in his image all the shades so that he is in essences [of beings], so he saw in him the human being of the whole world and of all places.8

ܺ ܳ ‫ܕܓ‬ ܳ ‫)ܪ‬, ܶ ‫ܝܫܐ‬ Certain titles of Adam, like ‘head of the race’ (‫ܢܫܐ‬ and ‘head of the genܳ ܳ ܰ ܳ ܺ 9 eration’ )‫ )ܪܝܫܐ ܕܫ̈ܪܒܬܐ‬, which Mar Jacob used in his homilies to describe Adam, show his reliance on the abiding presence of humanity in Adam. These indicators hence show that when Mar Jacob explains the creation of Adam, he intends to delineate the salvation of the whole humanity, which is envisaged by God through the creation.

1.1.1. The Creation of the World God created the world out of his love. This creation was neither out of any need nor for any fulfillment. The whole intention of his creation is to make his creatures participate in his glory. Mar Jacob explains the intention of God for creating the world in his homily on ‘the first day of creation.’ In this homily we read: It was not any need of his own that he sought to fulfill with the world he created, but he created his creatures because he is good. And he came down to create the creatures in their various kinds, and it is clear that if he had not humbled himself, he would not have created. Why did he create when he did not need to but for,

6 Cf. H.W. Robinson, Corporate Personality in Ancient Israel, Philadelphia, 1980, 30. In the social matrix of Israel there was a smooth transition between the individual to the society and vice versa. Therefore, among the Hebrews any individual and his group are mutually representative. 7 Cf. W.D. Davies, Paul and Rabbinic Judaism: Paul and Rabbinic Judaism, Philadelphia, 1980, 57. According to the traditional Rabbinic doctrine the whole humanity is united in Adam. This doctrine implied that the very constitution of the physical body of Adam and the method of its formation was symbolic of the real oneness of mankind. 8 The Creation of Adam, and the Resurrection of the Dead, HS III, Hom.Nr. 72, pp. 152–​ 175, here p. 153,6–​7, My own translation. 9 The Nativity of Our Lord, SHF VIII, 807,14–​15, Kollamparampil, FH III, 127,360–​361. ‘Let Adam, the head of the race and the generations rejoice, because the Heir has shone forth, who shall make him enter into paradise.’ (Ibid.).

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that grace whose description is too lofty for rational beings? For the world was built through grace, so that it might come into being, with a certain substance which came into being from nothing. When hosts were created he would unite them, with him in glory, and they would delight in his service.10

This citation clearly enumerates that God created the world only because he is good. The creation of the world manifests that God had made the creation by lowering himself down and actualized the creation through his grace in order to unite everything with him. He visualized this plan to be fulfilled through the creatures.

1.1.2. The Creation of Adam God’s act of love is seen in its perfect mould in the creation of Adam and Eve. Unlike the other creatures, he created Adam by his own hand.11 According to Mar Jacob, God created Adam with a specific purpose as we have seen in the creation of the world. The divine purpose of the creation of Adam was to raise him to the status of the Son of God and as the heir of the paradise.12 Mar Jacob very clearly narrated the purpose of the creation in his cluster of homilies regarding the creation of Adam. There we read: The Lord created him (Adam) not to make him go out of Paradise, but that he might enter and become the heir and governor.13

The divine wisdom and the creative power adorned Paradise with all its glories and beauties only because of its heir, Adam. Adam was destined for Paradise as

10 The Six Days of Creation, First day, HS III, 4,2–​10, ET by R.D. Young, in: Message of the Fathers of the Church, J.W. Trigg (ed.), 188,11–​20. 11 Cf. The Six days of Creation, Sixth Day, HS III, Hom.Nr. 71.6, pp. 97–​129, here p. 109,16–​ 17, My own translation. ܳ ܳ ܳ ܺ ܶ ܶ ‫ܝܬܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܒܪ‬ ‘‫ܕܐ ܽܗܘܬܐ܇‬ ‫ܒܪ‬ ܱ ‫ܡܙܐ ܘ ܴܐ ܳܕܡ ܒ ܻܐ ̈ܝܕܝܗ‬ ܳ ܶ ܳ ܰܰ ܶ ܳ ܺ ܳ ‫ܳܕܒܗ ܒܒܪܝܬܐ ܢܬܝܟܪ ܗܘܐ ܨܠܡ ܱܐܗܐ܀‬ The creation by the divine gesture and Adam by the divine hand, so the image of God was glorified through his creation.’ (Ibid.). 12 Cf. Friday of Passion, SHF V, 628,33, Kollamparampil, FH XII, 290,33. ‘By his grace the merciful Father made Adam a son, in order that he may become the heir of his possessions.’ (Ibid.). 13 Adam’s Exist from Paradise, QHC, Hom.Nr. III, pp. 33–​86, here p. 42,169–​170, My own translation.

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a ‘God of flesh,’ ‘the anointed of the Father,’ and ‘the resemblance of the Son.’14 Through the creation of Adam, God’s mercy came down to the level of humanity. Mar Jacob’s explanation of the creation of Adam in the image and likeness of God not only ascertains the divine purpose of the creation, but also establishes Mar Jacob’s theological understanding regarding the role of Adam to build up a relation between God and humanity. Mar Jacob describes Adam as the image ܳ ‫)ܨ‬ ܰ of God on clay. ‘Towards the earth the divine image has descended, and (‫ܠܡܐ‬ on the clay, it painted its own self and Adam came into being.’15 Thus, the creation of Adam shows that God fashioned man out of dust and painted the divine image on him and hence through the creation God provides him a special status on earth. When Mar Jacob explains the image and likeness of Adam, he specifies the ‘image’ as the reflection of the Father and the ‘likeness’ as the resemblance of Son.16 Adam became the image of God on account of the Son.17 This special status of Adam in the created world makes him at the same time immanent and transcendent in the world, immanent due to his creatureliness and transcendent due to the divine image in him. Adam became a ‘friend’18 and an ‘associate’19 14 The Six days of Creation, Sixth Day, HS III, 109,1, My own translation. ܳ ܽ ܳ ܶ ‫ܘܪܬܐ ܰܕ‬ ܳ ‫ ܳܐܗ ܶܒ‬/​The God of flesh, the anointed of the Father, the resemܺ ‫ܣܪܐ‬ ܶ ‫ܡܫ‬ ‘‫ܒܪܗ܀‬ ‫ܝܚܗ ܕܐܱܒܐ ܨ‬ ܱ blance of His Son.’ (Ibid.). 15 HS III, 110,14–​15, My own translation. 16 Cf. God says: Come, let us make Man in our image as in our resemblance and on the birth of Christ, QHC I, 2,31–​32, My own translation. ‘Mercy inclined God to dust to give him image and shape it according to the imprint of his Unique Son.’ (Ibid.). 17 Cf. Mar Jacob maintains a relation between Adam and Christ in homilies, especially in the homilies regarding the creation. For him this relationship is the hermeneutical key to explain the incarnation of the Son and all the salvific activities manifested through Christ. Cf. Bou Mansour, La Théologie de Jacques de Saroug I, 68, Cf. The Lawgiver of the Old and the New Testament is one and the same, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 136, pp. 803–​818, here p. 815,11–​12, My own translation. ‘From the earth, the Father took dust, and made his image of it, And the son took the likeness of a servant and he became one of us.’ (Ibid.). 18 Cf. The Six days of Creation, Sixth Day, HS III, 118,17–​18, My own translation. ܳ ܳ ܳܳ ܽ ܰ ܳ ܰ ܳ ܰ ‘‫ܕܐ ܽܗܘܬܐ܇‬ ܱ ‫ܘܗܘܐ ܚܒܪܐ ܒܗܘ ܬܘܩܢܐ‬ ܳ ܶ ‫ܥܒܕ ܐܝܟ ܰܚ‬ ܺ ‫ܥܒ ܳܕܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܝܠܗ‬ ‫ܕܦܫܝܩ ܥܡ ܱܐ ܳܗܐ܀‬ ܱ ܰ And he became a friend in that divine work, he performed his powerful work as it is interpreted with God.’ (Ibid.). 19 HS III, 119,4–​5, My own translation. ܳ ܳ ܽ ܳ ܶܳ̈ܽ ܶ ‫ܘܬܐ‬ ‘‫ܢܗܐ ܰܫܘܬ ܳܦܐ‬ ‫ܕܐܗ‬ ܱ ‫ܘܕܒܬܘܩܢܐ‬ ܳ ܽ ܳ ܳ ܶ ‫ܫܡ ̈ܶܗܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܳܣܡ ̄ܗ ܳܘܐ‬ ‫ܠܡ ܶܕܡ ܕܒܪܬ ܱܐܗܘܬܐ܀‬

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of God through the exercise of the domain over the creatures. Because of ܳ ܺ ܳ ‫ ܽ)ܝ‬20 or the ‘icon of God’ this status, Adam stands as a ‘rational icon’ )‫ܡܠܝܠ‬ ‫ܘܩ ܳܢܐ‬ ܶ ܳ ܳ ܰ 21 ܽ (‫ )ܝܘܩܢܗ ܕܡܠܟܐ‬on earth through whom God governs and the creatures recognize their creator. Therefore, Adam on the one hand participates in the glory of God and on the other hand represents the divine glory upon the earth. Consequently, according to Mar Jacob, the intention of the creation of Adam is obviously to manifest the aim of God to unite the whole creation unto Him and in this proܳ 23 between God and ܳ ‫)ܡ‬ ܶ 22 and a ‘bond’ )‫)ܚܙ ܳܩܐ‬ cess Adam stands as a ‘mediator’ )‫ܨܥ ܳܝܐ‬ creatures.

1.1.3. The Fall of Adam and Expulsion from the Paradise The merciful God had created Adam in a potentially perfect manner in Paradise. He appointed him as owner and master of Paradise.24 Though God has given Adam ownership over all the creations, he was forbidden to eat from one tree, ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil’ (Gen 2:15–​17). This commandment according to Mar Jacob is a test for Adam in order to exercise the free will. Adam was constituted in such a way that he could freely choose either immortality or mortality. Because of having been created with free will, Adam stood in an intermediate state between mortality and immortality. Due to the spiritual elements in him, through the divine image, he was immortal. Due to the dust from which he was formed, he was mortal. In the commandment, that he was given in Eden this role was made explicit. He was given the free will to choose between good

And in the divine work he becomes an associate he laid names to everything that the divine being has created.’ (Ibid.). 20 Forty Days of Fasting, SHF, Hom.Nr. 3, pp. 568–​ 585, here p. 578,32, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH IX, 235,32. 21 The Six days of Creation, Sixth Day, HS III, 108,12, My own translation. 22 Cf. The Creation of Adam, and the Resurrection of the Dead, HS III, 154,1–​2, My own translation. ܽ ‫ܘܡܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܘܡܩܐ ܳܣ ܶܡܗ ܐܱܝܟ ܶܡ‬ ܳ ‫ܠܥ‬ ܳ ‫ܰܒ ܳܝܢܬ ܰܪ‬ ‘‫ܨܥ ܳܝܐ‬ ܶ̈ ܰ ܽ ܽ ܶ ܶ ܽ ܰ ܶ ܰ ܳ ‫ܘܟܘܠܗܘܢ ܓܒܐ ܐܣܪ ܒܩܢܘܡܗ ܟܕ ܒܪܗ ܠܗ܀‬ Between heaven and earth he (God) placed him (Adam) as a mediator, and when he created him he (God) bound all sides in his (Adam) person.’ (Ibid.). 23 Cf. HS III, 109,2–​3. 24 Cf. Ibid. ܳ ܰ ܳ ܳ ܶ ‫ܠܡܐ ܽܟ‬ ܺ ‫ܕܬܐ ܶܕܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܬܬܣܝܡ ܶܢ ܰܐܪܬ ܳܥ‬ ‘‫ܘܠܗ܀‬ ‫ܡܪܐ ܚ‬ The new Lord (master), who has been placed to take possession of the whole world.’ (Ibid.).

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and evil or between life and death. The free will brought out his choice.25 In this ܰ 26 to make ܳ ‫)ܡܪ‬ exercise of discernment, the commandment stands as a ‘tutor’ (‫ܒܝ ܳܢܐ‬ him to grow up. However, Adam failed to act properly due to his own frailty and his susceptibility to the cunningness of the envious evil one. By his free choice, he plucked the fruit from the tree whereby “death overpowered the one who would not have died.’27 The jealousy of the evil one stirred up against the wise fashioning and the wisdom found in Adam as well as the rational image cast on him. Mar Jacob brings out very well the whole episode of the alienation of Adam from God and its after effects in one of his homilies. For Satan, on account of his jealousy, devised this while devastating, alluring and provoking so as to corrupt that image which the [divine] wisdom had set up upon the creation and thus the rational image which the creative energy, following the completion of its works, had cast would be dissolved and be made dust. Indeed, he was jealous of how wisely Adam was fashioned and with what knowledge he was constituted……. Thus he acted cunningly to introduce sin, which opened on them the door to death, so that by it they might be separated one from the other and the image might perish and thus the wisdom should not be seen in it.28

According to Mar Jacob, Adam lost his divine abode and his divine image due to his disobedience. Thus, he became a stranger in the house of the Father. He was expelled from the heights of Eden to Sheol to the abyss of dead. This estrangement of Adam from God and the divine plan is depicted as deprivation of the ‘table of the king.’ One of the homilies of Mar Jacob clearly enumerates the aftereffects of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Indeed, there was no hope for human beings. For, they had fallen from the rank of the adopted sons. They were expelled from the familiarity with the divine abode. The transgression of the commandment had put them to shame and they became strangers at the house of the Father. They were cast out from the heights of garden of Eden, and Sheol, the abyss of the dead, received them. They were fallen from the supreme heights and

25 Cf. Was Adam been Created Mortal or Immortal?, QHC, Hom.Nr. II, pp. 17–​32, here p. 31,277–​278; 285–​286, My own translation. ‘It was possible for him, according to his will, to be like this: Or deadly or immortal. ........ It is good to be mortal and immortal now, And to give freedom to power on both.’ (Ibid.). 26 Adam’s Exist from Paradise, QHC III, 39,198, My own translation. 27 Was Adam been Created Mortal or Immortal? QHC II, 26,198. 28 Forty Days’ of Fasting, SHF IV, 579,32, Kollamparampil, FH IX, 241,32.

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had been thrown into the abysses below. They were deprived of the table of the king and became dust and the food of the dragon.29

From the above citation, it is clear that Mar Jacob was convinced that the fall of Adam is an alienation from the divinity and the divine plan. It also enumerates the threefold effects of Adam’s sin. Firstly, he became alienated from God. This alienation leads him to a mortal stage. He became dust and finally he became captive of the evil one. With regard to Adam’s mortal state of existence, the key imagery, which Mar Jacob used, is that of the loosing of ‘the robe of glory/​light’ and putting on the ‘cloth of shame.’30 Due to sin and alienation from God, Adam fell from his own status and to a corrupted state. Since Mar Jacob considers Adam as a representative of the whole humanity the effects of his debt became a communal debt and it was carried over to generations. Thus, a broken and an injured existence emerged. Mar Jacob accounts this distorted existence as an outcome of the defective exercise of liberty and as a falling and as a falling from justice.31 The divine image in the human nature became corrupted. This corruption, disintegration, and the falling down signify a turning back to dust or more dramatically, in view of Mar Jacob, Adam’s opening of the door to death through sin and the entrance of corruption into the creation.32 The deviation of Adam from the divine purpose brought a change in his allegiance with God. He estranged himself from the divinity and proclaimed his allegiance to the evil one through the serpent. Thus, Adam went far away from God, stumbled, and slipped off from his status and integrity. He fell further down to become a slave of the evil one. It was the free will of Adam opted for it. From Adam, the head of the race, the corruption proceeded as an accursed patrimony

2 9 The Nativity, SHF I, 540, 7, FH IV, 131,7. 30 Cf. Adam’s Exist from Paradise, QHC III, 83,1015–​1018, My own translation. ‘He expelled them like thieves from his house, and like children he clothed them on account of his mercy. They were chastised with a hand a vestment with grace was woven.’ (Ibid.). 31 Cf. The Parable of the Vineyard, HS IV, 748,6–​7, My own translation. ‘When the evil entered in her, it damaged her beautiful soul, he fell into her desire from that height of justice.’ (Ibid.). 32 Cf. The Friday of Passion, SHF V, 612,7, FH XII, 281,7. He has despised his Lord, he has heard the voice of his wife, he has stretched out his hand towards the fruit, set his feet in the trap, broke through the fence of the law, fractured the yoke of the commandment; he himself dug a deep tomb and has opened the door to death so that it might enter into creation to corrupt it.

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to the whole humanity. Hence, both Adam and humanity need redemption through the reconciliation with God, the creator.

1.2. The Search of God for the Fallen Adam One of the predominant images that Mar Jacob used to depict the economy and the history of salvation is that of the merciful Father seeking Adam, the fallen one. Mar Jacob develops the figure of the merciful Father seeking Adam from the exegesis Gen 3:8–​9 where God is seen in the garden seeking and calling Adam ‘Where are you?’33 Even when Adam turned away from the merciful God by his own will the divine mercy offered itself from its abundance. Mar Jacob shows how this abundance of mercy invited Adam, who went astray. According to Mar Jacob, it was divine grace becoming a ‘tutor’ in search of the lost Adam.34 After the fall, God extended his merciful hand for a second time for redeeming Adam.35 It was an offer to repent and confess the sin: but Adam went falsely justifying himself. He failed to understand discerningly the purpose of the merciful God. Upon this, the necessary punishment arose. Even though he was punished the divine mercy did not want to send him naked out of paradise, hence a ‘tunic of shame’ was made to cloth him, which was at the same time an announcement of his return if he is prepared to repent.36 Though Adam went his own way by justifying himself, God did not cease his search for Adam and his attempt to bring Adam back to the road of salvation. For Mar Jacob, it is a theologically and a morally saturated search that provided an invitation and a teaching to repent and to return to the road of salvation. This merciful intervention of God by extending his hands to redeem Adam is symbolically discernible in various covenants of the history of salvation through its various stages, which have its fuller manifestation in Christ. In the earlier interventions, God intervened in the history of salvation through mysteries and types, which were actualized in Christ providing the fullness of revelation to the 33 Mar Jacob makes an exegetical exposition of the question ‘Where are you?’ in his homily on ‘Adam’s exist from Paradise,’ Cf. Adam’s Exist from Paradise, QHC III, 68, 689–​792. 34 Cf. Adam’s Exist from Paradise, QHC III, 68,725–​726, My own translation. ‘Grace has become a tutor inside Paradise, And she went to get her son, Adam, who lost his soul.’ (Ibid.). 35 Cf. God says: Come, let us make Man in our image as in our resemblance and on the birth of Christ, QHC I, 6,99–​100, My own translation. ‘And the prophet cried, ‘The Lord will stretch out his hand a second time, to acquire his people’ because if he does not do it again, he will not acquire it.’ (Ibid.). 36 See the footnote no. 30.

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types and mysteries. The homilies of Mar Jacob narrate that the Church is prefigured in this process of redeeming Adam. By narrating pre-​figured the Church as the bride, to which the Son, the heavenly bridegroom, is betrothed, Mar Jacob establishes his concept of the Church, which is traceable in the process of God’s search for the fallen Adam.

1.3. The Prefiguration of the Church The prefiguration of the Church is seen in the election of the people and in the commandments that God has given to them. The election of Israel and the provision of Law are all for the sake of the redemption of the ‘house of Adam.’ The Father had chosen a nation through Moses and gave the law to justify them. The giving of the law to Moses itself manifests the nature of fallen community in Eden as well as of the progress of divine plan of salvation. Mar Jacob establishes these facts through presenting a typological parallelism between the incident of the breach of the original commandment in Eden (Gen 3:1–​7) and the destruction of the first set of the tablets of the law written by God and given through Moses at the sight of the sins of the people (Ex 32:19). For Mar Jacob, Adam and Eve are the ‘two tablets’ and the divine commandment was written down to them.37 However, they rejected the commandments and deviated themselves, turning away to the point of destroying themselves. Hence, God extended his hand a ‘second time’ and renewed the law through Moses.38 The two destroyed tablets in the hands of Moses are the types of Adam and Eve. God instructed Moses to build new tablets for the law. He renewed the tablets, which were destroyed. This, according to Mar Jacob is the symbol of renewing the first law that was corrupted by Adam and Eve.39 Moses as the image of the Son of 37 Cf. God says: Come, let us make Man in our image as in our resemblance and on the birth of Christ, QHC I, 7,123–​126, My own translation. ‘The two tablets are, so to speak, Adam and Eve, Kind nature, innocent couple from God. The snake entered then, like the calf in the camp, and was the cause of ‘sin’ for the house of Adam; and they were corrupted.’ (Ibid.). 38 Cf. QHC I, 8,111–​112, My own translation. ‘Mercy was manifested and ‘the Lord extended his hand a second time’ And He has given the law, and as long as it is without corruption, it is maintained.’ (Ibid.). 39 God says: Come, let us make Man in our image as in our resemblance and on the birth of Christ, QHC I, 7,129–​133, My own translation. ‘As these first tables were broken, With them too, the divine law lost.

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God40 searched for the humanity who had been corrupted through the sin of Adam and renewed the humanity by giving them a new law for the second time. According to Mar Jacob, Moses’ redeeming act for the humanity is depicted in his mission with Israelites. God has chosen Israel because she belongs to the ‘house of Abraham.’41 Through this election, the promise that God had done with Abraham becomes real. At Mount Sinai God, out of his love for humanity, married Israel and made her as his bride. Moses as the mediator and friend of the Bridegroom42 prepared the bride for the betrothal. Moses prepared her according to the instructions given to him.43 Mar Jacob portrays this bride as the prefiguration of the Church44 or as the elected Church.45 Therefore, according to Mar Jacob, the Church is a reality that comes into being because of God’s search for humanity. It is God who summoned the humanity, who had been gone astray out of their disobedience, towards him, and the community, who were gathered around him, is the bride, the Church. The pre-​figured Church, which is manifested through Moses, becomes more evident and visible at the arrival of the Son of God.

1.4. The Nativity of the Son The nativity of the Son represents the fullness of revelation and the climax of human creation. In its redemptive aspect, it remedies the effects of sin. The disobedience of Adam had introduced sin and disharmony between God and creation. Humans created in the image of God and due to the sin of Adam they

So Adam and Eve were lost and corrupted as well, And nature became as though it was not, for it was cut down. And as these tables were renewed by the hand of Moses,Thus, the Son of God renewed Eve and Adam.’ (Ibid.). 40 Cf. QHC I, 8,138–​139, My own translation. ‘For Moses is the image of the Son of God Moses, himself, entered to renew the tablets; he had faith.’ (Ibid.). 41 Cf. The Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 6,17–​18, Appendix I, 385,70–​71. ‘He desired the congregation, the daughter of the righteous ones, because of her race, so that He becomes a kin to the race of the house of Abraham.’ (Ibid.). 42 Cf. The Consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses, HS I, 41,13, Appendix II, 409,65. 43 Cf. HS I, 40,15–​16, Appendix II, 409,45–​46. 44 Cf. Ibid. 45 Cf. HS I, 40,11, Appendix II, 408,40.

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possessed a distorted image and were unable to benefit from God’s indwelling in them. Therefore, God in his mercy performed a great wonder at the nativity of his Son who came to redeem the world through his feebleness. According to Mar Jacob, the eternal Son makes a second birth in his nativity. The Son is active from his eternity in the divine economy with His Father. The Father knows about the hidden first birth of the Son in eternity. Though it is hidden, the creation resounds everything regarding the birth of the Son by the Father. At the time of creation, God the Father created Adam by looking at the image of the Son. When Mar Jacob gives interpretation to God’s words ‘let us make man in our image’ at the time of creating Adam, he emphasizes the first birth. In one of his homilies we read: Before the created things, the Father sealed the image of his Son, and formed him and showed how he would shine among the earthly beings. The Father looked at the image of his Son and formed Adam, that his [Son’s] sign shall come on earth beforehand. Because of this he said, “Let us make man in our image,” in this image of the child of Mary, the Only-​Begotten.46

The above citation makes clear that the Son, who is present in eternity, came to second birth due to the effect of the sin of Adam. Since Adam was created in the image of the Son, the coming of Christ in order to save Adam from his infirmities becomes more sensible. Christ came to redeem Adam due to the fact that he lost his divine image, which makes him resemble to Christ. Therefore, through incarnation, Christ came to the level of the fallen one in order to redeem him and to lead him to fuller life. Thus, the act of incarnation depicts the search of the Son for the fallen Adam. Mar Jacob depicts the search of the Son for Adam through the image of the lost coin (Lk 15:4–​7) as well as through the shepherd who lost the lost sheep (Lk 15:8–​10). In his homily on ‘the Departure of Adam from Paradise’ he clearly narrates: The pastor went after the sheep who wanted to get lost, For her to hear his voice and follow him in prayer. The voice there provoked the effect of a march, To provoke repentance of Adam’s house. The Divinity came out to seek his lost coin, And she carried with her the light of the voice in the Garden of Eden. The Lord tells him Where are you Adam? while knowing it, To show him that he was looking for it as a lost thing.47

4 6 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 591,11–​16, MHMJS 14, 110,1013–​1018. 47 Adam’s Exist from Paradise, QHC III, 67,703–​710, My own translation.

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The citation shows that the fallen Adam is the lost coin that became corrupted and spoiled its proper image. Christ is ‘the fashioner of babes,’48 who through his incarnation in the furnace of Mary fashioned an image for Adam in order to rectify the damaged image of the damaged coin. By the incarnation, Christ imprinted his own being on fallen Adam in order to redeem him. Mar Jacob’s explanation on the nativity of the Son makes the reason for the incarnation of the Son more specific. In the furnace of your womb he will cast and prepare an image for Adam, and into it the God of all will lower himself to come to birth. On that coin which the evil one damaged He will imprint His being and through it He will ransom the whole world from servitude.49

Therefore, the nativity of the Son depicts the journey of the Son, who is in search for Adam. In this journey of the Son along the ways of humanity, we can see the emergence of the Church, which has a direct link to the mission of Christ.

1.5. The Incarnation and the Church The incarnation of the Son of God, as I have discussed earlier, has a definitive purpose of searching the fallen Adam. The divine steadfast love and fidelity towards humanity search the humanity, which went astray from him. In Mar Jacob’s vision, it is the idolatry that alienate humanity from God. Mar Jacob finds idolatry as an alien lust/​love50 that emerges due to the allurements of the evil one and human submissiveness out of free will. What happened to Eve in the garden is a typical example of the emergence of idolatry. The evil one introduced alien lust/​ love into Eve and made her believe that she could by her own power snatch away the divinity from the tree rather than to follow the God-​given command. She was led astray by false discernment. In fact, it is setting up a creature (a tree) in place of the divinity. Thus, Eve was cunningly induced to declare that there is not only one God but also many God’s, which is precisely the beginning of idolatry. Mar Jacob finds all idolatrous behavior in the history of the Old Testament as a sequel to that first act in Eden by which humanity began to be subjugated by the idols introduced by the evil one.51 Hence, the children of Eve became enslaved to 48 Fashioner of babes is a title of Christ used by Mar Jacob more often. Cf. Kollamparampil, FH I, 55,283; 63, 489; 78,828. 49 The Nativity of the Redeemer according to Flesh, SMS VI, 733,15–​18, FH I, 55,289–​292. 50 Cf. The Sunday of Hosannas, SHF IV, 586,2, FH XI, 263,2. 51 Cf. The Nativity, SMS VII, 776,19, Kollamparampil, FH II, 97,35. ‘The children of Eve had been enslaved to the adversary; the Lord of Eve became a child to redeem them.’ (Ibid.).

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the adversary. In Mar Jacob’s vision, God tried to subjugate the adversary of the house of Adam. Mar Jacob depicts these attempts of God with the five alliances that God had made with humanity through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Christ.52 The fifth alliance that God has made with the humanity is manifested in incarnation, which perfected and concluded all the previous alliances. According to Mar Jacob, the alliance of God with the humanity is symbolized through the imagery of betrothal. God, the bridegroom, attempts to reconstruct the union with the people or humanity, the bride, by becoming one with her. Though God made an alliance with the people, it was raptured due to the infidelity of the bride. This rapture of the divine-​human relationship is made explicit symbolically and dramatically by Mar Jacob through his explanation of the paradise account and the later Old Testament history of Israel’s infidelity. Mar Jacob well depicted this infidelity through the imagery of the ‘unfaithful bride,’53 which he often used to describe Israel, the chosen bride. In incarnation, we see that the journey of God to search Adam gets its pinnacle, because the Son of God, the heavenly bridegroom, betroths to the bride, the Church.54 Through incarnation, the Son of God took the bride from the idols for the marriage feast. So, the bride, who is bound to adultery, obtained freedom from the imprisonment behind the gates of darkness.55 The whole intention of incarnation of the Son and its relation to the bride, the Church, is depicted in the homily of Mar Jacob, where he depicted the act of Moses and his works to form the Church. According to Mar Jacob, Moses built the Church according to the plan of God, when he descended from Mount Sinai with the design of the Church. The descent of Moses from Mount Sinai to the people of Israel, which manifests the betrothal of the bride to the bridegroom, foretells the descent the Son of God to humanity and his betrothal to the bride, the Church. With his descent from the top of the mountain towards the Hebrews, the way of Jesus can be seen by him who can comprehend. With his mediation, that is his descent and ascent towards the daughter of Jacob,

52 Cf. HCJ IV, 119,109–​112, My own translation. ‘There were five covenants between God and humanity; from Him, O Jew, accept these five. Of Adam, of Noah, of Abraham, of the house of Moses, and that of his Son, whom in the end he gave to the world.’ (Ibid.). 53 Sunday of Hosannas, HS I, 448,20: 450,22, FH X, 251,79: 253,122. 54 I have explained in chapter II rather elaborately the imagery of bride and betrothal. Please see the pages 144–164. 55 The Nativity of the Redeemer according to Flesh, SMS VI, 769,12–​770, 8, FH I, 88,1036–​1056.

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[the mediation] of Christ towards humanity is depicted. Listen, O experienced, how much the servant is like His Lord, and thus proclaimed Him as if in mystery ‘Prophet like me’. The daughter of Abraham was delivered from Egypt by him, and she was betrothed by him to become the bride of the Holy One. Through him, she approached to become the bride of the King, her Lord, He consecrated her so that she sees the high with a splendor. He became a mediator between God and his camp [i.e. the camp of the Israelites], He is like his Lord, whose Father reconciled with the world through Him. With this type, Christ descended towards humanity, He saved her and betrothed her, sanctified and purified her, washed and cleansed her.56

For Mar Jacob, the incarnation of the Son of God and his thirty years of life on earth is for the purpose of bringing humanity back to the house of the Father. In one of his homilies, he makes clear that from his very birth, the Son walked with the bride in order to take her as his wife. This indicates that from the very beginning of his birth the Son started to accomplish the goal of his nativity. The Son traveled the whole of his life with the bride in order to prepare the bride so that he can take her to the marriage feast as pure and spotless. The rich man’s Son abased himself in the journey he undertook, in order to grow up with the pauper’s daughter betrothed to him. From his very birth he began to walk with her in the way, so that the bride might take on the bridegroom’s custom and he then take her to wife. For thirty years he walked with her in the land of evil men, So that she might be trained with him, and he then take her up to the place of his Father.57

In one of the other passages of the same homily, Mar Jacob narrates that the Son came to the human race in order to be in union with the bride. Through nativity, he mingled with the bride so that they become one. Because of the commingling, he became alike in her and he embodied in her. Therefore, according to Mar Jacob, the Church manifests the act of the incarnation of the Son of God. She stands in the world as an embodiment of the Son by virtue of his union with her. From her race (human race), which was brought low, he became incarnate, ܳ ܰ so that she, as the daughter of that race, would be with Him in one mingling (‫)ܒܚܕ ܽܚܘܠܛ ܳܢܐ‬.

56 The Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 13,5–​19, Appendix I, 389,200 –​390,214. 57 Our Lord’s Remaining on Earth for 30 years before Performing Miracles, HS III, 331,7–​11, TV 4, 45,199–​204.

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Since it is written that the two of them shall be one (Eph 5:31), He became embodied ܰ ‫ ) ܷܐ‬in her, (‫ܬܓ ܰܫܡ‬ he became one with her, he made her one with himself, and behold they are one. He became the Son of man and made her, the Church, the daughter of God, ܳ ܽ and by His commingling (‫)ܚܘܠܛ ܳܢܐ‬, the saying is established that the two are one.58

The whole discussion of the relation between the act of incarnation and the Church can be summarized as follows. In the paradise, God has made Adam in the resemblance of the Son and Adam lost his resemblance due to sin. Through incarnation, the Son by being commingling with the bride regained this resemblance for the humanity, which was lost in paradise. The Church represents this bride, ܳ ܶ ܰ 59 the daughter of Adam )‫)ܒܪܬܗ ܕܐ ܳܕܡ‬ , the humanity60, who went astray from God and again being united with him by commingling with the Son of God, the heavenly bridegroom. Therefore, through the incarnation Christ became embodied in the Church and within the Church one experiences the union of God with the humanity.

1.6. The Church on the Road of Salvation The divine plan of God finds its initial expression in the creation. In the act of creation, God revealed his supreme love and he created the creatures in order to participate in his great glory. The creation of Adam in the ‘image and likeness’ is seen as the supreme act of this love. Adam, who is given the divine image, fails to live up to the expectations of God. The life and journey of Adam as the heir of all divine graces ended up in fall due to his transgression of the divine commandment. According to Mar Jacob, Adam is more than an individual, he is a representative of the whole humanity. Therefore, the sin of Adam is a ‘communal debt’ and the ‘house of Adam’ or humanity carries this along. However, God’s immutable loving kindness and fidelity to the creation offered redemption to this house of Adam. Mar Jacob finds this process of redemption that takes place through progressive self-​manifestation of God. For him, this self-​revelation

58 Our Lord’s Remaining on Earth for 30 years before Performing Miracles, HS III, 333,8–​13, TV, 4, 48,241–​245. 59 HS III, 332, 5, TV 4, 46,217. 60 I have already explained that in the homilies of Mar Jacob Adam represents the whole humanity. Therefore, the term ‘daughter of Adam’ is also understood in the same perspective. The bride as the ‘daughter of Adam’ represents the humanity. Please see page 186 and footnote no. 6 and 7.

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takes place through various steps consisting of five covenants.61 God reveals his saving plans to his children stage by stage and in Christ, this saving action of God assumes its perfection.62 This saving plan of God is perfected in Christ, when he as the heir of Adam63 treads upon the road of Adam to rectify the path of Adam who had been led astray by the evil one. Christ, who journeys the path of Adam, mixed himself with the creation in order to redeem the creation. Mar Jacob finds the expression of this mingling in the imagery of marriage. Christ, as the bridegroom, came through the road of birth to make him known to the bride, whom he calls the Church, for the betrothal. At various staging posts on the road of Christ, this commingling with the bride takes place and its mixing manifests the perfect union of the bridegroom and the bride, the Church. Therefore, according to Mar Jacob, the Church is a reality that is traceable in the salvific plan of God, where Christ mingles himself with the humanity, which is the bride of the heavenly bridegroom.

1.6.1. The Church at Jordan The presence of the Church, the bride, at the baptism of Christ features the origin of the Church on the journey of the Son of God, who searches Adam. At the baptism of the Christ at the river of Jordan, Adam was sought out for purification and sanctification, by which the bride was adorned. Mar Jacob makes Christ speak out: Our Lord says: “I am not lacking but in one thing, The recovery of Adam who was lost from me is being sought by me. Allow me to descend to seek Adam, the fair image (Gen 1:26), And when I shall find the whole of my desire shall be fulfilled.”64

61 I have explained already the five alliances of God with the humanity. Please see the footnote no. 52. 62 The Epiphany, SHF, Hom.Nr. 2, pp. 550–​567, here p. 550,1–​2, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: FH VII, 189,1–​2. 63 Christ ‘the heir of Adam’ is one of the theological presuppositions of Mar Jacob referring to the ‘image and likeness’ in man and the incarnation in which the Son came to assume a body from Adam/​humanity in order to render perfection and life under the covenant already ratified with Adam/​humanity in creation. Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 337. 64 The Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 177,10–​13, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 172,210–​204.

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Christ not only searches Adam but also put the ‘robe of glory’ in the water, which Adam had lost in the paradise, so that he will regain this when he enters into the baptismal water. Christ came to baptism, he went down and placed in the baptismal water the robe of glory, so that the robe which Adam had lost might be there for him.65

As I have already mentioned, the saving act of the Son of God manifests his saving plan for the whole humanity because Adam represents the whole humanity. In the vision of Mar Jacob, the bride also represents the humanity and hence at baptism Christ kept the ‘robe of glory’ for the whole humanity. Christ not only kept the ‘robe of glory’ in the baptismal water but also ‘He sent the bride to go down to cloth herself from the waters.’66 Therefore, at river Jordan we perceive the bride, the Church, who is made blameless and spotless (Eph 5:26–​28). The Church is manifested at Jordan as blameless through her immersion into the baptismal water at Jordan, which is sanctified through the immersion of Christ. The homilies of Mar Jacob regarding the baptism of Christ, narrate the presence of the bride in the saving act of Christ that is revealed through the baptism of Christ. According to Mar Jacob, Christ, the bridegroom, came at the river Jordan for baptism because He loved His bride and He Himself initiated the act of baptism to make her pure, who was lying in filth. In order to purify her, He cleansed the waters of Jordan first, because the sin of Adam not only corrupted Adam but the entire universe. Through His descent into the waters of Jordan Jesus purified all waters of the earth.67 On the first day of creation, the spirit of God blew upon the water and made an order in creation (Gen 1:2).68 When Adam sinned, the Holy Spirit departed not only from Adam but departed from the whole creation. The sin had weakened, enfeebled, deprived the grace of the Spirit, and deteriorated earthly matters.69 When the serpent defeated Eve, Satan spit its venom onto earth and thus earth was poisoned. For this reason, the

6 5 Faith, HS III, 593,8–​9, My own translation. 66 The Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 168,7, FH VI, 163,16. 67 HS I, 180,10–​11, FH VI, 175,265–​266. ܳ ‫ ܽܪ‬has two meanings: spirit and wind. Mar Jacob says that the spirit of God 68 In Syriac ‫ܘܚܐ‬ ܳ ܺ ܳ ܽ is not the Holy Spirit but it was regular wind; he calls it created wind (‫ܒܪܝܬܐ‬ ‫)ܪܘܚܐ‬. Cf. Six Days on Creation, Fist Day, HS III, 23,10, Message of the Fathers of the Church, 200,3. According to Sebastian Brock, for many Syriac fathers the spirit referred in Genesis 1:2 is not Holy Spirit but the wind only. Brock, Bible in Syriac Tradition, 92. 69 Cf. K. McDonnell, Jesus’ Baptism in Jordan, in: Theological Studies (TS) 56 (1995), 217.

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water and earth was contaminated and unfit for habitation. In the homily on ‘the Leaven,’ Mar Jacob mentions about the defiled water and says that: But the world’s waters were at that time not fit for dough. The serpent had vomited into the source of the spring, pouring death therein,70 she took the meal and placed it in the font of baptism, and, taking oil and water, she kneaded it bountifully.71

By descending into the water, Christ crushed the head of the serpent, who poisoned the waters of the earth through the sin of man at Eden.72 Until the arrival of the Son of God, nobody was able to defeat Satan. Through descending into the water, Christ placed the robe of glory for the bride, purified, and saved his bride, the Church. So according to Mar Jacob, the river Jordan was not filled with water, but with mysteries, the mysteries of the Church.73

1.6.1.1.  The Types of the Church at Jordan For Mar Jacob, the mystery of the Church, which was revealed at river Jordan, was foretold in the Old Testament narrative of the journey of the Patriarch Jacob. According to Mar Jacob, the whole episode of Jacob’s removal of the stone from the mouth of the well and providing water to the flock of Rachel narrate the mystery of the Church. Mar Jacob sees a ‘type’ of Jesus, who betrothed the Church through his baptism in Jacob, who betrothed Rachel at the well.74 Jacob on his way to his uncle Laban to seek a wife saw Rachel at the well. Mar Jacob narrates in his homily that, before the arrival of Jacob, many shepherds tried to remove the heavy stone from the mouth of the well, but they were incompetent to remove it. When Jacob arrived, Rachel was waiting for somebody to remove the stone from the mouth of the well so that she could take water for the flock. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, though a single person cannot do it, Jacob removed it and gave water to the flock of Rachel.75 Mar Jacob alludes this incident to the process of salvation through Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom.76 Just as Rachel was looking for someone to quench the thirst of her flock, when Jesus arrived for

7 0 The Kingdom of Heaven is like Leaven, HS III, 416,9–​10, TV 3, 49,96–​97. 71 HS III, 416,14–​15, TV 3, 50,101–​102. 72 Cf. HS III, 416,11, TV 3, 49,97. 73 Cf. Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 210,15–​16, TV 4,4, 53,51–​52. 74 Cf. HS III, 210,10 –​211,20, TV 4,4, 53,47 –​54,76. 75 Cf. HS III, 210,18 –​211,7, TV 4,4, 53,55 –​54,64. 76 Cf. Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 171,5–​6, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 166,75–​76.

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baptism the Church was eagerly waiting for someone to quench her thirst for salvation. Like Jacob who arrived and removed the stone from the mouth of the well, so finally, the Son of God, the real Bridegroom came out and washed the sins of the bride and purified her. Jacob betrothed Rachel at the well and Christ betrothed the Church at Jordan. Mar Jacob compares the well with the river Jordan, Jacob with Jesus, Rachel with the Church, and the removal of the cover stone with that of the cleansing of sin of the Church. Since the comparison of Jacob to Jesus and Rachel to the Church the incident at the well is depicted by Mar Jacob as foreshadow of the event of baptism at Jordan. For Mar Jacob, the water in the well is not simply the water, but the water of mysteries, the mysteries of the Church. From the well, Jacob made Rachel and her sheep drink water, and on the other hand through the institution of baptism at Jordan, Jesus gave eternal life to the bride, the Church, by carrying her from the state of death to the banks of immortality.77 In the former case, the sheep drank the water and in the latter immersing into the water purifies the bride. However, the results of both are salvation. If Rachel is saved from carnal thirst and rejoined to the salvation history by becoming a great grandmother of Jesus, the Church was saved from its former sins and became the bride of the heavenly Bridegroom. So according to Mar Jacob, the water both in the well as well as in the river of Jordan signifies the mystery of salvation, which the Church envisages through her life.

1.6.1.2.  The Baptism of John the Baptist and the Baptism of Christ According to Mar Jacob, the Church is perceived at the baptism of Christ, when he offers sanctification to her through his baptism. The homilies regarding the baptism of Christ feature the sanctification of the bride through the baptism in two ways: by the baptism of John the Baptist and through the baptism of Jesus Christ. By the baptism of John, the bride was cleansed from filthiness of her body, which had accumulated through idolatry and its rituals. Again, John cleansed her mind with his teaching about the Bridegroom, therefore, she abstained all evil thoughts from her mind. Still she was imperfect because the bride did not receive the robe of glory that was lost at Eden. Therefore, the Church, the bride of the heavenly Bridegroom, waited for His descent into the water, so that she would be sanctified through the womb of the waters. ‘John also eagerly waited for Him to come, so that through Him his (John’s) baptism would be made perfect 77 Holy Baptism, HS I, 197,1–​2, ET by T. Kollamparampil, in: Journal of St. Thomas Christians (JSTC) XXIII, 1 (2012), 91,63–​64.

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as it was imperfect.’78 He came and made the imperfect water into a perfect one; therefore, everyone who is baptized in it would be cleansed without any doubt. Mar Jacob describes the process of cleansing the water through the descent of Jesus in it; he says: The Royal Son came out from among the crowds to come to the river and when He was far off, the baptismal water became fervent in response to Him, and the river overflowed and silently proclaimed Him. The Holy Spirit came out by itself and stood above the water and the heat of His power kindled them ... It was not that it became fervently heated at His arrival so as to render Him holy, for He is holy. It embraced Him so that its womb might be sanctified by Him. It exulted in Him because He was its accomplishment and consummation and it stretched out its arm so that the holiness of the Son might be received into it.79

Thus, the baptism of Christ at Jordan offers the opportunity for the bride to get purified, because he cleansed and purified the unclean water by his descent into the water. Hence, at Jordan we see the Church, the bride of light, who marveled at the bridegroom, because through his washing he offers her the salvation.80

1.6.1.3.  The Womb of Jordan Regarding the origin of the Church, Mar Jacob sees the birth from the womb of the river Jordan, as if the Church is born like a baby from the womb of a mother. This birth is in relation to the incarnation and the saving activity of the Son of God, because the function of the Church is to save the souls for Christ. As a womb plays a significant role in the making of human being, the womb of the river Jordan plays a significant role in the birth of the Church. Mar Jacob visualizes the river Jordan as a spiritual womb, which begets the spiritual beings. By begetting the spiritual beings, he purports the regeneration of a human being into a ‘new creation’ (2 Cor 5:17) by removing his/​her ‘old man’ (Rom 6:4). When he speaks about the new creation, especially in the homily of the ‘Baptism of Our Redeemer,’ he conceives the Church as a pre-​existent one81 and the bride of Christ who begets spiritual children through the womb of 7 8 Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 171,20–​21, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 167,89–​90. 79 HS I, 174,5–​17, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 169,136 –​170,148. 80 HS I, 187,1–​2, FH VI, 181,401–​402. 81 Mar Jacob features the bride in the homilies as an already existing bride, who is waiting and searching for the bridegroom. Cf. HS I, 171,5–​10, FH VI, 166,75–​80.

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baptism.82 In order to beget the spiritual children from the womb of Jordan, the Bridegroom purifies the womb by His descent. Delineating the baptism of Christ at the river Jordan, Mar Jacob dramatically illustrates the scene and portrays the reactions and the changes of the water.83 The water recognizes the proximity of the Bridegroom and leaps in exultation by realizing that the Bridegroom is going to enter into its womb. This reminds the leap of John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb (Lk 1:41). ‘The comely woman stood looking for the Bridegroom, when He would come, in order to enter with Him into the womb of the waters to be sanctified.’84 This passage reminds the Church’s desire to be born again. ‘The betrothed made the daughter of the day enter a new womb, and the testing waters of baptism were in labor and gave rebirth to her.’85 Here Mar Jacob describes the Church as a community of people who eagerly waited for the baptism in the waters of Jordan. He observes that the river Jordan was a tomb, but by His descent, the Bridegroom transformed it as a womb, which begets spiritual children.86 By His descent, he purified the waters of the earth so that it became life-​giving waters.87 Secondly, He crushed the head of the serpent, who had been swallowing the children of God.88 Thirdly, He instituted the baptism for the remission of sin and installed the robe of glory in the waters of Jordan.89 Those who enter in this womb will become resplendent by cleansing their filth and receive the lost glory. As it was said, the changes in the water of Jordan, prior to the arrival of the Bridegroom, are noteworthy. Knowing His proximity, the womb of Jordan overflowed and silently proclaimed Him. The Holy Spirit came out by itself and stood above the water, and the heat of His power kindled the waters. Through these acts, the baptismal water earnestly desired Him, who had come to it like that horn of anointing in response to David (1 Sam 16:1–​13). The transformation of Jordan was not sanctifying Christ but to embrace Him so that its womb might be sanctified by Him.90 Through these acts, the water of Jordan became a womb

8 2 Cf. Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 181,10–​15, FH VI, 176,285–​290. 83 Cf. HS I, 174,6–​19, FH VI, 169,135 –​170,150. 84 HS I, 171,16–​17, FH VI, 166,85–​86. 85 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 290,3–​4, Sob 3,1, 75,133–​134. 86 Cf. HS I, 181,10–​11, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 176,285–​286. Cf. Brock, Holy Spirit in the Syriac Baptismal Tradition, 104. 87 Cf. HS I, 180,9–​20, FH VI, 175,265–​274. 88 Cf. Epiphany, SHF II, 564,13–​21, FH VII, 199,32. 89 Cf. The Nativity, SHF I, 542,8, FH IV, 140,8. 90 Cf. HS I, 181,10–​11, Kollamparampil, HS I, 173,18 –​174,14, FH VI, 169,129–​145.

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that begets the spiritual children. The womb of Jordan regenerates the ‘old man’ into a ‘new creation’ in Christ (Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 5:17). According to Mar Jacob, the bride, who is made new in the womb of the water of Jordan represents the Church, the bride of light, who rejoices at the royal bridegroom, who came to her to renew her.91 The Church continues the function of begetting children through her womb, which is represented by her baptismal womb.92 By attributing Jordan as the spiritual womb that begets the Church, Mar Jacob highlights the corruption of the old nature of human beings; Christ’s purification of the universal waters; recovery of the humanity through the institution of baptism and its continuity in the Church through the priesthood.93 All these acts enable the Church to beget spiritual children in this world, which makes her the continuation of the saving ministry of the Son of God in this world.

1.6.1.4.  The Bride of the Nation and Nations at Jordan In the early Syriac literature, the conceptual model of representing the Church through the Jewish nation or people and the gentile nations or peoples was predominant. The election of Israel as the bride and the provision of law for the sake of redemption of the house of Adam was a prominent theme in the Old Testament passages. Israel is depicted as betrothed to God and this betrothal took place at the time of the covenant and the law giving on Mount Sinai. According to Mar Jacob this is the occasion, where we experience the manifested form of the Church, which comprises of People, with whom God is commingled.94 But after the arrival of Christ, the question arises how precisely relate these two brides, Israel and the Church, since it is the Church, which ultimately 9 1 Cf. Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 187,1–​2, FH VI, 181,402–​403. 92 The presence of the baptismal womb in the Church makes her the mother of the spiritual children, about which I will explain in the next chapter. 93 Mar Jacob while explaining the reason for the baptism of Jesus at Jordan makes it clear that Jesus came for baptism to fulfill the priesthood in the Old Testament. The priesthood that God bestowed upon Aaron concluded in Jesus and it proceeded from him to Apostles and exercise through the Church. Cf. HS I, 191,14–​15; 192,4–​5, FH VI, 185,496–​497; 506–​507. ‘This is the reason that called Him to come for baptism; so that the dominion of the priests should be concluded in Him and it should proceed from Him. The priesthood which had been handed down from the house of Aaron, Proceeded from our redeemer through the apostles to the world.’ (Ibid.). 94 I have rather elaborately explained this concept in chapter II, where I explained the ‘daughter of nation.’ Please see the page numbers 125–126 of chapter II.

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emerges as the bride of Christ.95 The dilemma widens, when the Israel rejected the bridegroom and put the bridegroom to death. According to S. Brock the early Syriac tradition addresses this issue by proposing two different conceptual models. The earlier model was the formation of the Church both from Jewish Nation or People and the gentile Nations or Peoples. Aphrahat is an exponent of this model. So, in the writings of Aphrahat we find ‘David married two kings’ daughters, and Jesus also married two kings’ daughters –​the assembly of the People and the assembly of the Peoples.’96 The later model is that of ‘the Church of the Peoples’ replacing Israel as the bride of the God. The later model became prominent in Ephrem and later writers like Mar Jacob.97 But, when we analyze the passages of the homilies of Mar Jacob regarding the baptism of Christ, we cannot see the inclination of Mar Jacob to the formation of the Church through the replacement of the old bride, Israel. The scenes of baptism feature the presence of brides, the old Israel, and the gentile Nations or peoples. We can elucidate the reason for this from his perception of salvation that is envisaged by God. The divine plan of God, which is manifested through the creation of Adam, reveals God’s plan to bring humanity unto him. For Mar Jacob, the covenant that God had made with Abraham further manifests God’s interaction with the humanity. Through the descendants of Abraham, all peoples shall be blessed and according to Mar Jacob, this plan of God is perfectly orchestrated.98 The Church of the people and the peoples comprise of the descendants of Abraham. Hence the election of the Church of the people and later the substitution of the same are suggestive of the universality of salvation or redemption. The People and the Peoples both comprise the descendants of Abraham, the humanity. Therefore, 9 5 Cf. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 117. 96 Aphrahat, Demonstrations (Dem) XXI, 13. GT by P. Bruns, Unterweisungen II, Freiburg, 1991, 448. ‘David nahm sich zwei Königstöchter; Jesus nahm zwei Königstöchter, die Versammlung des Volkes und die Versammlung der Völker.’ (Ibid.). 97 Cf. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 117. I have explained the reasons that Mar Jacob presents in his homilies for consistently confined to the theory of the formation of the Church by the gentile Nations or Peoples in chapter II. Please see the pages 13–134. 98 Cf. HCJ VI, 179,303–​308, My own translation. ‘Now, at that time, the Lord has a covenant with all peoples: ‘They will be blessed, in the blessed seed of the house of Abraham’ The blessing widened, passed to all peoples, they were blessed, not a people, but peoples. In a single gesture, this was accomplished, as He said,Here in Christ all nations were blessed.’ (Ibid.).

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in the homilies of Mar Jacob we find that there are allusions of both the bride of People and Peoples, whom he considers as the Church. The baptism of Jesus at Jordan clearly features both People and the Peoples. A direct allusion to the bride is made in the homily on the baptism of Jesus for the Jewish people. The bride is identified here with the Daughter of the Hebrews, who is not aware of the Bridegroom, for she is sleeping like the virgins in Mathew’s parable (Mat 25:1–​13). John’s voice wakes her up and proclaims to her the imminent coming of the Bridegroom. The Bride is filthy because of all the holocausts she offers to idols and not ready in this state to receive her Bridegroom. Worshiping false gods goes back to the time when Israel rejected God on Mount Sinai and worshiped the golden calf. Therefore, she must be purified and cleansed that her luster returns to her and be dressed in prized garments, her wedding dress. Then she will be thus presented to the Only Begotten. The effect of John’s baptism is to wash off the Bride’s filth of her. The Daughter of the Hebrews was sleeping, and the Bridegroom has come,99 but the slumber of wickedness weighed down on her, and she was not aware of him. John, however, as a faithful [servant] and mediator, woke her up and proclaimed to her that the Bridegroom has come. Since she was filthy, he bathed her in [the waters of] baptism that the Groom not see her in her uncleanness when she would receive him. He brought her to the river and washed off the smoke of burnt offerings, that had diffused into her face and with which she was stained. So like a lady, he was dressing her in precious garments That she being beautiful, might be present at the wedding feast of the Only-​Begotten.100

When Christ, the bridegroom, finally comes, John points him out to the daughter of Hebrews and she recognized her groom through the manifestations of the voice of thundering and the descending of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus. The guests are gathered, awaiting the royal Son, and the bride sits in eagerness and fear as she looks for his arrival. Our Lord shone out like daylight in the midst of darkness, the voice was stirred to utterance at the Epiphany of the Word. He [John the Baptist] pointed out to the Bride, the daughter of light, the man to whom she was betrothed,

9 9 Cf. Mat 25: 1–​13. 100 The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 154,15 –​156,2, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 195, 239–​248.

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And the Father acted as witness to his Son with the loud voice. The Father with his voice was a witness to his Only-​Begotten, and the Holy Spirit manifested himself besides the Saviour; in the form of a dove he fluttered down and descended in straightforward fashion, after Christ had washed and gone up from the baptismal water.101

In his homily on ‘the baptism of our redeemer in the Jordan,’ Mar Jacob identifies the Bride of Christ not with the Hebrews but with the idol-​worshiping-​Nations. That is not a substitution: Christ did not choose the Nations over the Hebrews at his baptism but betrothed both, for the Son of God desired to marry humanity. Humanity consists of both the circumcised and uncircumcised. The two communities heeded John the Baptist’s call to repentance and came to receive his baptism. According to Luke, even tax collectors came to be baptized (Lk 3:12). These tax collectors depict the presence of the Nations at the Jordan. Thus, the Bride of Christ, according to Mar Jacob, is both Israel and the pagans. Christ, the Bridegroom, made a marriage feast for the Church of the Nations, and the world became aware of the wedding banquet he prepared. The Heir of the kingdom willed to betroth the smitten one and sent her to go to the spring that she might wash off the dust of herself. He saw the banished one, who was weak, meager, and wearied, and he mixed waters and sent her to bathe. Then she would be betrothed. He gazed at her beauty, which was changed by incense [offered] to idols, and he poured the rushing stream of the river on her face that her color might be bright. He first brought her down to the tried water when he betrothed her to purge her of harlotry in holiness. The smell [emanating] from the odor of the sacrifices diffused into her. Thus, he let pure water come down on her that her body might be fragrant. She stunk from the stench of burnt offerings. Thus, he besprinkled her holiness that she might be cleansed of defilement by it. He placed the robe of glory in the womb of baptism and sent the Bride to go down and put [it] on in the water. He called his faithful [servant], the Progeny of Bareness, and sent him before him to go down, and bring the ornament to the Bride before he comes. John [the Baptist] went out bearing the riches of the great treasure to adorn the Daughter of the Wretched as he was commanded. He carried the [treasure] chest of the spirit, opened it over the water, and took out garments that the Church might get dressed in holiness. He showed her wondrous garments, which she had never seen,

101 The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 165,11–​19, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 196,259–​268.

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and which were woven by the loom’s beam of God’s dwelling place. He captured her with his flattering speech heavy with promises while proclaiming the kingdom on high to the Daughter of Beggars. “Behold the kingdom of heaven is at hand (see Mat 3:2). The Bridegroom arose to come to you that he might gladden you.” He called the girl, and she prepared herself to consent, for she learned the Bridegroom who would come to her is the King.102

Like the Daughter of the Hebrews, the Church of the Nations must be purified because she is defiled. The smoke emanating from incense offered up to false gods covered up her beauty. Harlotry is seen, as mentioned above, in connection with her submission to idols. Her smell is repugnant because of the stench of the burnt offerings that diffused into her. Therefore, John the Baptist, the marriage broker, is sent to prepare the Bride for Christ, the Bridegroom. John cleanses her, sanctifies her in the Jordan, and dresses her in wondrous garments. Her wedding dress is heavenly, for it was woven in God’s dwelling place. John captures her with his enticing speech, and she falls in love with the Bridegroom, the heavenly king. Therefore, the presence of both People and Peoples at the baptism of Christ shows that they hold the identity of the bride. Though Mar Jacob keeps his idea intact in his homilies about the formation of the Church from the gentile Nations by replacing the Jewish Nation, he insists in the homilies of baptism that the Church comprises of both the Nation and Nations on account Christ’s universal plan of salvation. This shows that in the vision of Mar Jacob the basic concept of the Church is closely linked to the salvific plan of God for the whole humanity.

1.6.2. The Church at Golgotha The homilies of Mar Jacob clearly delineate that at the place of Golgotha Christ fulfilled all the mysteries. As the ‘heir’ of Adam Christ came on the road of the fallen Adam in search of the distorted image. According to Mar Jacob, when Adam was created he was given the resemblance of the corporality of the Son who would come in the flesh. It was on that corporality that God imprinted his image. Thus, it became God’s pact with Adam that he would not be abandoned in destruction on account of that image but would be saved by the Son. God has exalted the dust in Adam with the resemblance of the Son, raising his servant Adam, to the level of a ‘god’ on earth so that the Son might receive from him the body by which he would assume the deviations of the servant Adam. Hence, the Son was sent to his own in search of the corrupt image for the renewal through 102 Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 167,2 –​169,2, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 162,2 –​164,30.

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suffering and the crucifixion. The whole pact of God that is revealed in the crucifixion of the Son is well detailed in Mar Jacob’s homilies. There we read: Heavenly Adam who was the Lord Jesus, The Father contemplated him, and he made Adam his resemblance. The Son of God, whose name is before the sun, Gave his resemblance to honor the dust of Adam. He sealed a pact with the dust, when he fashioned it, That if it were to fall or corrupt, He would restore it. And that is why he entrusted him beforehand with his grandiose image, so that there is a reason for molded dust not to be lost. ‘Thanks to the grandiose image that is there, even if it is lost, The quest for “what is lost” would be immense work. Even if it comes to suffering and crucifixion, His Lord come, because of him, to find him. If his image had not been mingled with the dust of Adam, The Son could not endure such suffering because of him. And that’s why, when He created him He gave him his image, so that he would not stay in what he was suffering because of him.103

On the ‘great path of the cross’ Christ gave perfection to Adam by renewing the image of Adam. Christ assumed in his body all the debts of Adam in order to seek and find that which had been lost in the garden on account of the deceit of the enemy serpent.104 Thus, on Golgotha, whatever is his own Christ renewed and reconstructed the house of Adam. On Golgotha, Christ took upon himself the death that Adam caused to humanity through his sin. When he took upon death on his body, he tore the bond of Eve105 and repaid the debt. Mar Jacob links the whole saving ministry of Christ, which is revealed through his journey on the way of Adam, to the Church when he parallels the sleep of Adam to the death of Christ and the birth of the Church from the side of Adam to the birth of Eve from the rib of Adam. Mar Jacob has an opinion that the Church is manifested at the stage when Christ perfected the distorted image of Adam on the cross. Mar Jacob visualizes that when the distorted image of Adam was rectified through the death of 103 God says: Come, let us make Man in our image as in our resemblance and on the birth of Christ, QHC I, 10,185 –​11,200, My own translation. 104 Cf. The Friday of Passion, SHF V, 615,9, Kollamparampil, FH XII, 282,9. 105 According to Mar Jacob, Eve was the cause of the Sin. The serpent had bitten the maiden and put her in a bond and hence she contracted the debt. The Son of God through his birth and his death on the cross repaid the debt. Cf. SHF V, 612,5, FH XII, 281,5.

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heavenly Adam, Christ, the new Eve,106 the Church was also born from the side of Christ, who is the new Adam. The groom’s side has been pierced and from it the bride has came out, fulfilling the type provided by Adam and Eve. For from the beginning he knew and depicted the house of Adam in the likeness of the image of his Only-​begotten. He slept on the cross as Adam had slept his deep sleep, His side was pierced and from it came forth the Daughter of Light.107

The above citation substantiates Mar Jacob’s argument of the birth of the Church from the side of Christ on cross. In this explanation, Mar Jacob parallels the incident of the birth of Eve from the side of Adam (Gen 3:24) with that of the birth of the Church from Christ. The side of Christ brings forth the Church to the world as Adam gave birth to Eve from his side. Just as the wife of Adam was taken from his side, the bride, the Church was taken from the side of Christ, who is the heavenly bridegroom. Mar Jacob inserts very well the Eve-​Church comparison in his understanding of the salvific plan of God. According to him, the Church is born on Golgotha in the course of the journey that the Son of God undertook to redeem the humanity. We can also relate the same purpose in the creation of Eve and this further links the birth of the Church to Eve from the salvific point of view. Mar Jacob explains quite clearly in his homily on ‘faith’ how the birth of Eve relates to the salvific act of God. In the homily we read: Humanity [man], when it came into being, became in the image of God, and God dwelt in the woman in order to redeem his image. After he had fashioned Eve from the rib of Adam, he [God] fashioned in her a place to dwell in the end of times. So on account of that he gave his image to the house of Adam, So that he should not be dishonored when he would dwell in his image at the end [of times]. He gave the likeness of the Son, the Only-​Begotten, to Adam, When he fashioned him, and [then] he took it [the image] from him when he redeemed him.108

This citation shows clearly that God has created Eve with a definitive purpose. By creating Eve from the rib of Adam, who is the resemblance of the corporality

1 06 Cf. For the Vigil of the Holy Saturday, HS II, 589,13. 107 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 299, 11–​16, Sob 3,1, 80,333 –​81,338. 108 Faith, HS III, 589,16 –​590,3, My own translation.

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of the Son, God ensures that she has the participation in the image of the Son of God. However, he also makes sure that a place is created in Eve so that he can dwell within her in order to redeem his image. So according to Mar Jacob God has fashioned both in his image, which depicted the house of Adam. However, because Eve was succumbed to the evil one, both Adam and Eve distorted the image of God and hence the house of Adam was corrupted. On the cross, the Son of God took the debt of Adam upon himself and undertook the death. By comparing this death of the Son as the sleep of Adam and the birth of new Eve from the side of Lord, Mar Jacob wants to assert that God has intended to pitch within the new Eve, the Church, in the same way as he had done at the creation of Eve. Therefore, the Church, as the new Eve, redeems the divine image through the presence of the Son, to whom she is attached intrinsically. Mar Jacob narrates this intrinsic union between Christ and the Church more clearly by using the imagery of the marriage.109 Mar Jacob considers Christ as ‘man’ and the Church as ‘woman.’ He illustrates in his homilies that they are united as the man and woman are united in marriage. He uses this relation as a device to portray the intrinsic relation between Christ and the Church.110 By being born out of the side of the Christ, the Church manifests the mystery of ‘the two being one.’111

1.6.2.1.  The Flow of Water and Blood Beget the Church The homilies of Mar Jacob portray the flow of water and blood from the side of Christ as the confirmation of the begetting of the Church on Golgotha. In the scripture, both water and blood represent life; it offers ‘living water’ or ‘water of life’ (Jn 4:14; 7:38; Rev 21:1,6; 22:17; Jer 2:13) and blood as life (Lev 17:11; Gen 9:4; Acts 15:20; Jn 6:53). The blood and water are two important life-​giving factors in the primary level and represent two sacraments in the spiritual level; the Eucharist and the baptism. The blood represents Eucharist and the water represents baptism that gives life to the faithful. From the time of Moses, onwards blood was an offering for redemption. The Old Testament tells that the sacrifices were offered through the blood of mute animals (Ex 12:5; Lev 1:10; Isa 44:22) but in the New Testament redemption was given through the blood of Christ. With His atoning blood, Christ bought and redeemed humanity (Acts 20:28;

109 I am not elaborating this theme because I have already explained this intrinsic relationship in chapter II. See in pages 144–164. 110 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 288,15–​16, Sob 3,1, 74,103–​104. 111 Cf. HS III, 299,12, Sob 3,1, 75,120.

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1 Pet 1:10; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:12–​14; 1 Jn 2:2). Again, baptism or redemption through the water is another strong tradition in the Bible (Jn 3:5; 1 Cor 10:1). Mar Jacob uses both of these concepts in the homilies, when he explains the birth of the Church on Golgotha. This is an indication that Mar Jacob wants to propagate a concept of the Church, which has a specific role in life-​giving. In the salvific plan of God, the Church as the new Eve promotes life by being united to Christ. Through the sacraments that flowed from Christ, she represents the life that God wants to give to the humanity. Christ came and opened up baptism by his cross so that, instead of Eve, it might be the mother of living in the world. Water and blood for the fashioning of spiritual children flowed forth from Him, and baptism became the mother of living. No previous baptism ever gave the Holy Spirit, only the baptism which was opened up by the Son of God on the cross; It gives birth to children spiritually with the water and blood.112

1.6.2.2.  The Types of the Church on Golgotha In Mar Jacob’s theological outlook, the prophets and the Old Testament records announce the complete truth about the Son of God and his Church. God the Father, however, conceals this revelation as if he had covered the whole Old Testament with a veil. According to Mar Jacob, only the Son does rend the veil of prophecy by his crucifixion thus making possible the interpretation and explanation of the Old Testament using typology. So, the prefiguration of the Church is manifested through these types and symbols, which foretell the coming of the Son of God. The manifestation of the Church on Golgotha and its intrinsic union with the Son is also manifested through the Old Testament types. These types will substantiate the meaning of the event of crucifixion on Golgotha and its salvific importance. 1.6.2.2.1.  The Patriarch Jacob and the Mystery of the Church Mar Jacob in his homilies depicted the Patriarch Jacob, the son of Isaac, as the one who contributed to the building of the Church symbolically. The biblical story narrates that Isaac sent his son to his ancestral land in order to pick for himself a wife, just as his father did before him. Isaac insisted his son to go to the ancestral land for fear of Jacob marrying a Canaanite or a Hittite girl (Gen 27:46–​28:5). However, in the interpretation of Mar Jacob he gave another reason

112 The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 162,3–​9, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 194,187–​193.

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for this journey. According to Mar Jacob, the Patriarch Jacob to travel on the road of the Son and climb the mountain of suffering, where God would reveal to him in a dream the crucifixion of his Son. This revelation prompted Jacob to set down the cornerstone of the Church. The homily of Mar Jacob on ‘the revelation to Jacob at Bethel,’ unfolds this powerful imagery (Gen 28:10–​22). In this homily, Mar Jacob narrates that the mystery of the Church travels along with Christ. The journey of the Patriarch Jacob witnesses this mystery along the path he travelled. According to Mar Jacob, this is a type that was revealed at Golgotha, where the union between Christ and the Church fully manifested. In the homily on ‘the revelation to Jacob at Bethel’ Mar Jacob narrates that ܽ 113 ܶ ‫)ܐ‬, the Patriarch Jacob travelled through the ‘path of mysteries’)‫ܘܪܚܗ ܕܐ̱ ܶ̈ܪܙܐ‬ which drove Jacob to leave his father’s house and to tread on the road of the Son, located upon the mountain he reached.114 Though the account in Gen 28:11 did not mention the name of the place, Mar Jacob imagined that the place, where Jacob reached, was a mountain. Mar Jacob’s interpretation of the events that took place on the mountain helps the reader to frame the idea that Mar Jacob visualizes the mountain of sacrifice as the exact place, where the sacrifice of the Son of God took place. Mar Jacob narrates that when the Patriarch Jacob reached the mountain he found that the place was a desolate one, where there is no presence of God.115 He struck with fear116 and he finally recognized that the path that he was on could be perfected only through suffering and was afraid to have to suffer there.117 He was unaware of that which would come to pass there.118 Although he fears that the mountain is so isolated that God himself had withdrawn from it, he falls asleep. Mar Jacob compared Jacob’s sleep to the death of the Son of God,119 thus making the Patriarch Jacob a type of the Son of God. In the journey of Patriarch Jacob, Mar Jacob visualizes the journey of the Son of God that reached its culmination on the mount of Golgotha. This interpretation of Mar Jacob helps his readers to presume that Mar Jacob had the opinion that the mountain that the Patriarch Jacob reached was Golgotha and the location, where he slept, was the exact location, where crucifixion took place. 1 13 Cf. Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HS III, 193,3–​4, Landersdorfer, 333. 114 Cf. Ibid., 1–​2, Landersdorfer, 333. 115 Cf. HS III, 193,8-​9, Landersdorfer, 333. 116 Cf. Ibid., 11–​12, Landersdorfer, 333. 117 Cf. Ibid., 17–​18, Landersdorfer, 333. 118 Cf. Ibid., 5–​6, Landersdorfer, 333. 119 Cf. Ibid., 9–​10, Landersdorfer, 333.

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The presumption of the name of the mountain is further attested by Mar Jacob’s interpretation of the ladder that the Patriarch Jacob saw in a dream. According to Mar Jacob, the ladder is like the cross upon which Jesus, the Son of God, will be crucified.120 The cross that besieged the world with all treasures,121 was also depicted by the staff that Jacob carried traveling on this path of the Son. This image clearly depicts the Son122 carrying his cross. When Mar Jacob narrated the journey of the Patriarch Jacob through the ‘path of mysteries,’ he brings out the image of the Church. As the Patriarch Jacob reached his lodging for the night, picked up a stone, and made it his pillow. His act points to an image of the Church. Mar Jacob assumes that this stone-​pillow is a symbol of the Church because he narrated, ‘The righteous (Jacob) picked up a stone, laid down his pillow and slept, for the type of the Son does not journey without the Church.’123 This indicates that in Mar Jacob’s opinion the Church is visible on the journey of the Son of God and the act of the Patriarch Jacob attested the birth of the Church on the place of the crucifixion of the Son of God.

1.6.2.2.2.  Golgotha: The House of Holy Things Mar Jacob mentions in his homily on ‘Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God and the Types of Our Lord’ that the image of a house on Golgotha for the holy things is a symbol of the Church. In this homily, Mar Jacob narrates the role of Melchizedek in establishing the house of God within the walls of the Holy City, Jerusalem, the beloved place of the crucifixion. That perfect priesthood established, from the beginning, the Holy City, the beloved place of the crucifixion. He [Melchizedek] built it abounding in delights and abundant in treasures That the tabernacle of mysteries might be pitched there from the beginning. He became there a proxy for the crucifixion to minister spiritually according to new mysteries The faithful [servant] built a house on Golgotha for the holy things that they might be sustained within it by the mysteries of the Church.124

1 20 Cf. Jacob’s Revelation at Bethel, HS III, 196,9–​10, Landersdorfer, 335. 121 Cf. HS III, 194,7–​8, Landersdorfer, 333. 122 Cf. HS III, 193,19–​20, Landersdorfer, 333. 123 HS III, 193,13–​14, Landersdorfer, 333. 124 Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God, and the Types of Our Lord, HS V, Hom.Nr. 155, pp. 154–​180, here p. 160,15–​22, ET by HTM, in: TV 2 (1989), 38,139 –​39,146.

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The above citation substantiates that Melchizedek ‘performed a new sacred rite to minister the mysteries of the crucifixion.’125 For Mar Jacob, the religious ritual, which was performed by Melchizedek, resembles the sacrifice of the Son of God on Golgotha. By performing the ritual in a spiritual way, Melchizedek becomes like the Son of God,126 who became a perfect priest through his sacrifice on Golgotha. Christ offered himself on Golgotha and gave absolution to the whole world with his own blood. Melchizedek, by being ‘a proxy for the crucifixion,’ foretells the mystery of the crucifixion with new mysteries. The new mysteries refer to Melchizedek’s offering of the bread and wine. Mar Jacob interprets that the innovative ritual of Melchizedek not only established the ‘perfect priesthood’ but also formed a ‘house on Golgotha for the holy things.’ In the opinion of Mar Jacob, Melchizedek built a house on Golgotha to ensure that the sacrifice of the Son of God is sustained within the house of God through the mysteries of the Church. This interpretation of Mar Jacob helps the readers of his homily to assert that the house, which Melchizedek built on Golgotha, refers to the Church, where the mysteries of the crucifixion are celebrated in the Eucharistic context. We do not know exactly how Mar Jacob came to a conclusion that Melchizedek built a house on Golgotha for the holy things. The scriptural passage (Gen 14:1–​24) does not speak of any structure that Melchizedek constructed. So, the possible conclusion that one can draw from the interpretation of Mar Jacob is that his acquaintance to the sacramental mysteries of the Church might have inspired him to explain the ritual of Melchizedek in the Eucharistic context of the Church. The interpretation of Mar Jacob on the ritual of Melchizedek also asserts that the establishment of the house for the holy things on Golgotha ensures the presence of the tabernacle of mysteries at the exact place of the crucifixion. For ܳ ܺ Mar Jacob, the tabernacle of mysteries (‫)ܫܟܝܢܬܐ ܕܐ̱ ܶ̈ܪܙܐ‬ and the house for the holy ܳ ̈ ܶ ܽ ܰ things (‫ )ܒܝܬܐ ܕܩܘܕܫܐ‬appear to be one and the same. This means that, in Mar Jacob’s opinion, the house for the holy things on Golgotha preserves the mysteries of the crucifixion. At the time of the crucifixion of the Son of God, this house for the holy things with the mysteries of crucifixion is fully revealed. Therefore, the narration of the ritual action of Melchizedek is a probable allusion of the establishment of the Church on Golgotha at the time of crucifixion and a plausible reference to the Church, which offers the faithful the mysteries of the crucifixion through the body and the blood of Christ in the form of bread and wine.

125 Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God, and the Types of Our Lord, HS V, 159,5–​6, TV 2, 37,106–​107. 126 HS V, 156,2, TV 2,34,38.

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1.6.2.2.3.  The Church with an Altar on Golgotha Another image that Mar Jacob uses to delineate the Church is the altar that Abraham built to sacrifice his son Isaac according to God’s command. The homilies on ‘Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God and the Types of Our Lord’ and ‘Abraham and His Types,’ a commentary on Gen 22:1–​19, depict the Church, which Abraham symbolically established through the construction of an altar for the sacrifice of his beloved son. These homilies narrate that Abraham builds a house for the mysteries on the spot of the crucifixion. The connection between the altar that which Abraham built and the Church will come to the fore, as we analyze the interpretation, which Mar Jacob gave to the event of sacrifice. The homily on ‘Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God and the Types of Our Lord’ depicts Abraham as the friend of the Lord,127 who burned with God’s love,128 wanted to see God’s Son and Abraham finally experienced the Son of God in the event of the crucifixion.129 At the time of the sacrifice of his own son, Abraham acknowledges that his son Isaac is the type of Christ. In the homily on ‘Abraham and His Types,’ Mar Jacob refers the day of the Son (Jn 8:56),130 which he longed to see, to the great day on which the great slaughter will occur, that is, the crucifixion. Mar Jacob wrote in the homily: ‘I shall manifest to you the great day for which you have longed. While rejoicing, observe the great slaughter.’131 So, the sacrifice of Abraham, in the opinion of Mar Jacob, is devised by God in order fulfill Abraham’s desire to see the Son of God and foretaste the great day of the Son of God. Abraham obeyed God’s command and traveled toward a place that God will manifest to him. According to Mar Jacob, God leads Abraham to Golgotha to show him the day of the Son that he longed to see (Jn 8:56), without letting him know that, where he was led. On this mountain of Sacrifice, Abraham observes the crucifixion of the Son of God and contributes symbolically to the establishment of the Church. Abraham recognizes, through the eye of prophecy, the mountain to which they had to travel. 127 Cf. Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God, and the Types of Our Lord, HS V, 167,11, TV 2, 45,287. 128 Cf. HS V, 167,2, TV 2, 44,278. 129 Cf. HS V, 175,17–​18, TV 2, 52,465–​466. 130 Cf. Abraham and his Types, HS IV, 61,12, My own translation. 131 HS IV, 68,9–​10, My own translation. Ephrem’s interpretation of Jn 8:56 also compares the sacrifice of Abraham to the crucifixion of the Son of God and applies to the great day of the Son of God. Cf. C. Lange, Ephraem der Syrer Kommentar zum Diatessaron, in: Fontes Christiani (FC) 54,2, Turnhout, 2008, 408, 482, 503.

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When the day of the Son arrived on the third [day], and the road of the mysteries of the Only-​Begotten ended, Abraham looked up and saw the mountain toward which he was traveling, since the sign of the Son signaled to him, “Hither, old man.” After every mile on the road of the slaughter had been trodden, and since there was on it one abode, namely, that of the altar, the type signaled to him, “Come, ascend to me. Behold! Here I am. It is the mountain on which the redemption of the world occurs. Come, go up to see the slaughtered One placed on the altar alive, and the Sacrifice slain but the knife does not kill him. Come, I shall show you the day of the Son through signs and manifest to you the slaughter of the Only One.132

The scriptural passage (Gen 22:1–​19) does not provide the name of the mountain, where Abraham went to sacrifice his son, Isaac. The passage narrates that Abraham called that place ‫ְהו֣ה י ְִר ֶ ֑אה‬ ָ ‫ י‬or Yahweh yireh (Gen 22:14) –​ a Hebrew expression, meaning the Lord will see or provide. Since the biblical account is silent on the name of the mountain, it left it open to interpretation. According to Ephrem, it is the mountain of the Amorites.133 Mar Jacob does not follow Ephrem’s lead and identifies it with Golgotha. When Abraham reached Golgotha, God revealed to him, where he shall build an altar to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham built its foundation on the exact spot where crucifixion of the Son of God will take place. The place where Zion set up wood to crucify the Son is the location where the tree carrying the mysteries sprouted. On the very spot where the hands of the Son were nailed did bonds seize Isaac. The place where the spear (see Jn 19:34) was lifted against the Redeemer is the spot where a sword was sharpened against the only son.134

According to the instructions revealed to Abraham, he built an altar for the sacrifice, which Mar Jacob calls ‘the tabernacle of mysteries’ and a ‘house for the mysteries,’ an implicit type of the Church. After the priest and the sacrifice had reached the top of the mountain, the tabernacle of mysteries appeared where it would be pitched. A revelation came and led him to the spot of the crucifixion, that he might build an altar for the sacrifice he will offer.

1 32 Abraham and his Types, HS IV, 74,19 –​75,9, My own translation. 133 Cf. Lange, Ephraem der Syrer Kommentar zum Diatessaron, 228. 134 HS IV, 76,6–​11, My own translation.

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It was revealed to him where and how to arrange the stones, when it pointed out to him that this is the place of the great slaughter. Abraham approached, set down the fire and the knife, and began to build an altar for the Lord on the mountaintop. The Architect of Faith approached and extended the foundation, to build there a house for the mysteries that shall come to pass.135

In the same manner as Mar Jacob interpreted in his homily on Melchizedek, he compared the altar that Abraham built on Golgotha to a ‘tabernacle of mysteries ܳ ܺ ܳ ܰ ̈ ‫ܕܩ‬ ܽ ‫ܝܬܐ‬ (‫’)ܫܟܝܢܬܐ ܕܐ̱ ܶ̈ܪܙܐ‬ , a ‘house for the holy things (‫ܘܕ ܶܫܐ‬ ‫’)ܒ‬, or a ‘house for the mysteries ܳ ܰ . These structures refer to the crucified Son of God, Jesus Christ, who (‫’)ܒܝܬܐ ܕܐ̱ ܶ̈ܪܙܐ‬ floods the world with water and blood flowing out of his side (Jn 19:34). This means, Jesus is the tabernacle or the house, and the water and blood are the mysteries. It hence implicitly connotes a structure, in which Jesus Christ, the crucified one, is present through the mysteries of crucifixion. Since the Church offers the faithful the possibility of experiencing the mystery of crucifixion through the offering of bread and wine, these structures are plausibly referring to the Church, whom Jesus Christ, the crucified one, made her responsible for dispensing these mysteries. A further reference of these structures, which implicitly refer to the Church, could also be inferred from the allusions to the Eucharist, which is depicted as the sweet wine overflowing from Golgotha. According to Mar Jacob, Abraham became intoxicated with the sweet wine that flew down Golgotha toward him.136 The altar that Abraham built by stacking up stones is a winepress in order to produce the sweet wine, which flows from the mountain of Golgotha. By mentioning the wine that comes out of the winepress, Mar Jacob evokes in the minds of the readers of the homily on ‘Abraham and His Types’ an image of wine that is in correlation with the blood of Christ flowing from his side and, consequently, the Eucharist. This concept of Mar Jacob is much more obvious in the following verses of Mar Jacob. Where and when did an offering build an altar for itself, or did first fruits make, with its hand, a house for the holy things? A sweet [grape] cluster made a winepress to be pressed by it, and it stomped to trample, alongside its crusher, its grapes. A calf carried stones on its shoulder to build its altar. It dragged and unloaded the load for the house of its sacrificing.137

1 35 Abraham and his Types, HS IV, 89,20 –​90,7, My own translation. 136 Cf. HS IV, 79,19–​20, My own translation. 137 HS IV, 91,1–​7, My own translation.

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In contrast to the story of Melchizedek, whom Scriptures did not portray erecting a structure, Abraham built an altar by stacking up stones. Mar Jacob interprets it as a type of the Church built on Golgotha, because it reveals the mysteries of crucifixion with its Eucharistic connotations.

2. The Church and the Paradise The notion of considering the Church as the paradise was deeply ingrained in the Syrian Christian imagination, beginning from the earliest stages of its development. Rooted in the biblical account of Gen 2–​3, the image of the Garden of Eden became a key element of the early Syrian Christianity and allowed its thinkers to incorporate it to their understanding of the Church. We see the references to Paradise in the second century written Syrian literature Odes of Solomon. And He took me to His Paradise, wherein is the wealth of the Lord’s pleasure. ....... Then I worshipped the Lord because of His magnificence. And I said, Blessed, O Lord, are they who are planted in Your land, and who have a place in Your Paradise; And who grow in the growth of Your trees, and have passed from darkness into light. Behold, all Your laborers are fair, they who work good works, and turn from wickedness to your pleasantness. For the pungent odor of the trees is changed in Your land, Indeed, there is much room in Your Paradise. And there is nothing in it which is barren, but everything is filled with fruit. Glory be to You, O God, the delight of Paradise for ever. Hallelujah.138

Though there is no direct allusion of Church seen in the verses of Ode, according to authors like R. Murray, the presence of the vocabularies similar to Qumran hymn could suggest that the community, in which the author of the Ode has joined, symbolizing and anticipating a paradise.139 This symbolization of the paradise to the community gathered around the mystery is much more evident in the Syrian literatures, which has come out in the later periods.

1 38 Charlesworth, Odes of Solomon, 11,16–​24, 71. 139 Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 255.

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In Liber Graduum, an anonymous early Syriac work, which has been come out during the early period of the fourth century, the relationship between the paradise and the Church is very well traceable. The author of the Liber Graduum presented his doctrine regarding the paradise in relation to the ascetical life. So, when he refers to the original paradise and the time of the Church, he mentions the relationship between the paradise and the life of the ascetics in the Church. However, this doctrine catches our interest because it refers directly to paradise and its relation to the Church. Liber Graduum presents the relationship between the paradise and the Church within the frame of the saving ministry of God. According to the author of the Liber Graduum Adam was created and first lived in a spiritual condition, in ‘the spiritual Eden, which is the Jerusalem of the Spirit, ‘the city of God.’140 When Adam and Eve were tempted they descended into the ‘earthly paradise, which is the shadow of heaven.’141 Christ taught the way to return to the heavenly paradise, and those who follow him are actually said to dwell in it now.142 The concept of the Church, which is expounded through the allusion of the earthly paradise, is made much more clear, when the author of the Liber Graduum mentions the heavenly ministry of Adam and Eve. Liber Graduum presents Adam and Eve as the persons who have a priestly ministry in the heavenly paradise. As a consequence of the fall, they lost their heavenly ministry, which they used to fulfill like angels and together with angels.143 But after the fall God gave them a visible ministry on earth, so that in every respect the ministry that is on earth is like that which is in heaven.144 When the author mentions clearly about his vision of the Church in his twelfth homily he illustrates well with the heavenly and earthly ministry of the Church.145 This clarifies that the basic concept of the Church according to the author of Liber Graduum has very much inclined to the concept of the paradise. The earliest and most elaborated example of the application of the imagery of the paradise to the Church comes from the writings of Mar Ephrem, one of the most famous Syriac authors, who lived in the fourth century. Mar Ephrem’s hymns on paradise provide us his conceptualized idea of the paradise. These 140 R. Kitchen and M.F.G. Parmentier (tran.), The Book of Steps: The Syriac Liber Graduum, Michigan, 2004, 21, 240,8 141 The Book of Steps, 21,10, 241. 142 Cf. The Book of Steps, 20,8–​9, 217 –​218. 143 Cf. The Book of Steps, 28,9, 318. 144 Cf. The Book of Steps, 28,8, 318. 145 Cf. The Book of Steps, 12,1,7, 119, 125.

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hymns give us the picture of the paradise as a mountain.146 At the foothills of this mountain is situated the ‘fence,’ guarded by the Cherub with the revolving sword.147 This fence demarcates the lowest extremity of the paradise. Halfway up is the tree of knowledge, which provides an internal boundary beyond and higher than that which Adam and Eve are forbidden to go.148 This tree acts as a sanctuary curtain hiding the holy of holies, which is the tree of life higher up on the mountain.149 On the summit of the mountain, resides the divine presence, the ܳ Škintō ( ܺ ). Mar Ephrem’s depiction of the paradise in terms of the bipartite division of the temple refers to the symbolic expression of the temple in the inner structure of the paradise. The references of Jerusalem as sanctuary ( ܳ ‫ ) ܶ ܽ ܕ‬and ܽ ) in the writings of Mar Ephrem150 further a type for the paradise (‫ܳ ܐ ܕ ܰ ܰܕ ܳ ܐ‬ confirm that the paradise represents the temple and its Christian successor, the Church in the writings of Mar Ephrem. Mar Ephrem’s main comparison with the paradise and the Church comes in his sixth hymn on paradise. In this hymn, he compares the garden that God has planted on paradise with the Church. In the garden God has set the tree of knowledge as the commandment and in the Church, he establishes the word, which causes joy through its promises. God planted the fair Garden, He built the pure Church; Upon the Tree of Knowledge He established the commandment. He gave joy, but they took no delight, He gave admonition, but they were unafraid. In the Church he implanted the Word, Which causes rejoicing with its promises, which causes fear with its warnings: He who despises the Word, perishes, he who takes warning, lives.151

146 Cf. Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen de Paradiso und contra Julianum (HPar) CSCO 174/175, Scr. Syr. 78/79, E. Beck (ed.), Louvain, 1957, ET by Brock, St. Ephrem the Syrian, Hymns on Paradise, I,9, 80. 147 Cf. Brock, Hymns on Paradise, IV,1, 97. 148 Cf. Hymns on Paradise, III,3, 91. 149 Cf. Hymns on Paradise, III,2, 91. 150 Cf. Hymns on Paradise, XV,8, 184–185 151 Cf. Hymns on Paradise, VI,7, 111.

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It is surprising that Mar Ephrem did not maintain the Adam-​Christ comparison in his hymns on paradise to bring the relation between paradise and the Church. However, his other homilies bring out very well this comparison and establish the fact that the Church represents the garden on earth because of the presence of the tree of life, which is Christ. The sin of eating of the forbidden fruit by Adam in paradise caused the closing of the door of the paradise. Adam was punished and sent out of the paradise and God appointed cherubs with fiery swords to guard the paradise. The piercing of the side of Christ, the second Adam, on Golgotha, opened the way to paradise and prefigured the Church and the sacraments.152 These sequences of events that Mar Ephrem maintains in his homilies establish that the Church on earth symbolically represents the paradise. The relation between the paradise and Church, which is maintained in the writings of the early Syriac literatures, proves that the paradise narrative of Genesis runs through the whole event of the formation of the Church, which is the new paradise on earth.

2.1. The Church and the Paradise in the writings of Mar Jacob Like the early thinkers of the Syrian literature, Mar Jacob also holds the view that the Church is closely linked to Paradise. Akin to his predecessors, Mar Jacob also has the opinion that the relationship between paradise and the Church lies on the fact of the redemption that God has envisaged for Adam, who had transgressed the commandment of God. Redemption according to Mar Jacob occurs when Adam return to the Garden of Eden to eat from the tree of life. Since the fallen Adam cannot accomplish this on his own, for the gate to paradise is locked and the cherubim with a fiery revolving sword guard the way to the tree of life to prevent Adam from coming back, the tree of life descended to Adam to bring him back to his original inheritance. Even if the tree of life symbolizes Christ, but not the Church, it is closely intertwined with the subject of the Church, for the Church is born out of this tree of life and distributes its fruits for the faithful through the life of the Church. According to Mar Jacob in this respect the Church represents the paradise on earth.

152 Cf. Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen de Crucifixione (HCru), in: CSCO 248/​ 249, Scr.Syr. 108/​109, GT by E. Beck (ed.), Louvain, 1964, VIII,61, IX,2.

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2.1.1. The Tree of Life The tree of life stood in the midst of the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9). After the fall, God expelled Adam from paradise and placed an angel with a fiery revolving sword to protect the tree of life (Gen 3), thus making it impossible for Adam and his children to partake of it. However, the soteriological implication of the incarnation is that the tree of life uprooted the tree of knowledge once and for all,153 and made possible Adam’s return to the Garden of Eden, where the tree of life presents its fruits to his delight and that of his progenies. In line with Aphrahat and Ephrem,154 Mar Jacob identifies the tree of life and its fruits with the Lord Jesus. “I am life, and the one who receives me finds life” (Jn 11:25, 14:6), the blessed Tree, our Lord, says. “I am life, and the one who eats my fruits lives forever (Jn 11:25, 14:6), departs from the place filled with death and climbs over its wall.” Righteousness, holiness, and justice, mercy, gladness, and serenity (Gal 5:22–​23), peace, tranquility, love of all virtues: these are the good fruits of the tree of life. When a person plants it in their minds, they become paradises and bear the fruits that are life to those who partake of them. When they possess it, it is well established in them, and they absorb its taste, they become springs gushing out water of life.155

The verses of Mar Jacob make clear that Christ is the Fruit of Life, who is sent down to human beings by the Father, and the sweet fruit to be enjoyed. In the language of Jn 6:35 and Jn 11:25, the blessed Tree, that is, the Tree of life, declares itself to be life, offers its fruits for consumption, and promises life to those who partake of it. The fruits of the Tree of life bestow life on those consuming them, and their sharers inherit eternal life. By eating the fruit of the tree of life, they

153 Cf. Love for the Poor, HS II, Hom.Nr.66, pp. 816–​836, here p. 821,19 –​822,4, My own translation. The Good One had pity on our humanity and sent his Son that he cut the roots of that tree that devastated the earth. He ordered and warned Adam in Eden, ‘Do not eat from the tree, for it imposes death upon him who tastes it.’ Our Lord taught his hearers at the end of times, ‘Do not even fix the eye on the desire of the tree.’ The Father is one, his Begotten, the faithful Son, is one, and one is the commandment, ‘Do not eat from the tree.’ 154 R. Murray speaks rather elaborately in the third chapter of his book ‘Symbols of Church and Kingdom,’ that the tree of life is linked to the life of the Son of God. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 95–​130. 155 HS II, 818,5–​14, My own translation.

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become themselves both paradises and trees of life. They become one with the tree of life, so the followers of Jesus, the Christians, who embodies the Church. Therefore, the concept of the tree of life, into which the faithful are united in terms of its fruits gives us the picture of the Church, which comprises of the faithful, who are united in Christ. The Church therefore is perceived as the place, where the fruits of the tree of life are distributed and hence it is looked at as the paradise on earth, a theme, which will be explained later.

2.1.2. The Tree of Life and the Cross The crucifixion scene plays a central role in this tree-​symbolism, for it is precisely on Golgotha where the Tree of Life sprouted. ‘Where Zion set the wood to crucify the Son is where the Tree bearing the mysteries sprung.’156 According to Mar Jacob, these mysteries are represented by the water and blood, which flowed from the side of Christ and the birth of the Church.157 The cross that gave birth to the Church and the sacraments becomes the fruits of the tree of life and hence Golgotha signifies Eden in view of Mar Jacob, for the tree of life stands in its midst. Therefore, according to Mar Jacob, the cross, while being the climax of redemption, represents the antitype of the tree of life in Eden. For Mar Jacob, the Son of God on the cross is at the center of Golgotha. Therefore, when he relates the cross to the tree of life, he reminds his readers that both the cross and the tree of life symbolize the Son of God. The Son of God on the cross reveals the pinnacle of the redemptive plan of God. As we put it in the words of Mar Jacob, ‘He is on Golgotha and calls everyone to the vineyard of righteousness.’158 On the cross, the Son of God calls every one to his vineyard. By relating Golgotha to the vineyard, which is a symbol of the Church in the New Testament159 and in the writings of Mar Jacob,160 Mar Jacob alludes the presence of the Church on Golgotha as the outcome of the life that the cross has rendered to all. Mar Jacob perceives the presence of the Church through the presence of the redeemed ones, who receive life, which the cross renders to the faithful. Mar Jacob here makes a perfect visualization of the Church, which has come out of the side of Christ as the fruit of the cross, in terms of the faithful who receive life. So, in view of Mar Jacob, the Church is present on Golgotha, which is the

1 56 Abraham and His Types, HS IV, 76,6–​7, My own translation. 157 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 299,11–​17, Sob 3,1, 80,334–​–​339. 158 The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, HS I, 343,5–​6, My own translation. 159 Mt 21:33–​41, Jn 15:1–​11. 160 Cf. For Holy Friday, HS II, 579,4–​19.

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symbol of Eden on account of the presence of the cross as tree of life in its midst. This leads us further to find the reason for relating the Church as the Garden of Eden on earth.

2.1.3. The Church as the Garden of Eden on Earth As it is already mentioned in this chapter the Church is traceable on the path of the Son of God, who tried to search the fallen Adam and attempted to bring Adam back to paradise.161 In his effort to bring Adam back to paradise, the death of the Son of God gives Adam the new life and opens the way to paradise. At his death, the soldier’s lance piercing the side of Christ opened Adam the door back to paradise. According to Mar Jacob, the piercing of the side of Christ ‘opens the doors to the Garden [of Eden] for those expelled so that they might return’162 to their inheritance. The opening of the door to Eden for those who are expelled is also narrated in the writings of Mar Jacob as an opening of the door to Eden for the Church. When Mar Jacob narrated the revelation to Simon Peter he says, ‘He [Peter] perceived that the road to Eden is opened to her [the Church], and is restored that Adam might to return to his inheritance.’163 This is an indication that Mar Jacob has an opinion that the faithful return to their inheritance through the Church. Mar Jacob’s idea of narrating the Church in relation to the Garden of Eden becomes more evident, when he explains that the opening of the door to paradise gives people access to the tree of life. The cherub fled and is no [longer] assigned to guard the Garden. The Garden is open. Come, mortals, enter the resurrection. Behold there are neither gates nor guardians of the Tree of Life. The thief had entered. Who would not be beautiful like the killer? The good and the bad, come, enter and eat from the Tree which scatters its fruits on those who are far and those who are near.164

161 According to S. Brock, the paradisiacal return is independent of the book of Revelation, for it was not part of the Peshitta canon at the time of Mar Jacob. Moreover, it was not until the sixth century that it was translated into Syriac. Cf. S.P. Brock, The Bridal Chamber of Light: A Distinctive Feature of the Syriac Liturgical Tradition, in: Harp 18 (2005), 181. 162 The Good Samaritan, HS II, 316,9. 163 Simon Peter, when our Lord said, ‘Get behind me Satan,’ HS I, Hom.Nr. 20, pp. 460–​482, here p. 488,13 –​14. 164 The Good Samaritan, HS II, 313,15–​20, My own translation.

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This citation points out the effect of the death of the Son on Golgotha. Through the death of the Son on the cross, the gate of the Garden of Eden, which the fiery angel guards, is opened. The fiery angel, guarding the gate and protecting the Tree of Life, is no longer there, for the Lord restored the house of Adam and reopened the road to paradise. According to Mar Jacob, the formation of the Church on Golgotha manifests the paradise for two reasons. Primarily the death of the Son opens the way to the paradise for the Church. Secondly, the death of the Son on Golgotha ensures that the tree of life and its fruits are within the Church. The piercing of the side of Christ shows that at Golgotha, the tree of life sprouted the fruits, and the water and blood flowed from Christ, the tree of life, are its fruits. The Church takes hold of these gifts and imparts to the people those who want to enter into the paradise. All are invited to enter to eat the fruits from the tree of life. That is to say, all are invited to the Church, for she provides the fruits of the tree of life. This indicates that the intention of the establishment of the Church on Golgotha is to provide the fruits of life to all, because she possesses the tree of life, the Son of God. Therefore, Mar Jacob affirms in his homilies that the Son of God found the Church on earth instead of paradise and reveals himself to be the true tree of life in her midst, thus making her the Garden of Eden on earth. He established on earth the holy Church instead of Paradise. and appointed priests to his service without [animal] sacrifices. He revealed himself to be the Tree of Life that was hidden and let his fruits drop on those who are near and those who are far. Behold! Priests surround him, pick fruits from him and give life to human beings from him daily.165

Mar Jacob is so specific, as it is shown in the above citation, the tree of life is Jesus Christ, and the Church distributes the fruits of the tree of life through her priests. The priests surround the tree of life, pick its fruits, and give them to human beings. In view of Mar Jacob, the sacerdotal service in the Church, through which the people receive the fruits of the tree of life, is also a continuation of the priestly ministry of Adam in paradise. In his homily on ‘the priesthood and the altar’ Mar Jacob describes the original priesthood of Adam. God created Adam to make him an associate to set him in his service, which is spiritual. However, the breach of the commandment damaged the priestly order of Adam and it needed 165 M. Albert (ed.), Mimro Inédit de Jacques de Saroug sur le Sacerdoce et l’Autel (HSac), pp. 67–​77, here p. 71,81–​86, FT, in: ParOr 10 (1981–​82), 59,81–​86, My own translation.

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reparation.166 In the homily on ‘Aaron,’ Mar Jacob affirms that Adam was created as priest in order to serve the Lord.167 However, Lord excluded him from the priesthood when he sinned against him.168 Mar Jacob finds the restitution of the damaged priesthood of Adam by Christ through the apostles. Christ, the benevolent Heir, who is altogether light, came and restored what was corrupted from the beginning. He granted the priesthood to his twelve with the laying of his hands and appointed priests to the service of the tree of life.169

For Mar Jacob, Christ built the Church on earth instead of paradise170 and established the priesthood in the Church, which is the Eden of God so that the grace lost by Adam has been reestablished in the Church. In the Church, which is the Eden of God, they come to glorify Him, From the tree of life, they give the fruits to the whole world. At the blessed source of Eden the priesthood is established, It irrigates all the creatures who have grown thirsty.171

This sacerdotal service can only be the Eucharistic celebration because the Altar is the Tree of Life, and the Divine Liturgy takes place on it. This Altar is also the good soil of paradise, which sprouts the Tree of Life. Jesus commissions his Apostles and, accordingly, the priests coming after his first followers to serve the altar, celebrate on it the holy, angelic service, and distribute the fruits of the Tree for the salvation of humanity. In splendor, with the gentle waving of the hands, and in holiness, behold, they [the priests] surround the tree of life at the Holy Altar.

166 Cf. Le Sacerdoce et l’Autel, ParOr 10, 54,11–15, My own translation. ‘In the beginning, when God created Adam, he made him a priest, to take him into service. Yet because he transgressed against the commandment, he excluded him from his place, chased him, so that he could go and taste the bread of sorrow, along with the animals.’ (Ibid.). 167 Cf. Aaron, HS I, Hom.Nr. 5, pp. 68–​84, here p. 68,1–​2. 168 Cf. ParOr 10, 57,50–​51. It is relevant to note that according to Ephrem, Adam was set in the outer holy place of Eden after his fall. There he had to be obedient and faithful to the divine ordinance and serve God in his priestly role before being admitted in due course to the holy of holies where the tree of life gives life to all. Cf. Brock, Hymns on Paradise, III,16, 96. 169 Le Sacerdoce et l’Autel, ParOr 10, 61,101–​104, My own translation. 170 Cf. ParOr 10, 59,81. 171 ParOr 10, 62,125–​128, My own translation.

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Priests were appointed to the office of the spiritual Seraphim, to which it had been proper to appoint Adam.172

The whole references point the fact that the Church is the paradise on earth in terms of the presence of the tree of life. Where the tree of life is there is paradise. Adam lost this paradise due to his sin. Christ reestablished the paradise on earth, which Mar Jacob clearly portrays as the Church. The tree of knowledge and its fruit, the poison of the snake, are outside the Church, while the Tree of Life and its life-​giving choice produced by the Tree of Life, are within the sanctuary of the Church. Jesus is the Tree of Life, his body and his blood are its fruits, and these are made available to all those within the Church. Therefore, the Church is perceived as the Garden of Eden, in whose midst is the Tree of Life. Mar Jacob’s whole idea of delineating the Church in relation to paradise is paraphrased in the following verses of Mar Jacob. Behold our Lord, the Tree of Life carrying fruits, Come, let us pluck and eat from it the choice yield. More than enough have we eaten from the tree of knowledge, the tree of life came to us that we might eat from it. Behold the sacred Paradise is the Church, and the tree filled with life is the holy altar. The tree of knowledge is outside its gate, and the lovers of the world are daily plucking fruits from it.173

2.1.4. The Heavenly and the Earthly Church Mar Jacob’s concept of the Church as the earthly paradise asserts that in his vision the Church is perceived as a reality, which has the beginning in eternity with God. The Church on earth provides the redemption to humanity through the fruits of the tree of life, which is Christ, who himself is present in the Church. The doctrine of Mar Jacob regarding the heavenly and earthly Church affirms the concept of the hidden and visible Church. The earthly Church manifests the hidden Church that is present in heaven. Mar Jacob clearly enumerates his doctrine on the heavenly and the earthly Church in his two homilies, where he depicts Moses and the prophet Ezekiel, who have the experience of this heavenly and the earthly Church.

1 72 Le Sacerdoce et l’Autel, ParOr 10, 61,105–​108, My own translation. 173 The Good Samaritan, HS II, 313,1–​8, My own translation.

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2.1.4.1.  The Vision of Moses and his Construction of the Church Mar Jacob illustrates clearly the heavenly and the earthly Church in his homily on ‘the consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses.’ In this homily, Mar Jacob interprets the whole event of God’s commandment to Moses to build a Church for him (Ex 25 ff). In this homily, Mar Jacob tries to prove that the tabernacle, which Moses pitched in the wilderness is a ‘type’ of the Church. At Mount Sinai, Moses witnessed the likeness of the Church and he built the similar Church on earth as it is revealed to him. Consequently, this vision of Moses about the Church, which was built ever since the beginning, makes the necessary connection between the heavenly and the earthly Church. Through Moses, the Church was pictured mystically, and, because it was a type, it was called the tabernacle. He didn’t truly build her because he was not her Lord; he fashioned her mystically, and left and passed away. Behold, ever since the beginning, the chosen Church was built, and Moses who saw her likeness on the Mount Sinai, witnesses.174

When Moses had the vision of the Church, he saw the accomplished form of the Church in heaven. This Church comprises of angels and the praising of the angels resonates the heavenly liturgy. He saw her as a big house with holy of holies and with a womb, in which the powers of heaven are gathered. Moses saw her as a hidden reality, which cannot be investigated. In the following quote, Mar Jacob expounds how the Church is seen in heaven in its accomplished form. He saw in the flame the building of the Crowned [i.e. the Church], and the wide space of the Delicate in the great high place [i.e. heaven]. He saw her dwelling place constructed with abundance, and her great habitat mighty among the angels. He saw that she holds the borders of heaven, [yet] they cannot apprehend her, and her cords [or ropes: cf. Isa. 33:20] are thrown upon the quarters, and they [cords] are still longer. He saw her womb [or bosom]175, in which the powers of heaven are gathered,

174 The Consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses, HS I, 40,7–​12, Appendix II, 408,37–42. 175 Mar Jacob uses the term ‘womb’ to denote the rebirth that takes place within the Church through baptism. According to him, baptism is the ‘second mother’ in the sequence of Christ’s stay in the womb of Mary and in the womb of Jordan for the renewal of human nature. Therefore, baptism is also called ‘a womb’ that gives spiritual birth. Cf. The Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 167,15, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 163,15.

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and as many as they are, they dwell in it without being constrained [or pressed]. He saw the Divine Presence that dwells in her, in the holy of holies, and the fiery companies [i.e. the Seraphim] chanting in her with the voices of praise. He saw the choirs while standing in her spiritually, and the lengthy classes that are spread out in her fierily. He saw the heavenly orders dwelling there, and the angels [who stand] gloriously and shouting the holy hymns.176 He saw her full, and as many enter, her bosom [can still] hold, and she expects to gather the bodily beings as [she gathers] the angels. Moses saw her, that her ornament is perfected by the flame,177 and her big house, that is full of fire from all sides. He saw the crowds of those who utter praise rejoicing within her, as the glorious hymns of Holy are being poured out in her through their mouths. He saw the creation being made to her [the Church] a footstool178 for her feet, while she, as the free one, boasts above on the height. He saw her sitting above the edges of all heights, and only her Lord is [to be found] above her as the Head. He saw the splendors of the sanctifiers, how trembling they are, and those voices of the ones who bless, how powerful they are. He saw in her a place, which is splendid and glorious and cannot be expounded, and its inside is hidden and proper and cannot be investigated.179

Moses built the Church as it was revealed to him on the mountain. According to Mar Jacob, the Church that Moses saw on the mountain was the depiction of the Church that Christ built through his deeds on earth. Moses as the ‘type’ of Christ manifested the formation of the Church on earth. Moses was like our Lord in what he did, for he is His likeness, shadow, and image of His body.180

176 The presence of the heavenly orders and the angels within the temple is well expounded by Mar Jacob in his homily on ‘the chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw.’ Cf. The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 594,1 –​600,13, MHMJS 14,115–​129. 177 The ‘coal of fire’ is a symbolic title of Christ developed with reference to Is 6:6 with its Eucharistic overtones referring to the Eucharistic body of Christ as ‘live coal’ which the Seraph carried from the altar. In the homilies of Mar Jacob there are many references to the ‘coal’. The homily on ‘the chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw’ extensively uses this term. We can find more references in the writings of T. Kollamparampil. Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 107. 178 Isa 66:1. 179 The Consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses, HS I, 42,2 –​43,7, Appendix II, 410,75 –​411,102. 180 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 305,2–​7, Sob 3,1, 84,455–​460.

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In that structure which that Levite saw on the mountain, he depicted the Church of Christ.181 (….) Moses saw her completeness; he descended and inscribed her, and he brought the mystery of the Church and our Lord to her establishment.182

When Moses formed the Church, he built the form of the Church that typified the figures of the Church, which is established through Christ. According to Mar Jacob the tabernacle and the holy of holies typified the presence of God in the Church and the sanctuary of the Church. The seventy leaders whom Moses had selected and the twelve heads of the tribes signified the disciples and the twelve apostles through whom Christ handed over the priesthood to the Church, which also had been corrupted by the sin of Adam.183 Now, I begin to show you truly, how Moses typified the Church with all figures. By the tabernacle, he depicted the dwelling place of the Crowned, and by the holy of holies the splendid sanctuary of the Mistress of the Mysteries. He depicted the seventy leaders of the nation by the disciples, and by the Twelve Apostles, the heads of the tribes whom he selected.184

Therefore, the Church in the view of Mar Jacob is a depiction of the heavenly reality and in the earthly Church we see a meeting place of both earthly and heavenly beings. This concept is much more widened and explicit when he explains the vision of Ezekiel on the chariot, which also prefigures the Church.

2.1.4.2.  Ezekiel’s Vision of the Heavenly and the Earthly Church In the homily on ‘the chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw’ (Ezek 1:14–​28), Mar Jacob interprets that the chariot in Ezekiel’s vision, upon which the Son of the Creator reigns, is the place, where Adam lived before his fall.185 According to Mar Jacob, the events that had taken place within the vicinity of the chariot relates the chariot to the Church. Mar Jacob interprets the Divine Liturgy inside the chariot as the image of the Divine Liturgy that the Church celebrates. He also narrates 181 The Consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses, HS I, 44,6–​9, Appendix II, 412,123–​126. 182 HS I, 44,13–​14, Appendix II, 412,131–​132. 183 I have already mentioned that the apostles represent the priesthood in the Church. Christ gave them the priesthood, which was given to Adam at the time of creation and was tainted due to his sin. Cf. See page no.231 and footnote no. 174. 184 HS I, 44,17 –​45,1, Appendix II, 412,135–413,140. 185 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 559,7–8, MHMJS 14, 48,331–​332.

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that the burning coals foretells the Eucharistic species on the altar of the Church. He looks at the presence of the angels in the chariot as the representation of priests and the congregation in the Church. The whole reasoning of Mar Jacob connecting the heavenly and the earthly Church begins with the fall of Adam. After the fall of Adam, God does not abandon Adam, but brings him and his children back to Eden through the sacrifice of his Only Begotten on Golgotha. According to Mar Jacob, the place, where the chariot is, represents the Eden, the spiritual Paradise, where God wants to bring Adam back. God set in the chariot the table with good things so that Adam can experience his early life in the paradise that he had lost due to his sin. The mind ponders that spiritual Paradise, the vision of the invisible Godhead. Would that the mind remain there in great astonishment, for unless it comes down, it will not leave Paradise. The One with powers over the universe, who, for his honor, yoked the cherubim: the mind that was in Eden could have seen him, but it fell. If it considers the chariot with the fearful visions, [it would realize that] it is the table of the King, full of choice produce for those reclining at it.186

Mar Jacob interprets the vision of the prophet within the context of the salvific act of the Son of God. When one looks at the interpretation of Mar Jacob standing outside of the context of the journey of the Son of God, the explanations of Mar Jacob would have been incomprehensible and devoid of meaning. The deliberations of Mar Jacob regarding the Divine Liturgy celebrated within the chariot and the burning coals in the chariot represent the Church only in view of the salvific act of the Son of God.187 The Church, as we have seen in our discussions, is manifested fully on the journey of the Son of God. She provides the faithful the experience of the presence of God through the body and blood of the Son of God. In Mar Jacob’s view, the chariot is the representation of the sanctuary with an altar and upon this altar is the body of the Son. The burning coals in the chariot represent the body of the Son, also called pearls. This imagery clearly brings out the image of the Church with an altar, where the body and blood of the Son of God is celebrated in the form of Eucharistic species.

1 86 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 559,9–​16, MHMJS 14, 48,333–​340. 187 Cf. HS IV, 596, 2–​3, MHMJS 14, 118,1105–​1106. ‘The Son of God is all the beauty of prophecy, and without Him there is neither prophecy nor revelation.’ (Ibid.).

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The pearls of his body are depicted as the burning coals of fire, the Godhead’s sanctuary, as the chariot. (...) The burning coals in the chariot depict his body and were set for retribution and forgiveness.188

The interpretation of Mar Jacob on the vision of the chariot clearly compares the chariot with an altar, upon which the mystery of the body of the Son is celebrated. According to him, both in heaven and earth the same mystery is celebrated. The mystery of the Son of God, which is same both above and below, brings heaven and earth together and this allows one to interpret the chariot as the Church’s sanctuary and the events taking place in it as the Church’s liturgy. This brings the whole idea of Mar Jacob regarding the presence of the Church on earth, which is the continuation of the Church existed in heaven. [There are] holy burning coals of fire inside the chariot, and priceless pearls in the sanctuary. The body is on the altar, and a fire dwells on the chariot, for the mystery of the Only-​Begotten is one above and below.189

According to Mar Jacob, the presence of the body of the Only Begotten upon the altar of the chariot is the sign of divine presence in the sanctuary. Since the chariot represents this sanctuary with the body of the Son, this sanctuary is the symbol of the habitation with the divine presence. For him, both in heaven and on earth God ensures this divine presence through this habitation. This is also a clear indication that the Church on earth is the sign of the presence of the heavenly Church. In the heights and in the depths He created visible habitations, that he might dwell among them, with both those on high and the ones below, That for those on high there might be a place of meeting at the chariot, and for those below refreshment at the altar.190

The explanation of Mar Jacob on the angel wearing linen entering the chariot is a further affirmation of considering the chariot as the type of the Church. According to Mar Jacob, the angel wearing white linen is a type of the priest, who clothed ‘with the form of the Son of God’191 accessing the altar. Mar Jacob 188 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 596,4–​5; 8–​9, MHMJS 14, 1107–​1108; 1111–​1112. 189 HS IV, 596,12–​15, MHMJS 14, 120,1115–​–​1118. 190 HS IV, 600,4–​7, MHMJS 14, 128,1191–​1194. 191 HS IV, 596,16, MHMJS 14, 120,1119.

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interprets the scene of the man in white linen receives the burning coal from the cherub as the work of the Holy Spirit. For Mar Jacob, the Holy Spirit stands between the priest and the Father, sacrifices the Son on the altar and gives the body of the Son to the priest to distribute it in the assembly for the remission of their sins. This interpretation of Mar Jacob affirms that in the view of Mar Jacob, the Church is a place, where the work of the Trinity is manifested. The priest, who clothes with the form of the Son of God stands between the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit transforms the bread and wine into the body and the blood of Jesus Christ and gives them into the hands of a priest. Through priest, the minister of the Church, God continues in the Church his act of redemption. The concept of Mar Jacob is paraphrased in the following verses: The angel who was clothed in white linen in the revelation is a type of the priest clothed with the form of the Son of God is a type of the priest who enters the sanctuary and consecrates in the place of propitiation. And the fact that the cherub stretches the coals out to the one outside is in order that the priest should know that he is not the one who has authority for propitiation. Rather, the Holy Spirit stands between him and the Father, and he breaks and gives the body of the Son to the priest to go forth in the assembly to scatter the body on the just and on the sinners, that he might make judgment and forgive the iniquities of all the world.192

The above passage also substantiates that the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharistic species is what makes the Church the actual meeting place between God and human beings. The angels, who entered in the chariot with white linen, are in Ezekiel’s vision a reflection of the earthly angels, that is, God’s people on earth. The presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharistic species ensures that God is present among the earthly angels in body and blood of the Son, which contain the entire wealth of heaven. The entire heavenly riches came down to earth in Immanuel, who is with us, our God. Behold the hidden altar, which was mysteriously served, appeared and exists among earthly angels. The body of the Son of God is arrayed against our iniquity and is nigh to heal all our ulcers and sores. Moreover,

192 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 596,17 –​597,8, MHMJS 14, 120,1119–​1128.

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behold all the heavenly mysteries, types, and beauties are in it. No human could desire more.193

By interpreting the vision of Ezekiel, Mar Jacob portrays his theological view regarding the Church, which is the earthly manifestation of the heavenly Church, where angels and the heavenly troops celebrate a heavenly liturgy. The Church is hence a meeting place between the heavenly and earthly beings. Consequently, the Church is God’s Eden in the theological view of Mar Jacob.

3. The Church and the Kingdom The reflections that I have made regarding the relationship between the Church and paradise expounded that the Church makes her journey towards the paradise. In her journey ‘the kingdom’ is considered as the conclusion of her journey. Mar Jacob in his homilies presents this destination of the Church in terms of paradise. So, R. Murray’s statement, ‘Paradise is the type, as well as the eschatological goal, of the Church,’194 rings true in the homilies of Mar Jacob. The concept of kingdom in the writings of Mar Jacob is depicted as a place where all can meet the heavenly bridegroom. Mar Jacob narrates his idea of kingdom in his homily on ‘the ten virgins.’ According to this homily, the kingdom is compared to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. For Mar Jacob, the number ten is symbolically used to denote the perfection of the mysteries that consummated in Jesus Christ.195 Therefore the Son of God depicted the kingdom by ten virgins who went out to meet a bridegroom.

193 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 607,13 –​20, MHMJS 14, 142, 1345–​1352. 194 Murray, Symbols of Church, 125. 195 Cf. The Ten Virgins Described in our Saviour’s Gospel, HS II, 384,4-​17, TV 4,1, 47,74-​ 188. ‘The number ten is recognizable and prominently paced in the scripture. In the tenth generation the world was washed clean of pollution, and that tenth man, Noah, began to resettle the earth. Thence unto Abraham was also ten generations, and the Lord gave him circumcision, and set him apart to be His own people. On Mount Sinai he gave ten commandments, that by them the world might learn the way of salvation and walk in it. Unto his apostles the Son of God pronounced ten beatitudes, and he portrayed His way as woman who had ten coins. Thou shalt also find that all things, whether in nature or scripture, are established upon this ten. As for the name ‘Jesus’ upon which all creatures stand-​whose they are, and in whom they move and have their being. The letter ‘J’ is placed tenth in reckoning, it invokes Jesus, who is the sum of all consummations.’ (Ibid.).

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Ten signifies all who go forth to meet Him the day that he comes, the quick, the dead and for all the worlds, in a great procession. All the races of the sons of men who have come into creation, going forth to meet the bridegroom with the light of their lamps. All generations from Adam unto the end, he comprised in that number ten. And the whole sum of that kingdom, which comprehends all consummations, He bounded within the number ten, for it is the boundary of all calculations.196

The above-​citation indicates that in the number ‘ten’ Mar Jacob sees the presence of all generations from Adam to the end in front of the bridegroom. Therefore, the concept of kingdom according to Mar Jacob is a place where everything is finally consummated. Since everything is consummated in the kingdom, the Church, which manifests the economy of salvation in the world, also has its final consummation in the kingdom. This understanding of Mar Jacob regarding the kingdom tends us to believe that Mar Jacob links the Church and the kingdom from the perspective of the final destination of the Church, which the Church has to attain. The homily of Mar Jacob on ‘the chariot that prophet Ezekiel saw’ clarifies his understanding of the kingdom. In this homily, Mar Jacob explains that the chariot is created for the sake of revealing the presence of God on earth. The chariot represents the tie between heaven and earth. In chariot, God manifests the heaven and his mysteries. By being present in the chariot, God reveals himself to the world in a confined space though he is boundless. God has chosen a place for himself to dwell. This theophany of God within a confined space suggests the concept of the temple and of a place, where God is to be sought and found.197 For Mar Jacob, the link between the temple, where God dwells, and the kingdom exist in its relation to heaven. The chariot, which represents the presence of God, resembles the heaven and so within the chariot we see the assembly of the heavenly ones are tied up and concentrated. This confined space, which God set his presence, is hence a ‘metaphorical place,’ where everyone can experience the bounty of heaven. Moreover, at this place the angels rejoice ‘as at the gates of the kingdom.’ Both heaven and the kingdom are represented within the ‘metaphorical place’ that is the chariot, which Ezekiel saw. This vision of Ezekiel and its explanation of Mar Jacob hence suggest that the understanding of Mar Jacob regarding the temple concern a place, which reveals the presence of God 1 96 The Ten Virgins Described in our Saviour’s Gospel, HS II,386, 4–​11, TV 4,1, 49,218–​224. 197 The Chariot that Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 569,18 –​570,17, MHMJS 14, 66,555 –​70,576.

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and it resembles heaven and the kingdom. I think the passage worth quoting at some length will confirm the idea of Mar Jacob regarding the temple and the kingdom: Where is He? Where is the exalted One who is hidden, that we may praise Him in His place? For this reason He harnessed the chariot and made the place known and showed them the likeness in order for it to be an opportunity for the heavenly ones And He depicted a place for his Presence, that there it might dwell, And He made it like a chariot, that on it He might be carried in state, that the whole vision of the heavenly ones might be concentrated, caught up, and tied to that one place where His banner is placed. and they stand before Him as though as the gate of the Great King, and myriad myriads minister in their forms, and offer voices of praise up to Him at the entry of His place. And lightning and fearful radiance issue from the chariot, to assemble the heavenly ones to great praise, in order that they may stand, ranks on ranks, for ministry, and all their legions gaze on the one Lord. And the gaze of the sons of light rests on the chariot, and they are not thrown hither and thither to make inquiry: the cherubs rejoice as if they were actually carrying Him. The seraphs cry “holy!” as they gaze on Him, for holy is His place, The hosts rejoice as at the gate of the place of the kingdom, all of them making joyful noise because they are held worthy to see His high place. …………. Disputation is rendered idle, lest they be scattered to make inquiry, at the borders of high place, into the hidden One who is not confined to any place. And all of them look at that metaphorical place, which he has chosen, and are soothed by it, and shot praise to His Glory.198

A reference in the homily on ‘Simon Peter, when our Lord said, ‘Get behind me, Satan,’ further confirms that the Church is the representation of the kingdom on earth. In this homily we read: Satan has heard that he (Simon Peter) has received a beautiful name, namely “stone” ܳ ܽ ܰ ܶ it became And for the construction of the “house of the kingdom” (‫ܠܟܘܬܐ‬ ‫)ܒܝܬ ܡ‬ 199 foundation.

198 The Chariot that Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 570,10 –​571,9; 571,16–​19, MHMJS 14, 68,570 –​70,590; 70,597 –​72,600. 199 Simon Peter, when our Lord said, ‘Get behind me, Satan,’ HS I, 487,19–​20, My own translation.

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Apart from these few references the majority of the references in the homilies of Mar Jacob point out the kingdom to the Garden of Eden, where the Church is destined. The early discussion regarding the comparison between the Garden of Eden and the Church, the earthly paradise, shows us that the Church represents the Garden of Eden, towards which the fallen humanity is journeying. Mar Jacob refers this Garden of Eden as the kingdom and hence he establishes that the destiny of the Church is achieved in the kingdom. The typological explanation of Mar Jacob on the event of crucifixion and the bridal imagery of the Church give to us a better understanding of his whole idea of the kingdom and the Church.

3.1. The Thief and his Entry into the Kingdom Mar Jacob explains the salvific return of Adam through Christ into paradise by a rich typological network of scriptural episodes. The episode of the piercing of the side of Christ stands as a key to interpret the whole network. This event on Golgotha is seen as the culmination of the search of God for the fallen Adam. At the culmination of this search, God opens a path for Adam to paradise and it is ensured by the gift of the fruits of the tree of life for Adam. Mar Jacob narrates this whole episode as the formation of the Church. Thus, through the Church and through the presence of the tree of life in it the Garden of Eden and the tree of life became accessible to Adam. But this event not only opens up a way for Adam to paradise but also gives him the experience of the kingdom of God, which the paradise typified. Mar Jacob explains this through another typological web, which he carved from the event of crucifixion. When Mar Jacob interpreted the event of crucifixion, he depicted the robber, who was crucified by him on the left side as the type of Adam, who is in search of liberation. Mar Jacob depicts the robber as the one who tried to rob divinity prematurely and unjustly and thereby he becomes the type of Adam, who went astray from God.200 The robber’s entry into paradise is described in his homilies on the robber as the entry of the robber into the kingdom. Mar Jacob depicts 200 Cf. The Transfiguration, HS II, 360,8, Kollamparampil. FH VIII, 217,272. The comparison between the robber and Adam is so dramatically depicted in the homilies of Mar Jacob. In his homily on ‘the vigil of the Holy Saturday’ he narrates that on the sixth day the robber entered the paradise in contrast with the sixth day on which Adam was expelled from the paradise. Cf. The Vigil of the Holy Saturday, HS II, 592,7–​8. The same kind of depiction is also present in the writings of Mar Ephrem. In his homily on ‘faith’ he speaks of the ‘robber,’ who is described as the one who sees the ‘tree of life’ on the cross through his faith and immediately eats from the ‘fruit’ in Adam’s stead and returns to the paradise. Cf. Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen de Fide

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like Mar Ephrem the robber as the one who has faith in Christ. In his homily on ‘the repentant thief,’ he presents the robber in contrast to Jesus’s disciples who abandoned their master at the cross. ‘And when the disciples avoided the Master, and he remained by himself, this one (the good thief) adhered to him while supplicating mournfully,’201 saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’ (Lk 23:33–​43). This petition, which the robber has uttered before breathing his last, opened the gate of mercy when Jesus assured a dying Adam that he would rejoice with him in his kingdom today. The basic point that has to be noticed in this episode is that the kingdom is ensured to Adam as the end of his journey. The whole narrative of Mar Jacob of this episode brings in detail the notion of the kingdom, which will be attained as the eschatological destination. Amen, Amen, I say to you, be assured that you will rejoice with me in [my] kingdom today. Since your tongue sang a hymn of praise among the faithless, you shall take delight in the banquet of life with Abraham. Since your lamp glared out of the thick darkness, you shall shine brightly in the bridal chamber of life with the heavenly beings. Since your ears have heard the troubling voices of scoffers, I shall comfort you with shouts of joy of the children of light. Since you rejected the company of Caiaphas’s people, the defiled priests, I shall put on you the Robe of Light in the exalted wedding chamber. Take the key of light, reach the Garden of delights, and prepare the way for the King of light, whom the Nation rejected. Ride on fire, travel on the blazing road, step on the abyss filled with fire, and do not be terrified. Proceed without delay, reach the orders of the heavenly beings, make level the paths, and greet the angels with the peace that came to pass. Pour into Eden the peace of your beautiful words and say to those who perished that it [Eden] has been returned to the heir, Adam. If the fiery ranks come upon you, do not be terrified, for they will rejoice in your imperial rescript, receive you on their wings.202

Mar Jacob here clearly narrates that Adam regained the joy in the kingdom that he had lost in the Garden of Eden. After creating Adam, God placed him in a chamber of glory and donned him with Eve. It is in the same way Christ put (HFid), CSCO 154, Scr.Syr. 73, Louvain, 1955, LXXXIV,1, 219, ET by J.T. Wickes, in: St. Ephrem the Syrian: The Hymns on Faith, Washington, 2015, 387. 201 The Repentant Thief, HS II, Hom.Nr.52, pp. 428–​447, here p. 433,6–​7. 2 02 The Cherub and the Thief, HS V, Hom.Nr.177, pp. 658–​687, here p. 668,22 –​669,19.

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on the robber a ‘robe of light’ in the bridal chamber and filled him with joy in the ‘garden of delights.’ By comparing the condition of the robber as the same as Adam, who was in the Garden of Eden, Mar Jacob asserts that the kingdom, which was offered to the robber, is identified with the Garden of Eden or paradise. The identification of Eden with the kingdom appears in an even more explicit way in the words that the cherub addresses to the robber when he enters into the paradise. Come, enter Eden, a place of light, which Adam abandoned, Enter and join the magnificent community of the sons of light.203

Thus, the typological analysis of Mar Jacob on the event on Golgotha illustrates the kingdom as an eschatological destination that the whole humanity, which is represented by Adam, is striving to achieve. The image of the Garden of Eden evokes the kingdom in the typological network of Mar Jacob. Since the Church is depicted by Mar Jacob as the Garden of Eden on earth, it is appropriate to link the Church with the kingdom.

3.2. The Kingdom and the Heavenly Marriage Banquet In Mar Jacob’s homilies, the whole economy of salvation, and its historical realization are symbolically depicted in terms of ‘betrothal and marriage feast.’ The betrothal between the heavenly bridegroom and the earthly bride, the Church, is depicted as the part of God’s attempt to save the fallen Adam. Adam, who represents the whole humanity, is being united to God through the betrothal. The whole depiction of betrothal between God and the earthly bride depicts God’s various attempts to reconcile with the humanity. Therefore, Mar Jacob provides a progressive picture of betrothal in his homilies.204 According to Mar Jacob, the progressions of the betrothals reached its pinnacle by the arrival of Christ, who is the heavenly bridegroom. Christ came and betrothed the earthly bride, the Church, and he prepared a marriage feast and the world was made aware of this in view of celebrating the marriage feast.205 At Golgotha, Christ inaugurated the marriage feast with the body of the slain bridegroom.206 2 03 The Cherub and the Thief, HS V, 680,20–​21. 204 Cf. Please see my description of the Church as bride in the pages 144–164 of Chapter II. 205 Cf. The Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 167,12, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 162,12. ‘Christ, the bridegroom prepared the marriage fest for the Church of the nations, and the world became aware of the wedding feast He had furnished for her (Church).’ (Ibid.). 206 Cf. The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 291,1–​6, Sob 3,1, 76,151–​156.

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The marriage banquet, which was inaugurated on Golgotha, is also a continuation of the marriage feast, which existed in the Garden of Eden. The slanderer, who threw discord into the nuptial relation, broke the nuptial relation.207 In order to spoil the marriage feast in Eden Satan took the ‘tunic of glory’ of the human couple through the serpent208 and they found themselves nude and unacceptable for the marriage feast. The saving activity of God for Adam tries to bring him back to the marriage feast by providing him the ‘robe of glory.’ By the arrival of Christ and through his death on the cross he opened up the way for Adam and for humanity to the bridal chamber, where they can experience the heavenly marriage feast. For Mar Jacob, the opening of the way to the bridal chamber confirms the establishment of the Church and hence the redemption of the earthly bride, the Church, is confirmed by the death of her heavenly bridegroom. The redemption that the bridegroom offered to his bride is confirmed by a marriage banquet, where the bridegroom distributes his body and blood. Thus, the earthly bride, the Church, recognized and accepted her bridegroom through the deeds of the Son on earth and through the participation in the marriage feast that he prepared for her. In the earthly marriage banquet of the Son the bride finds herself inseparably united to her bridegroom as Christ himself became intimately united to her through his total self-​giving. Since the death of the Son of God opens the way to the bridal chamber in paradise, the earthly banquet of the bridegroom, which offers the inseparable union with the bridegroom, has its fulfillment in the paradise, where a heavenly marriage feast is prepared. Therefore, the earthly bride, the Church, is expectant for the fuller realization of the heavenly marriage feast in the kingdom, where all the mysteries are consummated. Therefore, according to Mar Jacob, the life of the Church is a life in the already-​not yet of the kingdom of God with the hope of fuller realization in the eschatological kingdom.

207 Cf. The Creation of Adam, QHC IV, 97,175–​178, My own translation. ‘The slanderer entered and threw the discord into these nuptials: he betrayed his wife, whispered his lie and imposed his trick. The horrible hawk entered among the innocent doves and stood up, and he drove them out of the vast aviary of Eden.’ (Ibid.). 208 Cf. QHC IV, 97,185–​186, My own translation. ‘They fell into corruption and choked out the cries of their jubilation the serpent stripped them of the tunic of glory they wore.’ (Ibid.).

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Conclusion This chapter elaborated the concept of Church and explained how the Church is comprehensible in the whole history of salvation. First of all, according to Mar Jacob, the Church is the progeny of God’s love and grace to humanity. It has a history even from the creation of humanity or beyond it. Mar Jacob substantiates this through his narration of creation of Adam and his fall and his rejection from the paradise. The whole intention of the creation is to manifest the glory of God and by creating Adam in his own image and likeness God ensured that his glory would be preserved through him. However, the sin of Adam distorted the plan of God and Adam broke apart from God and lost his place in paradise. He was sent out of the paradise and thenceforth God started to search Adam in order to bring him back to the paradise. Mar Jacob traces or fits the notion of the Church on the journey of God, who is in search of the fallen Adam. Therefore, the concept of the Church is traceable in paradise, in the Old Testament events, and on the journey of Christ, which manifests the reality of the Church in its fuller form. This Chapter also expounded how the Church includes all history of salvation from creation to the eschatological kingdom. By presenting the Church as the Garden of Eden on earth, Mar Jacob confirms that the role of the Church is to bring the humanity back to paradise. The reality of her presence as paradise on earth enumerates us her identity in a two-​fold manner. Firstly, she becomes the paradise by the fact that she was born on Golgotha, which is the Eden of God on earth, where all the mysteries are fulfilled. Secondly, she becomes the image of paradise on earth on account of the presence of the tree of life within her. She preserves the fruits of the tree of life in the form of the body and blood of Christ, which is given to her on Golgotha as the bridal gifts. The paradise, which is the final destiny of the Church, is perceived in the homilies of Mar Jacob as kingdom. However, he never specifically links the kingdom with the Church frequently in his homilies. Though there are no such frequent quotes on relating the Church and kingdom in his homilies, there are specific narrations, which explain the kingdom as the final destiny of the Church. This helps us to conclude that the Church will experience her final bliss in the heavenly kingdom, which Mar Jacob narrated through his typological explanation of the entry of the robber to the kingdom, and the joy of the bride at the heavenly marriage banquet in the heavenly kingdom. Therefore, Mar Jacob depicts the Church as a reality, which has the specific role in fulfilling the saving acts of God and she lives in the world as the one who is in the already-​not-​yet of the kingdom of God with the hope of fuller realization in the eschatological kingdom.

Chapter IV The Motherhood of the Church Introduction The previous chapter discussed the role of the Church in the salvific works of God. This chapter deals with Mar Jacob’s narration of the imagery of the motherhood of the Church. Mar Jacob describes the motherhood of the Church in order to delineate that the Church is a spatio-​temporal reality, which carries forward the salvific plan of God on earth. Therefore, the homilies of Mar Jacob bring out the imagery of the motherhood of the Church as a functional title of the Church. The Church exercises her motherly function at the various levels of the life of the Church. The exploration on these levels, where the Church exercises her role as a mother, brings out the theological importance of this imagery. The homilies of Mar Jacob portray this theme candidly, especially when he explains the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist and their relation with the Church. This chapter explores how the motherhood of the Church is enlivened in the Church through her sacramental life and expounds its theological meaning as Mar Jacob envisages.

1. The Concept of the Motherhood of the Church The Church as mother of Christians forms an important tradition of ecclesiological reflection. The theological deliberation on the motherhood of the Church is rooted in the fact that the Church has an intrinsic relation to Christ. The Church cannot be rightly considered apart from the divine economy of God, which is revealed through Christ and his saving works. She derives her authority to act from her origin as a work of the divine economy of salvation. The eternal Father establishes his divine plan of salvation by sending his only Son into our sinful flesh and accomplished the work of salvation in the death of His Son on the cross. In the writings of Mar Jacob, we find that the Church is visible in Christ’s work of salvation. For Mar Jacob, the Church is made present, when Christ becomes one with the whole humanity in his incarnation. In incarnation, the Son of God becomes one with the ‘daughter of the race.’ Hence, the act of incarnation brings the whole humanity in union with God and this in turn manifests a community, which is in union with God.1 The Church therefore is ‘like a 1 In chapter III, I have explained Mar Jacob’s reasoning for the relation between the Church and the incarnation of the Son. Please see the pages 196–199 and footnote 58 in page 199.

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sacrament’2 on earth, which is the actual making-​present of Jesus Christ and of his definitive salvation for mankind. This sacramental concept of the Church is not only dealt with her structure as a sign but it also elucidates how the Church makes present the salvific works of Christ.3 Her visible presence on earth therefore is not simply that of a worldly institution, rather her social structure serves the Spirit of Christ, who enlivens it for the fulfillment of God’s salvific plan. The Church therefore is the means through which God attends to the needs of the people and means by which the whole human race is being in a close-​knit union with God. It is thus evident that the Church manifests the divine plan of God and continues it in the world by bringing redemption for humanity. It is just in this perspective of ecclesiology, Mar Jacob considers that the Church is irrevocably mother and performs the functions that are intrinsic to its nature. So, when somebody says that the Church is his mother, he is not giving way to some sentimental impulse, rather he expresses a reality –​a reality that functions or performs as a mother due to the fact that the motherhood is intrinsic to its nature. Henri de Lubac, a great twentieth century theologian, also asserts the sacramentality of the Church by saying that the motherhood of the Church ‘is not an empty title; it is not a weak analogy of natural motherhood. It does not signify only that the Church acts like a tender mother toward us…. This motherhood is as real as the presence of Christ is real in the Eucharist, or as real as the supernatural life that exists in the children of God.’4 De Lubac here describes the tangibility of the motherhood of the Church in relation to the perceptibility of Christ in the Eucharist. De Lubac explains in his writings that the reason for the motherly nature of the Church is based on the fact that the Church is wholly consistent with the salvific activity of the Son of God.5 It means that the role of

2 LG 1. The first article of the dogmatic constitution on Church of the 2nd Vatican Council enumerates the role of Church in the world as sacrament (veluti sacramentum). According to the constitution, ‘The Church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a closely-​knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race.’ Theologians like K. Osborne attribute to Semmelroth the merit of having contributed in a decisive manner the affirmations of the idea and of the term ‘sacrament’ in the study of the Church. Cf. K. Osborne, Sacramental Theology: A General Introduction, New Jersey, 1988, 10. 3 Cf. O. Semmelroth, Die Kirche als Ursakrament, Frankfurt am Main, 1963, 182–​183. 4 H. de Lubac, The Motherhood of the Church: An Interview conducted by Gwendoline Jatczyk, Sr. Sergia Englund O.C.D (trans.), San Francisco, 1982, 39. 5 Cf. A. Irving, The Motherhood of the Church in Henri de Lubac and John Calvin, in: International Journal for the Study of the Christian Church 18,2 (2018), 8.

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the Church on earth is to carry out the work of the Son of God. It assures that through the works of the Church, Christ and his salvific activities are manifested to men. The maternal function of the Church is one of the important images that bring out the works of the Church. Therefore, the motherhood of the Church has the function of making present the salvific works of Christ to the people. The Church establishes her nature as mother through the nourishment that she provides to her children in the form of Scripture, doctrine and the sacraments, especially in the sacrament of baptism and Eucharist. The Church does not just give birth to the children of God and allow them to stagnate in immaturity or die as newborns; rather, as mother, she sustains their lives, providing them nourishment in relation to the gospel. She feeds her children the gospel, with courses of preaching Scripture and teaching right doctrine, and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. Similarly, as mother she is the repository of the Christian faith and of the Holy Spirit. She is the repository of the Christian faith by the fact that she gives people access to salvation through the gospel that has been entrusted to her. She is the repository of the Holy Spirit who unceasingly labors to deliver her children to the life of the Spirit. As mother, the Church provides spiritual nourishment and life for her children so that they might grow ‘to mature as Sons of God, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ’ and not be ‘tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine’ (Eph 4:13–​14). The motherhood of the Church also calls attention to the paternity of God and the fraternity that believers have with one another. The Church is not autonomous with respect to her origin and continued existence; indeed, she ‘is mother only insofar as she continually refers to the Father.’6 The Christian, then, introduced into Mother Church through the initial rite of baptism can ‘continually turn to his Father who is in heaven.’7 Furthermore, the motherhood of the Church points to the fact that all those born of her share a common identity. Her children are equally loved by the Father and adopted into his family, having been qualified by him ‘to share in the inheritance of the saints’ (Col 1:12). The maternal ecclesial image is thus arguably ‘a way of countering elitist divisions in the community and promoting the sense of the Church as a birthing and nurturing institution.’8 In this way, the themes of divine paternity and the ‘sonship’

6 Cardinal A. Scola, The Nuptial Mystery, M.K. Borras (trans.), Michigan, 2005, 254. 7 Ibid. 8 R. Jenson, Mater Ecclesia and Fons Aeterna: The Church and her Womb in Ancient Christian Tradition, in: A Feminist Companion to Patristic Tradition, Ami-​Jill Levine (ed.), New York, 2008, 138.

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of believers cross paths with the motherhood of the Church. Taken as a whole, in the themes of divine paternity, ecclesial maternity, and Christian fraternity, we encounter ‘the fulfilled form (figure) of the natural relationships of father, mother, and child.’9 In other words, believers are in union with Christ, sons and daughters of God the Father, and brothers and sisters of one family, the Church. The image of the Church as mother thus gives us a picture of the Church, which functions on earth as a sign or an instrument of salvation for mankind. This image manifests that the mission of the Church is to give birth to new humanity in Christ. She gives birth to children as symbolically represented by baptism. She nurtures her children through the ministry of the word and the Lord’s Supper. In her, we are reminded that God is our Father and that we are brothers and sisters with one another. No other image can express the inwardness of the believer’s attachment to the Church as fully as the image of the motherhood. So, this imagery is commonly employed in Scripture, in patristic literature and in the liturgical texts.

1.1. The Image of the Motherhood of the Church in Scripture The image of the Church as the mother of the believers derives from the New Testament teaching. The few examples, which I narrate here, will explain the expression of the motherhood of the Church. We come across a direct allusion of the motherhood of the Church in the gospel of St Mathew, where Jesus exclaimed, ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.’10 In this passage, both Jerusalem and Christ himself are compared to a mother. We relate this passage to the motherhood of the Church through the explanation of St Paul on Jerusalem. St Paul states in Galatians 4:26, ‘But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother.’ Here Paul asserts that the heavenly Jerusalem is our mother. Paul takes up, no doubt polemically, a famous dictum of Jewish theology, ‘Jerusalem is our mother’ and claims it for Christians and for the Church. The idea of spiritual motherhood holds an important place in St Paul’s thought.11 According to him, the Church, which is the spouse of Christ, both virgin and fruitful at the same time, is the mother of all those who are born in the Spirit and for whom she proclaims the pure and authentic doctrine of Christ.12 Another expression of the motherhood 9 A. Scola, 254. 10 Mat 23:37. 11 Cf. H. de Lubac, The Motherhood of the Church, 40–​41. 12 Eph 5, Gal 4:2, 2 Cor 11:2–​4.

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of the Church, we find in second letter of John. In his letter, John narrates ‘the elect lady and her children’ (2 Jn 1:4–​5). Most commentators agree that John uses such terminology to identify a local Church and its members.13 If the Church is a ‘lady’ who has children and those children are believers, then it naturally follows to recognize this as an example of the motherhood of the Church. Finally, the episode of the woman and the dragon in Johannine Apocalypse (Rev 12) is a classical example, which alludes the maternity of the Church or more specifically, the maternity of the whole people of God, Israel and the Church.14 This woman gives birth to a male child, the promised Messiah, whom the dragon seeks to destroy (verses 4–​5). When his efforts fail, the dragon makes ‘war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus’ (verse 17). Most commentators identify the woman’s ‘offspring’ as believers in Jesus throughout the ages since the founding of the Church.15 It is clear from the passage that the woman identified here is both mother to the Messiah, as Israel, and mother to believers in Jesus, as the Church. These three examples provide scriptural support for the Church being identified and described as ‘mother.’

1.2. The Motherhood of the Church in the Patristic Literatures Despite the above-​mentioned evidences, the Church’s maternity is, admittedly, in nascent form throughout the New Testament writings. The ecclesial image of mother, however, has a long and rich tradition in the Church. The image of the Church as mother has enjoyed prominence from the time of the early Church. It has been one of the more familiar yet unique ecclesial images used throughout the history of Christian thought, despite appearing abruptly and inexplicably in the late second-​century patristic literature.16 In fact, regarding this image, even ‘independent of Scripture citation … the full popular personification was ‘in the air’ well before the middle of the second century.’17 Yet, once the image was 1 3 D.L. Akin, 1,2,3 John, in: New American Commentary, Nashville, 2001, 219–​220 14 G.R. Osborne, Revelation, in: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Michigan, 2001, 456. 15 G.R. Osborne, Revelation, 456. 16 Commenting on its early patristic roots, Monica Miller explains that the term ‘mother’ as applied to the Church occurs with ‘great frequency and spontaneity… (indicating) that the practice had entered the mainstream of tradition well before the close of the second century.’ M.M. Miller, Sexuality and Authority in the Church, London, 1995, 142. 17 J.C. Plumpe, Mater Ecclesia: An Inquiry into the Concept of the Church as Mother in Early Christianity, Washington, 1943, 9.

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introduced, patristic writers consistently employed it as an expression characterizing the nature and function of the Church. Epitomized in Cyprian’s (+258) oft-​repeated dictum, ‘One cannot have God for a Father who does not have the church for a mother,’18 patristic writers understood the Church’s maternity as a natural extension of God’s paternity, and an individual’s association with her as an absolute requirement for salvation. The popularity of this image grew in the later periods so that this imagery is noticeable in the writings of many the early Church fathers. In one of the post-​baptismal lectures to neophytes, John Chrysostom (+407) tells the newly born Christians that ‘the mother Church’ has the joy over them. In the homily we read: I see that your gathering is brighter than usual today and the Church is rejoicing over her children. A loving mother rejoices when she sees her children surrounding her; she exults and is borne along on the wings of her joy.19

In one of the baptismal homilies, Theodore of Mopsuestia (+428) narrates implicitly the motherhood of the Church. In his first homily on Baptism, Theodore compares the Church with the city of Jerusalem, which is free and the mother of all. The homily says: Christ, our Lord built the kingdom in heaven. And like a city he built it there, in which he has his kingdom, which St Paul calls “Upper Jerusalem”, which is “free and mother of all” (Gal 4:26), through her, we expect that we will live there and transform…….. Like a certain allegorical figure for heavenly things, he created the church, through her, he wanted that those who believe in him transform in her.20

1.3. The Motherhood of the Church in the Early Syrian Literatures The early Syrian Church fathers, exemplified by Aphrahat and Ephrem, also emphasized this metaphor in their ecclesiologies, though they developed it in various ways.21 18 Cyprian, De Ecclesiae Catholicae Unitate 6, in: Corpus Christianorum Series Latina (CCSL) 3 (1972), 253, 149–​150. ‘Habere iam non potest Deum patrem qui ecclesiam non habet matrem.’ My own English translation. 19 John Chrysostom, Catecheses Baptismales, 3,1, Fontes Christiani, R. Kaczynski (ed.), 16/​2, 3,1, 358, ET by P.W. Harkins, in: St. John Chrysostom: Baptismal Instructions, New York, 1963, 66. 20 Theodore of Mopsuestia, Baptismal Homily, I,12–​13, GT by P. Bruns, Theodor von Mopsuestia: Katechetische Homilien 2, in: Fontes Christiani 17/​2, Freiburg, 1995, 328. My own English translation. 21 Here I narrate the image of the Church as mother in the early Syrian literature and early Syrian church fathers. The Church is frequently called as ‘mother’ in the writings

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In the early Syriac literature, a direct allusion of the Church as mother is not traceable. It is for sure, the imagery of motherhood of the Church is not found in Odes of Solomon and Acts of Thomas, the prominent second century literature.22 In Odes of Solomon, there are indications of the Church, when the author discusses the theme of redemption. In Ode 17, the author of Odes of Solomon gives some indications of the concept of the Church. The author indicates that the Church is the gathering of the people, who are gathered by the love of the Lord, which was revealed to them through the salvific acts of the Lord. In the Ode 17, 13–​16 we read: And I gave my knowledge generously, and my resurrection through my love. And I sowed my fruits in hearts, and transformed them through myself. Then they received my blessing and lived, and they were gathered to me and were saved; Because they were my members and I was their head.23

As the author proceeds, he calls the Holy Spirit as mother,24 who ‘opened Her bosom, and mixed the milk of the two breasts of the Father.’25 Most pointedly, God the Father is also imaged in feminine term along with the Spirit. These wordings of the Ode recall certain Old Testament metaphors: God as midwife in Ps 22:9–​10, God as comforting mother in Isa 49:15 and 66:13. Roles of the Father, Spirit and even of Mary are reversed, fused, and inverted. The Father and the Spirit are more than one gender can convey in the effort to glimpse their works.26 Aphrahat, a prolific Syrian writer of the early fourth century, also considered the Holy Spirit as mother as it is seen in Odes of Solomon. In Dem XVIII, ‘On Virginity and Holiness’ where he explains the marriage in relation to the command of Gen 2:24, ‘A man shall leave the father and mother,’ he says:

of the fathers of the Church of the early centuries. In order to have a close look into their views, refer, Plumpe, Mater Ecclesia, 9–​10; H. Rahner, Symbole der Kirche: Die Ekklesiologie der Väter, 140–​161. 22 Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 142. 23 Charlesworth, Odes of Solomon, 17,13–​16, 75 ܽ ܳ ‫ܪ‬/​ 24 ‫ܘܚܐ‬ ruḥo is always constructed as feminine in early Syriac. R. Murray mentions in his work on ‘Symbols of the Church’ that Mar Ephrem uses the term ruho as feminine in all his authentic works. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 143. Cf. S.A. Harvey, Feminine Imagery for the Divine: The Holy Spirit, The Odes of Solomon, and Early Syriac Tradition, in: St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 37, nos 2–​3 (1993), 111–​122. 25 Charlesworth, Odes of Solomon, 19,4, 82. 26 Cf. Harvey, Feminine Imagery for the Divine, 125–​127.

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As long as man has not taken a wife he loves and revers God his father and the Holy Spirit his mother, and he has no other love.27

According to R. Murray, the allusions to the motherhood of the Holy Spirit in the works of the early Syrian literature are the indication that the early Syrian writers were very much inclined to the Judeo-​Christian doctrines of the Spirit. For Murray, the references to the motherhood of the Spirit are very close to the Judeo-​Christian sources.28 However, unlike the second and the third century writings, a direct reference to the motherhood of the Church appeared in the late fourth century or in the early fifth century. In Liber Graduum, a late fourth century or a fifth century Syrian writing, the Church on earth is pictured as mother raising children for the Church in heaven. In the twelfth mēmrō of Liber Graduum we read: This blessed nurse, which everyday bears and brings up fair wards and sends them to that great Church on high. Now this Church, with its altar and baptism, bears mankind like children, they suck her milk, till they are weaned.29

1.4. The Motherhood of the Church in the Writings of Mar Ephrem The motherhood of the Church is also emphasized in the writings of Mar Ephrem, a great fourth century poet. Mar Ephrem affirms the motherhood of the Church by making an analogy between Mary and the Church, where he explicitly considers Mary as the symbol of the Church. In the works of Mar Ephrem, the mutually typical relationship of Mary and the Church is based on the doctrine of the Second Eve. Mar Ephrem makes the comparison between Mary 27 Dem XVIII,9–​12. I relied on the book of R. Murray for the translation. Murray, Symbols of Church, 143. 28 According to R. Murray, the biblical roots connected to the motherhood of the Spirit seem to lie in the bird imagery. The root word rḥp (Hebrew rihep, Syriac rāḥēp) to denote the mother bird hovering is used to denote how the power of the Spirit swept over the waters over the surface of waters. The Christian tradition has universally seen this image precisely as a symbolic bird over the waters, renewed in the appearance of the Spirit as a dove at the baptism of Jesus. Jerome’s quotations from the Gospel according to Hebrews give evidence to the most primitive Judeo-​Christian midrashic elaboration of the usage of the Spirit as the mother. In these quotations we see that the descended Holy Spirit addressed the Lord, who came up out of the water, as her son. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 312–​320. 29 Liber Graduum XII, I took the translation from R. Murray. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 265.

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and Eve in parallel to that of Adam and Christ. When the first mother’s temptation and consent to the fallen angel (serpent) caused ruin and death, the second mother through her obedience to the word of God brings forth Christ, the new Adam who is the new head of mankind. Mar Jacob in his commentary on the Diatessaron, brings out this parallelism between Mary and Eve and between Adam and Christ and asserts how the Church is considered as the mother in relation to Mary. In the commentary of the Diatessaron, we read in the section of temptations that: This is the perfect way that the Messiah opened up for his Church, from the beginning through conception until the completion of the resurrection. If the Church therefore is his body, as Paul his witness has said, then believe that the Church has journeyed through all this without corruption. Just as, by the condemnation of the one body of Adam, all bodies died and continue to die, so too through the victory of this one body of the Messiah the entire Church lived and continues to love. So, just as [it was] because these bodies themselves have sinned and are themselves dying, that the earth, their mother, was also accursed, so too, because of this body, which is the Church without corruption, its earth is blessed from the beginning. The earth of the temple is the body of Mary, in whom it was sown.30

This passage makes it clear that because Adam was the head of the mankind, the bodily death he incurred became the lot of all mankind. Christ is the new head, and by conquering Satan in his body, he won this victory for the Church; even more his body is the Church. As the text further says, the earth, man’s mother was cursed because of sin committed in the body; and now, because of Christ’s body the earth is blessed. This new earth is Mary’s body, Christ’s temple, and she was called blessed precisely in contrast with the cursing of the earth. This explanation of Mar Ephrem helps us to arrive at the theological conclusion of the imagery of the Church. Mary is set in contrast with the earth from which Adam was formed, which is mother of all men and which was cursed through his sin. Mary by giving birth to Christ, who is the new Adam, becomes the mother of his body, the Church.31 Hence, as the new earth Mary becomes the mother of all the redeemed and so too the Church.

30 C. McCarthy, Saint Ephrem’s Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron, Oxford, 1993, IV,14–​ 15, 91–​92. 31 Mar Ephrem explains this in his homily on nativity. Cf. HNat, I,16, 3 ET by K.E. McVey, Ephrem the Syrian Hymns, I,16, 65. In the homily we read: ‘The virgin earth gave birth to that Adam, head of the earth; the Virgin today gave birth to (second Adam), head of heaven.’ (Ibid.).

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Mary appears in the works of Mar Ephrem again in relationship to both Eve and the Church from the Eucharistic perspective. His homily on ‘the unleavened bread’ narrates this. There we read: The Church gave us the living bread for that unleavened bread which Egypt gave. Mary gave us the bread of refreshment for the bread of weariness which Eve gave.32

In this typological parallel, the Eucharist in the Church is the antitype of the Passover bread in Egypt, and this is then paralleled by Mary’s relationship to Eve, and this is also expressed in terms of bread. Since Christ’s body itself is born of Mary and the Eucharist is Christ’s body under another form, Mary and the Church are in the closest relationship and the Church stands in the world as mother who gives the body of Christ as Mary. The above references from the works of Mar Ephrem state that the Church and Mary are interwoven as types and this relationship enlightens further the motherhood of the Church. Mar Ephrem asserts in his homilies that since Mary gave the body of Christ, the Church, who gives the body of Christ in the form of Eucharist, is closely linked to her. The Church as mother provides the children the body of Christ through the Eucharist as Mary gave her Son to the world. Because Mary gave birth to Christ and the Church finds life and lives in this body, Mary is the type of the Church.

1.5. The Motherhood of the Church in the Liturgical Texts The imagery of ‘the mother Church’ is also present in the liturgical texts. We can find references in the liturgical texts of the West Syrian Churches, where the Church is referred as mother. The West Syrian liturgy often speaks of the motherly Church in terms of her offsprings. The prayers frequently mention about the ‘children of the Church’ and of the good things that the maternal Church dispenses to them. The evening prayer on the Sunday of the dedication of the Church addresses the ‘children of the Church’ and the gift of salvation, which they receive from God through the Church.33 In one of the liturgical texts of the 32 Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen de Azymes (HAzym), in: CSCO 249, Scr.Syr. 108, E. Beck (ed.), Louvain, 1964, VI,6–​7, 11, ET of the given text by R. Murray, Symbols of Church 145. 33 Cf. F. Acharya, Prayer with the Harp of the Spirit: The Prayer of Asian Churches, vol II, Kottayam, 1999, 20. ‘Accept Lord, this fragrant incense

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first Sunday of the consecration of the Church, the breasts of the mother Church are mentioned. ‘From the two breasts, he [Solomon] said, that they resemble two young deer. They are the two Testaments, which are placed for witness. The children suck the milk of the mother from your breasts and from your breasts suck the folk the eternal life.’34 It is interesting to note that the liturgical texts speak of the children of the Church and the motherly care that the Church renders to her offspring. Liturgical texts of the Syrian Churches mention that the Church offers her broods salvation, security, and abundance in their life. One of the important gifts of the Church to her kids is the gift of expiation of sins.35 The Church also offers her progenies life through baptism. Through baptism, the children are born as the sons and daughters of the Church. The Church not only gives birth to children, but she also nourishes them. The prayer that we find in the liturgical text of the consecration of the Church substantiates this. ‘Their nest is built on the branch of the cross and their offspring are born from the source of baptism and she makes them glad about the heavenly flap. They get strengthened on your spiritual altar, which is up there in heaven and nourished through heavenly food and drink an everlasting drink.’36 These prayers, though they are from an anonymous author, are a clear proof for the existence of a culture of looking at the Church as mother, which renders care to all her faithful. This further verifies the fact that the motherly figure of the Church was so close and dear to the Syrian tradition. The references from the Scripture, early patristic writings, and the writings of Aphrahat and Ephrem and from the liturgical texts confirm the fact that the imagery of the motherhood of the Church is a principle theme of the Syrian theology, though the evidences for the motherhood of the Church are rare in the early documents. However, the consistent usage of the theme in the writings of the Syrian Church Fathers, who succeeded Ephrem,37 affirms that the Which we offer in our weakness to Your Majesty, that you may give joy to the children of your Holy Church, the joy of your salvation.’ (Ibid.). 34 Breviarum iuxta ritum Ecclesiae Antiochenae Syrorum, vol. II, Mosul, 1886–​1895, 16. I have taken the text from W. de Vries, Der Kirchenbegriff der von Rom getrennten Syrer, OCA 145 (1955), 176. My own translation. 35 Cf. W. de Vries, Der Kirchenbegriff, 175. 36 Brev. Syr. II, 26. I have taken the text from W. de Vries, Der Kirchenbegriff, 175. My own translation. 37 The work of R. Murray gives evidences to the usage of the motherhood of the Church in the early Syrian Church fathers, who came after Mar Ephrem. Murray says that it is Cyrillona, a fifth century Syrian writer, who is one among them, who explored this

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motherhood of the Church manifests the ecclesiological thinking of the early Syrian Church fathers.

1.6. Mar Jacob’s Understanding of the Motherhood of the Church The concept of the Church is a leading theme for Mar Jacob. Though he does not give any definition of the term ‘Church,’ it is an important factor of the divine-​ human relationship. His writings bring out clearly the identity of the Church and its basic duties. So, when we speak of Mar Jacob’s concept of the Church as mother we elucidate the imagery of the motherhood of the Church according to her motherly functions. The writings of Mar Jacob speak merely little about the title of ‘mother.’ However, he often speaks about the ‘children of the Church’ and the good things that the maternal Church dispenses to them. According to him, the motherhood of the Church pertains to the Church’s maternal function in relation to believers in nourishing, teaching, and caring for believers through the sacraments. In his writings, he emphasizes the motherhood of the Church in two particular levels. The first level is concerned with the Church’s ability to give birth to spiritual children while at the second level she becomes the mother in the context of life that she dispenses to all those who are united to her. Hence, the imagery of the motherhood of the Church is mainly manifested in the sacramental celebrations, which impart life to the faithful. Thus, the motherhood of the Church also describes Mar Jacob’s understanding of the sacraments and its role in the life of the believers.

2. The Motherhood of the Church and her Birth on Golgotha According to Mar Jacob, the Church is built on Golgotha as the fulfillment of all the prophecies. In the homilies of Mar Jacob, Golgotha is the place where all the types are fulfilled.38 Unlike his predecessor, Mar Ephrem, Mar Jacob imagines that the Church is built on Golgotha.39 In his homilies, he depicts the Church as ‘the house on Golgotha for the holy things.’40 This endorses that the founding of title after Mar Ephrem. Though Cyrillona did not represent Mary as the type of the Church, there are numerous simple references to the Church as mother in his writings. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 150. 38 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 299,8–​11, Sob 3,1, 80,331–​81,334. 39 It is worthwhile to note that for Mar Ephrem, the Church is built on the location where the temple stood. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 226. 40 Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God, and on the Types of Our Lord, HS V, 160,21, ܳ ܰ ܳ ܳ ܳ ܶ ܽ ‫ܝܬܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܠܩ‬ TV 2 (1998), 34,30 –​35,55. ‘‫ܘܕܫܐ‬ ‫’ܨܝܕ ܓܠܓܬܐ ܒ‬.

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the Church is on the crucified one, Jesus Christ. It is the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha that seals and confirms the birth of the Church. Mar Jacob analyzed the incident of the opening of the side of Christ typologically and presented his argument of the birth of the Church. The typological analysis of the piercing of Christ’s side on the Cross looks back to the birth of Eve from the side of the first Adam in primordial time, and which then, at the same time points forward, depicting the birth of the Church and to the sacraments. Mar Jacob inserts his reflections for the motherhood of the Church in this typological analysis. In the typological explanation of the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha, Mar Jacob provides a type/​antitype relation between Adam and Christ. By maintaining this relationship, he states that the Church is born from Christ; the pierced side of Christ gives birth to the Church. In his homilies, he narrates that the Church was born from the open side of Christ on the cross, as Eve was drawn from Adam’s side during his sleep. The Church as new Eve is naturally associated with the new Adam, who is Christ. The excerpt given below states the deliberation of Mar Jacob. Christ slept on the Cross, and Baptism came forth from him: the bridegroom slept, and his side was pierced in his sleep, he gave birth to the Bride, as happened with Eve, in Adam his type. The stillness of the sleep of death fell upon him on the cross, and from him came forth the mother who gives birth to all spiritual beings: the Lord of Adam produced the new Eve in his sleep to serve as the mother of the children of Adam, in Eve’s place; water and blood for the fashioning of the spiritual babes flowed from the side of the Living One who died in order to bring life to Adam.41

The above narration also provides us the reason for the motherhood of the Church in the context of her ability to produce spiritual children. According to Mar Jacob, unlike Eve the new Eve, the Church, fashions children by the power of water and blood that flowed from the side of Christ. Though Mar Jacob did not make any direct allusion to the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist in the typological interpretation of the event of piercing the side of Christ, there are indications in his homilies, which relate water and blood to sacraments that represent the Only Begotten. Mar Jacob narrates in his homily on ‘the veil on Moses’ face’, that the water and blood, which flowed from the pierced side of Christ, are ‘as image of the divine children to be heirs to the Father, who loves

41 For the Vigil of Holy Saturday, HS II, Hom.Nr. 53 (7), pp. 580–​598, here p. 589,9–​17, ET by S.P. Brock, The Mysteries Hidden in the Side of Christ, in: Sob 6 (1978) 465–​466.

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his Only Begotten.’42 By presenting water and blood as the image of the divine children, who are the heirs of the Father, Mar Jacob intends to show that this water and blood makes present the Father, who loves his Only Begotten. The Church, by receiving water and blood as her bridal gift, accepts them as a gift that represents the love of the Father. Since water and blood represent the love of the Father, which is manifested through his Only Begotten, the Church receives the love of the Father through the piercing of the side of Christ. In other words, the sacraments of the Church that flowed from the open side of Christ inherit the love of the Father, which was manifested through the Son. Therefore, the sacraments are the manifestation of God’s love for the people, which is manifested through the Son. Another notable indication of Mar Jacob’s adherence to the notion of the sacrament of Baptism and Eucharist lies in his use of the words ‘water and blood.’ In the Gospel version of Jn 19:34 of Peshitha, the words are always used in the way as ‘blood and water.’43 But in the homilies of Mar Jacob, we come across that there is an alteration in the order of the words as ‘water and blood.’ This suggests that Mar Jacob has a pre-​conceived idea of ‘water’ as baptismal water and the ‘blood’ as the blood of the Eucharist. This is an indication that Mar Jacob wants to describe through his typological explanation of the pierced side of Christ the notion of the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist, which the Church inherited from the cross. The above allusions from the homilies of Mar Jacob show that the motherhood of the Church depends on the fact that the Church has an intrinsic relationship to Christ at the level of her origin. As the ‘daughter of light,’ who came forth from Christ44 she imparts life and fashions spiritual children by the gifts of water and blood given to her as the betrothal gift. Therefore, the maternal role of the Church is exercised through the sacramental ministry by which the Church imparts life and gives new birth to her spiritual children.

4 2 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 299,16–​17, Sob 3,1, 81,339–​340. ܶ and immediately issued ܰ ‫ܕܡܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܚܕܐ ܰܢܦܩ‬ ܳ ‫ܘܡ‬/​ 43 In the Peshitha version of Jn 19:34 we read: ‘‫ܘܡ ܳܝܐ‬ forth blood and water.’ United Bible Societies, Syriac Bible, Damascus, 1979,150. In ܳ ܶܵ ܳ ܳ ܰ ܽ ‫ܪܬܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܕܥ ̈ܘ ܷܠ ܽܪ‬ one of the homilies of Mar Jacob we read: ‫ܘܚ ܳܢ ̈ܶܝܐ‬ ‫ܡܝܐ ܕܡܐ ܠܨ‬/​water and blood for the fashioning of the spiritual babes. HS II, 589,16. 44 Cf. For the Vigil of Holy Saturday, HS II, 589,12–​13, My own translation. He slept on the cross as Adam had slept his deep sleep, his side as pierced and from it there came forth the daughter of light.

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3. The Church as the Mother of Life In the writings of Mar Jacob, there is no direct reference to the Church as the mother of life. But the analysis of the usage of the term ‘mother of life’ by Mar Jacob will detail us that Mar Jacob narrates the Church as the ‘mother of life.’ In the homilies, Mar Jacob uses the term ‘life’ synonymously to salvation that Christ brings to the world.45 Though he did not mention the Church as ‘mother of life,’ he uses the term for the sacrament of baptism when he describes its origin from the side of Christ. Adam and Eve in the likeness of the image of his only-​begotten, he slept on the cross as Adam had slept his deep sleep, his side was pierced and from it there came forth the daughter of light, water and blood as an image of the divine children to be heirs to the Father who loves his only-​begotten. Eve in his prophecy is the mother of all that lives, and what, if not baptism, is the mother of life?46

The context of this narration is the event of crucifixion on Golgotha. Here it is noteworthy that Mar Jacob does not make any distinction between the Church and the sacraments. For him, both the Church and the sacrament of baptism are the representation of the ‘new Eve,’ who bears spiritual children. The Church and the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist (represented by water and blood) have the same purpose of bringing salvation to the world. Therefore, when he calls baptism as ‘mother of life’ it too connotes that Mar Jacob intends to present the Church as the ‘mother of life’ in the context of salvation. Hence, it is appropriate to call the Church as the ‘mother of life’ in terms of Mar Jacob’s vocabulary, though a direct allusion is missing. The typological explanation of Mar Jacob on the event of crucifixion brings out the reason for looking at the Church as ‘mother of life.’ In view of Mar Jacob, the source of the origin of the Church and the sacraments is Christ, who is the ‘fountain of life.’47 Because the Church and the sacraments originated from Christ, they become the source of life in the world. 45 Jeff W. Childers gives the details of the synonymous usage of ‘life’ and salvation’ in his translation of the homilies on ‘praise at the table’. Cf. J.W. Childers, Jacob of Sarugh’s Homilies on Praise at the Table, 88. 46 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 299,13–​19, Sob 3,1, 81,336–​342. 47 Mar Jacob uses various expressions in his homilies to represent Christ as the source of life. Most of such expressions are found in the homilies of Mar Jacob, which narrate the miracles of Jesus. In the homily on ‘the Canaanite woman,’ Christ is referred as ‘Gate ܳ ‫’ܡ ܽܒ‬ ܰ . The reference to ܰ ‫ ܰ’ܬ ܰܪ ܳܥܐ‬, and ‘the spring that pour forth life –​ ‫ܕܚ ̈ܶܝܐ‬ ܰ ‫ܘܥܐ ܳܓ ܳܣܐ‬ of life –​ ‫ܕܚ ̈ܶܝܐ‬

260

The Motherhood of the Church

3.1. The Church and the Image of the Life-​Giving Fishnet The Church as the life-​giving fishnet illustrates the concept of the Church as the giver of life. Mar Jacob uses this expression in his homilies to delineate the relationship of the Church to Christ from whom she has originated. He narrates ܳ ܺ ܰ and the Church as a life-​giving fishnet (‫ܝܕܬܐ‬ ‫)ܡܨ‬. Mar Jacob Christ as fisherman (‫)ܨ ܳܝ ܳܕܐ‬ ܳ ܳ ܰ compares Jesus to a fisherman (‫)ܨܝܕܐ‬, for he ‘casts his net here and there in the world that the entire creation might be gathered in the life-​giving net.’48 Mar Jacob here portrays Christ as a fisherman, who uses his net to capture the whole world. In the homily on the ‘Samaritan woman,’ Mar Jacob narrates that Jesus sets his snare and threw his net to the world for bringing people unto him. Our Lord hid the snare of life in the place of death, and he sat, watching, to fill his net, and then drew it. His work became the pretext for His scheme in a moment’s space, so that while He was at rest His road might proceed successfully. He was the Master Builder who went out to restore a word that had fallen, and again while he sat, he restored a fortified city that had perished.49

Mar Jacob describes here that the work of Christ as a fisherman was a well-​ directed one according to a scheme to restore the ‘fortified city,’ which was fallen. The snare that Jesus set was the snare of life so that those who get into the net receive life. This flocking together of the human beings into the net for life is narrated by Mar Jacob as the restoration of the ‘fortified city.’50 Since the usage Christ as the source of life is also notable in the homily on ‘the Samaritan woman.’ In ܰ ܳ ܶ ‫ܢ‬,ܶ ’ and ‘Enricher of all –​‫ܥܬܪ ܽܟܠ‬ ܰ ‫ܒܥܐ‬ this homily, Christ is delineated as ‘Font of life –​‫ܕܚ ̈ܶܝܐ‬ ‫ܡ‬.’ Cf. The Cannanite Woman, HS III, 443,18; 20, MHMJS 44, 46,392; 394, The Samaritan Woman, HS II, 281,1; 9, MHMJS 44, 58,1;9. 48 The Star seen by the Magi, and the Slaughter of the Innocents, HS I, Hom.Nr.6, pp. 84–​ 153, here p. 139,2–​3, My own translation. 49 The Samaritan Woman, HS II, 285,14–​19, MHMJS 44, 68,95–​100. 50 The term ‘fortified city’ is used often in the Bible to denote a city, which is secured and guarded by the power of God. For the Israelites, this city is Zion, the city of the Holy One of Israel (Isa 60:14). The ‘fortified city’ is also identified to the people of Israel, who were made as the ‘fortified city’ by God (Jer 1:18). So, when the people of Israel went against the will of God the restoration of the folk was presented as the building and planting of the fallen city (Jer 31:5). In the writings of the early Syrian Church fathers, this theme is often used in the same sense than that of the Scripture. Mar Ephrem applies the expression of ‘cities of refuge’ to the Ark and to Christ. By comparing it to the Ark and Christ, Mar Ephrem emphasizes that this is a foreshadowing of the Church. The Church is seen as a well-​guarded city by the presence of God. Mar Jacob also used the term in a similar manner and asserted that the restoration of the ‘fortified

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of ‘fortified city’ refers to the biblical notion of a city that is well guarded by God and to the people of Israel, who made a covenant with God, the Syrian Church fathers often use the term ‘city’ to describe people who are gathered around God. Therefore, when Mar Jacob refers to the restoration of the ‘fortified city,’ he too wants to establish that Christ through his net builds the community of people who came into the net in order to get life. Consequently, he considers that the Church is a life-​giving fishnet and it is well established by his interpretation of the concept ‘net.’ The narration of ‘net’ in the homilies of Mar Jacob shows us that the net symbolizes the Church, whom the Son casts into the world to catch human beings. ܶ ܺ ܳ ܽ ‫ܕܫ‬ ܶ ‫ܝܕܬܗ‬ Mar Jacob portrays the Church as Simon’s net (‫ܡܥܘܢ ܺܗܝ ̤ܗܝ ܺܥ ̱ܕܬܐ‬ ‫ )ܡܨ‬when he explains the gospel of Jn 21:1–​14 in his homily on ‘the third time our Lord was seen by his disciples.’51 In this homily, ‘the New Testament accounts of Peter dragging a net full of 153 fishes in Jn 21:1–​14 and his call to be a fisherman in Lk 5:1–​11 provide the background for considering the net as a symbol of the Church.’52 R. Murray shows that Ephrem, Cyrillona and Marutha interpret the ܰ as referring to Jesus and his Apostles.53 Mar Jacob also applies title fisherman (‫)ܨ ܳܝ ܳܕܐ‬ the same title to them and it is an evidence that Mar Jacob follows the Syriac world view. However, Mar Jacob goes a step further insofar as he refers to the Church as a net. Mar Jacob refers to the fishing of the Apostles according to the instructions of Jesus and says, ‘The dawning of the morning stirred (the fish)….. They got into the net that represents the Church, who loves the light.’54 The ‘net’ therefore for Mar Jacob absolutely refers to the Church. It is the net that Jesus throws into the world with a ‘snare of life.’ The Church performs the function of bringing people to the Lord by offering life to human beings. So, Mar Jacob wrote addressing to her, ‘May you, (Church), be a net capable of catching the sea and land, and may the world be taken in your bosom unto life at the hands of your Lord.’55 This reference helps us to conclude that a life-​giving fishnet symbolizes city’ symbolizes the restoration of the people through the presence of life, which was brought to the world through Christ. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 222–​236. 51 The Third Time our Lord was seen by his Disciples, HS V, Hom.Nr. 178, pp. 687–​708, here p. 701,9. 52 A. Elkhoury, The Types and Symbols of the Church, 116. 53 Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 176–​178. 54 The Third Time our Lord was seen by his Disciples, HS V, 699,9–​10, My own translation, 55 Theological Investigation and the Consecration of Church, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 134, pp. 767–​ 789, here p. 786,17–​18, My own translation. ܶ ܳ ܳ ܶ ܳ ܺ ܳ ‫ܘܝ‬ ܽ ‫ܕܬ‬ ܰ ‫ܐܚܘܕ ܰܝ ܳܡܐ‬ ‘‫ܒܫܐ‬ ‫ܡܨܝܕܬܐ ܷܬܗܘܝܢ ܕܣܦܩܐ‬ ܶ ܶ ܶ ܶ ܽ ܳ ܺ ܳ ܳ ̈ ̈ ܰ ܰ ‫ܬܬܓܝܦ ܥܠܡܐ‬ ܺ ‫ܘܢ‬ ‫ܠܚܝܐ ܒܥܘܒܟܝ ܒܐܝܕܝ ܡܪܟܝ܀‬

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The Motherhood of the Church

the Church in the homilies of Mar Jacob and it further defines the concept of the Church that it is a net, which is thrown to the world by Jesus with a ‘snare of life’ in order to bring human beings to the Lord.

4. Baptism and the New Life Mar Jacob extended the significance of the maternal function of the Church by emphasizing the fact that the Church originated from Christ. He has presented the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist as the visible signs of the Church by the very fact of being born from the side of Christ. This indispensable connection between the Church and the sacraments becomes more visible in the maternal functions of the Church. When one says that the Church extends her maternal care to her children, it is actualized through the sacraments, which are the visible manifestation of the Church itself. In the homilies of Mar Jacob, he maintains this vital relation between the Church and sacraments. His narration of the sacrament of baptism as the ‘mother of life’ with regard to its functional role of giving birth to spiritual children in the world and of extending new life to the faithful makes it clear that the Church dispenses life to the faithful through the sacraments. This may raise a question in the mind of his readers whether he did look at the Church from the point of view of an institutional identity, where the maternal functions are satisfied through the visible signs. But his narration of the sacraments as the ‘divine heirs of the love of the Father’56 in the world makes it further clear that the sacraments fulfill the role of the Church that is intrinsically attached to it because of its fundamental relation to Christ. Since the Church is irrevocably mother and performs the functions that are intrinsic to its nature, the sacraments, the manifestation of the Church in the world, perform the functions of a mother in a visible manner. Therefore, as we enumerate the motherly functions of the Church we always look into the sacraments, especially on the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, in order to elucidate the maternal care of the Church that she brings to the world. Mar Jacob’s narration of the Church as mother in relation to the sacrament of baptism in his homily on the ‘holy baptism’ confirms the motherhood of the Church. In this homily, he depicts baptism as the ‘mother of the living’ and the Church ‘the royal bride’ gives a new birth to immortality for all in baptism. May you be a fishnet capable of catching the sea and land, and may the world be taken in your bosom to life at the hands of your Lord.’ (Ibid.). 56 See the footnote 46 and the explanation that I have given to the Church as ‘mother of life’ in page 259.

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Everyday this mother [baptism] gives birth to immortals; move my word; “come, I shall go out and spread Your stories in the world. The daughter of lights who gives birth to corporal sons called me today, “come, be refreshed with her [baptism] sweetness.” The Mother of the living who moulds her offsprings from darkness, a homily compels me and if I am silent, it is wrongful. The Royal bride made the feast for the whole world, Come, nations and generations to the banquet of praise. Living water was poured out to the generations from the Father’s house. O! All who are thirsty shall drink hope from her [Church] fountain.57

The Church becomes the mother by the fact that she dispenses the sacrament of baptism and provides water to the thirsty from her fountain. Mar Jacob elaborates this in the same homily by naming the Church as the ‘new mother,’ ‘nursing mother,’ and the ‘new mistress.’ The baptizing Church is the ‘new mother, ‘nursing mother’ and the ‘new mistress’ who mixes fire and Spirit in the waters to give birth to the brothers/​sisters of the Son of God. Who is this one who gathered peoples of the earth to herself, and distributed garments of light that she might cloth them? Who is this bride who ascended from the waters, And resembles the incense of the chosen censer of all sweet spices? …………….. What is this delightful dwelling place in the font, And she gives birth to children who shall be brothers of the Son of God. …………. Who is this new Mother who bears the elders, and travails for them that they shall be young ones in birth? Who is this Nursing Mother from the waters, weaving the robe of lively fire for all who come to her? Who is this Mistress, glorious and full of brightness, whom behold the whole creation hastened to rejoice with her?58

The Church is here depicted as the one who mixes the fire and the Spirit in the same manner that Christ mixed his splendor of holiness in the river of Jordan when he entered into the waters of Jordan for baptism.59 By enumerating Church

5 7 Holy Baptism, HS I, 194,13 –​195,2, JSTC XXIII, 1, 90,15–​24. 58 HS I, 195,3–​6; 9–​10; 196,5–​10, JSTC XXIII, 1, 90,25–​28; 91,47–​52. 59 Cf. The Baptism of Our Saviour HS I, 183,17 –​184,1, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 178, 335–​341. ‘The waters were inflamed by the lightning of flames, because the Living Fire had come for baptism to be washed by them.

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The Motherhood of the Church

as the one, which continues what Christ has done in his earthly ministry, Mar Jacob wants to remind his readers that the Church in the world is the continuation of the salvific ministry of Jesus on earth and this establishes her role as mother in the world. The understanding of baptism and its role in manifesting the motherly role of the Church are said to rest upon the nature and source of baptism. According to Mar Jacob, the basic nature of baptism is giving birth to spiritual children. Water and blood that flowed from the side of Christ are for the fashioning spiritual children and therefore Mar Jacob calls baptism as the ‘mother of living beings’ for the world.60 By enumerating the sacrament of baptism as the ‘mother of living beings,’ Mar Jacob following the teaching of St John’s gospel 3:5,61 describes baptism as a rebirth. For him, baptism gives birth to new beings in a spiritual fashion by the power of the Spirit. In baptism, ‘instead of a soul the Holy Spirit is breathed into them’62 so that all might become spiritual children. The Church forms the spiritual children by imparting the Holy Spirit. The source of baptism is another reason for considering the sacrament of baptism as the mother and the giver of life. According to Mar Jacob, the sacrament of baptism relies on two salvific events of Jesus’ life, namely, his baptism and the piercing of his side on the cross. Jesus went for baptism not for his own purification but for extending life to humanity. Mar Jacob’s narration of Jesus’ baptism and his conversation with John the Baptist describes the intention of Jesus’ baptism. Though I have no need, I am entering the furnace of water so that humanity, who have grown worn out, may be recast with the stamp of mine; I desire that they come like me to the Fountain to be stamped spiritually with my currency.63

The pierced side of Jesus as the source of baptism links the life of the Church to the whole salvation history. The salvific acts of God began with Adam, fulfilled through Christ and it continues through the Church. For Mar Jacob, the pierced side points backwards to the side of Adam from which Eve was extracted and

It (the Living Fire) sets the ages on fire and casts its flame into the fountain, and the glow from it kindled the river in holiness. The ordinary water was mixed with the splendor of holiness,because from the Holy One mercy had gone out and kindled them.’ (Ibid.). 60 Baptism of the Law, HS I, 162,4, Early Christian Baptism, 194,188. 61 Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of heaven. 62 HS I, 162,10, Early Christian Baptism, 194,194. 63 HS I, 181,6–​11, FH VI, 176,281–​281.

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forwards to the birth of the Church and the mysteries of sacraments.64 The saving power of the Lord hence continues through the sacraments, which originated from Christ. The sacrament of baptism therefore dispenses life, which is given to her from the life of Christ. The mystery of the sacrament of baptism, which Christ has opened up, continues in the historical time through the earthly Church. Mar Jacob narrates this continuation of the baptism in the Church by enumerating the baptism of the apostles, which they received in the form of fire and Spirit. For Mar Jacob, the apostles received this baptism as it was promised to them. The Church continues this baptism, which is also in fire and Spirit, in order to give new life to the faithful. So, the mystery of baptism continues through the Church in the historical time in order to give life and new birth to the faithful. Mar Jacob narrates in one of his homilies the direct connection between Christ’s baptism that is inaugurated at Jordan and on the cross with the Christian baptism. There we read: The son of God gave his apostles his own baptism In which there is Fire and the Holy Spirit for those who go down to it; in it there is a power and it gives birth to spiritual children, and after being born by it they may call upon our heavenly Father. This baptism which the Son of God opened up, it gives birth to new and immortal children for the Father; it burns with Fire and the Spirit, giving birth in divine fashion, so that as a result of it men may become sons of God.65

Certain themes, imageries, and types that Mar Jacob used in his homilies describe how the sacrament of baptism fulfills its motherly function within the Church. The themes that I explain further will expound the way, by which the sacrament of baptism becomes the ‘mother of life.’

4.1. The Types of Baptism In the homilies of Mar Jacob, a lot of Old Testament and New Testament images are used as types for baptism, which dispenses life to the faithful. The depiction of baptism in the Old Testament events denotes that the sacrament of baptism has a role in the salvific plan of God, which is fulfilled through Jesus Christ. Owing to this reason, the sacrament of baptism is so integrated to the life of the Church. 64 See my explanation on the motherhood of the Church and her birth on Golgotha in page 256 and the explanation of the ‘mother of life’ in page 259. 65 The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 164,20 –​165,7, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 194,151–​158.

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The intrinsic relationship of the Church and Christ prompted Mar Jacob to consider the sacrament of baptism as the dispenser of life. The union between Christ, the bridegroom, and the Church, his bride, is depicted in the homilies of Mar Jacob through the event of Christ’s baptism.66 However, what interests us is Mar Jacob’s narration of the betrothal of Christ and the Church at baptism through certain symbols, which further explain that the ultimate aim of this union is to produce life. The two incidents that Mar Jacob narrates from the life of the Patriarch Jacob with the baptismal significance show how the sacrament of baptism becomes the source of life. His betrothal of Rachel at the well of Haran is portrayed by Mar Jacob as the type of Christ’s betrothal of the Church of the Gentiles.67 According to Mar Jacob, the well that was shut by a stone resembles the well of mysteries. On account of Rachel, who resembles the Church, Jacob removed the stone so that the sheep of Rachel drank water and quenched their thirst. Mar Jacob looks upon the opening of the well, as the opening of the baptismal font, so that he poured out a drink to all the nations for the Church’s sake. The drinking of water by the sheep is depicted as the baptismal bath in order to get purified from all the filth of sin. In the narration, Mar Jacob depicts the baptismal font of the Church as the one, which ‘gave a sweet draught to the whole world.’68 This is an indication that Mar Jacob illustrates the baptism of new life through the well that is shut by a stone.69 The episode of the ‘flocks conceiving before the rods’ is also taken as the type with the significance of baptism. In order to get good breeds Jacob placed rods in the water and when the sheep came to drink water they looked at the rod and gave birth to the colours it saw. Mar Jacob

66 Please refer the page numbers 150–151 of chapter II for further explanation of betrothal of Christ and the Church at Jordan. 67 Cf. Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 211,11–​12, TV 4,4, 54,69–​71. 68 HS III, 213,1–​10, TV 4,4, 55,103–​111. ‘He saw the nations, like flocks, in great thirst, and the spring of life was stopped up with sin as with stone. He looked upon the Church as on Rachel, and longed to meet her; and like the stone, he rolled away sin, which was a heavy thing. He opened the baptismal font for his betrothed, that she might bathe there, and he drew, and let the nations of the earth to drink like those flocks. He lifted up the weight of sins by his mighty strength, and he received a spring that gave a sweet draught to all the world. He poured out a drink for all the nations for the Church’s sake, even as all the flocks did drink for Rachel’s sake.’ (Ibid.). 69 Types and Symbols of Christ, HS III, 310,22 –​311,1, Mus 118 (2005), 78,113–​114.

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interprets this as a type of baptism because a new life is born on account of water. Mar Jacob says: That the flock looked and imitated and gave birth to the colours it saw, Manhood saw the cross and looked and imitated it. The sight in the water gave a lamb to the sheep, so that the image shall be drawn for baptism, because it gives birth to life.70

Another two incidents that Mar Jacob refers to baptism are from the life of Gideon. Mar Jacob narrates in one of his homilies that the bowl that was filled with dew from the fleece of wool refers to baptismal font. According to Mar Jacob, the fleece of wool refers to Mary and the dew refers to the Son of God and therefore the dew Gideon collected in the bowl refers to the baptismal font which has the power of the Son of God. Therefore, Mar Jacob considers that the bowl, which Gideon filled with dew, represents baptism and it represents the baptismal font from which the Gentiles and the world receive life by washing away their sin. Mar Jacob narrates this incident in the homily on ‘types and symbols of Christ.’ There we read: The basin which Gideon filled with dew is baptism, that in it the Gentiles and the world be washed from dirt. The basin received dew from the wool then, and from Mary, baptism (received) the Son of God.71

Mar Jacob also considers the waters by which Gideon tested his men as the type of baptism.72 He interpreted the act of testing people by water as an action that is willed and perfected through God. In one of his homilies he narrates, ‘the Son of God proved His powers in water and from it His people confess who He is.’73 Therefore, according to him, the water becomes the source of recognizing God by the presence of God in the water and this resembles the testing water to baptismal water. In the homilies of Mar Jacob, there are also passages from the New Testament, which have baptismal overtones. Mar Jacob considers the ‘stirring up’74 of the

7 0 Types and Symbols of Christ, HS III, 311,7–​10, Mus 118, 78,119–​122. 71 HS III, 312,19 –​313,1, Mus 118, 79,153–​156. 72 Cf. HS III, 317,18–​19, Mus 118, 83,259–​260. ‘In the water by which Gideon tested the men, the tested water of baptism was pictured.’ (Ibid.). 73 HS III, 317,19–​20, Mus 118, 83,261–​262. 74 The verb ‘stir’ is commonly used by Mar Jacob in order to describe the power of the Son in the water.

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waters of the pool of Bethesda as a baptismal type. Mar Jacob makes this typological expression by comparing the stirring up of water by the Son of God at the time of his baptism. As the waters of Jordan were stirred up by the descent of the Son of God, the waters of the pool were also stirred up and became the source of life for the afflicted people who get into the water in order to be healed. The reference from the homily on ‘the paralytic aged’ makes the typological explanation of Mar Jacob clearer. Because he could not gain life from the Law, mercy had compassion on him so that the very birth was altered; he entered the moist womb of the pool and came forth clean, in a spiritual second birth. The Son of God has descended and stirred up the baptismal water so that it might give healing birth to all kinds of beautiful creatures each day, a new creation has begun having come from our Lord, a new world which does not become corrupted as did the former.75

In a similar manner, Mar Jacob also treated the healing of Bartimaeus (Mk 10:46–​52), the blind man by birth, as a baptismal type. Mar Jacob considers this healing as a baptismal type because it signifies the re-​birth from darkness into light, who is Christ. Mar Jacob looks at baptism here as the source of light, which brings people from darkness to light. The extensive quote of the following passage will substantiate the relation of baptism to light. The blind man roused up and figured out the world and He sent him to get baptized, so that within the water he attains light, which is our Lord. It is “not because he sinned or nor his forefathers”, for I came for the sake of him, which I manifest in the deed. I bring the whole world to baptism and I open it within the water such as this [deed]. The womb of the body, which gave birth to a blind man, was in darkness, another urging womb beget spiritual beings. The whole world seeks another nativity to come, and the light was insufficient if it is not manifested in the water. The baptism of light gives birth to spiritual being, and behold He is the desired light in the new birth. The blind man, who saw, delineated these mysteries, He met Christ and he was given light not by chance.

Cf. Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 188,6–​7, FH VI, 182,427–​428; The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 164,5–​6, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 195,213–​214. 75 The Paralytic Aged, HS IV, Hom.Nr.131, pp. 701–​724, here p. 702,13–​22, My own translation.

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Baptism opens the eye that sought for wisdom, and the blind man becomes the witness of His light. The eyes of the soul that shut closed wished to open, so that the whole world can see the light of the gospel.76

Mar Jacob’s narration of baptism as the source of life, is well expressed in his homily on ‘the kingdom of heaven as leaven.’ In this homily, Mar Jacob says that the woman represents the divinity, ‘who puts flour into the baptismal water took oil and water and kneaded it well.’ The woman uses the baptismal water in order to make the dough and the presence of God in the water stands as leaven, which leavens the whole dough. By comparing the process of making dough to the baptism, Mar Jacob affirms that as the dough is leavened by the baptismal water the baptism fashioned or leavened the person, who enters into the baptismal font, as a new being. The following verses from the homily of Mar Jacob substantiate the life that emerged through baptism. She took the meal and placed in the font of baptism, and taking oil and water and kneaded it bountifully. She took her leaven and blest waters and hid them in the dough; The whole was leavened, the unleavened acquired a good taste. Lest the dough be moistened with the water of the serpent, and so kill man, She fashioned man in the water of baptism and he became well-​pleasing.77

The above-​mentioned both Old Testament and New Testament typological expressions of Mar Jacob, regarding the baptism, make it clear that baptism extends life to the faithful. Mar Jacob perceives baptism as the source of life on account of its relationship to Christ, who is the source of light and life.

4.2. Baptism Provides ‘Sonship’ The gift of sonship, which baptism provides to the faithful, confirms the regeneration or new birth that happens at baptism. The gift of ‘sonship’ is a clear indication that the basic purpose of opening the mystery of baptism on the cross is to give birth ‘to new and immortal children.’ For Mar Jacob, baptism stands in place of Eve as the ‘mother of living being’ on account of its capability to bear the children of God. Mar Jacob categorically in his homilies emphasizes that the Spirit of Christ, which was given at his baptism, initiates this process of begetting children. For Mar Jacob, the Spirit of Christ is the source of Christian baptism 76 The Blind Timaeus, HS III, Hom.Nr. 88, pp. 462–​483, here p. 472,2–​19, My own translation. 77 The Kingdom of Heaven is like Leaven, HS III, 416,15–​20. TV 3, 50,101–​106.

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and it is through this Spirit we are given the gift of ‘sonship.’ For him, the presence of the Holy Spirit in the baptism of Christ distinguishes his baptism from the baptisms that existed before. Therefore, he claims, ‘no baptism has given the Holy Spirit except this which the Son of God has initiated by his cross.’78 Mar Jacob here acknowledges that the main source of Christian baptism is the Holy Spirit and that the cross of Christ. He asserts here that the Holy Spirit became the source of Christian baptism on account of its relation to Christ. He makes his claim more legible in his homily on ‘holy baptism,’ where he says that the Holy Spirit became the source of Christian baptism because ‘the only begotten gave us his Spirit at baptism.’79 For Mar Jacob, the ‘sonship’ that is given to the faithful at baptism makes them eligible to be known as children of the Father and brothers of Christ and it further permits them to address the Father as ‘Our Father.’80 This allusion of Mar Jacob asserts that because one is called as son through baptism, he is allowed to call the Father ‘our Father.’ This points to the fact that baptism as ‘mother of all living beings’ gives birth to new beings and those who were born out of her share a common identity that makes them brothers. The Father, who is the Father of Christ, loves the children and through baptism, He becomes ‘our Father.’ Mar Jacob narrates this close-​knit relation in his homily on ‘baptism.’ There we read: There is for you brother Christ on account of His Father and your Father, and the kinship of the Holy Spirit, who sanctifies you……. The Only-​Begotten came down and raised you up from the dust heap, and He gave his Spirit in baptism and made you His brother.81

The above narrations show that in the writings of Mar Jacob, he gives emphasis to the ‘sonship’ of the believers in relation to divine paternity. The divine paternity and the ‘sonship’ of the believers cross paths with the motherhood of the sacrament of baptism. The divine paternity and the ‘sonship’ assure that baptism is perceived not autonomously with respect to its origin and its continued existence but indeed it is mother insofar as it relates and brings people to the Father.

7 8 The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 163, 6–​7, Early Christian Baptism, 194,191–​192. 79 Holy Baptism, HS I, 194,1, JSTC XXIII, 1 89,3. 80 Cf. HS I, 201,11, JSTC XXIII, 1, 95,154. ‘And he gave you his Spirit at baptism and made you his brother’ (Ibid.). Cf. HS I, 203,18–​19, JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,201–​202. ‘The Father sent the Spirit of his Son into men’s hearts, and through the Spirit we may call the Father ‘our Father.’’ (Ibid.). 81 HS I, 201,4–​5; 10–​11, JSTC XXIII, 1, 95,147–​148; 153–​154.

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Therefore, by being the mother of believers baptism ensures the paternity of God and the fraternity that believers have with one another. By basing on these facts, we can easily conclude that the motherhood of the Church, which is envisioned through the motherhood of baptism, is confirmed through the divine paternity and through the ‘sonship’, which moulds the believers as brothers and sisters with one another. In a passage, where Mar Jacob delineates a typological contrast between Eve and Baptism, he asserts that the motherhood of baptism ensures the divine paternity to all those who are newly born at baptism. Until the coming of Christ and his baptism, people could only legitimately call Adam, who is in Sheol, as his ‘father.’ However, the baptism as mother connects people to the Father, who is in heaven, and it hence forms them as the newly born spiritual and immortal beings. The argument of Mar Jacob, which he presented in one of his homilies, clearly tells us that the divine paternity and the gift of ‘sonship’ are the confirming points of the motherhood of the Church. The homily tells: Baptism has become for us a new mother, and through her we become children to the Father, who may call him ‘our Father’ lovingly…. From Eve we were of dust, and children of death, From this new mother we are children of God. From now on we have a Father in heaven, Whom we can in confidence address as ‘our Father’……. If Eve’s birth-​giving was still operative, our ‘father’ would be in Sheol, and not in heaven.82

4.3. The Imageries of Life and the New Birth In the homilies of Mar Jacob, the images of birth, rebirth and the new life are explained through certain Types. Mar Jacob uses both maternal and secular symbols to explore the motherly function that is exercised within the Church. The symbols that I have come across in the homilies of Mar Jacob are: the womb, the furnace, the pearl, the garment or robe of glory, the new well and the tomb of water. These symbols, with their signified meaning, suggest that Mar Jacob frequently extends his consideration to the portrayal of the motherly function of the Church. They play an integrative role in the theological thought of Mar Jacob regarding the motherhood of the Church.

82 Holy Baptism, HS I, 198,1–​2; 7–​10; 13–​14, JSTC XXIII, 1, 92,83–​84; 89–​92; 93,95–​96.

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ܽ ‘Ubō) ܳ ‫ܥ‬/​ 4.3.1. The Womb (‫ܘܒܐ‬ The image of the mother Church, which brings forth spiritual children through her font-​womb is a notable imagery used in the early patristic literature.83 This imagery, which has a maternal overtone, is used in most of the early patristic literatures in relation to rebirth, following the teachings of Jn 3:5, where the central theme is being born anew. The Church offers this rebirth through the sacrament of baptism and therefore the imagery of womb used in the context of baptism, is represented by the baptismal font, which generates new life. Therefore, the patristic authors see the mother Church with her prolific womb as the source of life.84 Mar Jacob also in agreement with the early patristic writers narrates that the Church contains the womb, which brings forth children. In his homily on ‘the consecration of the Church and the prophet Moses’ Mar Jacob presents the Church with a womb. When Moses got the vision of the Church in Mount Sinai, Mar Jacob says that Moses saw the Church with a womb, ‘in which all the powers of heaven are gathered.’85 Though this narration of Mar Jacob about the Church with a womb confirms the motherly function of the Church in the world, the homilies of Mar Jacob bring out a wider meaning of the image of womb with respect to the womb of baptism and it further explains how the motherly function is so intrinsic to her nature.

4.3.1.1.  The Womb of Baptism Mar Jacob uses the concept of womb in order to delineate the salvation that Christ brought about. Mar Jacob sees the salvific cycle that occurred in ‘three wombs’ or in ‘three staging points’, namely, the womb of Mary, the womb of Jordan, and the womb of Sheol.86 By forming such a map for salvation, Mar Jacob 83 The imagery of baptismal womb, which gives birth to spiritual children, is well known to Ephrem. Cf. HCru, III,8,4, 51. Cf. Des heiligen Ephraem des Syrers Hymnen de Virginitate (HVir), in: CSCO 223, Scr. Syr. 94, E. Beck (ed.), Louvain, 1964, VII,5–​6, 26, ET by K.E. McVey, Ephrem the Syrian Hymns, VII,5–​6, 294. The Patriarch Severus, in one of his hymns, also describes the font as ‘the new and spiritual mother who gave birth spiritually, from her womb to the people of Christians.’ The Hymns of Severus, Hymn 90, ET by E.W. Brooks, in: PO 6 (1911), 131. 84 Cf. Jensen, Mater Ecclesia and Fons Aeterna, 138. 85 The Consecration of the Church and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 42,8–​9, Appendix II, 410,81–​82. 86 Cf. Faith, HS III, 593,12–15. ‘He completed his whole course by three staging points: he resided in the virgin and came to birth, though he was God;

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delineates the process of salvation for humanity and its return to paradise with a particular stage and each stage with a significant role. In this narration of salvific cycle, the second stage is an essential step for being a Christian, because it links the baptism of the Christian with the womb of Jordan, which ensures a rebirth for the faithful as Jesus envisaged in Jn 3:3–​11. Mar Jacob, by illustrating baptism as ‘mother’ and ‘womb,’ hence attests that the Christian attains salvation through baptism and the symbol of attaining salvation is the rebirth. Certain list of titles that Mar Jacob illustrates in his homily on ‘baptism’ describes the role of baptism and its womb in the Church. In his homily, Mar Jacob describes baptism as ‘boat ܳ ܰ 88 ܶ ’89 All these titles denote that baptism ܳ ‫)ܬ‬, (‫)ܐ ܳܦܐ‬, ’ and ‘ladder (‫)ܣܒܠܬܐ‬. ܷ ’87 ‘door (‫ܪܥܐ‬ is established in the Church in order to take people to the shore of salvation. We see one of the best illustrations of Mar Jacob, when he narrates baptism as a ladder. In this narration, Mar Jacob tells that the cross is planted within the baptism as ladder.90 He visualizes the baptism with a ladder that helps the baptized to ascend to Christ’s kingdom. The stage of baptism is here envisaged by Mar Jacob as a step for the Christian to attain salvation. The womb of baptism by begetting new beings ensures that each one, who enters into the womb of baptism, will enter into the cycle of salvation through his rebirth. Therefore, the womb of the Church, which is manifested through the womb of baptism, confirms that the fundamental purpose of begetting spiritual children by the Church is to ensure the Christian the salvation. This further clarifies that the Church fulfills her role as mother in the world through the womb of baptism as part of God’s plan of salvation.

4.3.1.2.  The Baptismal Water as the Womb Mar Jacob describes the baptismal water in his homilies as womb. One of the main reasons for this usage is that baptism generates new life through water. The new man, the new spiritual being is born out of the baptismal water and so he uses the metaphor ‘womb’ interchangeably for baptism and baptismal water. This usage is a clear indication that the sacrament of baptism functions as a mother,

again baptism received him, and yet he was God; and he descended to Sheol, and the world recognized that he was God.’ (Ibid.). 87 Holy Baptism, HS I, 196,19, JSTC XXIII, 1,91,61. 88 HS I, 196,17, JSTC XXIII, 1,59. 89 HS I, 197,5, JSTC XXIII, 1, 92,67. ܳ ݀ ܳ ܺ ܳ ܺ ܽ ܰ 90 Cf. Ibid. ‘‫ܝܦܐ ܺܣܝܡ ܳܒܗ ܐܝܟ ܶܣܒܠܬܐ‬ ‫ܡܥܡܘܕܝܬܐ ܙܩ‬/​The cross is planted within baptism as a ladder.’

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while it generates life like from a physical womb. Mar Jacob in one of his homilies clearly portrays: A new mother instead of the old has been given, to the prostrate Adam; and when she gives birth to him he will find salvation. For instead of Eve, Baptism has entered and taken her stand, ready to give birth to immortals in spirituality; instead of that mother who gave birth to feeble corpses, this mother gives birth to living beings, rational and immortal… the womb of water, in place of that bodily womb, has begun to produce rational images, in a spiritual way.91

According to Mar Jacob, the baptismal water gets the power of regeneration from Christ. Christ’s descent to Jordan for being baptized sanctifies all the waters of the world. As Mar Jacob points out, ‘The entire nature of the waters perceived that you had visited them –​seas, deeps, rivers, springs and pools all thronged together to receive the blessing from your foot-​steps.’92 As Christ entered into the water of Jordan, ‘its womb embraced him in order to get sanctified.’93 The ordinary water of Jordan ‘was mixed with holiness’94 so that all those who ‘enter into the womb of waters are sanctified.’95 This narration of Mar Jacob clearly tells that the holiness of Christ, which was mingled in the water transforms the water as a womb to regenerate people into holiness and into new life. The power of baptismal water, which begets the children of God, is described by Mar Jacob as the power that water received from Christ. Mar Jacob’s narration of baptismal water that issued from the side of Christ attests that the begetting power of the baptismal water is the power of Christ. As he rightly points out, ‘On his cross he opened up baptismal water, not from the ground but from himself, a fountain to cleanse all men.’96 His allusion of water that comes from ‘Christ himself ’ affirms the intrinsic relation of the sacrament of baptism to Christ. Mar Jacob further clarifies it by the usage of the metaphor ‘fountain.’ Here he links the water from the side of Jesus to a fountain. The metaphor of the fountain that we come across in the homilies of Mar Jacob is most often used as a synonym to baptismal font, or to the river in which one is being baptized. This indicates that

9 1 The Paralytic Aged, HS IV, 703,5–​12, My own translation. 92 Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 188,7–​10, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 182,427–​430. 93 HS I, 174,16, FH VI, 169,146. 94 HS I, 183,21, FH VI, 178,339. 95 HS I, 171,17, FH VI, 166,86. 96 The Two Sparrows in the Law, HS III, 240,3–​4, My own translation.

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Jesus opened up the baptismal font and the people are regenerated within the font by the effect of the power of Christ that they receive from the font. The above-​mentioned facts show that the baptismal water acts as a womb of life in relation to Christ. The baptismal water regenerates life, because Christ ‘mixed’ his holiness within the water and the fountain of water emerged from Christ himself. The Church received it from the cross and performs it as it was performed in Christ’s own baptism at Jordan. Therefore, the Church rejuvenates life through the sacrament of baptism and this makes her as the mother of all spiritual beings.

ܳ 4.3.2. The Furnace (‫ ܽܟܘܪܐ‬/​Kurō) Among the number of metaphors, which Mar Jacob used to denote the new life in baptism, the imagery of ‘furnace’ is as important as the symbol of ‘womb.’ When the imagery of ‘womb’ represents the new life that emerges out of a motherly womb, the symbol of ‘furnace’ signifies the new life that comes out by the renewal of the person. The one, who is baptized, being renewed in the furnace of holy baptism and it makes the person as a new being. Mar Jacob looks at bapܰ ܳ ܳ ܺ ܽ ܰ tism as a furnace97 (‫ܘܕܝܬܐ ܽܟܘܪܐ ܺܗܝ ܪ ܳܒܐ‬ ‫ )ܡܥܡ‬on the basis of its relation to Christ. It is the fire that is in the furnace of baptism, which moulds the faithful into a new being. Mar Jacob illustrates that the fire in the furnace of baptism is identical with the fire that Christ brought forth to the baptismal water of Jordan. The water of Jordan burst forth in flame as Christ descended into it. The water caught the fire of divinity on account of the presence of Christ in the water.98 In Christian baptism, the Church provides the faithful the holiness of the Son through the baptismal water. But unlike the baptism of the Son, where Christ himself mixes the water with fire, in Christian baptism, it is the Spirit99 that makes the baptismal water identical with the water of Jordan, thus enabling the faithful to burn ‘with fire and Spirit’ and being born anew in divine fashion. In the baptism of 9 7 Holy Baptism, HS I, 197,13–​14, JSTC XXIII, 1, 92,75–​76. 98 Cf. Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 174,11–​12; 14–​15, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 169,141–​142; 145–​146. ‘Christ’s fire kindled among the rushing streams before He descended, and the river exulted with the great fervent heat of the flame. It was not that it became fervently heated at His arrival so as to render Him holy, for He is (already) holy, it embraced Him so that its womb might be sanctified by him.’ (Ibid.). 99 Cf. HS I, 174,9–​10, FH VI, 169,139–​140; The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 160,10–​11, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 194,152–​153.

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Jesus, the Spirit is the witness of His baptism. However, in a single passage Mar Jacob speaks of the Spirit as heating the water in front of Christ. He says that the Spirit is present at the baptism of Jesus in order to receive the bridegroom. When he speaks of the baptism that the apostles received at the time of Pentecost he also mentions that the power of the Spirit that is within the baptism. He says that those who go down to baptism receive fire and the Holy Spirit and the power that resides within the baptism gives birth to spiritual children.100 This indicates that each faithful is renewed and being born as anew by embracing the divinity of the Son that is within the furnace of water, which Christ himself brought forth to the water of Jordan. Mar Jacob states clearly in his homilies that the furnace of baptism renews the image of God in which the humanity is created. The process of recasting the image is well described by Mar Jacob by using the imagery of ‘coin.’ The remolding of the image of the humanity takes place in the furnace of baptism by stamping the image of Christ. This stamping fashions the faithful with a new renewed identity. While I do not need the furnace of waters, behold I am entering so that humanity that is worn out should be recast with that stamp of mine. I am stimulating them so that they should come to the fountain like me, In order that with the coin of mine they shall be stamped spiritually.101

Mar Jacob’s narrations of baptism as a furnace indicate that the sacrament of baptism continues the ministry of Jesus through the Church. In the furnace of baptism, the faithful receives the divinity of the Son, which he himself mixed in the waters of baptism. It further recasts the image of the Son of God, in which the humanity is created. Therefore, the symbol of furnace signifies the new life that is forged by the sacrament of baptism.

4.3.3. The Robe of Glory The symbol of the ‘robe of glory’ provides one of the most characteristic themes of early Syriac tradition. Robe of Glory is an acclaimed biblical theme in the Syriac theology. The prototype of the idea of the robe of glory can be seen in ancient Mesopotamia. D. Freedman shows three occurrences of the use of the ‘robe of splendor’ in Akkadian literature. By analyzing the Gilgamesh Epic he

100 Cf. Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 174,9–​10, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 169,139–​140; The Baptism of the Law, HS I, 160,10–​11, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 194,152–​153. 101 HS I, 181,6–​9, FH VI, 176,281–​284.

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states that the descent of the Inanna describes the stripping of the ‘garment of ladyship’ (şubāt bāšti). In Freedman’s opinion, şubāt bāšti is a prototype of the royal garment. In the Christian tradition the concept of ‘robe of glory’ or ‘garment of glory’ reminds Gen 3:7–​10, 21; where Adam and Eve realized that they were naked. Regarding the biblical account of the robe of glory S. Brock explains that there are various interpretations of the same text Gen 3:7–​10, 21. According to him the early Syriac tradition inherited the concept of the ‘robe of glory’ or ‘robe of light’ from the Jewish interpretations of Gen 3:21, ‘And the Lord made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and He clothed them.’ Although the Septuagint and Peshitha have made literal translations, Targum tradition says, ‘garment of glory,’ while the Jewish Midrash Rabba on Genesis tells ‘garment of light’ instead of ‘garment of skin.’102 According to the Syriac theology, God created Adam in His image and likeness and adorned him with the garment of light (glory); when he transgressed the Law of God he was stripped off the glory of God and drove out from the Garden of Eden. But, according to His eternal mercy, God sent His Only Begotten Son to re-​clothe humanity with the robe of glory. This is made possible mainly through three salvific acts of His life: birth, baptism, and resurrection.103 Mar Jacob narrates this as the ‘three staging points’ of salvation.104 He sees that the dispensation of the garment of glory is elated throughout the incarnation of the Son of God, especially in three stages: the nativity, the baptism, and the visit of sheol. Each stage of Christ’s life was instrumental to the re-​clothing of the robe of glory. The Son of God through His incarnation brought the access of the robe of glory to the children of Adam. Since He clothed the human body, humanity could cloth the eternal body of the Son. 102 Cf. D. Freedman, Subat basti: A Robe of Splendor, in: Journal of the Ancient Near Eastern Society of Columbia University, 4 (1972), 91; S. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 85–​90. 103 The writings of Mar Ephrem attest the emphasis of the Syriac theology on ‘Robe of Glory.’ He frequently alludes to the primordial clothing of glory in his commentary on Genesis. In this commentary he refers to it in particular in connection with Gen 2:25, ‘the two of them were naked, but they were not ashamed.’ Cf. E. G. Mathews, Commentary on Genesis, in: K.E. McVey, (ed.), The Fathers of the Church: St. Ephrem the Syrian: Selected Prose Works, Commentary on Genesis, Commentary on Exodus, Homily on Our Lord, Letter to Publius vol. 91, Washington, 2004, 106. Ephrem in his homily on Virginity mentions that the entire purpose of incarnation to re-​clothe Adam in the garment of glory that he lost in paradise. Cf. HVir, XVI,9, 57, ET by K.E McVey, Ephrem the Syrian Hymns, XVI,9, 331. 104 I have mentioned about three ‘staging points’ in page number 272. See the footnote no. 86.

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The Son, though He is not viable to sin, received the baptism of the sinners and installed the robe of glory for the sons of repentance. Through His baptism at the river Jordan, He installed the robe in the spiritual water; whoever immerse in this spiritual water can attain this robe. Mar Jacob explicitly narrates this in his homily on ‘faith,’ and there we read: Christ came to baptism, he went down and placed in the baptismal water the robe of glory, so that the robe which Adam had lost might be there for him.105

In a very similar manner, he also narrates the robe of glory in his homily on the ‘baptism of our redeemer.’ In this passage, he clearly tells that the bride (the Church) receives the robe of glory through the baptism. In the womb of baptism He placed the robe of Glory and He sent the bride to go down to clothe herself from the waters.106

While addressing the baptized Christian, Mar Jacob says: You have put on in the water the robe of glory, which was stolen away among the trees. As a result the hateful Evil one is envious of you. If you lend him your ear at his blandishments, he will strip you naked, as was his practice at the very beginning.107

These passages of Mar Jacob give us the indication that Christ’s baptism and the sanctification of the Jordan waters provide the occasion for recovery of the lost robe of glory in Christian baptism. Mar Jacob states that there is only one robe; the same robe is distributed to everyone; and it cannot be partitioned.108 That means, the Son clothes the same robe that the Father wears and the same is clothed by all human beings. Therefore, the robe could be the holiness of God and it could be attained through repentance, baptism (through which the faithful receives the remission of sin and purification), and the communion with the Son.109 Mar Jacob writes about the acquisition of the garment of glory through repentance and baptism in his Homily on the ‘Prodigal Son.’

1 05 Faith, HS III, 593,8–​9. 106 Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 168,8–​9, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 163,15–​16. 107 Holy Baptism, HS I, 209,13–​16, JSTC XXIII, 1, 101,315–​318. –​ 108 Cf. The Prodigal Son, HS I, Hom.Nr.12, pp. 267–​299, here p. 298,3–​9. ET in: TV 5,4 (1994), 36,629–​634. 109 In the writings of Mar Jacob, robe is the holiness of God and Jesus put this in the water at the time of baptism. Cf. Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 168,8–​9, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 163,14–​15.

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When the younger son came back from stumblings, they clothed him in that robe, which was the chief his father had. There was one robe for both the last and the first; for it was not rent asunder that each should take half. That chief robe was given to the younger son, and there was not some other that the elder son might put on. There is one faith and Baptism in God, and one is the garment which He bestows on them that are baptized in water.110

Mar Jacob portrayed the robe of glory as an entry pass to the Kingdom of God111 and as an armor to protect from the evil spirit. I descended to the fountain not to take up a shield for myself but to forge mighty armor for warriors. I am anxious to cleanse humanity in the contest of battle so that everyone who comes to fight should fight like me. I am instituting baptism as an armory; unless man has entered and clothed himself from it, he will not fight. If I pass over and do not get baptized as you would withhold me no one will be able to take up the armor from the waters... And if they do not equip themselves with my power from the waters they will not encounter the great battle as diligent ones.112

The passage clearly narrates that Christ has forged armor in the river Jordan and invited the faithful to get armed by receiving the cloth from baptism. Jesus came and resided in the baptismal water to clothe the warriors with armor. This indicates that one acquires armor through baptism, and it is a garment that guards faithful from the evil. As we link all the expressions of Mar Jacob regarding the symbol of robe of glory, and its role in baptism, these expressions show us that the robe of glory re-​forms the humanity in the image of Christ and it enables them the stature of a new being in Christ. While Christ’s baptism in Jordan initiates the possibility for 1 10 The Prodigal Son, The Prodigal Son, HS I, 298,3–​10, TV 5,4, 36,629–​636. 111 Cf. S. Brock, A Poem on the Soul, Sob 23,1, 43, resh-​shin. ‘Your greatness and your beauty, which were lost –​all this you have now found in the height of Golgotha. Arise, clothe yourself, and return to your inheritance.’ (Ibid.). Strip off your rags and the leaves that cover your nakedness; take and put on the glorious robe. Enter into Eden, which is opened up and awaits you.’ 112 Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 180,12–​19; 181,3–​4, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 175,267–​ 274; 279–​280.

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humanity to regain the lost robe of glory, it is at Christian baptism that the individual can realize the possibility of becoming new. The baptism of Christ is seen as playing a central role in the course of salvation history. It constitutes one of the ‘three staging points’ in the course of his incarnate life. These three points in historical time are seen as converging together in sacred time,113 so that Christ’s baptism, alongside his death and resurrection, constitutes the Christian baptism. The imagery of robe of glory fully expresses this saving act of Christ. As far as the Church facilitates the faithful the possibility of becoming new through the gain of robe of glory and helping people to acquire salvation by becoming new, she becomes the provider of life and this makes her the mother of all the faithful.

ܳ 4.3.4. The New Well )‫ ܺܒ ܳܝܪܐ ܰܚܕܬܐ‬/​Birō Ḥādtō) In presenting the mystery of baptism, which arouse from the side of Christ, Mar Jacob makes use of the imagery of the ‘new well’ that reflects the intrinsic relation of baptism to Christ. The other terms, such as, ‘fountain,’ ‘streams’ are also used by Mar Jacob in relation to the imagery of ‘new well.’ The imagery of ‘well’ comes often in the writings of Mar Jacob. He presents this symbol in tune with the Old and New Testament narrations. Both in Old and New Testament, we come across the depiction of the symbol of ‘well.’ Gen 21:17–​19 narrates an episode, where Hagar saw a well, from which she was given water to drink. In this passage, God’s saving presence is manifested through the water of the well. In another passage of Gen 26, we come across an incident of tension between Patriarch Isaac and the Philistines regarding the digging of a well. Isaac managed to dig a well and he considered it as a blessing of God (Gen 26:22). The other account regarding the well is in 2 Sam 23 and 1 Chr 11, where the narration is about the water from the well of Bethlehem, which King David sought for during his campaign against the Philistines. This story of David’s wish to drink water 113 In order to understand the poetical expressions of Mar Jacob regarding the saving events of God through different ‘staging posts’ in Christ’s life, one must constantly be aware of the distinction, implicit in his poems, between the historical and the sacred time. The historical time is linear and each point in time knows a ‘before’ and an ‘after.’ Sacred time, on the other hand, knows no ‘before’ and ‘after,’ only the eternal ‘now.’ What is important for sacred time, is its content, and not a particular place in the sequence of historical time. This means that events situated at different points in the historical time, which participate in the same salvific content, such as nativity, baptism, and crucifixion, all run together in sacred time, with the result that their total salvific content can be focused at will on any single one of these successive points in historical time. Cf. Brock, The Luminous Eye, 29.

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from the well of Bethlehem seems to be a prefiguration of what was going to be fulfilled in the New Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus’ narration of himself as the ‘living water’ (Jn 6:51) and his exhortation about the ‘living water’ with the Samaritan woman at the well (Jn 4:1–​42) concludes that the symbol of ‘well’ signifies the saving presence that God extends to the world through his blessings in the person of Jesus Christ. Mar Jacob looks at the symbol of ‘well’ as the saving presence of God exactly in the same manner as the Scripture envisages. His understanding of the symbol of ‘well’ is well narrated in his homily on ‘Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel’. In this homily, Mar Jacob narrated the journey of patriarch Jacob as that of the ‘path of Messiahs.’ By portraying Jacob as the prefiguration of Christ, Mar Jacob intends to say that the mysteries of Christ followed Jacob and the revelations of mysteries are ministered through him. So, the arrival of Jacob at the well is perceived as an event to reveal certain mysteries. The ‘well,’ at which Jacob reached, is hence depicted as ‘the well not of water but of mysteries.’114 It is towards this ‘well,’ which is full of mysteries that Rachel came to water her flock. Mar Jacob depicts Rachel as the symbol of the Church on account of her gazing at the well of mysteries in order to ‘betroth to the mysteries.’115 Therefore, the symbol of ‘well’ in Jacobian perspective signifies the presence of God, which is full of mysteries. As Mar Jacob narrates baptism in relation to the imagery of ‘well,’ he maintains the connection between baptism, which opens up the mysteries, and people gathered around the mystery, who form the Church. This formation of the Church is prefigured in the Old Testament and therefore he calls the baptism as the ‘new well’ through which the mysteries are revealed. Mar Jacob narrates in one of his letters very clearly how the fulfillment of the Church is made possible in the New Testament by the opening up of the door of baptism. His letter says: The gate of sheol is closed, the gate of baptism opened; the cross is fixed, with the running water; the rational sheep gather, ardent to drink the water that flows from the crucified one; they gaze on him clothed in light, as he stands by the fountain.116

One of the homilies of Mar Jacob, clearly narrates that baptism is the new well that was opened on Golgotha. The flow of water that flowed from the pierced side of Jesus stirs Mar Jacob to describe baptism as ‘new well.’ The homily says:

1 14 Our Lord and Jacob, the Church and Rachel, HS III, 210,14, TV 4,4, 53,51. 115 HS III, 211,14–​15, TV 4,4, 54,73–​74. 116 Letter, XXI, 240,12–​15.

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The crucifiers cast a lance at the fair one, and pierced his side; from it flowed water and blood. A new well was opened on Golgotha; this is that blessed fountain of Eden, which divided itself up as a great river [flowing] towards the four quarters, so that the whole of the afflicted creation might drink of it.117

In the above-​mentioned narration, the water that flowed from the side of Christ is depicted as the ‘new well.’ Since the water represents the mystery of baptism, it is obvious that Mar Jacob refers here to the sacrament of baptism by the imagery of ‘new well.’ The ‘new well’ is described in the passage as the ‘fountain,’ in particular, the river of paradise dividing into four and made available to the four corners of the world in order to quench the thirst of the afflicted creation. This depiction is an indication that Mar Jacob refers baptism as a source from which one can drink. According to Mar Jacob, the reception of Christ at baptism quenches the thirst of the faithful. Mar Jacob arrives at this conclusion by analyzing the mind of the faithful, who gathered at river Jordan to get baptized. The people, who gathered around the river of Jordan, have the desire to see the bridegroom and to be sanctified by the bridegroom. This desire of the people is described in the letter and in the homilies as the thirst of the people. Baptism quenches this thirst by providing them Christ, who is the source of new life. Therefore, the symbol of ‘new well’ is also an indication that the role of baptism in the Church is to provide new life to the faithful, which is fulfilled through Christ.

4.4. Baptism: A Representation of Death and Resurrection of Christ The new life, which baptism offers to the faithful, is followed up in the writings of Mar Jacob by considering baptism as death and resurrection. This allusion of Mar Jacob is very much in tune with the Pauline teaching in Rom 6:5–​6, where St Paul states that ‘we have been buried in Christ by baptism into death, so that, as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.’ The early Syriac writers such as Aphrahat and Ephrem give little attention to this theme in their writings.118 According to S. Brock, the emphasis of these Syrian Fathers on the concept of rebirth at baptism as it is seen in the gospel of John (Jn 3:3) might be the reason for neglecting a death followed by resurrection. However, unlike these Syrian Fathers, Mar Jacob speaks clearly of baptism in terms of death and resurrection. In his homily on ‘baptism of our 1 17 For the Vigil of the Holy Friday, HS II, 588,18 –​589,1–​3, My own translation. 118 Cf. S.P. Brock, The Holy Spirit in the Syrian Baptismal Tradition, Piscataway, 2008, 96.

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redeemer,’ he refers to death at baptism by referring baptismal water as the ‘tomb.’ He says that in baptism the humanity enters into the tomb and is resurrected as immortal beings. To the tomb of water I am bringing down humanity, so that I may make them immortal in resurrection. I am making them enter into the moist womb so that it will conceive them and give them the new birth without birth pangs.119

Mar Jacob here clearly enumerates that baptism is a ‘death and resurrection’ as well as ‘new life’ because water is the womb of many beings. Mar Jacob here clearly employs both the Pauline vision of ‘death and resurrection’ and the Johannine vision of ‘new life’ regarding baptism. This hence indicates that Mar Jacob is very much concerned about the ‘new life,’ which baptism provides to the faithful and he enumerates it by using the imagery of Pauline teaching. In a more explicit manner, Mar Jacob enumerates in his homily on ‘holy baptism’ that baptism helps the dead to cross over the region of immortality. He says that baptism stands between the two states of life –​mortality and immortality. The mortal beings become immortal through the gifts of baptism. The faithful enters into the region of life from that of death through baptism. Baptism is the New Ship that carries the dead, And by it [baptism] they are resuscitated and cross over to the region of immortality. Baptism is set between the worlds, And by it one enters into the region of life from that of death.120

Mar Jacob links the death and resurrection to new life in his other homilies where he explains how the death and resurrection of Christ brings life to the people. In his homily on ‘the Sunday of the resurrection’ he says: The resurrection of the Son is a new creation to the whole world, and the world is a new account of it and hence it is beyond sufferings. From his resurrection life reigned over mortals, and we have truly stripped off the old order by His death.121

By his death and resurrection, Christ removed the dominance of death over the people and regained life for them. Through his own baptism, Christ signified the

1 19 Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 181,10–​13, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 176, 285–​288. 120 Holy Baptism, HS I, 196,17–​20, Kollamparampil, JSTC XXIII, 1, 91,59–​61. 121 Sunday of the Resurrection, HS II, Hom.Nr. 54, pp. 611–​623, here p. 613,14–​17, ET by Kollamparampil, FH XIII, 296,51–​54.

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resurrection from the dead and indicated a new life for the faithful, which further makes them immortal. Mar Jacob’s allusions to the life that the faithful acquires through baptism hence indicate that the baptismal birth ensures the faithful a new life, through which one is restored and raised up from the state of death to the state of immortal life. The Church, by the fact of being the provider of this new life through baptism, is considered as the mother, who nurtures the new life for her children.

5. The Life through Nourishment Mar Jacob explained in his homilies that the bond between baptism, Eucharist, and the Church exist at the level, where much emphasis is given to the life of the individual and the community. He narrates in his homilies how life imparts to the faithful through baptism and how it is maintained through the efficacy of the gifts of the person and activities of the incarnate Son, who is typified in the paschal lamb. The Church stands as mother in relation to its role as the provider of the nourishment, which is represented by the paschal lamb. Therefore, the motherhood of the Church according to Mar Jacob relies on the nourishment that she provides to her children in the form of the Lord’s Supper. Though Mar Jacob takes up much vocabulary and imagery of the Eucharist from his predecessors like Ephrem and Aphrahat, the catechetical concerns of Mar Jacob incite him to give a specific accent on the life imparting effect of the Eucharist.122 So, the homilies of Mar Jacob gave special emphasis to narrate that the Church does not just give birth to the children of God and allow them to stagnate in immaturity or die as newborns; rather, as mother, she sustains their lives, providing them nourishment in relation to the body of Christ. As mother, the Church provides spiritual nourishment and life for her children so that they might grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The Church nourishes the faithful by providing them the body and blood of Christ as food. She receives the food from the cross in the form of blood and she continues to distribute it to the faithful. According to Mar Jacob, it is God, who has set the table full of nourishments and people receive it and get nourished as the people of Israel were nourished in the desert with manna and quail. Thus, the nourishment that the Church offers to the people is the continuation of God’s salvific plan. Mar Jacob very well portrayed this in his homily on ‘praise at the table.’ There we read:

122 Cf. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 435.

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He nourished the people in the desert with manna and quail, a pure food for a pure people, without harvests. The hidden Will prepared a table and piled it up with plenty, supplying luxuries and nourishing people so that they had no worries. Without sowing, without reaping, and without labour, He provided food and satisfied the hungry out of his gift.123

The nourishment that the faithful receives through the Eucharist in the Church is the continuation of the life that one acquires from baptism. Because of the common origin of these sacraments, Mar Jacob presumes a direct relationship between baptism and Eucharist. The blood and water that flowed from the side of Christ represent the sacrament of baptism and Eucharist and it existed in the Church with the specific role of ‘fashioning spiritual babes.’ Though the pierced side of Jesus represents the birth of these sacraments, in one of his homilies Mar Jacob specifically says that the new Eve, the Church, was born from the side of Christ and the water and blood flowed from the side of Jesus for exercising her motherly function. The stillness of the sleep of death fell upon him on the cross, and from him came forth the mother who gives birth to all spiritual beings; the Lord of Adam produced the New Eve in his sleep, to serve as mother of the children of Adam in Eve’s place; water and blood for the fashioning of spiritual babes flowed from the side of that Living one who died, in order to bring life to Adam.124

This indicates that the source of baptism, Eucharist and the Church is Christ, who is crucified on Golgotha. On the cross, Jesus revealed himself to be the fountainhead of these mysteries. By crucifixion, Jesus established the fruits of life in this world, with its own specific role to play. The sacrament of Eucharist, which is established through the gushing of blood, provides a continued effect of life, which the faithful received through baptism and the Church takes care that the new life is imparted to them.

5.1. The Eucharist Provides Life Mar Jacob maintains the prime importance of the event of Golgotha throughout his theological explanations. According to him, the event on Golgotha was the

123 Praise at the Table I, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 139, pp. 872–​877, here p. 876,1–​6, ET by Jeff W. Childers, MHMJS 38, Piscataway, 2016, 36,80–​85. 124 For the Vigil of Holy Saturday, HS II, 589,8–​15, S. Brock, The Mysteries hidden in the side of Christ, Sob 6, 465–​466.

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fulfillment of all the types, which foreshadowed the saving acts of God. On Golgotha, through the piercing of the side of Jesus the saving activity of God is made present in Jesus and the blood that gushed from the side of Christ ensures the presence of Christ throughout the history in and through the Church. By making this assertion, Mar Jacob relates God’s revelation to creatures to the establishment of the Eucharist. He alludes this in his homily on ‘the chariot that prophet Ezekiel saw.’ There we read: And he yoked the chariot to the intermediate orders, another assembly, and he sent down to place the mystery within it in order to bring to the world an account of him. And within the inhabited earth He set up the altar for the bodily creatures, and he himself became body from which they would eat in their habitations.125

The citation makes clear that the prime intention of Jesus’ incarnation126 and his death on Golgotha is to become food for the ‘bodily creatures,’ and in order to continue this he established an altar on earth, which we refer as the Church. This narration of Mar Jacob makes much more sense when we read it with another narration in his homily on ‘the veil on Moses’ face.’ In the homily, he directly links the death of Jesus for becoming food for the Church. He died on the cross and gave his body to the bride made glorious, And she plucks and eats it every day at his table; He opened up his side and mixed his cup with holy blood, He gave it her to drink that she might forget her many idols.127

Therefore, the mystery that opened up on Golgotha is present at the altar of the Church. The Church makes available the presence of Christ through the sacrament of Eucharist. According to Mar Jacob, in the sacrament of Eucharist ‘all the sacrifices are spiritually comprised.’128 Therefore, the living presence of Christ in 1 25 The Chariot that Prophet Ezhekiel Saw, HS IV, 602, 14–​18, MHMJS 14, 132,1243–​1247. 126 According to Mar Jacob the vision of the chariot by the prophet Ezekiel reveals the mysteries regarding the Son of God. The meaning of his incarnation, his death on the cross are explained by Mar Jacob in his homily on ‘the chariot that prophet Ezekiel saw.’ Cf. A. Golitzin, The Image and Glory of God in Jacob of Serugh’s Homily ‘On that Chariot that Ezekiel the Prophet Saw,’ in: St. Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly 47,3–​4, 323–​364. 127 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 291, 1–​5, Sob 3,1, 76,151–​155. 128 The Commemoration of the Reposed, and on the loaf brought for the Eucharist, and that the reposed benefit from the oblations and alms made in their behalf, HS I, Hom. Nr. 22, pp. 531–​550, here p. 536,8–​9. ET, in: TV 5 (1990), 42,19–​20. ‘In bread and wine that are the mystery of the body and the blood, all the sacrifices are spiritually comprised.’ (Ibid.).

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the Church is well expounded through Eucharist. For Mar Jacob, on Golgotha ‘Jesus is alive though he is dead.’129 In the sacrament of Eucharist, Christ is present in the Church in the form of body and blood. Mar Jacob explains this theme much more clearly in his homily on ‘our Lord portrayed in Scripture as food and drink.’ For Mar Jacob, the sacrament of Eucharist offers the food for the faithful. Our Lord on the cross gives the food and that is offered in the Eucharist. The Church receives this gift from our Lord and breaks his body and mixes his blood in order to give life to her sons. When He was hung on the Cross, the light on the neck becomes like a necklace And by casting an image of the passions of our beloved Son. And in the spring of blood and water which flows from Him Which is inhabited upon Him, as the river Gihon is full of life. And from Him is the food because He wished to become the food And from Him is the drink, because He desired to become the drink. And she [the Church] breaks and brings and puts His body in the mouth of her sons And she mixes his blood; and all [those] drinking have life from Him. She tears it and puts it every day upon her table She distributes it into many parts for the peoples and generations that they may become alive from it.130

According to Mar Jacob the body of Christ present in the Eucharistic bread ensures the faithful the life, which is offered by Christ through his death on the cross. Christ is made present in the Eucharistic body. For him, the sacramental presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the continuation of the divine revelation of God. Mar Jacob establishes this fact through Old Testament types of the Eucharist. The Old Testament types, such as the burning of the red heifer131 129 Cf. For the Vigil of Holy Saturday, HS II, 589,16–​20. ‘The dead one who was alive showed forth marvel after his death: there flowed from him blood, to indicate that he was alive, there flowed from him water, to show that he was dead; and blood flowed too, to teach that he was alive, though dead.’ (Ibid.). 130 Our Lord Portrayed in the Scripture as Food and Drink, HS II, Hom.Nr. 43, pp. 228–​ 244, here p. 238,1–​10, ET by J. Kalariparampil, in: Theology of Baptism and Eucharist According to Jacob of Sarugh’s Published Homilies and Selected Manuscripts, Freiburg, 2016. 131 Types and Symbols of Christ, HS III, 308,3–​8, Mus 118, 76,51–​56. ‘Moses burnt the cow outside the (camp) of the people, like Christ who suffered outside the city to absolve (sins). Why was the cow burned in fire? But to picture the type of the bread of the Son of God.

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and sprinkling of its blood on the door132 signify the Eucharist. Moses, the forerunner of Jesus, performed these acts in order to bring the people of Israel into life. Whereas at the arrival of Christ, he inaugurated on Golgotha a sacrifice by his own blood and established the sacrament of Eucharist, and it continues in the Church in the form of bread and wine as the bloodless sacrifice typified in Melchizedek.133 Therefore, Christ made humanity pass from the blood-​sacrifice to the bloodless sacrifice in order to achieve new life.134 Thus, in Christ all these types found their fulfillment. The old paschal lamb gave way to the bread and body of Christ for the fullness of life. Mar Jacob indicates that the new life that the Eucharist imparts to the people is given through the blood. By narrating the blood flowed from the side of Christ, is the ‘new wine’ pressed on Golgotha, Mar Jacob asserts that Christ has opened up a new way for getting the new life. As we have seen above in the case of body and bread, by comparing the blood to wine Mar Jacob establishes that Jesus inaugurated a new model of bloodless sacrifice, where each faithful unite with him through his blood.

5.1.1. The Types of the Eucharist The vocabulary and the types that Mar Jacob used in his homilies, link the sacrifice on Golgotha to the Eucharist. Mar Jacob often uses the image of a grape The (Eucharistic) bread was represented in the burning of the cow, just as this (bread) baked by fire will forgive him who tales it.’ (Ibid.). 132 The Two Goats, the Sacrifice of Azazel, HS III, 275,2–​3, My own translation. ‘The blood that the priest sprinkled on the door, this cup of life blessed its partakers.’ (Ibid.). 1 33 The Commemoration of the Reposed, HS I, 535,13 –​538,5, TV 5, 42,21 –​43,54. ‘With bread and wine Melchizedek, the high priest went in, to minister before God in a figure. With this sacrifice. which had no reek of fat or smoke, he served as priest, to depict the image of things that were to come. ............ With these mysteries by which the Church exists today, behold Melchizedek ministered with them even in his own day. ............ If when it was bread, it was honoured above all sacrifices, now that it is the body, what sacrifice could be as great as this? For they of former times depicted types in their oblations, and gave to them of latter times a godly likeness of the truth.’ (Ibid.). 134 For Vigil of Wednesday of Holy Week, HS II, Hom.Nr. 53.2, pp. 470–​489, here p. 483,19–​ 20, My own translation.

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ܳ ܽ cluster (‫)ܓܘܠ‬ to Christ, whereas his intellectual ancestors had affinity to the ܳ ܺ ܽ Christological symbol of a ‘single grape’ (‫)ܛܘܛܝܬܐ‬.135 Before applying the icon of a grape cluster to Christ, Mar Jacob employs it to represent different personalities in the Old Testament whom he considers as types of Christ. Isaac, Abraham’s son, is such an instance. To the centenarian, he appeared as a grape cluster on his vine-​plant. He plucked it with love that it be consecrated to the Lord of the vineyard. His tree grew old, and then this fruit appeared on it. He presented and offered it as first fruits to the one who sustains all. A sucker sprung from the root of the centenarian, yet he was not sad while breaking it off by faith.136

The context of this quotation is the Old Testament account of the testing of Abraham (Gen 22:1–​19). The vine-​plant alludes to Abraham, the centenarian, the grape cluster to Isaac, and the Lord of the vineyard to God. Abraham’s sacrifice, the plucking of the grape cluster, foreshadows the offering of the heavenly Father. Mar Jacob re-​illustrates this biblical text using his imagination to show the cooperation between the Father and the Son. He achieves his goal by painting Isaac assisting Abraham in building the altar. ‘A sweet grape cluster built a winepress that it be trodden down in it, and it stomped to trample on its grapes, along with the one pressing it.’137 The winepress is the altar of sacrifice,138 and the sweet grape cluster, Isaac the sacrifice. The grape cluster being pressed helps with the stomping. By calling Isaac a cluster on a vine that Abraham plucked to offer as first fruits to God, Mar

135

136 1 37 138

‘The paschal lamb departed and the bread rose up so that there is life in it, so instead of paschal lamb it becomes the body of the Son of God.’ (Ibid.). ܳ ܺ ܽ ‘Grape’ (‫ )ܛܘܛܝܬܐ‬is a rare word and is used by Aphrahat and Ephrem to refer Christ. Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 113–​118. Mar Jacob, however, does not use it as a symbol ܳ ܺ ܽ ܳ ܽ of Christ. He prefers ‘grape cluster’ ‫))ܣܓܘܠ‬. Besides a grape, the word ‫ ܛܘܛܝܬܐ‬can mean a small grape cluster. Cf. J. Payne Smith, A Compendious Syriac Dictionary, 169. With ܳ ܺ ܽ this latter meaning, Mar Jacob tends to use ‫ܛܘܛܝܬܐ‬. For example, Mar Jacob refers to the three youths who survived the furnace in Dn 3:1–​32 as ‘three grapes in a small ܳ ܺ ܽ ܳ ‫ܝܬܐ‬ cluster’ (‫ܕܬܠܬ ܶܥ ̈ܢ ܶܒܐ‬ ‫)ܛܘܛ‬. HS II, 133,11. When referring to a single grape Mar Jacob ܳ ܶ employs the word ‫ܥܢܒܬܐ‬. Abraham and his Types, HS IV, 70,14–​19. ET by A.B. Elkhoury, in: Types and symbols of the Church in the Writings of Jacob of Sarug, 160. HS IV, 91,4–​5, Elkhoury, Types and Symbols of the Church, 161. We can easily relate the winepress as the altar when we read some of Mar Jacob’s other verses. In the same homily, Mar Jacob narrates that Isaac, who himself is the lamb, built altar for his sacrifice. ‘Who has ever seen a lamb who builds the altar for his killing.’ HS IV, 90,20.

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Jacob evokes in the mind of his audience the image of wine that is in direct correlation with the blood of Christ flowing out of his side and, consequently, with the Eucharist. Mar Jacob narrates in his homilies that this wine is life-​giving, because God himself mixes it up in his life-​giving cup. This sweet wine is the Father’s gifts to humanity that its taste be changed from bitterness to sweetness. Humanity’s fate is no longer to die but to inherit eternal life due to Jesus’s martyrdom on the cross. The guests are waiting to drink life from your wine vessel. Your life-​giving cup quenches the multitude longing for you. Your good wine showered down over Creation at the end of time for your Father preserved you that you be the consolation of the world. Your taste is sweet. Behold my tongue is moved! I shall shout praise to the Father, who sent you, that all the bitter ones become sweetened by you.139

Mar Jacob elsewhere in his homilies affirms how the sacrifice of Jesus inspired the faithful follow the path of Jesus. He took the life of the martyrs who travel the path of Jesus and confirmed that the sacrifice of Jesus on Golgotha is lived out in the Church by participating in the mystery of the sacrifice through the Eucharist in the Church. The road of self-​denial traveled by the Lord becomes the way of the Church’s martyrs. The life of martyrs by partaking in the mystery of Eucharist is an assertion by Mar Jacob that the life-​giving cup is an image of the Church’s consecrated wine, which manifests the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha. The transfixed side of the Jesus provides life to the Church and the martyrs as well as the faithful inherit new life from her. The blood of the Crucified, which they quaffed from that life-​giving cup, provided them with a brave heart before the judges. The new wine whose seething was great made them so hot that they ran to the sword and the flame. They unclothed in the tribunal. Since they were drunk, they were not disturbed, for the drunk is unaware of having been stripped naked on account of their wine. The chaste ones stood stripped naked before the licentious ones and were unaware of [their] nakedness, that was by reason of the wine. In the midst of a struggle, the one who is naked is not bare, for the one fighting for victory is unashamed.

139 The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, HS I, 320,16 –​321,1, My own translation.

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They waged war against the ruler guarding the air and fought undressed with evil doers. They anointed themselves with the blood of the side of the Son of God in the struggle, and the hand of their adversaries slid away from them.140

The above-​mentioned types and the interpretations of Mar Jacob regarding the sacrifice of Jesus and its relation to Eucharist and its role in the Church, show that the sacrament of Eucharist is the source of life for the Church. For him, the sacrifice of Jesus on Golgotha manifests that he becomes food for us by giving his body to the Church and by being the spear pressed wine on the cross he becomes the ‘new wine’ for the Church, which she drinks to quench her thirst. This theological outlook of Mar Jacob confirms that he acknowledges the source of the Church’s sacramental life, who is Christ. It is neither the grape nor the Eucharistic bread that represents the Church, but the symbolic meaning that these images have, manifests the significance and the meaning of the Church. These images are seen as the providers of food and sustainers of the life only in relation to Christ, who is the source of life. The Church enfolds her strength with this source and she provides life to her faithful, which she receives from this source. The homilies of Mar Jacob treat different themes regarding Eucharist and its life-​giving effects to the people. These themes will give us a detailed understanding of perceiving the Church as the provider of life.

ܰ ‫ ܺܦ ܳܝܪܐ‬/​Pirō d Ḥāyē) 5.1.2. The Eucharist as Fruit of Life )‫ܕܚ ܶ̈ܝܐ‬ The theme of ‘fruit of life’ in Mar Jacob’s homilies to denote the sacrament of Eucharist demonstrates its role in the saving mystery of God. In the theological outlook of Mar Jacob, the expulsion of Adam from the paradise and the Cherub’s sword with the pierced side of Christ for the reentry of Adam to paradise play a vital role. Adam lost his place in the paradise when he ate the bitter fruit from the forbidden tree (Gen 3:23–​24). On account of this, he was expelled from the paradise. The incarnate Son of God on the road of redemption provides justification and perfection to the fallen Adam. According to Mar Jacob, the incarnation of the Son of God removed the fiery spear that guarded the tree of life. Through incarnation, the Son of God entered the world as the fruit of nourishment for the people.

140 Confessors and Martyrs, HS II, Hom.Nr. 56, pp. 636–​649, here p. 641,16 –​642,9, My own translation.

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Today, the hand of the Cherub shall swerve from the spear of fire because the tree of life is not more to be guarded: for, behold its fruit is put in the manger in order to be the nourishment for human beings, who by their own [will] had become similar to animals.141

Mar Jacob further in another homily explains the intention of incarnation much more clearly and speaks categorically that the incarnation of the Son of God brought sweet fruit to the world for Adam. The fruit that came to redeem Adam is sublime and lofty, and the fruit that gave praise to his Lord is greatly splendid. The Lord of the fruits came to sweeten Adam’s plate: the sweet palm tree came out to meet him and eagerly waited to receive him.142

The coming down of the fruit to redeem Adam points to the incarnation of the Word of God. On contrast to the bitter, poisonous and lethal fruit that Adam consumed in the garden, the fruit coming down from heaven is sweet-​tasting and life-​giving. It is the ultimate source of Adam’s life. So according to Mar Jacob, Christ is the fruit of life sent down to human beings by the Father143 and the sweet fruit to be enjoyed.144 When Christ fulfilled all the mysteries on Golgotha, he gave his bride, the Church, his body, so that she plucks and eats it every day from his table. Therefore, it is the source of life for the Church as it is the source for Adam’s life. Mar Jacob says that this body of the Son of God is depicted in the Church as bread and it resembles the fruit of life, which gives life to Adam. The Eucharistic bread is the fruit of life because it is the body of the Son of God, who came to earth in order to redeem Adam and humanity. However unless the Son of God is bread Does He not proclaim Himself as bread in the congregations and why does she urge strongly that the bread will be our Lord? Clearly you have made to hear, what you have. Because Adam ate the fruit which is full of death She urges strongly to eat the other fruit in which there is life. And our Lord became the living fruit and Adam ate Him

1 41 Nativity, SHF I, 542,11, Kollamparampil, FH IV, 133,14. 142 Monday of Hosannas, HS V, 627,7–​10, My own translation. 143 Zaccheus the Tax Collector, HS I, Hom.Nr.15, pp. 344–​364, here p. 350,14, My own translation. ‘(...) the fruit of life sent down to us by the Exalted one.’ (Ibid.). 144 HS I, 353,13. My own translation. ‘(...) that he (Zaccheus) alone take delight in the sweet fruit.’ (Ibid.).

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These unfastened the insatiable death that killed him. And because he was dead by the food, that is of the tree She urged Adam to eat the Life that may not destroy him. And God is Life, that He is the food And Adam ate Him and he became alive from Him and he returned to his place.145

In this citation, it is clear that the bread denotes the fruit of life, which is Christ himself. In the Church this bread is revered as the body of the Son, so Mar Jacob reserved the term ‘bread’ only for the Eucharistic body of Son.146 Hence, when Mar Jacob denotes the Eucharist as the ‘fruit of life,’ he illustrates that the Eucharist brings the real presence of Christ in the Church and the Church imparts life to the people, which she receives from the presence of Christ.

ܺܳ 5.1.3. The Eucharist as Tree of Life )‫ܐܢ ܰܚ ܶ̈ܝܐ‬/​Ilōn Ḥāyē) The theme of ‘tree of life’ is also narrated in the homilies of Mar Jacob in relation to the saving acts God. The Tree of life stood in the midst of the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9). After the fall, God expelled Adam from Paradise and placed an angel with a fiery revolving sword to protect the Tree of life (Gen 3), thus making it impossible for Adam and his children to partake of it. However, the soteriological implication of the incarnation is that the Tree of life uprooted the tree of knowledge once and for all,147 and made possible Adam’s return to the Garden of Eden, where the Tree of Life presents its fruits to his delight and that of his progenies. In line with Aphrahat and Ephrem, Mar Jacob identifies the Tree of life and its fruits with the Lord Jesus. “I am life, and the one who receives me finds life” (see Jn 11:25, 14:6), the blessed Tree, our Lord, says. “I am life, and the one who eats my fruits lives forever (see Jn 11:25, 14:6), departs from the place filled with death and climbs over its wall.” Righteousness, holiness, and justice,

1 45 Our Lord Portrayed in Scripture as Food and Drank, HS II, 228,11–​20. 146 Cf. T. Bou Mansour, L’Eucharistie chez Jacques de Saroug, in: ParOr 17 (1992), 44. 147 Love for the Poor, HS II, 829,19–​822,4, My own translation. ‘The Good One had pity on our humanity and sent his Son that he cut the roots of that tree that devastated the earth. He ordered and warned Adam in Eden, ‘Do not eat from the tree, for it imposes death upon him who tastes it.’ Our Lord taught his hearers at the end of times, ‘Do not even fix the eye on the desire of the tree.’ The Father is one, his Begotten, the faithful Son, is one, and one is the commandment, ‘Do not eat from the tree.’ (Ibid.).

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mercy, gladness, and serenity (see Gal 5:22–​23), peace, tranquility, love of all virtues: these are the good fruits of the tree of life. When a person plants it in their minds, they become paradises and bear the fruits that are life to those who partake of them. When they possess it, it is well established in them, and they absorb its taste, they become springs gushing out water of life.148

This citation shows us that Mar Jacob calls Christ as the tree of life by using the same language of Jn 11:25. He narrates that Christ is the blessed Tree, that is, the Tree of life, declares itself to be life, offers its fruits for consumption, and promises life to those who partake of it. The fruits of the Tree of life bestow life on those consuming them, and their sharers inherit eternal life. Moreover, they become themselves both paradises and trees of life. These are the followers of Jesus, the Christians embodying the Church. Accordingly, one can conclude that the Church is, according to Mar Jacob, paradise on earth in whose midst is the Tree of life. In this tree-​symbolism, the crucifixion scene plays a central role, because it is precisely on Golgotha where the Tree of Life sprouted. ‘Where Sion set the wood to crucify the Son is where the Tree bearing the mysteries sprung.’149 Moreover, the soldier’s lance piercing the side of the Crucified opened the door back to paradise. Jesus sends away the angel with the fiery revolving sword and makes Eden once again fully accessible to Adam. He dismissed the Cherub guarding the Tree of Life, and received the spear into his side that the heirs who had left might enter. He opened Paradise, that was closed before those entering and brought back those who had been expelled to their inheritance and domain.150

On the cross, the Son of God calls everyone to his vineyard. ‘Behold his hands are extended. He is on Golgotha and calls everyone to come to the vineyard of righteousness.’151 Accordingly, Golgotha becomes Eden in the view of Mar Jacob, for the Tree of Life stands in its midst. From Golgotha, issues forth water and blood, and irrigate the whole Creation, and thereby making the earth like

1 48 149 150 151

Love for the Poor, HS II, 818,5–​14, My own translation. Abraham and his Types, HS IV, 76,6–​7, Elkhoury, Types and Symbols of the Church, 172. Emmanuel, HS II, Hom.Nr.40, pp. 184–​197, here p. 194,19–​22, My own translation. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, HS I, 343,5–​6, My own translation.

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Paradise. Again, the reference to the side of Christ split open is explicit with the irrigation imagery, which refers to both the Eucharist and baptism. The crucifiers cast a lance at the Fair one, and pierced his side; from it flowed water and blood. A new well was opened on Golgotha; this is that blessed fountain of Eden, which divided itself up as a great river [flowing] towards the four corners, so that the whole of afflicted creation might drink of it.152

When Mar Jacob explains the vision of disciples on the mountain of transfiguration he narrates that God the Father taught about the one tabernacle and this tabernacle is His only begotten and the cross in the Church represents the tabernacle, the only-​begotten. One [tabernacle] alone was made for the One, who is the Only-​Begotten, and He [the Father] brought the [other] two to nothing, and [so] Simon knew that the Son is the only One. The Father taught him through the single tabernacle of light that He made, that one is the Church, and one is the Cross that is ministered in it. There were no tabernacles but a tabernacle for the one Only-​begotten, because there are not churches but a Church for the Son of God.153

This reference gives us the fitting link between the cross, which is the antitype of the tree of life, and the Church. In the Church, the tree of life and its fruits represent Christ who died on the cross and extended life for the Church by giving his body. On account of this, people take refuge in the tree of life. Mar Jacob’s narration of the role of the tree of life in the Church will make clearer the link that I explained above. In one of his homilies regarding the Church we read: Behold the Tree of Life –​our Lord! It carries its fruits full of life to those who eat them from the table. O you who are bitten by the snake that killed Adam: Go in and take refuge in the Tree of life who will heal you.154

Therefore, in view of Mar Jacob, since Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden because of his disobedience, it was necessary for Christ to come down as fruit of life. He himself became the Tree of life and through the fruits of the Tree of life he removed the sin and thereby also removed the death. At the center of Golgotha, he stayed on the cross and issued forth water and blood as the fruits of 1 52 For the Vigil of Holy Saturday, HS II, 588,18 –​589,3, My own translation. 153 The Transfiguration, HS II, 374,9–​14, Kollamparampil, FH VIII, 229,569 –​230,574. 154 The Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 653,13–​16, MHMJS 17, 20,147–​150.

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the cross. Mar Jacob narrates this as the antitype of the Tree of life in the Garden of Eden and so he calls Golgotha as the Garden of Eden on earth and the Church represents the tree of life by having the cross of the Only Begotten at its center.

5.1.4. The Eucharist as Medicine of Life )‫ ܰܣܡ ܰܚ ܶ̈ܝܐ‬/​Sām Ḥāyē) In the writings of Mar Jacob, the constant epithet for the Eucharist is the phrase ‘living medicine’ or medicine of life.’ This theme is not exclusive for Mar Jacob, because the same phrase is used in the writings of Ephrem.155 For Mar Jacob, the body and blood of the Lord are thought to bring healing and forgiveness of sin. Each faithful is being healed, when they receive the body and blood of the Lord. The Church as the dispenser of the body and blood of Christ for the faithful ܶ ܰ 156 ܳ ‫ܝܬܗ ܳܕ‬ hence stands in the world as the house of the physician )‫ܐܣܝܐ‬ ‫)ܒ‬. Mar Jacob used the medical imagery to depict the Eucharist because of its relation to Christ. In his homilies he narrates Christ in terms of medical imageries and even addresses Christ as ‘medicine of life.’157 The healing that Christ brings to this world inspires Mar Jacob to address Christ in terms of medical imageries. The Church continues the healing and the cure that Jesus brought forth to the world through the Eucharistic body and blood and this prompts him to narrate the Eucharist as ‘medicine of life.’ The intrinsic connection between Christ and the Eucharistic bread is much more clearly narrated in his homilies on Christ’s healings. The best example is in his homily on ‘the Canaanite woman.’ The homily expounds: Your bread is not small that it will nourish only one People; all peoples eat from it, and still suffices. Your medicines, O Physician, are not diminished by healings, that You should heal pains for one people but not another. Nothing increases or diminishes Your wealth, the wellspring is great, and however much You draw it still increases. Give bread to your People to satisfy them like sons, and from it cast crumbs to the peoples as though to dogs.158

1 55 Cf. Brock, The Luminious Eye, 99–​106. 156 The Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 650,3, MHMJS 17, 14,73. 157 In the homilies of Mar Jacob, he describes Christ in terms of medical imageries. The ܳ ‫( ) ܴܐ‬HS I, 428,4 common image he uses to denote Christ is the ‘physician’ or ‘doctor’ (‫ܣܝܐ‬ ܳ ܳ ܽ and HS V, 509,12). Christ is also named as medicine (‫ ) ܴܐܣܘܝܝܬܐ‬and even as medicine ܰ in some other homilies. Cf. HS I, 425,4; HS V, 525,3. ܰ ‫)ܣ ܳܡܐ‬ of life (‫ܕܚ ̈ܶܝܐ‬ 158 The Canaanite Woman, HS I, 436,1–​8, MHMJS 44, 30,235 –​32,242.

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The context of this citation is the request of the Canaanite woman for the healing of her daughter and the refusal of Jesus to extend his healing to her (Mat 15:23–​ 28). In the response of the Canaanite woman, Mar Jacob inserts an implicit type of the Eucharist. The healing that the woman requested is depicted as the bread that she wants to receive from Jesus and this bread is the medicine that heals. Jesus’ offering as the bread for the healing of the world is explicitly manifested on Golgotha. Through this offering, Jesus extended his healing as medicine for the whole world. The Virgin vine produced a cluster whose wine is sweet, one now being quaffed in the four quarters of the world as the medicine of life. This vine, that was not cultivated by a farmer in any way, whose wine seeped down to the land of dead and roused them. The new wine poured forth on Golgotha, the world has drunk, and by it all those who mourn have been comforted. Behold, the tables are prepared on earth in the presence of sinners, and they consume the nourishments from them spiritually every day.159

Mar Jacob, in the above citation, portrays that the sacrifice of Jesus on Golgotha is for recovering sinners from their grave sins. Due to sin, the human beings are spiritually dead. It is through his sacrifice on Golgotha, the new wine flew out and caused the world to drink it. The tables prepared on earth ensure that the people are getting opportunity to consume the nourishments that Jesus brought forth to the earth through his death. The term ‘the table on earth’ that Mar Jacob used here in this homily indicates the Church on earth with an altar where the Eucharist is celebrated. This indicates that Mar Jacob highlights the importance of the Eucharist in providing the nourishments for the people, who are spiritually dead. Through the Eucharist the Son of God absolves the sinners and thus heals them from their spiritual illness. By providing nourishment to the sinners, the Eucharist becomes the healing for the people as Christ becomes healing for those who were sick. According to Mar Jacob, the new wine that issued forth from Golgotha is the basis of the sacrament of Eucharist in the Church. The Church receives the blood that flows from Golgotha as a gift to her and she preserves it within her. This enables the Church to offer the faithful the life that the new wine brought forth to the world. Mar Jacob presents this argument when he narrates the grape cluster pressed on Golgotha.

159 Praise at the Table VI, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 144, pp. 899–​904, here p. 900,11–​18, MHMJS 90,21–​27.

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Sweet grape cluster, they squeezed you with a spear, and behold, the world absorbs your blood like a medicine of life. Your Church knelt on your wounds to drink your blood, and behold it is painted on your lips like a scarlet thread.160

The blood that flowed forth from Golgotha is the medicine of life for the world. The Church bent down and drank this blood from the wounds of Jesus and she wears it as a scarlet thread. This poetic expression of Mar Jacob confirms that the blood flowed from Golgotha is the source of the Church’s sacramental life. On account of her drinking the blood, the Church affirms that this blood is within her as the medicine of life for all those who approach her for healing. The homilies of Mar Jacob regarding the Eucharist, provide his audience a picture of the Eucharist, which functions in the Church as ‘medicine of life.’ Mar Jacob was convinced that the Eucharist is the medicine of life, because it heals the wounds of the people as Jesus did in his public ministry. The faithful go to the ‘house of physician’ in order to get healed from his wounds. In this house, they get the treatment and regain health without payment. One would not usually go to the house of physician, but an abscess would pressure you to beg on account of your sins, Let the sickness move you to come out of pain, to show your abscess to the physician who treats and gives health without pay.161

In the Church, the wounds of the faithful are well taken care of. The Church does this through the gift of the body and blood of Christ, which is dispensed in the Church through the bread and wine. The continuation of the ministry of Jesus’ healing within the Church through the sacrament of Eucharist is well explained in the homily on ‘the Good Samaritan.’ Mar Jacob interprets in this homily that the man falling victim to robbers as Adam, that is, humankind,162 and the robbers as Satan and death.163 Furthermore, the priest and the Levite in the parable 1 60 The Parable of the Vineyard, HS IV, 761,2–​5, My own translation. 161 Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 650,3–​8, MHMJS 17, 14,73–​78. 162 Good Samaritan, HS II, 325,13–​16, My own translation. ‘Someone was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Who could he be except Adam if you would ponder [over it]? He was going down from the awesome Garden of Eden to the earth, which is accursed like Jericho, to those who ponder over it.’ 163 HS II, 325,21 –​326,3, My own translation. ‘As Adam was coming down from Paradise to the world, behold Satan and Death came upon him like thieves, attacked him, struck him with their blows, thrust him down on the road of the world, and he became wounded, dead, and cast out.’ (Ibid.).

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represent Moses and the prophets, who could not help Adam out of his demise.164 Only the good One was able to heal humanity and bandage its wounds through oil and wine. Oil, a symbol of baptism, and wine, a symbol of blood,165 are applied by Christ, the Good Samaritan,166 to the wounds of humanity. Finally, the Good Samaritan takes the smitten man to the inn, that is, the Church, that the innkeeper, the Church’s priests, continues caring for fallen Adam. The benevolent Physician made him a remedy of oil and wine, bandaged him with anointing and his blood, and the weak one got up. He carried the cast out, brought and placed him in the holy Church, the house of the community, in which every wounded is bandaged up. He gave the priest [his] body and blood that he would place [them] on his injuries, would provide for him who belongs to him, and he will heal him.167

The citation makes clear that Baptism and the Eucharist are the means, by which God makes present the deeds of Christ accomplished on the cross. Furthermore, he heals humanity through them, for Christ himself is their source. The Good Samaritan prepared the ointment on Golgotha symbolized in the homily by baptism (oil/​water) and blood. Jesus makes them available as a physician in the Church to smitten humanity. He makes himself available in the Church through

164 Good Samaritan, HS II, 326,6–​13, My own translation. ‘Then Moses, the great prophet, came, saw Adam, left him wounded, passed by without bandaging him. After Moses, all the prophets as well as the Levites, saw him, passed by, and did not raise him. Neither Moses raised him by his sacrifices and offerings nor the prophets by their revelations and vision. The righteous prophets and the priests passed by and did not raise Adam, who had been struck on the road of the word while traveling on it.’ (Ibid.). 165 HS II, 327,17–​20, My own translation. ‘He bandaged him up with ointment, an image of baptism, and poured wine, the chalice of his blood, on hits wounds. The good physician prepared a remedy of ointment and wine for him, bandaged him with chrism and his blood, and the weak [Adam] arose.’ (Ibid.). 166 HS II, 326,14; 327, 15–​16, My own translation. ‘Christ came after all of them [prophets] (...) He came down from his place on high to Adam who had been severely wounded, had mercy [on him], and attended to his many injuries.’ (Ibid.). 167 HS II, 327,21 –​328,3, My own translation.

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his body and blood. The priests as God’s stewards undertake the task of continuing the healing actions of Christ by providing God’s children with the Eucharist. The reception of the Eucharist as the medicine of life is further explained by Mar Jacob, when he explains the Eucharistic celebration in the Church. According to him, the faithful receives the medicine from the house of the physician. At the Eucharistic celebration, people receive medicine for their wounds. Tell your soul: Woe to you full of sores, this is the time to receive medicine for your wounds. This is the time to shed tears before the one who treats you, applying mercy to your illness that torments you.168

Mar Jacob’s explanation of ‘medicine of life’ shows his schematic picture about the sin that Adam committed and the entry of the Son of God to redeem Adam and the humanity. According to Mar Jacob, the sin came to the world through false nourishment, which Adam took from the evil one. It became poisonous and thus the first and the grave ulcer169 developed not only in the person of Adam but also in reality within the whole of humanity. The eating without discernment led the whole humanity into laxity of life.170 To the wounded and poisoned humanity, the Son became the physician.171 On the cross, he became the new wine and thereby the medicine of life for the wounds of the world. The Church, by drinking from his blood, keeps this medicine within her and distributes it to the people so that they are redeemed through the reception of the body and blood. Therefore, when one participates in the Eucharist, one gets the atonement by receiving the medicine in the form of Eucharistic bread and wine. When one is atoned then he gets the new image, the image that Christ brought to the world for Adam. The Church gives the new image to the faithful through offering them the Eucharist, the ‘medicine of life.’

1 68 Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 659,18–​21, MHMJS 17, 34,279–​282. 169 Cf. Forty Days of Fasting, SHF III, 568,5, Kollamparampil, FH IX, 235,5. 170 Cf. SHF III, 572,10–​12, FH IX, 236,10–​12. 171 Cf. The Nativity of our Redeemer according to Flesh, SMS 6, 771, 7–​10, FH I, 90, 1075–​1078. ‘Today the Physician has come to the wounded bandaging, healing, and giving reward to those who are healed. Today the doctor came to all who are fractured, supporting, binding up, nourishing and restoring by His diligence.’ (Ibid.).

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ܳ ܽ ܳ ܰ ‫ܘܪܐ‬ 5.1.5. The Eucharist as Table of Life )‫ܕܚ ܶ̈ܝܐ‬ ‫ܦܬ‬/​Pōturō d Ḥāyē) Eucharist as the table, which is full of life, is another theme, which occur often in the homilies of Mar Jacob. Though he did not directly allude Eucharist as the table, we can come to such a conclusion with the references of Mar Jacob, where Mar Jacob states ‘the table of life’ nourishes people. In all these allusions, Mar Jacob asserts the meal aspect of the Eucharist. For him, the Eucharist is the great banquet172 that the Lord arranged for the people to satisfy their hunger. At this banquet, he himself set the table for the people in order to nourish them. He freely gives life out of his treasury every day, and without charging fees his Will nourishes the whole world. He nourished the people in the desert with manna and quail, a pure food for a pure people without harvests. The hidden Will prepared a table and piled up with plenty, supplying luxuries and nourishing the people so that they had no worries.173

The ‘table of life’ provides nourishment to the people by the fact that the table resembles Christ. By having the body and blood, the table changes itself into the image of Christ. According to Mar Jacob, the ‘table of life’ is the treasury of God where all those who are hungry is satisfied by his gifts. Each one in its own place lives because of you, right where it is, because you are a table full of life for every class of being. The watchers above suckle life from your flame, and with fire you sustain the life of the seraphs spiritually, As for humans you nourish them with bread and water, for each person seeks life from you according its kind.174

For Mar Jacob, the table gets the power to generate life because of the presence of Christ on the table through the body and blood of Christ. He substantiates this in his homily on ‘the chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel saw.’ In this homily, he presents the ‘table’ in a much wider perspective. The ‘table’ in this homily is depicted as the meeting place for the people, where one can experience the presence of 172 I have explained the imagery of ‘banquet’ and ‘wedding feast’ in Chapter II. According to Mar Jacob, the Eucharist is a wedding banquet, where our Lord himself became the food and drink. The Lord himself set at the wedding banquet his body and blood for the people to eat so that they may have life in its fullness. Cf. Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 663,11–​18, MHMJS 17, 42,355–​365. Brock, The Wedding Feast of Blood, 121–​134. 173 Praise at the Table I, HS IV, 876,3–​6. MHMJS 46, 36,80–​84. 174 HS IV, 872,13–​17, MHMJS 46, 29,13–​–​17.

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God. It is for sure; he emphasizes here the altar at which the sacrifice is performed. However, the sacrifice at the altar has a meaning of encountering. The Lord comes to the altar in order to meet the people and people see him because he rests upon the table. This indicates that Mar Jacob considers Eucharist as a medium for people to meet God, who rests upon the table in the form of body and blood. He has come to the altar as a meeting place with you, so that you may see him as he rests upon the table, And from the particles His body all creation is satisfied.175

The above references from the homilies of Mar Jacob confirm that Mar Jacob looks at the Eucharist as the ‘table of life’ from the perspective of a meal. The Eucharist is a meal/​banquet, which the Lord himself prepared on the table. By having the presence of God on the table, the table itself becomes Christ and hence it enables people to meet the Lord at the table. This encountering with the Lord gives people gives the people the healing from all their infirmities.

5.1.6. The Eucharist as a Spiritual Fountain of Living Waters Mar Jacob views Eucharist as the fountain of living waters. The images ‘fountain’ and ‘living water’ go together. They depict the life-​giving power that exists in the incarnate Son. According to Mar Jacob, Christ is the manifest of the life that is abundant and inexhaustible. He used these images in his homilies, to depict the abundant mercy of God that came down to give life to the people. So, he constantly uses the epithet of ‘fountain of life’ to denote Christ, who came down to fulfill the Will of the Father and called himself as the ‘living water.’176 The typological exegesis of Mar Jacob on the piercing side of Christ in Jn 19:34 relates the image of ‘fountain of life’ to the Eucharist. In the typological explanation, Mar Jacob compares the fountain to the pierced side of the Lord. A well was opened with the spear piercing the side of the Lord upon Golgotha. The new fountain overflows and satiates the whole earth. The opening of the side of 1 75 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 608,5–​6, MHMJS 14, 140,1317–​1318. 176 Sunday of Hosannas, HS I, 445,8–​11, Kollamparampil, FH X, 248,8–​11. ‘O Son of God who called himself ‘Living Water,’ give me, that I may drink and when I shall be satiated from you let me speak about you. O Fountain which descended from the height to the earth from the beginning, with your drink let my mind bring forth fruit of praise to your Father.’ (Ibid.). There are also other references in the homily on ‘Samaritan Woman,’ where we see that Jesus is addressed as the ‘Font of Life’ and the ‘Living Water’ flows from him satiates the thirst of the people. Cf. Samaritan Woman, HS II, 281,1–​4, MHMJS 44, 58,1–​4.

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Christ brought out the rivers of life. The new well that is depicted in the typological explanation is prefigured by the well177 that Moses made in the desert for the Israelites. The rock from which Moses brought water represents Christ. St Paul also used this allegory and says that ‘the rock was Christ’ (1 Cor 10:4). So, on Golgotha Christ stands as the rock, from whom the fountain for life is formed. The crucifiers cast a lance at the fair one, and pierced his side; from it flowed water and blood. A new well was opened on Golgotha; this is that blessed fountain of Eden, which divided itself up as a great river [flowing] towards the four quarters, so that the whole of the afflicted creation might drink of it.178

In Eucharist, we are invited to drink from this stream of life, which the fountain on Golgotha issued forth. Mar Jacob narrates this in his homily on ‘partaking of the holy mysteries.’ There we read: Come and see the streams of rivers of living water, that run here from the source of prophesy. The entire flock, endowed with reason, has settled in a flourishing meadow, and the Son of God, who has been made a shepherd, leads it. It drinks living water to satiety in the high place, from the source that the spear opened on Golgotha.179

Mar Jacob also mentions in one of his homilies that we attain life from Eucharist by receiving the living water. In his homily of the ‘Samaritan woman,’ he depicts her confrontation with Jesus at the well as the foretaste of the life that we attain in Eucharist from the fountain of living water. The great Spring let himself flow to her from above the well. whoever loves life has drunk from it at length. To ordinary water she went to draw and, behold, she did not take it, therefore it is clear that at banquet she kneaded life.180

177 Ex 17:6; Num 20:11. Mar Jacob in his homilies compares the well that Moses built in the desert to the life that Christ brought to the world. Cf. The Nativity of Our Lord, SMS VIII, 796,15–​18, Kollamparampil, FH III,116,109–​112. ‘The water that issued from the rock in the desert, is the good news that became the drink for (all) peoples and places. The rock that gave birth to rivers for great people, is Christ who supplied life to the dead world.’ (Ibid.). 178 For the Vigil of the Holy Friday, HS II, 588,18 –​589,1–​3. 179 Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 630,11–​16, MHMJS 17, 14,81–​86. 180 Samaritan Woman, HS II, 303,13–​16, MHMJS 44, 104,469–​472.

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6. The Life through Teaching According to Mar Jacob, besides the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist, the soul receives life through the teaching of the Church. The Church as a teacher provides the soul the ways to get illuminated. Through providing the soul, the ways of illumination the Church purifies the soul and this in turn transforms the soul anew and refreshed. The Church in the world is like a teacher to the human being, teaching, educating, and treating the wounds of all who come to her. From her teaching, her soul becomes illuminated through repentance, so that she may overcome the darkness of death when it meets her. Come, enter, you stupid ones defiled by fleshy desires, and purify your lives by the teaching of the daughter of light.181

According to Mar Jacob, the teaching of the Church is based on its relationship to the Scripture. Within the Church, the Scripture is another source of her life. This connects the Church appropriately to the theme ‘the teaching of the Church provides life.’ For Mar Jacob, the Scriptures, which also contain the fruits of life, are another source of the life of the Church. The Good News is that spiritual Paradise, in which the prophets and the apostles are like trees. Pick and eat the fruits of life, their sayings, for your mouth will become sweet by meditating on and studying them.182

The Holy Bible is paradise in a spiritual sense, in which there are many trees, each of which is a tree of life. These are the prophets and the apostles, whose fruits are their sayings, the pronouncements of God. Adam and Eve should have rejected the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and should have fed on his fruit, the Word of God, that is, his commandment. Accordingly, the Church feasts on the fruits, which the Word of God provides through the prophets and apostles. The fruit of life, which the Scripture provides to the people, is the commandment that God has given in Eden. The Scripture gives the Church necessary tools to uproot the sins so that it ensures people to partake in the life that God has offered them. A lengthy passage from one of the homilies of Mar Jacob makes it much more obvious.

1 81 Partaking of the Holy Mysteries, HS III, 655,5–​9, MHMJS 17, 24,180–​184. 182 Love for the Poor, HS II, 825,12–​15, My own translation.

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The Gospel of the Son is the ax to that tree [of knowledge], it cuts and discards it that no one eat from its fruit. Behold the commandments are portrayed in it in the likeness of a sickle, by which all the poison producing fruits are cut down. The Envious One holds out daily the fruits of death, observe the commandments, and the evil fruits will not hurt you. When it holds out to you the fruit of death, the desire of adultery, respond to it with the commandment, “Do not commit adultery.” When it lets creep into and introduces [you] to the habit of loving money,-​ this is the origin of all wickedness -​ offer it the teaching full of li “I have heard I should not possess anything in the world” (Mat 6:19, 19:21). When it wheedles, making come the sweetness of gluttony, mock it while reproving its boldness, The Son of Man does not live by bread alone but by the Word of God, whose mouth lets out. When the soul seethes with fury, that begets wrath, invoke the commandment that is mentioned and indicated by “Do not be angry”. When it sows in you the evil passions of haughtiness, imagine that everyone is better than you. When it is persuading you to hate or kill someone, you ought to love God and your neighbor, and confound its wile. There is no time that it does not throw at you enkindled arrows take up the buckler of faith and extinguish them. Take hold of the sword of the Spirit, the Word of life, shatter, and shoot down the slingstones of the slanderer. Fence yourself with the cherub’s spear of fire, a watchful guardian, the perfection of every commandment. You were brought inside the door of Paradise, anchor your feet in the land of life lest you fall.183

Scriptures provide the Church, represented by her members collectively, with the needed axe (Mt 3:10) to cut down the tree of knowledge and reject its fruits. The tree of knowledge is a resilient poisonous tree, whose antidote is the scriptures. They are the expanded version of God’s commandment in Eden and provide the Church with the necessary tools to uproot the tree of knowledge from its midst. The individuals in the Church will be able to overcome their sins with the Fruit of life, the Word of God in the Bible. Consequently, the Church arms herself with his Word that is the Scriptures, which she proclaims and preserves.

183 Love for the Poor, HS II, 825,12–​15, My own translation.

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Mar Jacob in his other homilies makes clear that the Church does the teaching through the Scripture. For him, the soul lives from the power of the Word of God. At the table of the Church, the bread is mixed with the word of life, so that the soul gets nourished and sustained spiritually. Therefore, the Church invites people to her table in order to get life. Come and be refreshed at our table by the word of the Lord for indeed [his word] is food to the person who lives discerningly. We have filled up on bread; let us mix it with word of life, by which the life of the soul is sustained spiritually.184

Mar Jacob maintains this pattern of explanation because he believes that the ‘food from God is deposited for us in the Scripture.’185 For him, the scriptures are the meadows of life and God has set each of us in this ‘lush meadow’ in order to get the life in its fullness.186 However, the fullness of life is attained when the bread is mixed with the word of life. But if the word of life gets mingled with the bread of pains, its taste becomes sweet and death flees from those who eats it.187

The above-​mentioned citations from the homilies of Mar Jacob makes it clear that the Church teaches people to have life through observing the words of life. The Church offers people the word of life mixed with the bread and exercises her teaching function. By providing people the word of life as fruits of life through her teaching, the Church makes people capable to overcome their sins with the fruit of life.

7. The Theological Significance of the Motherhood of the Church Mar Jacob narrated in his writings, the expressions of the Church, which are summed up in the images of a mother, who is ceaselessly giving birth and the

184 Praise at the Table II, HS IV, Hom.Nr. 140, pp. 877–​882, here p. 877,1–​4, MHMJS 38, 40,1–​4. 185 Praise at the Table VI, HS IV, 902,19, MHMJS 38, 96,72. 186 HS IV, 902,10–​11;16–​17, MHMJS 38, 95,63–​64;96,69–​70. ‘Let us thank the Lord because he has gazed us and fattened us in lush meadows: the scriptures that are full of life. Since he has set us in lush meadows, let us gaze on them, for the one who gazes on them will live and find tranquility.’ (Ibid.). 187 HS IV, 903,9–​10, MHMJS 46,83–​84.

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source of life. The Church as mother does not give birth to children in a physical way but in a spiritual way. Therefore, he calls the children as ‘spiritual children,’ ‘immortal beings’ or as ‘children of God’ or as ‘sons of God.’ These terms have special theological significance, because they directly link one’s relationship to God or participation in the divine realm. In the Semitic culture the term bar, ‘son of ’ signifies a person, who ‘shares in the attributes of ’ or ‘belonging to the category of.’188 Therefore, when Mar Jacob uses the term ‘sons of ’ or ‘children of,’ it also represents the sons, who belong to the category of God or shares in the attributes of God. Therefore, the concept of the motherhood of the Church shows us the role of the Church in moulding up the children, who share in the attributes of God. The concept of participating in the attributes of God has a special significance in the early fathers of the Church. Though it took a long time to emerge as one term, the concept of early Church fathers to participate in the attributes of God is now known in terms of ‘theosis’ or ‘deification.’ For them, it denotes the transformation of believers into the likeness of God. It is ‘assimilation to God as far as possible in the progressive order of salvation.’189 This concept of ‘theosis,’ the divinization of humanity, which is already found in the writings of several fourth century Greek writers, is also present in the writings of the non-​ hellenized Syrian Church fathers, like Ephrem.190 For Ephrem, the concept of divinization is rooted in his exegesis of the paradise narrative and in the understanding of the whole aim and purpose of the incarnation. According to him, God became human in order to bring Adam to his lost paradise, where he is rejuvenated as the heir of the kingdom of God at his return to his original place. Adam will receive the divinity that has been lost at the time of his transgression of the commandment of God. Adam became divine through the incarnation and through him also the whole humanity.191 Mar Ephrem summarizes his whole argument of ‘theosis’ in his hymn on ‘faith’: ‘God became man so that man might become God.’192 Therefore, Mar Ephrem’s concept of ‘theosis’ or ‘divinization’ is characterized by the possession of immortality and divinity. This possession of divinity or participation in the divine nature is made explicit in the concept of

1 88 Brock, The Luminous Eye, 154. 189 M.J. Christensen and J.A. Wittung (eds.), Partakers of the Divine Nature: The History and Development of Deification in the Christian Traditions, New Jersey, 2010, 25–​26. 190 Brock, 148–​149. 191 Brock, The Luminous Eye, 154. 192 HFid, V,17, ET by J. Wickes, The Hymns on Faith, 87, 5,17.

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becoming the ‘children of God.’ Mar Jaocb also follows the footsteps of his predecessor Ephrem. He also took the concept of ‘theosis’ or ‘divinization’ as a medium to present God’s salvific works that began with the creation and ends up in the reentry of Adam and the whole humanity into the paradise. Like Mar Ephrem, Mar Jacob also summarizes his understanding of ‘theosis’ as the effect of the incarnation of the Son of God. He says in one of his homilies that ‘And the Son of Man has called so on all his way; so that with Him, the sons of man become sons of God.’193 The birth of the children of God in the Church is hence seen in the writings of Mar Jacob as the pictorial representation of the transformation that takes place in the person by participating in the divinity of the Son. No other imagery of the Church other than the Church as mother illustrates perfectly this theological doctrine of ‘theosis’ or ‘divinization.’ According to Mar Jacob, it is in the Church one becomes ‘sons of God.’ In the ܰ a Church, by becoming the son of the Father, one ceases to be an outsider (‫)ܒ ܳܪ ܳܝܐ‬, ݀ܺ ܰ ܳ ܽ ܳ ܳ distant one (‫)ܪܚܝܩܐ‬, and a stranger (‫)ܢܘܟܪܝܐ‬. Instead, one becomes sons in the house of God. Come, outsiders, enter in, become sons, the door is open, inherit the house and be rejoiced in the Father who would receive you. Come, distant ones, become near ones in baptism, there is room in the house of God, to all who come in. Come, alien ones, be house holders from the waters, and possess the new Father in Spirit and call ‘our Father’.194

The above citation clearly enumerates that one becomes sons of God within the Church through the sacrament of baptism. Baptism gives us the Spirit, who ܶ or ‘with ܶ ‫)ܢ‬ makes us sons of God or allows us to become ‘of God’ (Jn 1,12)(‫ܗܘܐ ܶܡ ܶܢܗ‬ ܶ ܶ ܶ ܰ 195 him’ (‫)ܢܗܘܐ ܥܡܗ‬. These affirmations constitute what Mar Jacob understood as ‘theosis’ or ‘divinization.’ It is the elevation of man to the state of God, or the participation/​sharing in his divine life. The Church, by being the mother of the children of God, ensures that the process of divinization comes into actualization. The homilies of Mar Jacob narrate clearly how one can participate in the divinity of God. For Mar Jacob, the participation of divinity takes place through the transformation of one’s own identity. In baptism, one changes his status of earthly existence to heavenly existence. After baptism, one exists no longer as earthly being rather as divine being. Because of the fact that the baptism

1 93 Holy Baptism, HS I, 203,2–​3, JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,185–​186. 194 HS I, 204,12–​17, JSTC XXIII, 1, 97,215–​220. 195 HS I, 196,18, JSTC XXIII, 1, 91,60.

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generates the heavenly beings, Mar Jacob asserts that baptism gives birth in a ‘divine way.’196 This confirms that according to Mar Jacob the divinization takes ܳ ‫)ܫ‬. ܽ place through transformation (‫ܘܚܠ ܳܦܐ‬ She [baptism] changes human beings and makes sons of God, she receives the bodily ones and makes truly spiritual ones.197

ܳ ܽ Besides the notion of transformation, the concept of ‘mixture’ (‫)ܚܘܠܛ ܳܢܐ‬ refers to the exchange of earthly identity of the faithful to divine. According to Mar Jacob, at baptism the two species, earthly and divine, are mixed so that one becomes divine. In her [baptism] the races are mixed up one another in a holy manner, and she made the earthly become heavenly.198

The term ‘mixture’ obviously raises a question in the mind of the readers that whether this term affects the nature of a person. According to Mar Jacob, through descending into the baptismal womb one is transformed and becomes pure and spiritual.199 The human nature, which lost its first goodness, is being restored and transformed in a spiritual manner. In this process, one’s nature raises from corruption to its initial beauty.200 Therefore the divinization, according to Mar Jacob, does not simply superimpose divinity to the original nature, but the divinity penetrates the nature and restores the original beauty of the nature. The motherhood of the Church takes heed of the process of divinization through her sacraments. In the Church, the sacraments open the door of transformation for the faithful so that they get renewed and become the children of God. As the provider of the graces of sacraments to the faithful, the Church enhances the restoration of kinship with God. Therefore, the motherly function

196 Holy Baptism, HS I, 203,6–​7, JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,189–​190. ‘Baptism is the pure womb that is full of light, and it gives every day in a divine and virginal manner.’ (Ibid.). 197 HS I, 203,8–​9, JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,191–​192. 198 HS I, 203,10–​11, JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,193–​194. 199 The Paralytic Aged, HS IV, 702,15–​16, My own translation. ‘He entered into the fresh womb of baptism and he was transformed, so that he came out with a spiritual second birth.’ (Ibid.). 200 HS IV, 702,19–​22, My own translation. ‘Behold, from our Lord a new creation began to come, and the world is new so that it is not being corrupted as the first creation. He saw the fallen nature, it fell from him, he sustained it and he ascended to raise the beauty according to its creation.’ (Ibid.).

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of the Church is theologically important to denote the salvation process of God, which depends on the new birth of the children in a spiritual manner. The motherhood of the Church brings to our notice that the Church is the source of life for the faithful. The Church received life from Christ, and she offers it to the faithful. In the typological explanation of Mar Jacob on the sacrifice of Christ on Golgotha, he sees Christ’s physical body brings forth the Church. The reason for Mar Jacob’s assertion of the new life that the Church offers to the faithful lies on the fact that she partakes in the life of Christ on account of her birth from the physical body of Christ. This points to Mar Jacob’s conception of the Church as the continuation of Christ on earth in relation to the life that she received from the body of Christ. The writings of Mar Jacob do not explicitly mention the Church as the body of Christ. However, in the explanation of Mar Jacob about the life that the Church extends to the faithful through the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist, we can find the necessary link between the Church and the body of Christ. Since the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist are also born out of the physical body of Christ, the Church ensures the faithful, through these sacraments, the fellowship with Christ and gives the faithful a share in the life of Christ. In the sacrament of baptism, the faithful, by putting on Christ, attains the new life and the Eucharist nurtures the life by giving the faithful a share in the body of Christ through the bread and wine that is offered on the altar of the Church. Through the Eucharistic species, the Church makes present the body of Christ and sustains the life within her, which she received from the physical body of Christ. This further confirms that the Church manifests Christ on earth because of the life that she preserves within her through the symbol of water and the body of Christ, which she received from the cross in the form of water and blood. Therefore, the concept of the motherhood of the Church in the writings of Mar Jacob sums up his theological position regarding the Church in such a way that the whole dispensation of salvation, which the Church manifests on earth, has its source in the body of Christ. The same body, in which he healed men, suffered, and rose again, he gave us in the sacramental form to heal us and incorporate us in him. The Church, by her very birth from the body of Christ, reveals to the world that she preserves within her the life that Christ offered to the world.

Conclusion The image of the motherhood of the Church describes a visible Church in her spatio-​temporal reality. The Church is a visible manifestation on earth of the salvific works of God, which is manifested through Christ. This Church was born

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on Golgotha at the time of the death of Jesus. Mar Jacob’s basic argument of looking at the Church as mother lies on her birth on Golgotha. She was born from the side of Christ on Golgotha as Eve was born from the side of Adam. She begets spiritual children and exercises the functions of a mother as Eve begets earthly beings and performs the functions of a mother. The Church is therefore mother by her very birth and so the motherhood of the Church is intrinsic to her nature. Mar Jacob recognizes that the motherhood of the Church is exercised through her maternal functions, such as, bringing to birth, nourishment and teaching. Since the motherhood of the Church is revealed through these functions, the image of the motherhood of the Church is a functional title. The Church exercises these functions through the sacraments. Sacraments, as Mar Jacob envisages, are also born from the side of Christ on Golgotha. Therefore, the Church, according to Mar Jacob, is represented by the sacraments. As born from the side of Christ, both the Church as well as sacraments manifest the saving power of Christ. Therefore, the motherly functions of the Church are also the extension of the saving acts of Christ, which are brought forth to the world through his incarnation and culminated by his death on the cross. The sacraments of baptism and Eucharist come out of the cross, when blood and water issued forth from the side of Christ. According to Mar Jacob, this signifies the role of these sacraments in the Church. By emphasizing the flow of water and blood to the birth of the sacraments, Mar Jacob affirms that the Church continues the saving works of Christ on earth through these sacraments. These sacraments manifest the source of light within the Church and provide life to the people. The Church exhibits her role as mother through the functions of these sacraments. The Church imparts life to the people through these sacraments and exists in the world as mother. The sacrament of baptism begets spiritual children and provides life to them by uniting them to the divinity of the Son and thereby makes them ‘sons of God.’ The sacrament of Eucharist sustains the life of the people by providing them nourishment. The Church provides life to the people through her teaching function due to the fact that she is tied to the Word of God. The Church preserves the Word of God and provides people life through it. Mar Jacob mentions in his homilies that the Church exercises her teaching function in relation to the Eucharist. The Church mixes the bread with the Word of life and gives it to the people. The image of the motherhood of the Church in the writings of Mar Jacob reveals the important theological concern of the early Syrian church fathers. The whole intention of the incarnation of Jesus is to help people to participate in the life of God. The early fathers narrate this goal by the term ‘theosis’ or

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‘divinization.’ The Son of God became man so that all have become ‘sons of God’ through him. The Church through her motherly functions help people to actualize the purpose of God’s salvific work. Through the motherly functions of the Church, each one participates in the life of God so that each one will become one of the ‘children of God.’ The imagery of the motherhood of the Church also brings to our notice that the Church embodies Christ on earth. The Church, by her birth from the physical body of Christ, manifests to the world that she partakes in the life of Christ, preserves this life within her, and extends this life through the sacramental form of water and blood. The image of the motherhood of the Church brings forth this intrinsic relation between Christ and the Church.

Chapter V  Mary and the Motherhood of the Church Introduction Mary plays a vital role in the mystery of salvation. By giving birth to Christ Mary participated in God’s plan of salvation. Christ, who clothed himself in the body of Mary redeemed the fallen humanity from sin and death. Mary, by participating in the plan of salvation, became the one who revealed the ‘hidden one’ to humanity for their salvation. The Church also functions on earth as the source of salvation by giving Christ to the world. She is the manifestation of the presence of God on earth, who owes its origin to the plan of God. Since both Mary and the Church link each other from the perspective of their role in the mystery of salvation, they correlate each other. So, Mary is seen as the type of the Church, who signifies the role of the Church on earth. Mar Jacob depicts the relationship between Mary and the Church from the point of view of their specific role in the plan of salvation. By using imageries common to both Mary and the Church, he proves the fact that they associate each other in the field of salvation. This chapter deals with the imageries and concepts of Mary and the Church, which are common to both of them and clarify their close relation with each other. The common attributes of Mary and the Church further establish that in the ecclesial thinking of Mar Jacob the role of the Church is purely salvific, and she is the manifestation of God’s plan on earth.

1. Mary and the Church in the Syrian Literature The relation between Mary and the Church is traceable in the writings of the early Syrian Church Fathers. R. Murray, in studying the early Syrian Church Fathers of the third and the fourth centuries, delineates the relationship between Mary and the Church in the following way: ‘Mary has a twofold relationship to the Church. She is in it, the first of the redeemed; but also, since the Church is Christ’s body, Mary, the mother of Christ’s individual body, is mystically mother of all Christ’s members in the mystical Body; this is the meaning which the Fathers found in ‘Behold thy mother’.’1 Thus, the Church and Mary are interwoven as types and this relationship becomes a principle of patristic theology.

1 Murray, Symbols of Church, 144.

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The early traces of Mariology, which we find in Odes of Solomon, did not mention anything specific about her relation to the Church. We can trace out the Mariology of the Odes in Odes 19 and 33. However, it is quite striking that the name Mary is not mentioned either in these two or in any of the other forty extant odes. Moreover, the whole intention of the two specified odes is to interweave Mary in an inextricable manner with the Holy Spirit.2 Therefore, it is unreasonable to explore the reasons to link Mary and the Church in Odes of Solomon, the second century Syrian literature. In Aphrahat’s twenty-​three Demonstrations, we encounter Mary in the roles of being the mother of Jesus, the great prophet, a virgin, and woman of prayer and humility and as a woman who stands in solidarity with other women.3 However, all these narrations of the Demonstrations do not feature Mary as the model of the Church. Rather, it presents Mary as the one who has an active role in the salvific plan of God. Aphrahat’s account of the role of Mary in the salvation history focused clearly on the salvific act of Christ. The passage from his Demonstrations 6:6 narrates clearly the way in which Aphrahat qualifies Mary. But now, by the coming of the child of the blessed Mary, the thorns are uprooted, the sweat is wiped away, the fig tree is cursed, the dust is made salty, the curse is nailed to the cross, the point of the sword is removed from before the tree of life [which is given as food to the faithful] and paradise is promised to the blessed and the virgins and the holy ones.4

Here the focus is on Christ, who leads the faithful back to paradise, but Mary plays an important role as well. She functions as the antitype to Eve, since it is through her giving birth to Christ that the curse, which Eve brought upon all humanity, is ‘nailed to the cross.’ Mary also appears in the writings of Aphrahat as a model of the ascetic life. In his interpretation of Lk 1:30, he explained that Mary found grace with God exclusively through her fasting and prayer.5 By presenting Mary as a person of

2 Cf. C.B. Horn, The Virgin and the Perfect Virgin: Traces of Early Eastern Christian Mariology in the Odes of Solomon, in: StPatr 40 (2006), 413–​428. 3 Cf. C.B. Horn, Frühsyrische Mariologie im Werk Aphrahats des persischen Weisen, in: Die Suryoye und ihre Umwelt, M. Tamcke und Andreas Heinz (ed.), Münster, 2005, 313–​333. 4 Dem VI,6, GT by P. Bruns, Unterweisungen I, Freiburg, 1991, 193, My own English translation. 5 Cf. Dem III,14, Bruns I, 133. ‘Auch das Gebet Mariens brachte er vor Gott und verkündete die Geburt Christi. Er sprach nämlich zu ihr: ‘Du hast Gnade gefunden vor Gott’ (Lk 1:30). Durch nichts

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prayer, Aphrahat was interested primarily in offering an example of persistent and dedicated prayer. According to Aphrahat, Mary shares with the life of her Son in terms of the virtue of humility and by which she becomes the key model of an exemplary virtuous life. As Aphrahat indicates in his Demonstrations, the humility of Christ stands against the pride of Adam.6 Only Mary because of her humility becomes the first one, who could follow Christ in this virtue.7 Thus, Mary stands as a model for the faithful, who needs to follow Christ. Though a direct allusion is missing in the writings of Aphrahat, a link between the Church and the Mary is traceable in the expressions that Aphrahat used to delineate Mary and her role. In his writings, Mary and the Church are linked in terms of the role of Mary that she provides the faithful to follow Christ. Among the early Syrian authors, we can see in the writings of Mar Ephrem the profound analogy that exists between Mary and the Church. Unlike Aphrahat, Mar Ephrem declares in his writings explicitly that Mary is a figure of the Church. In one of his sermons he clearly enumerates: The Virgin Mary is a symbol of the Church, when she receives the first announcement of the gospel. And it is in the name of the Church that Mary sees the risen Jesus. Blessed be God, who filled Mary and the Church with joy. We call the Church by the name of Mary, for she deserves a double name.8

In the writings of Mar Ephrem, we can come across his opinions regarding Mary and the Church. Such narrations of Mar Ephrem, which relate Mary and the Church, substantiate the reason for his views to relate Mary and the Church. In Mar Ephrem’s thought, the Virgin Mary is seen very much as a model for the ideal pattern of relationship between the human individual and God. She fulfills the potential that Eve failed to achieve. Mar Ephrem in his commentary on Diatessaron uses multiple images to show the life that Mary lived on earth instead of the failure of Eve.

anderes hat Maria Gnade gefunden als durch ihr Fasten und ihr Gebet. Denn Gabriel nimmt die reinen Gebete in Empfang und bringt sie vor Gott.’ 6 Cf. Dem IX,14, Bruns I, 268–​269. 7 Cf. Dem IX,15, Bruns I, 270. 8 T. J. Lamy (ed.), Sancti Ephraem Syri Hymni et Sermones, vol.1, 534, ET by Luigi Gambero, in: Mary and the Fathers of the Church, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1999, 115.

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Death entered by the ear of Eve, therefore life entered by the ear of Mary. By the word of the tree man came to be a debtor; therefore, when the Lord came, he paid the debt by the wood of the cross.9

By becoming the model of perfect obedience to the word of God, Mary becomes the model of the one who is in perfect union with God. Therefore, it is no surprise to find in the writings of Mar Ephrem that Mary too is Christ’s bride. Mar Ephrem narrates the bridal imagery of Mary by exploring certain paradoxes that surround Mary because of her giving birth to the divine Word. Mary reflects in her life the paradox of her own relationship to her Son. In this paradoxical expression, we see that the Son received a second birth from Mary and Mary’s second birth is ensured by the presence of Christ in her womb. By giving birth to the Son of God, Mary receives a second birth because of the presence of Christ in her own womb. This second birth is referred as her baptism, which is effected through the presence of Christ in her womb.10 For Mar Ephrem, the very presence of Christ in Mary’s womb serves as her baptism, just as the waters of Jordan were sanctified by Christ’s presence at his baptism. Since it is through baptism Christians become brothers and sisters to Christ (Rom 8:29), Mary can thus become ‘sister’ or ‘brother’ to Christ or even take on the title as ‘mother’ and ‘bride,’ by virtue of her perfect union with Christ. Because the Church also functions in the world as the ‘mother,’ and she maintains a bridal union with Christ, Mary can become a model of the Church with respect to her relationship with Christ. The verses from his homily on ‘nativity,’ which describe Mary as Christ’s ‘sister,’ ‘brother’ as well as his ‘bride,’ will substantiate her role in representing the Church on earth. She alone is Your mother, But she is Your sister, with everyone else, She was Your mother, she was Your sister, she was your bride too, along with all chaste souls. You, who are your mother’s beauty, Yourself adorned her with everything.11

But apart from the comparison of Eve, Mary represents the Church in relation to the body of her son. Mar Ephrem brought forth this relation by comparing the

9 R. Murray, Mary the Second Eve in the Early Syriac Fathers, Eastern Christian Churches Review 3 (1970–​1971), 374. 10 Cf. HNat, XVI,9–​11, 76, ET by Brock, Bride of Light, 22–​23. 11 HNat, XI,2, 61, Brock, Bride of Light, 19.

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bread of life that the Church offers to the faithful in the Eucharist and the body of the Son, which Mary gave to the world. The Church gave us the living bread, For that unleavened bread which Egypt gave. Mary gave us the bread of refreshment For the bread of weariness which Eve gave.12

In this complex typological parallel the Eucharist in the Church is the antitype of the Passover bread in Egypt, and this bread is paralleled by Mary’s relationship to Eve. The bread that Mary gave to the world is her Son. Through this bread she ensures that life is given to all instead of death, which Eve brought to the world. In a similar manner, the Church gave bread, which is in the Eucharistic form, to liberate all from the death. Accordingly, Mar Ephrem through his writings very well brings out the relation between Mary and the Church. She is the model of the Church in the world from the point of view of her complete union with God as his bride and as the one who offers the faithful the body of her Son for the redemption.

2. Mary and the Church in the Writings of Mar Jacob The writings of Mar Jacob also provide us many references with regard to Mary’s relationship with the Church. Like Mar Ephrem, Mar Jacob did not bring out a direct allusion of Mary as the figure of the Church. However, he mentions her active role in the redemption and relates her to the Church from the point of view of salvation. So, Mar Jacob interweaved Mary with the Church, where he alludes the Church as the medium of salvation. Mar Jacob links Mary with the Church through her role in the act of incarnation. In Mar Jacob’s writings, the Church is a reality, which is traceable in the journey of the Son in search of the fallen Adam. The journey of the Son reveals the Church as a community, which represents the humanity that is fully in union with God. Mar Jacob delineates this journey of the Son and his efforts to bring the humanity in union with God through the bridal imagery. In this web of imagery, the Church is the bride who is fully in union with Christ. It is with this bride the heavenly bridegroom is betrothed by giving his blood as the bridal price. Mar Jacob portrays the whole event of annunciation within the frame of God’s journey to search the fallen Adam. At the time of annunciation, God saw Mary as his bride, entered into her, and received her as his bride.13 Mary is called 1 2 HAzym, VI,6–​7, 11, ET of the given text by Murray, Symbols of Church, 145. 13 Cf. The Nativity of Our Lord, SMS VIII, 799,5–​8, Kollamparampil, FH III, 119,179–​182.

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as bride because she is in union with God through the Son and she is elected as the bride. Like the Church, she envisages a perfect union between the bridegroom and the bride and hence she becomes the model of the Church. Mar Jacob goes further and asserts her role in the redemptive work of God by making her as the representative of the whole creation. As the representative of the whole creation, she enquires about the plan of God’s salvation and makes it available to the whole creation. Mar Jacob calls her the ‘mouth of the Church’ by being the representative of the creation. That fair revelation concerning His generation is her doing: And she became the means for us to be enlightened by the angel. With that inquiry, the wise maiden became the mouth of the Church, And learned the explanation on behalf of all creation.14

Mary becomes the ‘mouth of the Church,’ for she demanded an explanation from the angel for the whole creation. The reason for Mar Jacob’s such allusion is the relation of Mary to the creation and the creation to the Church. By presenting Mary as the mouth of the Church, Mar Jacob asserts that the Church is the representation of the whole creation or the humanity. Mar Jacob considers Mary, as the one who reconciles both the world above and below like the Church. As the Church on earth provides the redemption to humanity through the fruits of the tree of life, which is Christ, Mary provides salvation by facilitating communication between God and humankind through being part of the incarnation. Mar Jacob’s homily on ‘the blessed Virgin Mother of God’ formulated this whole concept of reconciliation of God and the humankind by attesting Mary as the sealed letter, who comprises in her the ‘secret mysteries’ of salvation. Mary seems to us like some sealed letter, Wherein were concealed the secrets and the deep things of the Son of God. She offered her pure body like an untainted parchment, whereupon the Word inscribed himself bodily. The Son is the Word and she, the letter as we have said, whereby forgiveness was sent to the world. A letter was she; not one imprinted with a seal after being written,

The bridegroom himself entered and received the bride, the daughter of lights; and prophecy will not resound again concerning the good tidings. Behold a virgin conceives and gives birth, said Isaiah, and because she has given birth, the story of prophecy is completed. 14 The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, SMS I, pp. 614–​639, here p. 635,14–​17, ET by HTM, in: TV 5,1, 25,445–​448.

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but which the divine persons had already sealed and then wrote. They sealed it and wrote it and it was read without ever being opened, for in the Father revealed mysteries extraordinarily sublime. The Word within those inviolate seals and dwelt in her: The tokens of virginity were in her body, and in her womb a conception wholly wondrous. By her, the Father sent us fair tidings full of blessings, and by her forgiveness to all debtors of their bonds.15

The above citation shows that Mary, like a letter, brought God’s forgiveness to humankind. As a letter, she carries the words of communications, which are the ‘revealed mysteries.’16 ‘By her, the Father sent us tidings full of blessings, and by her, forgiveness to all debtors ofr their bonds.’17 The communication of the ‘revealed mysteries,’ which Mary brought forth, liberated Adam from the slavery of sin, and reconciled the inhabitants of the heavenly and the earthly beings.18 Through her role in the incarnation as being the mother of God, Mary facilitated the communication between God and humankind, between the world above and below. Therefore, like the Church Mary stands in the world as the one who is sent with a perfect mission of reconciling the heaven and earth for bringing the fallen humanity to God. Mar Jacob’s writings attribute Mary an active role in the work of redemption because she opens a way to paradise through her Son. Just like the Church opened the way for the humanity to the paradise by being born on Golgotha from the side of Christ, Mary opens the way by making available the tree of life for humanity. In his writings, Mar Jacob uses the typology of the Cherubim, who protected the tree of life with the spear, to explain the opening of the new way to the paradise. The wound that Christ took on his side by the spear of the guard represents the removal of the spear that hinder the entry of humanity to the paradise. Christ by receiving the blow from the spear on his side seized the spear from the guard of the tree of life and opened up a way for all to enter into paradise.19 For Mar Jacob, this is the decisive moment in the birth of the Church

1 5 The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, SMS I, 636,5–​18, TV 5,1, 25,466 –​26,470. ܳ ܰ ܰ ‫ܪܬܐ‬ ܳ ‫ܕܡ‬ 16 Mary is considered as the letter full of mysteries (‫ܠܝܐ ܐ̱̈ܪ ܷܶܙܐ‬ ‫ ) ܷܐܓ‬in the sense that she brings forth with her the mysteries. Cf. Faith, HS III, 591,4–​5. 17 SMS I, 636,18–​19, TV 5,1, 26,469–​470. 18 Cf. SMS I, 636,19–​22, TV 5,1, 26, 471–​474. 19 Cf. For the Vigil of Holy Saturday, HS II, 588,10–​13, My own translation. ‘He received in his side the sword, and seized it from the guard, he let him off, and opened up the door for all to enter.

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because it comprises the whole act of salvation envisaged by God. So, according to Mar Jacob, the Church is perceived as a way to paradise since it is fully manifested on Golgotha at the time of the piercing of the side of Christ. Mar Jacob presents Mary in the similar web of typology of the tree of life in paradise, which is guarded by the Cherubim. According to him, Mary by giving birth to Christ gives for all the access to the tree of life. By giving birth to Christ, she removes the sword that guarded the tree of life and hence opens the way to Eden. Thanks to Mary, the road toward Eden, which had been closed was able to be trod upon anew; the serpent has fled, and humans are able to go to God, Thanks to Mary, the cherubim has turned away his sword, renouncing the guarding of the Tree of life, [Christ], who henceforth is given as nourishment.20

Mar Jacob’s explicit narration on Mary as the agent of the tree of life makes it clear her relation to the Church in terms of the Eucharistic bread. Mar Jacob in his homily on ‘the blessed virgin mother of God’ refers to Mary as the agent, who made the ‘tree of life’ accessible to man. Because of her, the way to Eden, which had been blocked was opened; the serpent fled and men passed along it to God. Because of her, the Cherub had removed his lance that he might no longer guard, the Tree of life, which offered itself to those who ate it. She gave us a sweet fruit, full of life, that we might eat from it and live forever with God.21

In this citation, Mar Jacob refers ‘tree of life’ to Christ, whom Mary gave birth to. It is the birth of Christ, which removed the lance of the Cherub so that his fruits are opened to the mortals. The death of Christ on the cross fully manifests the meaning of the tree of life that distributes the fruits of life to humanity. At the time of his death, the pierced side of Christ refers to the re-​opening of the paradise and the removal of the lance of the Cherub. The lance that pierced the side of Christ originates the fruits of salvation for the world in the form of water and blood. This denotes the origin of the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist.

The Lord of the garden was stuck with the sword as he opened it up, it having been carefully guarded ever since Adam.’ (Ibid.). 20 The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, SMS I, 637,4–​7, TV 5,1, 26,477–​480. 21 SMS I, 637,3–​8, ET by M. Hansbury, in: Jacob of Serug on the Mother of God, New York, 1998, 39–​40.

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These sacraments provide the humanity the fruits of salvation and help them to re-​entry into paradise. The lance that is removed by Mary through her birth to the Son is fully manifested to humanity through the lance that pierced the side of Christ, which provide the faithful the fruit of the tree of life and ensures the reentry of the people into the paradise. In the Church, the fruit of the tree of life continues to be the source of humanity’s re-​entry into the paradise through the Eucharistic body. This parallelism indicates that it is Christ’s body, which is born of Mary, is present within the Church in the Eucharistic form as the source of one’s re-​entry into the paradise. Mar Jacob also narrated in his homilies about the presence of the body of Christ in the Church. According to him, Christ’s body is present within the Church because of the incarnation of the Son. In his homily on ‘the consecration of the Church and the prophet Moses,’ he narrates that Moses, who by his descent from Mount Sinai, built the Church as per the instruction of God, foretells the incarnation of the Son. O, veil, clothed with mysteries, I stupefy at you, for, in the humanity of the Son of God is your similitude figured. In that veil which Moses placed upon his face, the body of the Son of God was manifested. Because of these mysteries of truth, which Moses assumed [or: put on], he called the Lord of prophets “Prophet like me”. The congregation honored Moses in the veil, and the Church received our Lord in His humanity. The veil which fell on the face of Moses with the congregation, is a type of the Church that held the body of our Lord.22

Moses, who is with veil on his face, represents Christ, who descended on earth, in order to continue the saving ministry of God. The narration of Mar Jacob about Moses and his work of building the Church in relation to the incarnation of Christ confirms the fact that the Church received Christ through his body and she preserves it within her. The presence of Christ within the Church in the form of his body explicates the relation between Mary and the Church. Mary, by giving birth to Christ, gives the Son of God to the world and the Church, by preserving the body of Christ within her, gives the body of Christ to the faithful. The above citations show the coherent correlation between Mary and the Church. Both Mary and the Church are instrumental in paving a way to paradise.

22 The Consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses, HS I, 47,18 –​48,5, Appendix II, 415,199–​209.

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The Church and Mary provide the faithful the source of their reentry into the paradise. Mary ensures the reentry of the humanity by giving birth to the body of Christ and the Church opens the way to paradise by providing the fruit of the tree of life through the Eucharistic body.

2.1. The Imageries of Mary and the Church Mar Jacob brings out the relationship between the Church and Mary through imageries. He used the same imageries for both Mary and the Church in order to delineate their role in the salvific plan of God. The comparison and oneness between the two are emphasized through their relation to Christ and their role in the saving ministry of God. The similar imageries for Mary and the Church help us to understand that Mary has an inner relation to the Church with respect to her role in the saving acts of God.

2.1.1. The Imagery of Building The imagery of the building is one of the recurrent images that Mar Jacob exploits as a type of the Church. The homilies of Mar Jacob brought out well the construction of this building by prophets, priests and patriarchs.23 In Christ, he sees the building of the house is completed and Christ by being present in the building perfected the house of God. Therefore, Mar Jacob describes the Church as the house, where one can experience the presence of God, who dwells in the house. When Mar Jacob depicts Mary within the frame of a building24, he sees Mary’s body as the temple, in which the divine indwelling is fully accomplished. The image of Christ, who prepares Mary to be his palace or sanctuary or temple,25 recurs often in the homilies of Mar Jacob, when he explains the indwelling of God in Mary. Since he looks at Church as the building, where God resides, it comes no surprise, then to find the same imagery to represent the Church in his

23 I have explained the concept of the Church as building in the first chapter. Please see the § 1 of the first chapter. 24 The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, SMS I, 627,20–​21, TV 5,1, 18,283–​284. ‘The building which the serpent pulled down, Gabriel built up anew, and Mary set aright the foundations that Eve had pulled down in Eden.’ (Ibid.). 25 The imageries, which Mar Jacob used to represent Mary, such as ‘the shining castle,’ ‘the pure temple’, ‘the tabernacle’ explains that Mary’s body is like a building, which contains the presence of God. Cf. Puthuparampil, Mariological Thought of Mar Jacob, 87–​147.

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writings. This further confirms that Mary represents the whole concept and the image of the Church by holding the presence of Christ within her. Mar Jacob’s narration of Mary’s certain action to prepare her for the monumental event of incarnation clarifies her relation to the Church in terms of the imagery of the building. One of Mar Jacob’s homilies on ‘the nativity’ presents Mary’s task of preparing herself to the event of incarnation. The homily says that Mary begins this preparation by ‘refining and cleansing’ her senses, mouth, words and ‘gathering and removing’ all inappropriate thoughts from her mind. After this initial clear out, she sets to work cleaning the dwelling of her body. She gathered and removed all reckonings from her mind, she sprinkled her pure temple with love before the Holy one She swept the house with the holiness that was within her, And she embellished its inner walls with all kinds of reverence, again, in it she set in order the good signets of perfection.26

According to Mar Jacob, Mary did not stop with cleaning her pure temple. She undertakes redecorating her temple through the act of replenishing, hanging and adorning with the objects of ornamentation, such as, modesty, virginity, vigilance, and chastity. She replenished it with blossoms of all manner of modesty. She leveled its land with the choice implements of virginity, She hung up ornaments, crowns of praises of watchful care. she took up and laced together veils out of chastity; She spread out and stretched out spacious garments of watchfulness.27

As the work of Mary goes on, Mar Jacob alludes that her whole act of decoration renders her body into a sanctuary for liturgical celebration: She poured out as oil, good deeds in her lamp, and her great flame has been inflamed in the temple of her body. She burned the fragrance of her prayers warmly, so that the pure fire of her faith should serve as incense. She threw, as sweet spices, the sounds of praise into the fire of her love and from her thanksgiving breath the fragrance of choice incense.28

26 The Nativity of Our Redeemer according to the Flesh, SMS VI, 738,13–​17, Kollamparampil, FH I, 59,391–​395. 27 SMS VI, 738,18 –​739,1, FH I, 59,396 –​60,400. 28 The Nativity of Our Redeemer according to the Flesh, SMS VI, 739,2–​7, Kollamparampil, FH I, 60,401–​406.

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From these evocative passages of Mar Jacob, we can easily come to a conclusion that the descriptions of Mary’s preparations did not intend to show the formation of a building, rather it is related to the maintenance of a building. It suggests that while based on the imagery of the body as a temple, Mar Jacob intends to establish a new set of typological explanation of Mary’s relation to the Church. Though Mar Jacob’s homily presents the event as transpiring at the culminating moment of the sacred time (at incarnation), the imagery of the building maintenance locates this homily at a particular point of ecclesiastical event and hence it typifies the actions at the historical time. Mary as the temple of God thus represents the earthly Church with its ornaments and its liturgical actions.29

2.1.2. The Imagery of Second Heaven In the writings of Mar Jacob among the numerous glorious epithets of Mary, the imagery of the ‘second heaven’ is one of the most significant one, which relates her to the Church. This title indicates that Mary is being called ‘heaven’ due to her intimate and active participation in the mystery of the incarnation. She is honoured as heaven because the eternal Lord, the Only Begotten, dwelt in her, whose eternal dwelling place is in heaven. The Son of God in the fullness of time descended to the world and makes the womb of the Virgin his dwelling place and hence she becomes the ‘second heaven’ on earth. Certain passages from the homilies of Mar Jacob illustrate her role as an abode of God on earth. Second heaven in whose womb the lord of heaven dwelt And shone forth from her to expel darkness from the lands.30

29 S. Harvey suggests that the passages that we find in the homilies regarding the preparation of Mary for the indwelling of the Son, resemble the ideas of the canons of West Syrian churches in the fifth century. After analyzing these canons, she asserts that when Mar Jacob describes Mary’s preparations, the actions he attributes to her are reminiscent of the regulations prescribed in these canons on the matters of ecclesiastical order: establishing church offices: defining their authorities: duties and domains: prescribing appropriate social and religious demarcations. So, S. Harvey has the opinion that the textual recounting of Mary’s singular cleaning and preparation of her house for holy visitation becomes, in Jacob’s rendering, an account of the preparation of the Church for the divine liturgy to be celebrated by the church body. Cf. S. Harvey, Interior Decorating: Jacob Of Serug on Mary’s Preparation for the Incarnation, in: StPatr 41 (2006), 27. 30 The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, SMS I, 615,12–​13, TV 5,1, 8,33–​34.

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Whenever the mind beheld that heaven is full of your greatness, it saw your shekinah [tabernacle] dwelling in the womb; it is troubled.31

According to Mar Jacob, the Church is also considered as the heaven on earth because of the indwelling of God within it. As God finds habitation in the womb of Mary, God dwells in the Church and this in turn makes the Church the heaven on earth, the abode of God. Though Mar Jacob did not call the Church as ‘second heaven’ in his homilies, there are many references in his writings, which describe the Church as heaven. The homilies of Mar Jacob concerning the Church give us many references for the relationship between the Church and heaven. For Mar Jacob, the basic reason for considering the Church as heaven is due to the fact that God descends and dwells in the Church. Moses had a vision on the Mount Sinai about the Church, which was already in existence in heaven. God manifested him the full form of the Church, when he descended on the Mount Sinai. He [Moses] saw in the flame the building of the Crowned [i.e. the Church], and the wide space of the Delicate in the great high place [i.e. heaven]. He saw her dwelling place constructed with abundance, and her great habitat mighty among the angels. He saw that she holds the borders of heaven, [yet] they cannot apprehend her, and her cords [or ropes: cf. Isa 33:20] are thrown upon the quarters, and they [cords] are still longer. He saw her womb [or bosom], in which the powers of heaven are gathered, and as many as they are, they dwell in it without being constrained [or pressed]. He saw the Divine Presence that dwells in her, in the holy of holies, and the fiery companies [i.e. the Seraphim] chanting in her with the voices of praise.32

God commanded Moses to build the Church on earth as he experienced her on the mountain. Moses came down from Sinai and traced the Church in the tabernacle and in its furnishings, so that a visible habitation of God on earth is established by God on earth. Moses saw on the mountain the anteriority of the Church, He descended and fashioned her in the camp so that it may be firmly set through her. When he was given orders concerning the construction of the tabernacle, he truly saw the pattern of the Church.33

31 The Visitation of Mary, SMS, Hom.Nr.2, pp. 661–​685, here p. 662,20–​21, ET by M. Hansbury, in: Jacob of Serug on the Mother of God, New York, 1998, 66. 32 The Consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses, HS I, 42,2–​11, Appendix II, 410,75 –​ xxviii,82. 33 HS I, 40,14–​17, Appendix II, 409,45–​48.

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Mar Jacob also describes the mystery of the Church in the vision that the prophet Ezekiel saw. Just as Moses saw the mystery of the Church on the mountain, Ezekiel too had the experience of the Church, which exists in heaven and came down to the earth through the incarnation of the Son and continues to be on earth through the presence of his body at the altar. And just as Moses saw, so Ezekiel saw them as well, and these mysteries of the place of the angels were hinted at, the mysteries of the Church, was prior both Moses and Ezekiel, and on it the angels too longed to gaze. This deed of our Lord came down and accomplished on the earth, it was carried out in the heavenly places-​lo!-​from eternity. The heavenly powers longed to gaze on these mysteries, just as the prophets had longed from the day of the Only One. The altar or sanctuary was sketched in that chariot in which were the coals, and these coals depicted the holy body of the son of God. The mysteries of our Lord were celebrated amongst those on high, and by the grace they came down to be given also to those below.34

The above citations substantiate that the Church is a reality, which exists on earth as the continuation of the Church in heaven. Since it is the continuation of the heavenly abode of God on earth it is considered as the heaven on earth. It is the incarnation of the Son, which confirms the presence of God in the Church. He is present in the Church through his body that further makes the Church as the abode of God. Mary, who is being the mother of God, provides the Son of God an abode to reside, and hence, becomes the symbol of heaven on earth. It is due to the presence of God, in terms of the body of the Son within the Church and in Mary, they are correlated to each other in the road of salvation, and hence, both signify the heaven.

2.1.3. The Imagery of the Chariot Mar Jacob deployed the imagery of the chariot both for Mary and the temple in his homilies. The basic reason for this usage is that the imagery of the chariot reminds the faithful of the manifestation of the transcendence of God and thereby the mystery of the incarnation and the divinity of the Son of God. Mar Jacob, when he paraphrases the vision of the prophet Ezekiel of the chariot,

34 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 599,5–​ 18, MHMJS 14, 124,1171 –​126,1184.

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narrates that the intention of the vision of the chariot is to manifest the presence of God. And they would have been looking in all directions in order to see Him. and the assembly of the choirs on high would have been scattered by this, and the powers would have disintegrated without any order (taksis), and debates would have multiplied even there [i.e., on high], with this one saying to that one: Where is He? Where is the exalted One who is hidden, that we may praise Him in His place? (cf. Ezek 3:12) For this reason He harnessed the chariot and made the place known, and showed them the likeness in order for it to be an opportunity for the heavenly ones. And he depicted a place for his Presence (shekinto), that there it might dwell, and He made it like a chariot, that on it He might be carried in state, that the whole vision of the heavenly ones might be concentrated, caught up, and tied To that one place where His banner is placed.35

God, who is the ‘hidden One’36 and is infinitely above the angels and ‘the assemblies of the sons of light,’37 is manifested in the throne of the chariot. Upon the throne, the prophet saw the appearance of the Son of God. The same chariot also depicts the place for his presence (shekinto). This indicates that the manifestation of the hidden God on the chariot is considered as the manifestation of the Son of the creator, who is seated on the throne38, and a place of his dwelling as well. Therefore, the chariot becomes a type for the person or the place that bears the Son of God. Hence, Mar Jacob relates Mary and the Church to the chariot by virtue of the presence of the Son that it bears within it. In the homily, Mar Jacob narrates that the presence of God on the throne of the chariot is the manifestation of the virgin mother, who bore Christ in her womb. The prophet saw the throne and the seat upon the chariot, and drew the image of the Virgin Mother who bore him.

3 5 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 570,8–​17, MHMJS 14, 68,567–​70,576. 36 God as the ‘Hidden,’ the ‘Hidden One’ appears frequently in the homilies of Mar Jacob. We can see such narrations in his homily on ‘The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw.’ Cf. HS IV, 543,1; 543,11, MHMJS 14, 16,1; 16,11. 37 HS IV, 543,10–​11, MHMJS 14, 16,10–​11. 38 Cf. HS IV, 558,15–​19, MHMJS 14, 46,319–​323. ‘The high throne established gloriously upon the backs, of the ministering cherubs o\f fire who bear it, the wondrous Glory which the tongue cannot utter; the portrait of mysteries that cannot be drawn with lips; the Son of the Creator who is seated in the high place.’ (Ibid.).

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Come, Jew, read the prophet and –​see! –​you will find, the image of the Son, who is revealed and standing as manifest.39

Mar Jacob links Mary more vividly to the chariot in one of his homilies on ‘the blessed Virgin Mother of God, Mary.’ There we read: Fair palace, which the King built and entered and dwelt in it; the doors were not opened before Him when he was going out. Maiden who became like the heavenly chariot and solemnly, carried that mighty One, bearing creation.40

By identifying Mary with the chariot, Mar Jacob illustrates that the womb of Mary bore the hidden One like the chariot held the transcendental God. Mary here witnesses the presence of God, who is hidden and above ‘all the assemblies of angels.’ What Mar Jacob tries to communicate through the imagery of the chariot also pertains to the Church. Besides the chariot represents the temple, in terms of the dwelling place of God, the image of the chariot also signifies a place for encounter with God. The chariot, in which the heavenly beings are tied up, is identified with the place, where we can encounter God. Mar Jacob intends to link it with the heavenly and terrestrial temples that we see in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel. Mar Jacob takes up the passage of Ezek 10 with its image of the ‘angel in white linen’ approaching the chariot in order to receive coals of fire from the hands beneath the throne, which the angel then scatters over Jerusalem as a sign of the judgment ordained for the city, for explaining the presence of God within the temple in the form of the coal of fire. Mar Jacob tells us that this is a type of the Eucharist, which represents the presence of Christ at the altar of the Church. The Son of God is all the beauty of prophecy, and without Him there is neither prophecy nor revelation. In the coals of fire are depicted the pearls of His body, and in the chariot [is a portrait of] the holy altar of divinity. The Son of God is both judge and savior, and he is both propitiation in all the world and avenger. These coals of fire that are in the chariot depict His body, they were placed in it both for retribution and for forgiveness. One of them was given to Isaiah (Isa 6:1–​6), to forgive his iniquity, and others were scattered in Jerusalem for punishment.41

3 9 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 590,5–​8, MHMJS 14, 108,987–​990. 40 The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, Mary, SMS I, 616,19–​22, Hansbury, 19–​20. 41 HS IV, 596,2–​11, MHMJS 14, 116,1105 –​1114.

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By identifying, the coal of fire with the body of Christ Mar Jacob links the heavenly, the earthly liturgies, and the celestial and terrestrial temples. The chariot with the coals of fire signifies the altar with the body of Christ. The liturgy of heaven and the worship of the Church are therefore one and the same for Mar Jacob. The chariot typifies a place where the presence of God is manifested through the body of the Son of God. Within the Chariot were holy coals of fire, In the holy altar [are] precious pearls. In the altar is the body, and on the chariot, fire abides, for both above [in heaven] and below [on earth] there is a single mystery of the Only-​ Begotten One.42

The above citations indicate that the chariot represents both Mary and the Church, from the point of view of the presence of God that both bear in them. The chariot signifies that the Son of God dwells in the Church just as he dwelt in the womb of Mary. Mary bears the body of Christ in her womb, and the Church bears Christ in the form of the Eucharistic body.

3. The Motherhood of the Church and Mary In the early discussion, I have enumerated that Mary becomes an exemplar for the Church as exemplary mother of Christ. When we look at the functions of the Church on earth, Mary stands as a model for the motherhood of the Church. The motherhood of the Church follows the type, which is the motherhood of Mary. The Church becomes the mother of believers in imitating Mary by fulfilling the will of the Father in obedience to his Word and so cooperating in the bringing of the children of God to birth through baptism. The motherhood of the Church is, therefore, conceptually inseparable from Mary as the mother of Jesus. Mar Jacob very well intertwined Mary to his understanding of the motherhood of the Church. Consistent with the thoughts of early fathers of the Church, Mar Jacob also identifies the Church as mother in typological unity with Mary as mother of Jesus. However, for reasons to be discussed, in the writings of Mar Jacob, this is best seen in relation to Mary-​Eve parallelism and in his explanation to the concept of virginity, which both Mary and the Church commonly endure.

42 The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 596,12–​15, MHMJS 14, 120,1115–​1118.

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3.1. Eve: Mary and the Church The Eve-​Mary-​Church parallelism that we come across in the writings of Mar Jacob is based on the most ancient title given to Mary, the second Eve or new Eve. This parallelism between Mary and Eve goes back to the second century. It is found in the work of St Justin the Martyr entitled A Dialogue with Trypho (written between A.D. 155 and 165) and on several occasions in the great treatise of St Irenaeus of Lyons Against the Heresies (written probably in the last quarter of the century). Both these writers draw out the parallel between Eve’s disobedience and Mary’s obedience.43 Mar Ephrem also used the title of ‘second Eve’ for Mary on account of her role in the salvation of the whole humanity. Mar Ephrem describes in his ‘Hymns on the Church’ how Mary has become the hope of the humanity. He compares Mary and Eve to two eyes of the world. Eve, the left eye, which is blind and dark, and Mary, the right eye, which is clear and bright. Mary and Eve in their symbols resemble a body, one of whose eyes is blind and darkened while the other is clear and bright, providing light for the whole. The world, you see, has two eyes fixed in it, Eve was its left eye, blind, while the right eye, bright, is Mary. Through the eye that was darkened the whole world was darkened, and people groped and thought that every stone they stumbled on was a god, calling falsehood truth. But when it was illumined by the other eye and the heavenly light which resided in its midst, then humanity became reconciled once again, realizing that what they had stumbled on was destroying their very life.44

The citation proves that in the works of Mar Ephrem Mary stands in contrast with Eve in an entirely traditional way. However, the relationship between Eve-​ Mary and the Church, which we are seeking, is totally absent here and even rare in his writings.45 However, we can see allusions of the relationship between 43 Cf. Justin Martyr, Dialogue of Justin, Philosopher and Martyr, with Trypho, a Jew, Chapter 100, in: Ante Nicene Fathers, vol I, A. Roberts and J. Donaldson (eds.), Michigan, 1988, 404. Cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses V, Chapter XIX, in: Ante Nicene Fathers, vol I, 919–​920. 44 HEcc, XXXVII,4–​7, 90, Brock, The Bride of Light, 31–​32. 45 Murray, Symbols of Church, 144.

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Eve-​Mary and the Church, when he speaks of the body of Christ. In his commentary on Diatessaron, he contemplates Christ’s body born out of Mary in a way, which relates her both to the Church and to the Eucharist. In the following passage, we find the parallelism of Adam and Eve, Christ and Mary, related to the solidarity of man in sin, and the Church as Christ’s body; but the ‘earth,’ which bears the Church, is Mary. If then the Church is his body, as Paul his witness said, believe that his Church has passed through all this without corruption. Just as by the condemnation of the one Adam all bodies died and must die, so by the victory of this one body of Christ, the whole Church found life and lives. But just as because the bodies which themselves have sinned, themselves must also die, and the earth their mother was cursed, so because of this body, because it is itself the Church, which is not corrupted, the earth was blessed from the beginning. For the earth is the body of Mary, the temple which received the seed. Contemplate the angel who came to sow this seed in the ears of Mary. It was by this clear word that he began to sow: ‘Peace be with you, you are blessed among women’. And Elizabeth confirmed this word, saying a second time ‘You are blessed among women’, thus showing that because of the first mother who was cursed, the second mother is called blessed.46

This reference is a clear indication of Mar Ephrem’s attempt to link Mary and the Church within the Eucharistic perspective. Mary and the Church are linked together on account of the body of Christ, which resides in Mary and in the Church. For him, Mary is the blessed mother because of the presence of God so also the Church, because she also gives her children the body of Christ through Eucharist. In the writings of Mar Jacob, the traditional understanding of sharing the titles between Eve, Mary, and the Church is found several times. His homilies bring out Mary as the new Eve and he fits this title closely with the typological web centered on Jn 19:34, which delineates the event of piercing the side of Christ.47 The typological explanation of Mar Jacob on Jn 19:34 describes Mary’s role in the divine economy of salvation that is on par with that of the Church and the sacraments. In this explanation, Mar Jacob asserts that just as Mary gives birth to Christ, the Church and sacraments give birth to the children of God. For him, Mary is the new Eve in that she brings Christ into the world and instead the Church is also the New Eve in that she is the bride, who is born from the side 4 6 C. McCarthy, Saint Ephrem’s Commentary on Tatian’s Diatessaron, 91–​92. 47 I have already explained the birth of the Church and the sacraments from the side of Christ and its role in explaining the role of the Church in the world. Please see chapter IV p. 256–257.

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of the second Adam. By relating Eve-​Mary and the Church, Mar Jacob convincingly proposes that the role of Mary and the Church is complementary. Mary provides space for the descent of God and through her co-​operation with the Holy Spirit, she makes herself available for the miraculous birth. Mary’s cooperation with the plan of God made possible the miraculous birth of the Church and the sacraments from the side of Christ, and it effects the ascent of man to God. Therefore, Mary’s role is seen essentially like that of the role of the Church and here we can postulate the basic connection between the motherhood of Mary and the Church. When we analyze the homilies of Mar Jacob, we can summarize his idea of mutually typical relationship of Eve-​Mary and the Church in the following points: (a) the birth of Eve from the side of Adam is the type of the birth of the Church as well as the type of Mary’s virginal birth, (b) Eve’s temptation and consent to the serpent is paralleled to Mary’s consent to God’s angel. They are the causes of our ruin and restoration, (c) Eve ‘the mother of all the living’ is the type of the Church, which begets all to eternal life. Here Mary stands as the model for the Church, who begets Christ and thereby stands as the ‘mother of life.’

3.1.1. Church: The New Eve The homilies of Mar Jacob describe the Church as the ‘new Eve’ in the context of the birth of Eve. According to Mar Jacob, Eve’s birth from Adam’s rib is used to explain the virginal birth of Mary and the birth of the Church. It serves as an example of a miraculous birth, and so provides a type of both, the virgin birth of Christ and the birth of the Church. So, both Mary and the Church stand as ‘new Eve’ on earth. This particular aspect is brought out, for example, in the following passage: The virgin earth gave birth to Adam in holy fashion, so as to indicate clearly Mary’s giving birth. Adam in turn slept, and his side was pierced; from it came forth Eve to be the mother for the whole world, serving as an image of that sleep of death on the cross and that side which gave [birth] to baptism. Adam slept and gave the whole world a mother; the saviour died, and there flows from him baptismal water. If the side gave birth to Eve, as it is written, then a virgin too gave birth to the Son, as is indicated.48

48 The Mysteries, Types, and Depictions of Christ, HS III, 320, 9–​19, Mus 118, 85,315–​324.

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The relation between the birth of Eve, and that of the Church is more explicit in the following verse of Mar Jacob: Christ slept on the cross, and baptism came forth from him; the bridegroom slept, and his side was pierced in his sleep, he gave birth to the Bride, as happened with Eve, in Adam his type. The stillness of the sleep of death fell upon him on the cross, and from him came forth the mother who gives birth to all spiritual beings: the Lord of Adam produced the New Eve in his sleep, to serve as mother of the children of Adam, in Eve’s place; water and blood for the fashioning of spiritual babes flowed from the side of that Living One who died, in order to bring life to Adam.49

In both these passages, the emphasis is on the nature of the birth-​giving. Mary is prefigured in Eve, who was born from the side of Adam. In a similar fashion, the Church is prefigured in the birth of Eve and like Eve gives birth to children, the Church gives birth to spiritual children. Therefore, the imagery of the new Eve provides us the necessary link for Eve-​Mary and the Church parallelism. They are linked together on account of their capability to give birth.

3.1.2. Mary and the Church: The Mother of Life The relation between Mary and Eve is depicted in the writings of Mar Jacob through a contrast between Mary and Eve. Mar Jacob saw a disparity between these two women from the point of view of their choices. The choices differ each other and hence the effects of their choices were different. When Eve encountered the serpent, she made her decision without enquiring into the offer that the serpent has made. Whereas Mary enquired into the offer that the angel Gabriel has made, when she encountered the angel. The difference in the choice made Eve as the one who is reprehensible, despicable, and foolish and as the one who has a debt, whereas the choice of Mary made her glorious, wise and as the one who has repaid the debt that Eve incurred. The homily of Mar Jacob on ‘the blessed virgin Mother of God’ depicts well how the differences of choices of these two women affect the human race. As reprehensible as Eve was by her deed, so Mary was glorious, and the folly of this one, so that one’s wisdom is shown up. As much as the former is despicable because of that affair, so the latter has no need to be ashamed by that matter of the Son.

49 For the Vigil of Holy Saturday, HS II, 589,9–​17, S. Brock, The Mysteries Hidden in the Side of Christ, Sob 6, 465–​466.

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As much as the former is foolish the latter is wise to the one who understands, for whatever that one owed, this one repaid. By that former the fall, by the latter resurrection for all our race; sin by Eve but righteousness from within Mary. By Eve’s silence, guilt and the fouling of a name; by Mary’s discourse, life and light within Mary.50

The impact of the decision of Mary and Eve is more obvious in Mar Jacob’s other homilies. According to Mar Jacob, the effects of the decision of Eve and Mary influenced their role as the ‘mother of all the living.’ Eve, when she was generated from the side of Adam, was called by the name ‘the mother of life.’51 It was expected that she bears children, who also have the life that was given to her. However, her decision to follow the words of the serpent took away her name ‘the mother of the living.’ She ‘bore human bodies, which are subjected to death.’52 Hence, she becomes the mother of the mortals. Whereas Mary by her decision to follow the words of the angel, bore Christ, who is life, and thereby she was made like Eve before fall.53 Through her motherhood of life, Mary gives hope to humanity that they can acquire life. Therefore, Mar Jacob narrated Mary in contrast to Eve that the one who brought life to humanity. Second Eve who generated life among the morals, and paid and rent asunder that bill of Eve her mother. Maiden who gave help to the old woman who was prostrate; she raised her from the fall where the serpent had thrust her.54

When Mar Jacob narrated the birth of the Church on the cross, he also contrasted Eve and the Church in order to depict the Church as the mother of life. According to Mar Jacob, the birth of the Church is confirmed by the flow of

5 0 The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, Mary, SMS I, 630,19 –​631,8, Hansbury, 33. 51 Cf. SMS I, 634,11–​12, Hansbury, 36. ‘Adam chastely generated the virgin Eve; he called her by name, mother of life, and so he was a prophet.’ (Ibid.). 52 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 299,21, Sob 3,1, 81,343. 53 Cf. SMS I, 627,11–​16, Hansbury, 30. ‘Instead of the treacherous one who brought death by the tale he set forth, the fruitful one arose to announce life by the tidings which he brought. Instead of the mother who wrote among the trees what she owed, the daughter paid all the debts of Adam, her father. Eve and the serpent with watcher and Mary were transmuted; that affair was put right which had become distorted from the beginning.’ (Ibid.). 54 SMS I, 616,11–​14, Hansbury, 19.

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water and blood from the pierced side of Christ. This represents not only the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist, but also the source of life in the Church. The Church, therefore, lives in the world as the source of life to humanity, who is born as mortals. As the provider of life, the Church as well as the sacraments are called the ‘mother of life.’ The Church, hence, like Mary provides life to humans, who are born of Eve. The Eve-​Mary-​Church parallelism therefore carries an important meaning, which confirms that in and by Mary and through the Church all the sinful history of humanity was transformed into a new era of the children of God. Mar Jacob narrates it as follows: The groom’s side has been pierced, and from it the bridge has come out, fulfilling the type provided by Adam and Eve, for from the first he knew and depicted Adam and Eve in the likeness of the image of his Only-​Begotten: he slept on the cross as Adam had slept his deep sleep, his side was pierced and from it there came forth the daughter of light-​ water and blood as an image of the divine children to be heirs to the Father who loves his Only-​Begotten. Eve in prophecy is the mother of all that lives-​ what, if not baptism, is the mother of all life? Adam’s wife bore human bodies subject to death, but this virgin bears spiritual beings who live forever; Adam’s side gave birth to a woman who gives birth to immortals. In the crucifixion he completed the types that had been depicted, and the hidden mystery that had been covered revealed itself.55

3.2. The Virginity of Mary and the Church The designation of Mary as a virgin as well as the description of the Church as the virgin Church brings out the relation between Mary and the Church. As Christ is called the ‘Son of the Virgin’ so His Church is also considered as the virgin Church. In the writings of Mar Jacob, the Church is depicted as a reality, which is constantly united with him and this earns her the title of the ‘virgin.’ One of the main reasons for the same title, that Mary and the Church hold, is the manner in which they receive Christ. Both Mary and the Church conceive Christ without losing their virginity or without having an external union. Mary received Christ at the time of incarnation in her womb without losing her virginity and the Church received Christ by choosing him to be her bridegroom. Mar Jacob brings

55 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 299,11 –​300,4, Sob 3,1, 80,333 –​81,348.

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out the reason for considering Mary and the Church as virgin, in his homily on ‘our Lord portrayed in Scripture as food and drink.’ There we read: When the crucified one made marriage with the virgin, she stood firm. The idols damaged the bride and she became the House of God, also she remained as a painted idol and in love she cleaved to an idol. She committed adultery with evil spirits and the defiled companions became evil spirits to her, the harlot became satisfied committing adultery, but the daughter of the pagan became ashamed. The Bridegroom took the harlot from the market place, and He caused her to come down to water and He made her virgin and behold! She is His people. And who is this that He made the harlot virgin? however, He also made the mother virgin. If not the virgin gave birth to the one Wonder! there is no means that the harlot will become the virgin. But because He also made the mother virgin, behold! The harlot is made virgin, while His mother is the dwelling place.56

A perusal of Mar Jacob’s above-​mentioned text shows that Mar Jacob considers the virginity of Mary and the Church as a result of their perfect union with God. According to Mar Jacob, the adulterous people, by accepting to be married to the Lord, became transformed from being adulterous into being a virgin. It is because the mother of God becomes a virgin, by being the dwelling place of God, the adulterous people also transform into a chaste virgin. This indicates that Mar Jacob deliberates that the virginity of the Church does not arise from the absence of a physical union rather it results from a mystical union that the Church maintains with the bridegroom. When Mar Jacob says that the virginity of the Church is due to the virginity of Mary, it indicates that the mystery of the virginity of Mary was not her physical integrity rather it lies on the fact that she becomes the mother of God and remained a virgin because of her perfect union with God. It is in the similar manner Mar Jacob looks at the Church and designates her as a virgin. The second reason for the same designation of Mary and the Church as virgin reflects their act of giving birth to children without having a physical relation. Mary became the mother of God without having any marital relation. She became the mother of Messiah without lesion and that He was God and the Son

56 Our Lord Portrayed in Scripture as Food and Drink, HS II, 237,3–​15, My own translation.

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of man, just as the girl was a virgin and a true mother.57 The Church bears spiritual children in a similar fashion without losing her status as a virgin. She brings out children by the gift, which God has given to her from the cross. Mar Jacob expounds in one of his homilies how the Church bears the spiritual children without losing her virginity. The bridegroom gave her an excellent name and it is the house of His Father. She bore herself greatly in the virginity which the Bridegroom gave her, she descended and put on white garments from within the waters. When He was hung on the Cross, the light on the neck becomes like a necklace, and by casting an image of the passions of our beloved Son. And in the spring of blood and water which flows from Him (Jn 19:34), which is inhabited upon Him, as the river Gihon (Gen 2:13) is full of life. And from Him is the food because He wished to become the food, and from Him is the drink, because He desired to become the drink. And she breaks and brings and puts His body in the mouth of her sons, and she mixes his blood; and all [those] drinking have life from Him. she tears it and puts it every day upon her table, She distributes it into many parts for the peoples and generations that they may become alive from it.58

The above citation indicates that the virginity of the Church is the gift of God to her. It is a sign of her betrothal to the Only Begotten. Therefore, Mar Jacob looks at the concept of virginity not from the point of view of not engaging in a certain action but rather he considers it an expression of the Church’s intimate relation with God. The Church received the gift of virginity through the white garment that God himself placed within the water (of baptism) and through the reception of water and blood that flowed from Him. She not only received these gifts but also distributes it to her children, and through these gifts she forms the spiritual children. The Church generates children of God through the gifts of virginity. Hence, it is not any physical action, but a mystical union of the Church and the bridegroom gives birth to children. The linkage between Mary and the Church is obvious here. Just as Mary received virginity as a gift and brought forth Christ 57 Cf. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary, SMS IV, 707,13–​16, Puthuparampil, Mariological Thought of Mar Jacob of Serugh, xx, 475–​478. ‘He showed to the world that the heir of the house when he was entering in it, in front of him the doors of virginity would not be opened. And he who believes both in the nature and in the Scripture, has learnt that the virginity of Mary was not dissolved.’ (Ibid.). 58 Our Lord Portrayed in Scripture as Food and Drink, HS II, 237,19 –​238,10, My own translation.

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through her mystical union with God,59 the Church too brings forth children through her union with Christ. The birth of the spiritual children from the virgin Church by the gifts of virginity through her union with Christ is more explicit in one of Mar Jacob’s homilies. There we read: Christ slept on the Cross, and Baptism came forth from him: the bridegroom slept, and his side was pierced in his sleep, he gave birth to the Bride, as happened with Eve, in Adam his type. The stillness of the sleep of death fell upon him on the cross, and from him came forth the mother who gives birth to all spiritual beings: the Lord of Adam produced the new Eve in his sleep to serve as the mother of the children of Adam, in Eve’s place; water and blood for the fashioning of the spiritual babes flowed from the side of the Living One who died in order to bring life to Adam.60

3.2.1. The Imagery of the Virgin Motherhood of Mary and the Church Mar Jacob deals with Mary’s virginal conception through various imageries. However, for the virginal motherhood of the Church in relation to Mary’s virginal motherhood Mar Jacob uses the imagery of the birth of Adam and the birth of Eve. In the typological web of Mar Jacob, he connects these two events as the manifestation of the virginal birth and the birth of the Church. The virgin earth gave birth to Adam in holy fashion so as to indicate clearly Mary’s giving birth. Adam in turn slept, and his side was pierced; from it came forth Eve to be mother for the whole world, serving as an image of that sleep of death on the cross and of that side which gave birth to baptism. Adam slept and gave the whole world a mother; the Saviour died, and there flows from him baptismal water. If the side gave birth to Eve, as is written, then the virgin too gave birth to the Son, as is indicated.61

59 According to Mar Jacob, the virginity of Mary is a gift of God. His homily on ‘the perpetual virginity of Mary,’ expounds it in detail. Cf. The Perpetual Virginity of Mary, SMS IV, 693,19–​22, Puthuparampil, viii,179–​182. ‘She received completely beauty, blessings and sanctity, and virginity, which not even in His nativity did the wonderful one dissolve. The Light dwelt in her who remained in pure splendor, so that she should become a virgin forever and uninvestigable mother.’ (Ibid.). 60 For the Vigil of Holy Saturday, HS II, 589,9–​17. 61 The Mysteries, Types and Depictions of Christ, HS III, 320,9–​18, Mus 118, 85,315–​324.

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For Mar Jacob, not only Adam was born chastely but also his wife Eve was born virginally from his side. According to Mar Jacob these two births foretell the virginal birth of Christ. When he explains the birth of the Church, he also uses the same imagery to demarcate the origin of the virgin Church. The Church was born from the side of the second Adam as Eve was generated from the side of first Adam. The Church too originated chastely and therefore he used Adam and the birth of Eve as the type of the virginal birth of the Church. The bridegroom’s side has been pierced, and from it the bride has come forth, fullfiling the type provided by Adam and Eve. For from the beginning God knew and depicted Adam and Eve in the likeness of the image of his Only Begotten; He slept on the cross as Adam had slept his deep sleep, his side was pierced and from it there came forth the daughter of light, water and blood as an image of the divine children to be heirs to the Father who loves his Only Begotten. Eve in prophecy is the mother of all that lives-​ what, if not baptism, is the mother of all life? Adam’s wife bore human bodies subject to death, but this virgin bears spiritual beings who live forever; Adam’s side gave birth to a woman who gives birth to immortals. In the crucifixion he completed the types that had been depicted, and the hidden mystery that had been covered revealed itself.62

3.2.2. Baptism is a Virgin Mother When we look back into the typological explanation of Mar Jacob on the Jn 19:34 we can see that the birth of the Church was confirmed by the flow of water and blood from the pierced side of Christ. For Mar Jacob, it is an indication of the manifestation of the Church in the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist. Since the Church is represented by the sacraments, the sacrament of baptism also holds the same title as that of the Church –​‘the mother of all the living.’ Christ came and opened up baptism on his cross so that it should be the ‘mother of living things’, in the place of Eve. Water and blood, for the fashioning of spiritual children, flowed, and Baptism became the ‘mother of living things’.63

Baptism not only shares the title that of the Church, which gives birth to spiritual beings, but also holds the title ‘virgin,’ which the Church acquires through her 6 2 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 299,11 –​300,4, Sob 3,1, 80,333 –​81,348. 63 The Baptism of the Law, HS I,162,3–​6, Brock, Early Christian Baptism, 194,187–​190.

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birth. According to Mar Jacob, baptism as a virgin mother gives birth to children without losing her virginity. Baptism gives birth every day in her virginity And she is a mother, and she is a virgin and it is without dispute. Baptism has become for us a mother and we are made by her, the children of the Father, who would call Him, ‘our father’ lovingly.64

According to Mar Jacob, just as Mary typifies the Church on account of the presence of Christ in her womb baptism is as analogous to the divine presence in the womb of Mary and therefore as the means of divinization. Mary gave the body to the Word to be embodied, and the baptism, the spirit, to humans to be renewed. Thus He became for us a brother in the womb, making us sons, to call ‘our heavenly father’ through baptism.65

Mar Jacob by naming baptism as the new mother, who gives new life to the faithful, asserts that baptism stands as the manifestation of the Church, which is the new Eve. Mar Jacob links both the Church and baptism on account of their role in effecting the redemption to humanity. For Mar Jacob, just like the Church, baptism reverses the effect of Adam’s sin and begins to restore the original condition and gives a new birth and hence baptism offers immortality and brings forth spiritual children. Mar Jacob says: A new mother instead of the old has been given to the prostrate Adam; and when she gives birth to him he will find salvation. For instead of Eve, Baptism has entered and taken her stand, ready to give birth to immortality in spirituality; instead of that mother who gave birth to feeble corpses, this mother gives birth to living beings, rational and immortal…. The womb of water, in place of the bodily womb has begun, to produce rational ‘images’ in a spiritual way.66

The above references from the homilies of Mar Jacob assert that baptism as a virgin mother confirm the new birth that the virgin Church offers to her children, while retaining her virginity. In virginity, just like the Church, baptism also bears children as a mother.

6 4 Holy Baptism, HS I, 197,19 –​198,2, JSTC XXIII, 1, 92,81–​84. 65 HS I, 204,2–​5, JSTC XXIII, 1, 97,81–​84. 66 The Paralytic Aged, HS IV, 703,5–​10;13–​14, Brock, Baptismal Themes in the Writings of Jacob of Serugh, 345–​346.

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Conclusion In this chapter, I have dealt with the relationship between Mary and the Church. This relationship is so important to demarcate Mar Jacob’s concept of the Church. Mar Jacob looks at the Church as a reality that reveals the mystery of salvation in this world. Mary, by being the mother of God, symbolizes the whole mystery of salvation. The homilies of Mar Jacob bring out the relation between Mary and the Church through certain imageries. He delineates Mary as a building, who gives a place for God to reside. God inhabits in her, as God is present in the house of God. The presence of God within the Church is hence typified by the dwelling of God in Mary. In relation to the dwelling place of God, Mary is honoured as the second heaven. As God finds habitation in the womb of Mary, God dwells in the Church, and this in turn makes the Church the heaven on earth, the abode of God. The imagery of the chariot also represents both Mary and the Church because of the presence of God that the chariot carries. Just as the chariot, Mary carries the Son of God and the Church keeps the body of the Son of God in the form of Eucharistic bread as the chariot preservers the body of the Son in the form of a coal of fire. The comparison between Mary and the Church becomes more evident when Mar Jacob compares Mary and the Church in relation to their motherly functions. As ‘the mother of the living,’ the Church imparts life to her children through the sacraments. Here Mar Jacob speaks not only of the Church as the one who enlivens and nourishes the faithful, but he specifically describes her as virgin mother whose regenerative act is pure and spiritual. Although Mar Jacob compares the two virgin mothers –​Mary and the Church –​, his more overt parallel is between Mary and Eve. Mary’s regenerative ability comes from her obedience. In this, she contrasts with the disobedient Eve, who was also a virgin (prior to her fall). Mary, as the virgin mother, becomes the source of life and reverses the consequences of Eve’s error. Mary by bearing Christ redeems the act of Eve, the mother of all living, and becomes her advocate. Mar Jacob places, in background of the comparison of Mary and Eve, the Church, the third mother, through whom Mary’s gift is extended to all humanity. The writings of Mar Jacob portray Eve as the mother of all mortals, Mary as the mother of salvation and the Church as the mother of all the faithful. The salvation that Mary brings to the world through her motherhood is extended to all humanity through the Church. The exposition of Mary’s relation to the Church helps us to conclude that Mar Jacob regards the Virgin Mary as a type of the Church, the one who could give

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birth without losing her virginity. Like Mary, the Church is also simultaneously spotless and married; she also conceives by the Spirit and gives birth to spiritual children. She is a virgin in her sacraments and a mother to her people. She has no husband, but does have a bridegroom –​Christ is her eternal bridegroom. Therefore, the relationship between Mary and the Church with regard to their motherhood brings out the necessary link to relate Mary and the Church.

General Conclusion This research is an enquiry into the ecclesiological dimensions of Mar Jacob of Sarug and is mainly based on his writings, especially on the voluminous corpus of his metrical homilies mēmrē. A study on ancient texts is reliable, when it has to take into account the period and the tradition in which these texts originated and were transmitted. Therefore, such studies will enable us interpretations of the horizons from which such texts assimilated the concepts with which they are composed. However, the main question that any researcher, who relies on such texts, confronts, is that with what norms one should make such interpretations. Any interpretation that is alien to the viewpoint of the author is not considered as a valid analysis of the text. Therefore, in this research I stuck fully on the writings of Mar Jacob in order to delineate his concerns and orientations regarding the concept of the Church. In view of the basic goal of this research, the following findings can be made, such as: (a) Mar Jacob and his method of theologizing, (b) the ecclesiological perceptions in the writings of Mar Jacob, (c) Mar Jacob’s basic understanding of the Church expressed in the motherhood of the Church (d) and the ecclesiological model of Mar Jacob.

1. Mar Jacob and his Method of Theologizing The first chapter of this study rather elaborately discusses the person of Mar Jacob, his literary activities and his theological concerns that are envisaged in his writings. Though question about the person of Mar Jacob shall remain unsatisfactorily answered, the current obtainable sources make available to a researcher the general information regarding his life and his works. Mar Jacob was the bishop of Batnan in the West Syriac Church (519–​521) in Sarug, in modern Turkey. For a long time, he was Corepiscopa of the West Syriac Church. He was a prodigy and his verse homilies are counted 760 besides prose homilies, dialogue poems, letters etc. He was born in a period of serious Christological controversy in the Church, which faced a major division in the Christendom. In this controversy, our author had clear vision on his theological understanding, but he never becomes a controversial figure. Though he studied in the theological school of Edessa, which was pro Antiochene, he followed the Alexandrian Christology. His inclination to the anti-​Chalcedonian side is evident in some of his letters. However, more than the allegiance to any side in the Christological controversy or as a systematic theologian, he was a spiritual as well

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as a pastoral theologian who used poetry as a vehicle to spread the Word of God. In order to interpret the Scripture, he developed a combination of Alexandrian and Ephremian methodology. Through this method of his writings, he received the attention of both the theological authors and the general public. This acceptance made the prolific author to earn the name ‘the flute of the Spirit and the lyre of the Church.’ Mar Jacob’s theological thoughts are well expounded in his writings, especially in his metrical homilies. His metrical homilies, which are generally set for a catechetical purpose, manifest us his homiletical exegesis of the scriptural episodes. For Mar Jacob, the biblical exegesis is an aid to communicate the doctrines of Christian faith with the audience of his homilies. The basis of Mar Jacob’s scriptural exegesis lies on the fact that the scriptures contain the hidden meaning of the salvific acts of God, which is revealed in a mystery. Therefore, Mar Jacob approaches the Scripture with a sense of mystery. The term ‘mystery’ is one of the enigmatic terms in the writings of Mar Jacob. Often, he uses the term ‘mystery’ interchangeably with type and symbol. However, the synonymity of these words does not affect its implication because these terms are used in the context where the hidden meaning of the divine plan of God is explained. Therefore, the sense of mystery of Mar Jacob in approaching the scriptures brings out a typological exegesis of the scripture, which unveils the hidden meaning that a type/​symbol or mystery encompasses. For Mar Jacob, this method of exegesis in fact is essentially meant as an aid to reflect upon the greater meaning that the types or symbols signify. Through the typological exegesis, he tries to unveil the reason and purpose of the types or symbols in the context. It further enables him to understand the meaning and the purpose of the divine will. For him, the typological meaning helps one to reach to the level of the understanding the divine will and purpose. The typological meaning that emerges from the typological exegesis enables Mar Jacob to explain his audience, what is beyond the bounds of full human comprehension. Hence, for him, the typological meaning paves way to a higher level of meaning, ܽ 1 ܳ ‫)ܪ‬. which he calls the spiritual meaning (‫ܘܚ ܳܢ ܳܝܐ‬ For him, the ultimate goal of his exegetical activity is to attain the level of spiritual meaning. Therefore, we can trace out in his writings that the spiritual explanations regarding the salvific act of God go adjacent to his typological biblical interpretations and it further shows us his profoundly biblically oriented theological thinking.

1 Cf. Tower of Babel, HS II, 18,14–​17.

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The biblically oriented theological outlook of Mar Jacob paves way for his symbolic theology. In this theological endeavor, he analyzes various imageries and symbols to expound the theological doctrines. The basis of his symbolic theology relies on his conception of the divine revelation. The human experience of God’s hiddenness is only possible through various instances of self-​revelation. God in his mercy has given the glimpses of his hidden being, and the symbols and types manifests this hidden God to the extent that which is revealed. Here the starting point is not the human experience of God, rather the meaning that is hidden in the symbol/​type. Seen from this perspective, types and symbols are not instances of divine revelation rather they have a hiddenness, which point to something that will one day be revealed. Therefore, Mar Jacob holds the view that what is hidden in the symbols of nature2 and of the Scripture is revealed in Christ at the incarnation, and what is hidden in the sacraments and in the Church will be revealed at the eschaton, in the paradise. Hence, Mar Jacob inclines very much to the interpretations of types and symbols in order to develop a theological understanding of the events that occurred in the course of divine revelation. Because Mar Jacob’s theological thinking depends on the analysis of the types and symbols, the theological method, which Mar Jacob proposes to demarcate the doctrines regarding the hidden God, is the method that is cultivated by a symbolico-​theological approach. This method relies very much on the love and faith for the mystery rather than an analytical or a philosophically rational investigation of the reality. This is mainly because the object of the enquiry is the mystery of God in its revealed form. Since the object of enquiry is an inexplicable, inexplorable, unfathomable and an ineffable mystery of the Word, any sort of analysis and rationalization are doomed to fail. Therefore, in this method the mystery of God is not looked at as a reality that stands apart from the person who looks at it, rather the person who admires the reality is being part of the reality and so he approaches the reality with love. So, the theological endeavor of Mar Jacob is not a fides quaerens intellectum (faith seeking understanding), as in the West, but a matter of fides adorans mysterium (faith adoring mystery)3. Mar Jacob inherited this mode of theological thinking from the early Syriac Christian theological method, especially that which Mar Ephrem has used in his literary works. The indebtedness of Mar Jacob to early Syrian Church fathers,

2 Mar Jacob has the opinion that the created nature itself is the symbol, because it manifests the hidden meaning of the divine revelation. For Mar Jacob, the created nature is a ‘teacher’ or a ‘master,’ which is capable of leading humanity to God. 3 Cf. Murray, Symbols of Church, 89, See page number 94–95 of Chapter I.

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especially to Mar Ephrem, is noticeable in his theological thought patterns regarding the Church, which are really enhanced by his interpretation of types and symbols that reveal the meaning and the presence of the Church in the world.

2. The Ecclesiological Perceptions in the Writings of Mar Jacob Mar Jacob deals with the concept of the Church parallel to his explanations regarding Christ. The notion of the Church is next to Christ in importance, especially in his metrical homilies. Mar Jacob looks at Christ as the one in whom the symbols and types find their actualization. The power and efficacy of the Son is working through the Old Testament types and through all the salvific acts of his incarnate road. Mar Jacob perceives the presence of the Church in all the progressive moments of revelation, which are fully manifested in Christ. For Mar Jacob, the fundamental concepts regarding the Church are based on the fact that the Church is an essential part in the revelation of God’s salvific plan, which is revealed through the Son. The second chapter of this work presents Mar Jacob’s concepts of the Church, which is demonstrated through symbols and types. a. First and foremost, Mar Jacob believes that the Church is a place, where the presence of God is experienced. Therefore, he narrates throughout in his homilies that the Church is ‘the house of God’ where people can experience the presence of God and he delineates the Church in the form of a building where God himself descended and made his presence available to people. This imagery of the Church as a building is prefigured in the Old Testament types of the Church such as in the theophany of God at Mount Sinai, where Moses experiences the presence of God upon the Mountain. Moses experienced the mystery of the Church on Mount Sinai and constructed a tabernacle as he was instructed by God in order to confine the presence of God in a particular place. This prefiguration of the Church through the form of a building is perfected in the course of time and found its fulfillment in Christ. b. Mar Jacob perceives the Church as a community, gathered around God, who is revealed as a mystery. Though the concept of ‘gathering’ is a recurring theme of the Old Testament and the New Testament teaching, Mar Jacob presents this concept according to his theological vision. Unlike the Old Testament and the New Testament usage of qahal, which has the meaning of ‘gathering’, Mar Jacob deploys the verb kanesh to represent the community. The verb, which Mar Jacob used to delineate the community, denotes that it is the community that is ‘called together.’ This indicates that the community that is formed around the revealed mystery is the one, which is formed for a

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particular purpose. This is an indication to show that in Mar Jacob’s opinion the Church is a community that is called by God in order to fulfill the salvific plan of God. This community is prefigured in the community of Israel, which is called to gather around the mystery of Moses, who is the prefiguration of Christ. When the prophecies are fulfilled in Christ, this community is represented by the ‘daughter of nations,’ in whom Mar Jacob sees the presence of all those who believe in Christ and in his salvific plans. Thus, the Church, according to Mar Jacob, is the great Christian community called together by Christ in the place of Israel. c. Besides the above-​mentioned concepts of the Church, which manifest the earthly presence of the Church, Mar Jacob delineates the inner dynamics of the identity of the Church by describing the Church itself as a mystery. For Mar Jacob, mystery/​symbol functions horizontally with the historical time where revelations of God took place and it gives humans the fullness of knowledge of the divine. When Mar Jacob calls the Church as a mystery, he intends to delineate that the Church is a reality, which has a hidden meaning in it. Mar Jacob perceives the Church as mystery from the point of view of the meaning that it brings forth to the world through its existence in the world. The hidden meaning that the Church keeps within her and shows to the world is the meaning of the divine plan of salvation that is revealed through Christ. The Church in its earthly existence makes visible the divine plan of God, which Christ has revealed through his words and deeds. Therefore, Mar Jacob brings forth the fundamental relation that exists between the Church and the Son of God through his allusion of the Church as a mystery. d. Mar Jacob expounds the intrinsic relation between the Church and the Son through the imagery of ‘the bride.’ In presenting the Church as bride, Mar Jacob denotes the intimacy and the permanence of the union of Christ and the Church. Indeed, this symbol is predominantly a symbol of the lordship of Christ over the Church, emphasizing the necessary dependence of the Church upon Christ. Mar Jacob explores the relation, existing between Christ and the Church, by analyzing the sentence of the first book of the Scripture ‘and they become one flesh’ (Gen 2,24). Mar Jacob like St Paul applied it to the relationship between Christ and the Church. In fact, Moses in his veil manifests the mystery of the unity of the man and woman and St Paul reveals in due course the mystery of the oneness of the Son and the Church. Mar Jacob delineates the relation between the bridegroom and the bride through the narration of betrothals. The betrothal between Christ, the bridegroom and the Church, the bride, is prefigured in the Old Testament types. The betrothal at Mount Sinai prefigures the betrothal of Christ and the

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Church. In Mount Sinai, Moses, who represents Christ, betrothed with the elected Church that is the people of Israel. At the arrival of Christ, he completes this betrothal with the bride through the important events of his life for the salvation of humanity. Through the birth, the Bridegroom became identified with the bride, walked in her ways, and became approachable to her. With His baptism, the Bridegroom cleansed the waters of the earth, retrieved Adam from the hands of evil one, and put the ‘robe of glory,’ which was lost in the Garden of Eden, in the womb of baptismal waters. By His death, the Bridegroom killed the death and sin and sealed the marriage contract with his bride by shedding his blood as the bridal price. Just like any other betrothal event, which is consummated with the marriage, the betrothal of the Church with the heavenly bridegroom would be fulfilled through the wedding feast and for Mar Jacob, the passion of Christ is the very wedding feast of the bride and the blood from Christ’s side is the bridegroom’s gift to his bride. The Church through the sacrament of Eucharist manifests this wedding feast on earth. However, this wedding feast would be fulfilled by the entry of the bride into the bridal chamber with the bridegroom at the second coming of Christ. Therefore, the union of the Church and Christ, which happens through the marital bond, comes to its fulfillment in the eschaton. e. The symbol of the tabernacle and its various details in the writings of Mar Jacob stand as a device for his reader to analyze the relationship between the heavenly and the earthly Church. The symbol of the tabernacle is the confirmation to the fact that the presence of God is confined to a particular place. In the Church, we perceive this presence of God and therefore the Church is represented by the symbol of the tabernacle. The homilies of Mar Jacob visualize the presence of the heavenly tabernacle, which descended on earth in order to make the presence of God available to the people. Moses saw it on the Mount Sinai and built a similar one on the earth and the prophet Ezekiel had a vision of this heavenly tabernacle, which pitched on earth. Therefore, the Church, which is represented through the symbol of the tabernacle, is the continuation of the heavenly temple on earth. f. The symbol of the ladder is another imagery that Mar Jacob used in his homilies to denote the meaning of the Church on earth. The symbol of the ladder with regard to the Church lies on the fact that the Church is a place of divine-​ human relationship. The symbol of the ladder manifests that the Church is a level of the experiential realization of the divine-​human relationship initiated by the divine mercy that reveals itself in the incarnation, redemption, and salvation. Mar Jacob explains the vision of the Patriarch Jacob on the ladder in such a way that the descending and ascending of heavenly beings through

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the ladder is the manifestation of the role of the Church on the earth. The formation of a sanctuary upon the place by the Patriarch Jacob, where the vision of the ladder is seen, establishes the fact that the Church holds the act that is manifested through the symbol of ladder. Therefore, Mar Jacob formulates the concept of the Church as a place, where the divine-​human relation is made possible. g. In the imagery of harbour, Mar Jacob describes that the Church is the abode of rest and peace on account of the presence of Christ within the Church. In this imagery, Mar Jacob looks into the salvific role of the Church on earth. The Church provides the rest and peace to the faithful by inviting them to the table of life where the mystery of the death of Christ is celebrated. In the participation of the mystery of the death of Christ, the faithful are given the opportunity of being in the state of rest. This rest is provided through the experience of the truth that God himself manifested through His Son, who gave his life for the Church in order to unite her fully with the Father. The people experience this mystery of truth at the table of the Church. So, the peace and rest provided by the Church originates from the mystery of Son’s salvific activity in the world. This indicates that the Church becomes the harbour in the world by its possession of the truth of God’s salvific acts, which is distributed to the faithful through the sacrament of the Eucharist. The third chapter explicates Mar Jacob’s views on the Church with regard to its role in the economy of salvation. The saving acts of God begin with his act of creation. Mar Jacob held a view that the original creation is a perfect one, but subsequently spoilt by man’s disobedience and ultimately restored to its original perfection by the work of Christ. All this was expressed in the familiar and convenient terms of the paradise, the fall, and man’s restoration to the paradise. The restoration of man and creation took place when he makes the reentry into the paradise. According to Mar Jacob, Christ made possible this reentry of man into the paradise through his act of baptism and his death on the cross. At baptism, man retrieved the lost robe of glory of Adam and his death on the cross, removed the sword that barred humanity from entry into the paradise. In the writings of Mar Jacob, the Church is present at these two pivotal events of the saving ministry of Christ, and he delineated the Church in its relation to the paradise. It indicates that Mar Jacob has a conviction that the role of the Church on earth is to represent the paradise on earth, where the humanity wants to reenter.

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a. God revealed himself out of his divine mercy. He expressed his divine benevolence in the creation of the universe and in the creation of Adam and Eve. In both these events, the purpose of his creation is to manifest his glory. Mar Jacob looks at the creation of the first parents as the creation of the entire humanity because Adam holds in himself a corporate personality. Therefore, in the paradise we see a perfect union of the entire humanity with God. However, the transgression of the commandment of the Lord sent Adam and Eve out of the paradise. From there onwards, God was in search of the fallen humanity in order to bring it back to the paradise. God’s search for the fallen Adam is delineated in various saving attempts of God. The election of Israel as his bride and his betrothal with her at Mount Sinai is envisaged by Mar Jacob as an attempt of God to bring back the humanity again into the paradise. For Mar Jacob, this event prefigures the Church and hence the concept of the Church is formed out of God’s plan of redeeming the humanity. b. Mar Jacob describes the search of God for the fallen Adam out of his divine mercy, which he revealed at the time of creation. God shows his mercy to Adam at the time of his fall and this love continues in the on-​going history of salvation. This became explicit and concrete in the incarnate Son who journeyed on the road of Adam in order to traverse all the fallen stages of Adam and humanity. For Mar Jacob, the Son, who was present eternally at the time of creation, took a second birth in incarnation. In the paradise, God has made Adam in the resemblance of the Son and Adam lost his resemblance due to sin. Through incarnation, the Son, by being commingled with the humanity, reinstate the union, which was lost in the paradise. The Son through various staging posts of his life, starting with the conception in the womb of Mary, submitting himself to baptism in Jordan, accepting death on the cross, redeem the humanity by being united with them. At all these stages, the Son binds himself with the humanity, the daughter of Adam, the bride. So, the notion of the Church, according to Mar Jacob, is present at each staging post of the Son’s journey on the road of salvation. c. Among the staging posts of the Son’s journey on the road of salvation, his baptism at Jordan and his death on the cross at Golgotha explicitly demarcate the birth of the Church. At baptism the people, who awaited the heavenly bridegroom, represent the Church. When Christ came for baptism by his immersing into the waters of the river Jordan, he placed the ‘robe of glory’ for the humanity in the waters of the river Jordan and invited the humanity, the bride, to go down to cloth herself from the waters. So, at river Jordan we perceive the bride, the Church, who is made blameless and spotless. At river Jordan, the Church is manifested through her union with the Son by

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regaining the resemblance with God through the reception of the ‘robe of glory’ that the Son deposited in the waters of baptism. On the ‘great path of the cross,’ Christ rendered perfection to Adam by renewing the image of Adam. Christ assumed in his body all the debts of Adam in order to seek and find, that which had been lost in the garden on account of the deceit of the enemy serpent. On Golgotha, Christ took upon himself the death that Adam caused to humanity through his sin. The redemption of humanity through the death of Christ also manifests the birth of the Church. Mar Jacob visualized the birth of the Church through the flow of blood and water from the pierced side of Christ. The pierced side that ensured the death of Christ begets the Church. The Church was born from the side of the heavenly Adam as the ‘new Eve.’ The typological explanation of Mar Jacob about the pierced side of Christ concludes his whole idea of the Church. It is as follows: (1) the Church is born, when the humanity is redeemed through the death of the Son; (2) the birth of the Church at the death of Son emphasizes the fact that the Church is the continuation of the mission of Christ on earth; (3) the birth of the Church through the flow of water and blood confirms the fact that the Church is represented by the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist, and at the same time she continues her mission of redeeming the people through the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. d. Since the Church represents the salvation envisaged by God through the Son, Mar Jacob has the opinion that the Church is closely linked to the paradise. The reason for this relation lies on the fact of the redemption that God has envisaged for Adam, who had transgressed the commandment of God. Redemption according to Mar Jacob occurs when Adam will return to the Garden of Eden to eat from the tree of life. Since the fallen Adam cannot accomplish this on his own, for the gate to the paradise is locked, and the cherubim with a fiery revolving sword guard the way to the tree of life to prevent Adam from coming back, the tree of life descended to him to bring him back to his original inheritance. Even if the tree of life symbolizes Christ, but not the Church, the tree of life is closely intertwined with the subject of the Church, for the Church is born out of this tree of life and distributes its fruits for the faithful through the life of the Church. The tree of life is preserved in the Church through the presence of the cross and the sacraments represent the fruits of the tree of life. In this respect, for Mar Jacob, the Church is the Garden of Eden, the paradise on earth. e. The paradise, which is the final destiny of the Church, is perceived in the homilies Mar Jacob as kingdom. For Mar Jacob, the Church is destined towards

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the paradise. In her journey, ‘the kingdom’ is considered as the conclusion of her journey. Though there are very few direct allusions that link the Church and the kingdom, the marriage imagery establishes that the Church has its final destiny in the kingdom. Just as every marriage betrothal is consummated at the wedding feast the betrothal between Christ and the Church is consummated in the wedding feast at the second coming of Christ. Therefore, Mar Jacob depicts the Church as a reality, which has the specific role in fulfilling the saving acts of God and she lives in the world as the one who is in the already-​not-​yet of the kingdom of God with the hope of fuller realization in the eschatological kingdom.

3. The Motherhood of the Church The Church as mother of Christians forms an important theme in the ecclesiological thinking of Mar Jacob. His reflection on the motherhood of the Church is rooted on the fact that the Church has an intrinsic relation to Christ. The Church cannot be rightly considered apart from the divine economy of God, which is revealed through Christ and his saving works. She derives her authority to act from her origin as a work of the divine economy of salvation. Therefore, the Church as an existing reality on earth shows the saving acts of God. This manifestation becomes noticeable when she exercises her role as mother on earth. The motherhood of the Church confirms that she continues the ministry of Christ in the world. The Church exercises her maternal function at the numerous levels of the life of the Church. The objective of the fourth chapter of this research is to explore the various levels at which the Church exercises her motherly function and thereby establishes her identity as a spatio-​temporal reality. a. The Church is irrevocably mother and performs the function as mother that is intrinsic to its nature. The Church is mother because it performs the maternal functions. The basis of the motherhood of the Church depends on her origin from Christ. The Church is originated from the side of Christ, the new Adam, like Eve was born from the side of Adam. So, the Church becomes the new Eve, who begets spiritual children instead of Eve, who was the mother of all the living. The Church performs her motherly function by providing life to her children. She begets spiritual children through the sacrament of baptism, which she received from the cross as the fruit of the tree of life and nurtures the children by giving them life through water and the bread of life, which she set on her table.

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b. The motherly function of the Church is established through the life that she imparts to her children through the sacrament of baptism and the Eucharist. The sacrament of baptism and the Eucharist is perceived as the gift that the Church received from the cross. The flow of water and blood, which came out from the pierced side of Christ at the death of Christ not only manifests the birth of the Church but also the sacraments. The origin of the Church and the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist from the side of Christ indicate the relation between the two. When the Church is born from the side of Christ, the life-​giving role of the Church is also manifested through the birth of the sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist. The life that the Church distributes to her children through the sacraments is hence an indication that by the very birth the Church keeps in her the role of a mother on earth. c. The understanding of baptism and its role in manifesting the motherly role of the Church are said to rest upon the nature and source of baptism. According to Mar Jacob, the basic nature of baptism is giving birth to spiritual children. Water and blood that flowed from the side of Christ are for fashioning spiritual children and therefore Mar Jacob calls baptism as the ‘mother of living beings’ for the world. For him, baptism gives birth to new beings in a spiritual fashion by the power of the Spirit. In baptism ‘instead of a soul, the Holy Spirit is breathed into them’ so that all might become spiritual children. The Church not only gives birth to spiritual children but also sustains their lives by providing them nourishment. The Church nourishes the faithful by providing them the body and blood of Christ as food. She receives the food from the cross in the form of blood and she continues to distribute it to the faithful. According to Mar Jacob, the prime intention of Jesus’ incarnation and his death on Golgotha is to become food for the ‘bodily creatures.’ The Church continues this act at the altar of the Church on earth and distributes the nourishment to the faithful. Thus, the motherly function of the Church is the manifestation of the role of the Church as the source of salvation on earth. Mar Jacob expounds in his homilies that besides the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist, the soul receives life through the teaching of the Church. The Church, as a teacher, provides the soul the means to get illuminated. Through providing the soul the ways of enlightenment, the Church purifies the soul and this in turn transforms the soul anew and refreshed. According to Mar Jacob, the teaching of the Church is based on its relationship to the scripture. Within the Church, the scripture is another source of her life. For Mar Jacob thus the Scriptures, which also contain the fruits of life, are another source of

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the life of the Church and hence she exercises her motherly function through the teaching of the scriptures. The ecclesiological nuances of Mar Jacob become more evident in his description of mother Mary as the model of the Church. The last chapter of this research brings out the relation between Mary and the Church that in turn confirms the ecclesiological dimensions of Mar Jacob. Mary and the Church are linked together on the basis of their role in the economy of salvation. Mary’s role in the economy of salvation is in par with that of the Church and sacraments. Just like Mary gives birth to Christ, the Church and the sacraments give birth to children of God. Mary, by being obedient to the commandment of the Lord, becomes the new Eve in that she brings Christ into the world. The Church is also a new Eve in that she is the bride, who is born from the side of the second Adam. Therefore, in this way Mary represents the Church, which ensures the presence of God on earth, begets, and nurtures the children of God like a mother. Mar Jacob’s ecclesiological dimensions are no doubt indebted to his Syriac tradition. The ecclesiological views, which he communicated through his writings, are also well versed in the writings of the Syriac theologians, who preceded him. However, in no way we can see him as a copycat.4 He put forward his ecclesiological thoughts, which are well attested with his understanding of the role of the economy of salvation that is envisaged through Christ. Therefore, his ecclesiology is basically a christo-​centric ecclesiology. The ecclesiological opinions of Mar Jacob, which I have enumerated in this study, depict the Church from the point of view of God’s divine economy of salvation. More research would be desirable to study further the role of the Church on earth because the Church keeps with herself the command of Christ to preach the gospel all over the world. An extra in-​depth investigation is required to see how Mar Jacob narrated the Church’s role in fulfilling the commandment of Jesus to preach his good news on earth. Such an enquiry will further bring out Mar Jacob’s originality in expanding the tradition of his Syriac ancestors and my study will enhance the researches and theologians, who would indulge in a further investigation of Mar Jacob’s ecclesiological dimensions.

4 The typological explanation of Mar Jacob regarding the birth of the Church on Golgotha delineates the uniqueness of his thinking. Mar Jacob considers the mountain, where the sacrifice of Isaac took place, as the type of Golgotha, whereas the writings of Ephrem, he does not mention the name of the mountain.

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4. The Ecclesiological Model of Mar Jacob The theological content of the Church, which is expressed in the homilies of Mar Jacob, puts forward a sacramental model of the Church. This model brings the idea that the Church, in its visible aspects must be a sign of the continuation of the saving ministry of Christ and of hope for the redemption that he promises. The reason for Mar Jacob’s view on looking at the Church as a representation of Christ on earth, lies on the fact that Christ is the hermeneutical principle for Mar Jacob to evaluate the divine economy of salvation. For Mar Jacob, ‘the Son of God is the breath of prophecy. Just as a body cannot stand without soul so there is no prophecy without the mysteries of the Son of God.’5 Through Christ mysteries are opened from the Father’s house because he is the mystery of all the mysteries of prophesies. The Church, as we have seen in the research, is born as part of the divine plan of salvation, and it manifests the mysteries of salvation, which is revealed through Christ. Since it reveals the mysteries regarding the Church, which have no meaning at all outside the mystery of the Son of God, it is easy to conclude that Mar Jacob depicts the Church as the visible presence of the grace of Christ and the representation of the redemption that Christ offers to all. The understanding of Mar Jacob becomes more evident when we look at his views regarding the Church in relation to Christ. In the writings of Mar Jacob, there is an interdependence between ecclesiology and Christology. Christology sheds light on ecclesiology and at the same time, it emerges as part of an economy of salvation in view of the Church. Apart from his conviction that the Church in her structure is similar to Christ due to her origin from Christ, another aspect of his ecclesiology is the notion of Christ continuing to live in her. He refers to her as a kind of extension of the mystery of incarnation. The mystery of incarnation, according to Mar Jacob, is the self-​communication of God for the salvation and the sanctification of the humanity. Mar Jacob delineates this mystery as the result of God’s search for Adam and of bringing back Adam to the paradise. The Church is revealed in the journey of the incarnate Christ to search for Adam and to redeem the humanity. Therefore, Mar Jacob seems to recognize the same economy of revelation or the self-​communication of God in the Church as in the incarnation. Mar Jacob’s explanation of God’s act of descent narrates why the Church is the place, which preserves the mystery of incarnation. Throughout the festal homilies, Mar Jacob describes the descent of divine mercy to the level of the fallen

5 The Chariot that prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 574,7–​10, MHMJS 14, 82,653–​656.

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Adam. This descent, according to Jacob, started at creation, and continues even at the time of the Fall and in the on-​going history of salvation. This became concrete in the incarnate Son and also shown in the formation of the Church. In his homily on the ‘descent of the most High on Sinai, and the mystery of the Church,’ he narrates that the descent of Moses from the mountain to build the Church foreshadows the descent of the Son for the redemption and salvation.6 The self-​ communication of God for the humanity is manifested in the incarnation and the revelation of this mystery is at the fore of the formation or the building up of the Church. Mar Jacob in a similar fashion explains the relation between the incarnation and the Church in his homily on ‘the chariot that prophet Ezekiel saw.’ For Mar Jacob, the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the chariot reveals both the incarnation of the Son7 and the Church with the altar, which contains the body of the Son.8 The appearance of a man in the chariot on the throne reveals the incarnation. The Son of God, who is praised and worshipped by the heavenly beings, reveals the Church, where the incarnate Son is worshipped. Therefore, for Mar Jacob, the Church keeps with her the mystery of incarnation –​the self-​ manifestation of God for the humanity. When Mar Jacob relates the Church with the incarnation, he does not present the Church as the expression of Christ, in whom the divine and the human nature are in union. According to him, in Christ the invisible God is present acting in the union of divine and human natures, whereas in the case of the Church God becomes present and apparent in her. In his writings, he describes incarnation and the Church analogously. The incarnation and the Church are analogues from the point of view of God’s intervention in the act of incarnation and in the formation of the Church. For Mar Jacob, the act of ‘descent’ of God is the key term to explain the act of incarnation and the formation of the Church and through which he describes that the Church is the continuation of the mystery of incarnation. Besides referring both incarnation and the Church analogously, Mar Jacob also refers the unity between Christ and the Church through the imagery of bride. In the bridal imagery, Mar Jacob emphasized that Christ guarantees the union with the Church, the unique bride of one bridegroom, who died on the cross to save her. Mar Jacob explains the unity between Christ and the Church

6 Cf. The Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the mystery of the Church, HS I, 13,5–​8, Appendix II, 415,200–​203. 7 The Chariot that prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 576,10–​11, MHMJS 14, 82,699–​700. 8 HS IV, 596,2–​9, MHMJS 14, 118,1105–​1112.

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ܳ ܽ through the Syriac word ‘mixing’ –​ ḥulṭono (‫)ܚܘܠܛ ܳܢܐ‬. The word is derived from ܰ the verb ḥlaṭ (‫)ܚܠܛ‬, which denotes the union of same species.9 This indicates that Mar Jacob refers to an ontological reality10 through the ‘mixing’ because ‘by His mixture the saying is established that the two are one.’11 By the union of the bride and bridegroom, Mar Jacob insists that the two of them are made one. Though it is not clear the manner in which they are conceived of as being one, Mar Jacob insists that the mixing creates ‘one spirit.’12 This points to the fact that the mixing involves a change in the condition of the bride, the Church: she becomes one reality with the bridegroom. This expounds the inseparable union of the Church, the bride, and Christ, the bridegroom, and therefore in Jacobian concept the Church is the representation of Christ on earth. In Mar Jacob’s perspective, the role of the Church as the representative of Christ and the continuation of his saving ministry on earth is well attested in her role as mother on earth. The motherhood of the Church depicts the visible Church, which gives birth to ‘Sons of God’ and nurtures them by the graces distributed to them through the sacraments.

5. The Relevance of the Ecclesial Model of Mar Jacob The sacramental model of the Church is more relevant today. As we experience in today’s world, the number of people is increasing, who believe in ‘Jesus and in his spirituality’ but not in ‘the Church.’ The main reason for this approach seems to be their outlook of the Church. They could only see the Church as a social instrument, which exists according to the principles of Christ and regards the concerns of the people pastorally. Therefore, it is easy for them to disregard the Church when they experience something contrary to their expectations from the Church as an institution. The proposed solution to this problem is to give importance for the sacramental model of the Church, which depicts the Church 9 Cf. R. Chesnut, Three Monophysite Christologies, 132–​136. Mar Jacob also used the ܰ to denote the union of divinity and humanity in Christ. But I have same verb (‫)ܚܠܛ‬ mentioned the use of this term in this research in order to show how this term is used in the writings of Mar Jacob from the ecclesiological perspective. When Mar Jacob used this term in the ecclesiological context, his intention was only to bring to the notice of his readers about the intrinsic union that exists between the Christ, the bridegroom, and the Church, the bride. 10 Cf. Bou Mansour, La Théologie de Jacques de Saroug I, 164. 11 Our Lord’s remaining on Earth for 30 Years before performing Miracles, HS III, 333,15, TV 4, 48,246. 12 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 290,8, Sob 3,1, 75,138.

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as the visible sign of the continuation of the saving ministry of Christ. Mar Jacob emphasized this way of looking at the Church by describing her in terms of her ultimate union with Christ and in terms of her role as a mother on earth. Mar Jacob, by explaining the Church with reference to her role in relation to Christ, he highlights the Church, which is something more experiential. This approach will enhance an outlook, in which to love Jesus involves the love for the Church, and the love for the Church manifests one’s own craving for Christ. The emphases of the sacramental model in the documents of the second Vatican council and in the encyclicals and the apostolic exhortations of Pope John Paul II attest how much this ecclesiology is dear to the Church. The second Vatican council used the concept of the Church as universal sacrament of salvation.13 Pope John Paul II also reaffirms the sacramental nature of the Church in his encyclical Dominum et Vivifiantem14 and in his apostolic exhortation Pastores Dabo Vobis.15 The theologians like Semmelroth, Karl Rahner and Schillebeeckx, who were the prominent theologians in the second Vatican council, gave attention to the sacramental model of the Church. It also confirms that the developments in ecclesiology rely very much on the sacramental model of the Church, which was dear to the early fathers of the Church. The words of K. Osborne, a renowned sacramental theologian, will attest the development of ecclesiology, which depends on the patristic teaching. He remarks: Jesus in his humanity as the primordial sacrament, and the Church as the foundational sacrament, became a point of departure for many catholic theologians once the writings of Semmelroth, Rahner, and Schillebeeckx became popular (….). Reaching beyond both scholasticism and neo-​scholasticism to the Patristic period of both East and West, these authors presented an approach to Christian sacramentality that was old and yet new. Sacramentality was seen by these authors as a more profound aspect of the Christian Church with a primordial base in the Incarnation itself and a foundational base in the Church.16

The remarks of K. Osborne show that the sacramental model of the Church is not a new development in the field of ecclesiology rather it is well rooted in the

13 Cf. LG 1, 48; GS 45; AG 1; SC 26. A. Flannery (ed.), Vatican Council II: Constitutions Decrees Declarations, New York, 1995. 14 Dominum et Vivificantem no.63.1, ET in: The Encyclical of John Paul II, J.M.Miller (ed.), Huntington, 1996, 332. 15 Pastores Dabo Vobis, no.15.3, 15.4, ET in: The Post-​Synodal Apostolic Exhortations of John Paul II, J.M. Miller (ed.), Huntington, 1998, 513. 16 K. Osborne, Christian Sacraments in a Postmodern World, New Jersey, 1998, 47.

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early patristic period. The emphasis of Mar Jacob on such an ecclesial model will also confirm the existence of such model in the early patristic period. The Church, which needs a revival in today’s world will have to take note of this model as Vatican II and the sacramental theologians of our times proposed, by basing on the patristic period of both East and West.

Bibliography I. Primary Sources: Editions of the Works of Mar Jacob of Sarug AKHRASS, R. and SYRYANY, I. (eds.), 160 Unpublished Homilies of Jacob of Serugh, vol. II, Damascus, 2017. [Reference to these volumes are indicated with the abbreviation UHJS + Volume no. in Roman numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)]. ALBERT, M. (ed. and tran.), Homélies Contre Les Juifs, PO 38, (Fascicule 1, No 174), Turnhout, 1976. [Critical edition with FT; References to these homilies are indicated with the abbreviation HCJ + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)]. —​—​“Mimro Inédit de Jacques de Saroug sur le Sacerdoce et l’Autel,” ParOr 10 (1981–​82), 54–​65. ALWAN, K. (ed. and tran.), Quatre Homélies métriques sur la Création, CSCO 508/​509, Scr. Syr. 214/​215, Louvain, 1989. [Critical edition with FT; References to these homilies are indicated with its equivalent English title and abbreviation QHC + Number of the homily in Roman Numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)]. BEDJAN, P. (ed.), Acta martyrum et Sanctorum, vols. I-​V, Paris, 1890–​1897. [Reference to these volumes are indicated with the abbreviation AMS + Volume no. in Roman numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)]. —​—​ S. Martyrii, qui et Sahdona, quae supersunt omnia, Paris, 1902. [References to this volume are indicated with the abbreviation SMS + Number of Homily in Roman Numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)]. —​—​ Homiliae Selectae Mar Jacobi Sarugensis, vols. I-​V, Paris-​Leipzig, 1905–​1910. [References to these volumes are indicated with the abbreviation HS + Volume no. in Roman Numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)]. A revised edition: BEDJAN, P. and BROCK, S. P. (eds.), Homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug /​Homiliae Selectae Mar-​Jacobi Sarugensis, vols. I-​V+VI, Piscataway, 2006. [References to these volumes are indicated with the abbreviation HJS + Volume no. in Roman Numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)]. OLINDER, G. (ed.), Epistulae quotquot supersunt, Paris, 1937, CSCO 110, Scr. Syr. II, 45, Louvain, 1965. [All references regarding this source in this dissertation is from CSCO 110; References to this volume will be indicated with the abbreviation Letter +Number of the letter in Roman numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)].

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RILLIET, F. (ed.), Six Homélies Festales en Prose, PO 43 (Fascicule 4, No 196), Turnhout, 1986. [Critical edition with FT; References to these homilies are indicated with the abbreviation SHF + Number of Homily in Roman Numerals + Page(s) + Lines]; GT of these Homilies, in: P. Zingerle, Sechs Homilien des heiligen Jacob von Sarug, Bonn, 1867. ET of the following homilies IV, VII, IX, XI, XII, XV in: T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997. [References to this volume will be indicated with the abbreviation FH + Number of the homily in Roman numerals + Page(s) + Line(s)].

II.  Select Works of Mar Jacob of Sarug I provide here the titles of the homilies of Mar Jacob of Sarug as referred to in the footnotes throughout this dissertation. I indicate also the editions and the translations that I cited in this study.

Akhrass, UHJS JACOB OF SARUG, Betrothal of Rebecca, UHJS I, 477–​485 (no.60); FT by F. Graffin, “Recherches sur le thème l’Église-​Épouse dans les liturgies et la littérature de langue syriaque,” OrSyr 3 (1958), 317–​337.

Alwan, QHC JACOB OF SARUG, God says: Come, let us make Man in our image as in our resemblance and on the birth of Christ, QHC, 1–​16 (no.1); FT by K. ALWAN, CSCO 508/​509, Scr. Syr. 214/​215, Louvain, 1989, 33–​86. —​—​ Was Adam been Created Mortal or Immortal? QHC, 17–​32 (no.2); FT by K. ALWAN, CSCO 508/​509, Scr. Syr. 214/​215, Louvain, 1989, 17–​32. —​—​ Adam’s Exist from Paradise, QHC, 33–​86 (no.3); FT by K. ALWAN, CSCO 508/​509, Scr. Syr. 214/​215, Louvain, 1989, 1–​16. —​—​ The Creation of Adam, QHC, 87–​113 (no.4); FT by K. ALWAN, CSCO Scr. Syr. 214/​215, Louvain, 1989, 87–​114.

Bedjan, HS I JACOB OF SARUG, The Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church, HS I, 3–​36, (no.2); ET in Appendix I, i-​xxiv. —​—​ The Consecration of the Church, and the Prophet Moses, HS I, 36–​48, (no.3); ET in Appendix II, xxv-​xxxii. —​—​ The Bronze Serpent HS I, 49–​67 (no.4); ET by HTM, TV 6 (1990), 38–​56.

Bibliography

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JACOB OF SARUG, The Star seen by the Magi, and the Slaughter of the Innocents, HS I, 84–153 (no.6). —— The Baptism of the Law, the Baptism of John, and the Baptism of Our Lord, HS I, 153–167 (no.7); ET by S.P. BROCK, Early Christian Baptism and the Catechumenate: West and East Syria, T. M. FINN (ed.), Minnesota, 1992, 188–197. —— The Baptism of our Saviour in the Jordan, HS I, 167–193 (no.8); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 162–186. —— The Holy Baptism, HS I, 193–211 (no.9); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, JSTC XXIII, 1 (2012), 87–104. —— The Prodigal Son, HS I, 267–299 (no.12); ET by HTM, TV 5,4 (1994), 11–37. —— Zacchaeus the Tax Collector, HS I, 344–364, (no.15); ET by Z. AYDIN, “Jacob of Serugh’s Memro on Zakai the Tax Collector: A Literary and Theological Analysis,” ParOr 35 (2010), 77–94. —— The Rich Man and Lazar, HS I, 365–424, (no.16). —— The Canaanite Woman, HS I, 424–44, (no.17); ET, in: Jacob of Sarugh’s Homilies on Women whom Jesus Met, MHMJS 44, Piscataway, 2016, 1–49. ——The Sunday of Hosannas, HS I, 445–459 (no.18); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 262–277. —— Our Lord’s Question, and the Revelation which Simon Received from the Father, HS I, 460–482 (no.19); GT by S. LANDERSDORFER, Ausgewählte Schriften der syrischen Dichter Cyrillonas, Baläus, Isaak von Antiochien, und Jakob von Sarug, BKV 1. Reihe, Band 6, Kempten, 1912, 332–344. —— Simon Peter, when our Lord said, “Get behind me Satan”, HS I, 460–482 (no.20). —— The Commemoration of the Reposed, and on the loaf brought for the Eucharist, and that the reposed benefit from the oblations and alms made in their behalf, HS I, 531–550, (no.22); ET by HTM, TV 5, (1990), 41– 53. Also see R.H. CONNOLLY, DR 29 (1910), 260–270.

Bedjan, HS II JACOB OF SARUG, The Tower of Babel, HS II, 1–28 (no.33); ET by A. M. BUTTS, MHMJS 15, Piscataway, 2009. —— You are Priest forever, HS II, 197–209 (no.41); ET by J. THEKEPARAMBIL, Harp 6 (1993), 53–64.

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Bibliography

JACOB OF SARUG, Our Lord Portrayed in the Scripture as Food and Drink, HS II, 228–​244 (no.43), ET by J. KALARIPARAMPIL, Theology of Baptism and Eucharist According to Jacob of Sarugh’s Published Homilies and Selected Manuscripts: A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Theology at the University of Freiburg, 2016. —​—​ The Samaritan Woman, HS II, 281–​312 (no.46); ET, in: Jacob of Sarugh’s Homilies on Women whom Jesus Met, MHMJS 44, Piscataway, 2016, 51–​124. —​—​ The Good Samaritan, HS II, 312–​333 (no.47). —​—​ The Transfiguration, HS II, 347–​375 (no.49); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 201–​230. —​—​ The Ten Virgins, HS II, 375–​401 (no.50); ET by HTM, TV 4, 1 (1992), 39–​62. —​—​ The Repentant Thief, HS II, 428–​447, (no.52). —​—​ For Monday of Holy Week, HS II, 447–​470 (no.53.1). —​—​ For the Vigil of Holy Friday, HS II, 522–​554, (no.53.5). —​—​ For the Vigil of the Holy Saturday, HS II, 580–​598, (no.53.7). —​—​ For Holy Friday, HS II, 554–​580, (no.53.6). —​—​ The Sunday of the Resurrection, HS, II, 611–​ 623 (no.54); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 292–​305. —​—​ The Sunday of the Resurrection, HS, II, 624–​ 635, (no.55); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 307–​317. —​—​ Confessors and Martyrs, HS II, 636–​649 (no.56). —​—​The Sunday of Pentecost, HS II, 670–​689 (no.58); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 353–​369. —​—​ Love for the Poor, HS II, 816–​836 (no.66), FT by E. KHALIFÉ-​ HACHEM, ParOr 2 (1970), 281–​299.

Bedjan, HS III JACOB OF SARUG, The Six Days of Creation, First Day, HS III, 1–​27 (no.71.1); ET by R.D. YOUNG, in: Message of the Fathers of the Church IX, J.W. TRIGG (ed.), Wilmington, 1988, 184–​202. —​—​ The Six Days of Creation, First Day, HS III, 1–​27 (no.71.1). —​—​ The Six Days of Creation, Third Day, HS III, 43–​60 (no.71.3). —​—​ The Six Days of Creation, Sixth Day, HS III, 97–​129 (no.71.6). —​—​ The Creation of Adam, and the Resurrection of the Dead, HS III, 152–​175 (no.72).

Bibliography

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JACOB OF SARUG,​ The Vision of Jacob in Bethel, HS III, 192–​207 (no.74); GT by S. LANDERSDORFER, Ausgewählte Schriften der syrischen Dichter Cyrillonas, Baläus, Isaak von Antiochien, und Jakob von Sarug, BKV 1.Reihe, Band 6, Kempten, 1912, 247–​258. —​—​ Our Lord and Jacob, on the Church and Rachel, and on Leah and the Synagogue, HS III, 208–​223 (no.75); ET by HTM, TV 4, 4 (1993), 51–​64. —​—​ The Two Sparrows in the Law, HS III, 724–​741 (no.76), FT by F. GRAFFIN, Mimro de Jacques de Saroug sur les deux Oiseaux, OS 6 (1961), 51–​66. —​—​ The Red Heifer, HS III, 242–​259 (no.77). —​—​ The Two Goats, the Sacrifice of Azaza’el, HS III, 259–​283, (no.78). —​—​ The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, 283–​305 (no.79); ET by S.P. BROCK, Sob, 3, no.1 (1981), 70–​85. —​—​ Types and Figures of Christ, HS III, 305–​321 (no.80); ET by J.A. KONAT, Mus 118 (2005), 71–​86. —​—​ Our Lord’s remaining on Earth for 30 Years before performing Miracles, HS III, 321–​334 (no.81); ET by HTM, TV 4 (1990). —​—​ Our Lord’s Combat with Satan, HS III, 335–​368 (no.82). —​—​ The Kingdom of Heaven is like Leaven, HS III, 411–​424 (no.86); ET by HTM, TV, 3 (1989), 44–​57. —​—​ Five Loaves and Two Fishes, HS III, 425–​462 (no.87). —​—​ The Blind Timaeus, HS III, 462–​483 (no.88). —​—​ The Widow with Two Small Coins, HS III, 483–​500 (no.89). —​—​ Faith, HS III, 581–​646 (no.94). —​—​ The Reception of Holy Mysteries, HS III, 646–​663 (no.95); ET by R.H. CONNOLLY, DR 27 (1908), 278–​287. A. Harrak, MHMJS 23, Piscataway, 2009. —​—​ Praises at Morning and Evening, HS III, 907–​912 (no.107); ET by HTM, TV 26 (2000), 59–​64.

Bedjan, HS IV JACOB OF SARUG, Abraham and His Types, HS IV, 61–​104 (no.109); ET by R. MACCARRON, “An Epiphany of Mystical Symbols: Jacob of Sarug’s Memra 109 on Abraham and his Types,” Hugoye 1, 1 (1998), 57–​78. —​—​ The Prophet Jonah and His Preaching in Nineveh, HS IV, 349–​367 (no.122). —​—​ The Chariot that the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS IV, 543–​610 (no.125); ET by A. GOLITZIN, MHMJS 14, Piscataway, 2016. —​—​ The Paralytic Aged, HS IV, 701–​724, (no.131).

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JACOB OF SARUG, The Fig Tree which Our Lord Cursed, HS IV, 724–​740, (no.132). The Flood, HS IV, 1–​61 (no.108). —​—​ The Second on Elisha, And on the King of Moab, HS IV, 282–​296 (no.117); ET by HTM, TV 1 (1989), 55–​67. —​—​ The First on Daniel, and on the Dream which Nebuchadnezar saw, HS IV, 491–​517 (no.123). —​—​ The Parable of the Vineyard, HS IV, 724–​766 (no.133). —​—​ Theological Investigation and the Consecration of Church, HS IV, 767–​789, (no.134); GT by S.M. GRILL, HeilSt 13 (1963), 17–​54. —​—​ The Lawgiver of the Old and the New Testament is One and the Same, HS IV, 803–​818 (no.136). —​—​ Praise at the Table I, HS IV, 872–​877, (no.139); ET by J.W. CHILDERS, Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on Praise at Table, MHMJS 38, Piscataway, 2016, 28–​38. —​—​ Praise at the Table II, HS IV, 877–​882 (no.140); ET by J.W. CHILDERS, Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on Praise at Table, MHMJS 38, Piscataway, 2016, 40–​50. —​—​ The Praise at Table, VI, HS IV, 899–​904 (no.144); ET by J.W. CHILDERS, Jacob of Sarug’s Homilies on Praise at Table, MHMJS 38, Piscataway, 2016, 88–​98.

Bedjan, HS V JACOB OF SARUG, Melchizedek, Priest of the Most High God and on Types of Our Lord, HS V, 154–​180 (no.155); ET by HTM, TV 2 (1989), 30–​35. —​—​ Moses’ Extended Hands during Battle, HS V, 290–​306 (no.158). —​—​ Jephtha’s Daughter, HS V, 306–​330 (no.159); ET by S.A. HARVEY and O.M. MANOR, MHMJS 16, Piscataway, 2010. —​—​ Samson, HS V, 331–​355 (no.160); ET by HTM, TV 3, 11 (1992), 51–​70. —​—​ King Uzziah, and the Prophet Isaiah, HS V, 393–​430 (no.163). —​—​ The Torrent which the Prophet Ezekiel Saw, HS V, 430–​447 (no.164). —​—​ On the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple and on the Reception of Him by Simeon, HS V, 447–​466 (no.165); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 138–​158. —​—​ On the Miracle by Our Lord Performed in Cana, HS V, 480–​494 (no.167); GT by S. GRILL, “Jakob von Sarugh als Dichter und Exeget,” JÖBG 8 (1959), 17–​28. JACOB OF SARUG, The Woman Hunched Over, HS V, 506–​525 (no.169); ET by S.A. HARVEY et al. (ed.), Jacob of Sarugh’s Homilies on Women whom Jesus Met, MHMJS 44, Piscataway, 2016, 125–​170.

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JACOB OF SARUG, Monday of Hosannas, HS V, 613–631 (no.174). —— The Cherub and the Thief, HS V, 658–687, (no.177). —— The Third Time our Lord was seen by His Disciples, HS V, 687–708 (no.178). —— Edessa and Jerusalem, HS V, 731–747 (no.180). —— Admonition, HS V, 771–782 (no.182). —— A Daughter of the World Who Departs from the World, HS V, 821–836 (no.191).

Bedjan, SMS JACOB OF SARUG, The Blessed Virgin Mother of God, Mary, SMS, 614– 639 (no.1); ET by M. HANSBURY, Jacob of Serugh: On the Mother of God, New York, 1998, 17–42. —— The Visitation of Mary, SMS, 661–685 (no.3); ET by M. HANSBURY, Jacob of Serugh: On the Mother of God, New York, 1998, 65–88. —— The Perpetual Virginity of Mary, SMS, 685–708 (no.4); ET by J. PUTHUPARAMPIL, Mariological Thought of Mar Jacob of Serugh, Kottayam, 2000, i–xxi. —— The Nativity of Our Redeemer According to Flesh, SMS, 720–774 (no.6); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 41–93. —— The Nativity, SMS, 775–790 (no.7); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 95–107. ——The Nativity of Our Lord, SMS, 790–808 (no.8); ET by T. KOLLAMPARAMPIL, Jacob of Serugh: Select Festal Homilies, Rome, 1997, 110–127.

Brock, HJS JACOB OF SARUG, Tamar, HJS VI, 255–269 (no.12); ET by S.P. BROCK, Mus 115 (2002), 293–302. —— The Blessed Virgin, the Bearer of God, HJS VI, 2–24 (no.1); ET by HTM, TV 17 (1993), 5–28.

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KRÜGER, P., “Die kirchliche Zugehörigkeit Jakobs von Serugh im Licht der handschriftlichen Überlieferung seiner Vita unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Pariser Handschrift,” OstKst 13 (1964), 15–32. —— “Ein zweiter anonymer memra über Jakob von Sarug,” OstKst 56 (1972), 188–196. —— “Zur Problematik des Memra über den Glauben des Jakob von Serugh,” OstKst 23 (1974), 188–196. LANGE, C., “The Mystery of the Son did not Journey Without the Church: A Study of Jacob of Serugh’s Memra on the Vision of Jacob at Bethel,” Harp 20 (2006), 209–220. —— Ephraem der Syrer Kommentar zum Diatessaron, Fontes Christiani 54,2, Turnhout, 2008. LA SOUJEOLE, B.-D. de, Introduction to the Mystery of the Church, M.J. MILLER (tran.), Washington D.C, 2014. LUBAC, H. de, The Motherhood of the Church: An Interview Conducted by Gwendoline Jarczyk, SR. SERGIA ENGLUND (tran.), San Francisco, 1994. MANIYATTU, P. (ed.), East Syriac Theology: An Introduction, Satna, 2007. MALANCHARUVIL, C., The Syro-Malankara Church, Trivandrum, 1973. MARTIN, J.-P.P., “Lettres de Jacques de Saroug aux moines du Couvent Mar Bassus, et à Paul d’Edesse, relevées et traduites,” ZDMG 30 (1876), 217–275. —— “Un évèque poète au Ve et au VIe siècle ou Jacques de Saroug, sa vie, son temps, ses æuvres, ses croyances,” Revue des sciences ecclésiastiques 4, no.4 (1876), 309–352, 385–419. McCARRON, R.E., “An Ephiphany of Mystical Symbols: Jacob of Sarug’s Memra 109 on Abraham and His Types,” Hugoye 1, no.1 (1998), 57–78. McCARTHY, C., Saint Ephrem’s Commentary on Tatian’s Diatesseron, Oxford, 1993. McCULLOUGH, W.S., A Short History of Syriac Christianity to the Rise of Islam, Chico CA, 1982. McDONNELL, K., “Jesus’ Baptism in Jordan,” Theological Studies 56 (1995), 209–236. —— The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan: The Trinitarian and Cosmic Order of Salvation, Collegeville, 1996. McVEY, K.E., Ephrem the Syrian Hymns, New York, 1989. —— (ed.), The Fathers of the Church: St. Ephrem the Syrian: Selected Prose Works, Commentary on Genesis, Commentary on Exodus, Homily on Our Lord, Letter to Publius, vol. 91, Washington, 2004.

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MENZE, V.-​L., Justinian and the making of the Syrian Orthodox Church, Oxford, 2008. MICHL, J., “Verlobung,” in: LThK 10 (1965), 715. MILLER, M.M., Sexuality and Authority in the Catholic Church, New Jersey, 1995. MINEAR, P.S., “Church,” The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, vol. I, New York, 1968, 608–​617. MOSS, C., “Jacob of Serugh’s Homilies on the Spectacles of the Theatre,” Mus 48 (1935), 87–​112. —​—​ Catalogue of Syriac Printed Books and Related Literature in British Museum, London, 1962. MURPHY, R.E., “Patristic and Medieval Exegesis –​Help or Hindrance?” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 43 (October 1981), 505–​16. MURRAY, R., “Mary the Second Eve in the Early Syriac Fathers,” Eastern Christian Churches Review 3 (1970–​1971), 372–​383. —​—​“The Lance Which Re-​opened Paradise: A Mysterious Reading in Early Syriac Fathers,” OCP 39 (1973), 315–​362. —​—​ Symbols of Church and Kingdom: A Study in Early Christian Tradition, London, 1975. —​—​“The Theory of Symbolism in Ephrem’s Theology,” ParOr 6–​7 (1975–​ 1976), 1–​20. NÖLDEKE, T., Compendious Syriac Grammar, London, 1904. OSBORNE, G.R., Revelation: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, Michigan, 2002. OSBORNE, K., Sacramental Theology: A General Introduction, New Jersey, 1988. PAGET, J.C. (ed.), The New Cambridge History of the Bible I: From Beginnings to 600, Cambridge, 2013. PAYNE SMITH, J. (ed.), A Compendious Syriac Dictionary, Oxford, 1903. PAYNGOT, C., Homage to Mar Cariattil: Pioneer Malabar Ecumenist, Kottayam, 1987. PEETERS, P., “Jacques de Saroug appartient-​il à la secte monophysite?”, AnBoll 66 (1948), 134–​198. PLUMPE, J.C., Mater Ecclesia: An Inquiry into the Concept of the Church as Mother in Early Christianity, Washington D.C, 1943. POWATHIL, J., “Early Syriac Theology: Some Basic Features,” East Syriac Theology: An Introduction, P. MANIYATTU (ed.), Satna, 2007, 30–​53. PRICE, R., The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon I, Liverpool, 2005.

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PUTHUPARAMPIL, J., Mariological Thought of Mar Jacob of Serugh, Kottayam, 2005. RAHNER, H., Symbole der Kirche: Die Ekklesiologie der Väter, Salzburg, 1964. RAMM, B., Protestant Biblical Interpretation: A Textbook of Hermeneutics, 3rd Edition, Michigan, 1970. RICOEUR, P., The Conflict of Interpretations: Essays in Hermeneutics, DON, I. (ed.), Evanston, 1974. RILLIET, F., “Rhétorique et style à l’époque de Jaques de Saroug,” OCA 229 (1987), 289–​295. ROBINSON, H.W., Corporate Personality in Ancient Israel, Philadelphia, 1980. SALIBA, S., “Baptism in the Homilies of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Jacob of Serugh,” ParOr 40 (2015), 331–​359. SCHAFF, P., and WACE, H. (eds.), A Select Library of The Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, vol. XIII, New York, 1898. SCHMIDT, M., (ed.) Typus, Symbol, Allegorie bei den östlichen Vätern und ihren Parallelen im Mittelalter, Regensburg, 1982. SCOLA, A. CARD., The Nuptial Mystery, M.K. BORRAS (tran.), Michigan, 2005. SEGAL, J.B., Edessa: The Blessed City, Oxford, 1970. SEMMELROTH, O., Die Kirche als Ursakrament, Frankfurt am Main, 1963. SIMONETTI, M., Biblical Interpretation in the Early Church: An Historical Introduction to Patristic Exegesis, New York, 1994. SPIDLIK, T., “Some aspects of Syrian Spirituality,” C. PAYNGOT (ed.), Homage to Mar Cariattil Pioneer Malabar Ecumenist, Kottayam, 1987, 68–​92. TANNER, P., “The History of Interpretation of Song of Songs,” Bibliotheca Sacra 154 (1997), 23–​46. TELLY, E., “Abraham and his Types: Homily of Mar Jacob 109,” Harp 24 (2009), 179–​188. THEKEPARAMBIL, J., “Malkizedeq according to Jacob of Sarug,” OCA 247 (1994), 121–​133. —​—​“St. Peter in the Homilies of Jacob of Serugh,” ParOr 31 (2006), 123–​132. TISSERANT, E. CARD., Eastern Christianity in India, Calcutta, 1957. VAN ROMPAY, L., Humanity’s Sin in Paradise: Ephrem, Jacob of Sarug, and Narsai in Conversation, Piscataway, 2011. VARGHESE, B., West Syrian Liturgical Theology, Aldershot, 2004.

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VASIL’EV, A.A., Justin the First: An Introduction to the Epoch of Justinian the Great, Cambridge, 1950. VÖÖBUS, A., History of the School of Nisibis, CSCO 266, sub. 26, Louvain, 1965. —​—​ Handschriftliche Überlieferung der Memre-​Dichtung des Ja’qōb von Serūg, vol.1, CSCO 344, sub. 39, Louvain, 1973. —​—​“Eine unbekannte Biographie des Ja’qōb von Sarūg,” ZKG 85 (1974), 399–​405. —​—​ History of Asceticism in the Syrian Orient: A Contribution to the History of Culture in the Near East III, CSCO 500, sub. 81, Louvain, 1988. VRIES, W. de, “Die Kirchenbegriff der von Rom getrennten Kirchen,” OCA 145 (1955), 154–​190. WATT, J.W. (tran.), The Chronicle of Pseudo-​Joshua the Stylite, Liverpool, 2000. WICKHAM, L.A., Cyril of Alexandria: Select Letters, Oxford, 1983. WINKLER, D.W., “A New Term for Use in the History of Dogma and in Ecumenical Theology,” Harp 10 (1997), 33–​40. WOOD, S.K., Spiritual Exegesis and the Church in the Theology of Henri de Lubac, Oregon, 2010. ZIELINSKI, H.L., “Hochzeit, Biblisch-​theologisch,” in: LThK 5 (1965), 192–​193. ZINGERLE, P., “Ausgewählte Schriften der syrischen Dichter,” ZKT 11 (1877), 92–​108.

Appendix I The Descent of the Most High on Sinai, and the Mystery of the Church1 1. God almighty who leaned his strength upon the Mount Sinai, (3) give me [the strength] to chant the hymns of the power of Your strength. The Upholder of the edges, who feigned Himself so that Sinai could uphold Him, let my mind hold You limitlessly as much as possible. 5. You Who descended to the high mountain –​although You did not descend, descend truly to the height of my mind that is waiting for you. By you, O Fiery One, let my mind billow smoke like mount Sinai, and may the fumes of the hymns of Your magnitude raise up from it. Give me [the ability] to say that the mountain carried You metaphorically, 10. and that a small portion of Your strength descended upon it and it shook altogether. You descended allegorically upon the top of Sinai, the mountain of stone, come to the spiritual mind that, behold, is gazing at you. The land is not aware of You so as to perceive you as the mind, nor are the mountains [aware] as if to receive you as the thoughts. 15. The mind is so much greater than Mount Sinai, (4) rest upon it and a hymn of praise may rise up from it [as smoke]. That one whom You betrothed in the place of Sinai, You did not come to possess her, come, betroth the soul which is hanging by the beauty of your praises. The congregation of the people, when You loved her, she committed adultery with the calf, 1 Syriac Text: Homiliae Selectae Mar-​Jacobi Sarugensis, P. Bedjan (ed.), Vol. I, Hom. Nr.2, Paris-​Leipzig, 1910, pp. 3–​36. FT by Babakan, in: Revue de l’Orient Chrétien 17 (1912), 411–​426; 18 (1913), 42–​52. I have used the revised edition of S. Brock, Vol. I, pp. 3–​38. Indications to the page numbering of the Syriac Text are given in italic square brackets on the right hand side of the given translated text. I have divided the homily with subtitles for the better understanding of its content. I have taken the title of the homily as it is given in the edited volume of S. Brock. This homily of Mar Jacob is based on the Mount Sinai event of the book of Exodus (see Ex 19–​34), which tells us about the formation of the Church on Mount Sinai by the descent of God.

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20. O Lord, may silence not enter into my thought and commit fornication with it. May Your story be the husband of my word and protector, and unite with it [my word] so that it also may give the fruits of praise. Be jealous as Moses and scatter the silence as [was] the calf [scattered], so the soul may adhere to your intimacy with her praises. 25. Your homily is greater than all the mouths of angels and human beings, and the wide minds are not enough for You with their intentions. Your story is more powerful than the poets and the listeners, and your investigation is concealed from heavenly and mortal beings. Your Shekinah is kept hidden from bodily and spiritual beings, 30. and your place is far away from earthly and celestial beings. The power, which takes hold of the ends of the whole earth, cannot be confined, and the symbol, which is faster than the lightening, cannot be preceded. He cannot be described by the fiery tongues, nor can the seraphs call Him with their words. (5) 35. The eloquent mouths of the house of Gabriel cannot possess Him, and He is much far off from the trumpet of the house of Michael. He is high and eminent, far and concealed, hidden and great, powerful and covered, unseen and glorified, vehement and amazing, holder of the depths and containing the boundaries with the power of his essence, 40. ruler of the creations and sustainer of the ages by His works; all creations are full of Him while not lessening, All the borders are confined within Him and are gathered by Him, He is greater than the height; dwelling in the depth, and He is all in all. Upon the height top He sits like a judge, 45. and by His commandment, the orders of all creatures go on. His power spread forth the earth by the sign above nothing, and the strength of His creative power carries it as a mighty one. Below here, His commandment supports the creature so that it shall not be drowned, and up there, His sign binds the heavens so that they shall not be rolled up. 50. He dwells as the soul in the creatures and carries them; they are supported by him, and are not afar from his establishment. He is above them and within them and in all of them, they are contained by him for He is the boundary of all of their ends. For He is not in a place nor in a position nor in a region, (6)

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55. and he does not dwell or travel but figuratively.

The Love of God for Israel Though the regions are very small for this power [to dwell], upon the mountain He humbled himself and dwelt there. The mind sailed in the waves of the homily of His wonder, and it (mind) does not understand with what voices shall it sing His stories. 60. Should I constrain my narration to His descent to Mount Sinai? Or to [the fact] that He never descended, but apparently (in type)? Let us show here that He cannot be constrained within the narration, and approach to speak about his descent with great wonder. Look, O wise, to the beginning of the homily of reflections, 65. and prepare your sense of hearing to receive the glories. Ponder at this Mighty (God) who possesses the boundaries: what reason summoned Him to descend upon the Mount Sinai? His mercies drew Him towards humanity, so that He becomes its kin, and He came with His love to betroth and to take to Himself the daughter of the earthly beings. 70. He desired the congregation, the daughter of the righteous ones, because of her race, so that He becomes a clan to the race of the house of Abraham. He saw the young girl as the Egyptians mocked at her, yet that Holy One did not abhor the fornicator. (7) He sent after the corrupted one to bring her back to Him, 75. so that mixing (or: uniting) with Him, the daughter of the righteous ones may be sanctified. He made Moses as one who betroths and sent Him to her, so that he descends and makes an agreement with her as a mediator. He gave him strength and power as he descended, in order to seduce her with wonders, so that she ascends with him. 80. The Levite went down, performed terrible things, took her and went up, and he put in her hand the ring which he received from the bush. He betrothed her to be on the name of the Holy One, and ascended from Egypt, for he preserved her as the trust of the house of God. He placed upon her head the crown of salvation and went out with her,

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85. and he called the creatures to celebrate her with their harps. and because pharaoh, the voluptuous, tried to withhold her from him, the holy One was zealous and he overthrew him in the sea, took her and went up. He sent after her, and destroyed Egypt while she was being saved, the waves accompanied her and she crossed the sea with great wonder. 90. Horeb received her and brought forth extraordinary gifts, The desert adored her with its offerings when she entered it. The whole creation felt by whom she was betrothed, and the whole natures came and accompanied her forth to celebrate. All the elements bore the gifts and walked in front of her, (8) 95. while crowded together to go with her to the Holy One. A great pillar of light came quickly to illuminate in front of her, and it joined with the bride and it walked with her just like a lamp. Everyday gifts were following her from the creatures, as she was made proud (or: as she delighted) by the best foods. 100. The heaven soothed her with manna, which it sent for her, and the depth fed her with quail, which it brought for her. Blessed water flowed for her from the rock, and all the natures provided her [and she was] tender. All creatures assembled to go with her, 105. so that the world shall see the great wedding feast made for her.

The Meaning of the Ascent of Moses to the Top of the Mountain She was led with her companions until Sinai, and she reached the land which her Lord had appointed for her. Moses, the friend of her Bridegroom,2 left her before the mountain and went up, in order to go and see when the Bridegroom will come to meet her. 110. He heard the Hidden One giving him a command: descend and say to this bride whom I delivered and brought from Egypt: Behold I have carried you like upon the wings of an eagle in the air,3 I have also celebrated for you in [different] places without any harm. Let us be in love, and let the agreement between me and you be established,

2 Ex 25:9 ff. 3 Isa 40:31.

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115. and so I come and become your groom solemnly. Before the wedding feast, I tell you all of my desire, If you consent to me, come to the wedding feast because I want you. I want you to be with me in pure company, without laying down with another one to do fornication. 120. Forever I shall let you sit with hope in Me, do not be attracted to another one to come in to you. If you are mine, I will take you sacredly, if you become despised, I will break you off in front of strangers. May I not see in you the bad sign of those who commit adultery, 125. nor the attires of the seduced one. Do not show me foul signs of those who are despised, and do not be altered by the art of lusty behaviors. Do not show obeisance to anyone other than Me, and thenceforth do not enter in another agreement. 130. Be holy, venerable, and modest and without blemish, noble and clean, refined and pure in all attires. May you be vigorous, eminent, pure, serene and calm, honest and vigilant, gentle and fair, and without stain. and if you come here to me in confidence, (10) 135. you shall become the mistress of everything that I have, and no one shall give you commands. I give you the great crown, the belt of the kings, I put in you holiness, the treasure of priests. The prophets who reveal the secrets shall be yours, and the priests who give absolution over the sins shall dwell with you. 140 Behold, the Levites shall walk with you like runners (or: messengers),4 and the deacons shall accompany you like servants. The dew of the sky –​the throne, shall be on your land abundantly, and the land shall increase the blisses fully before you. The air shall pour all the delights over your camp, 145. the sun shall ripen the sweet fruits to feed you. You shall inherit the land of all the kings, who fight with you, and you shall not be defeated by the mighty powers who come to encounter with you. You shall lay your heel upon the neck of the chiefs of the earth, and trample all the crowns under your power. 4 Ex 32: 26–​27.

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150. I will make you lay hold of the signature of my own hand on these things, and if you be with me as my wish, everything is yours.’

Moses Prepares the Bride According to the Covenant The bridegroom sent this covenant with Moses, so that he may come down and see if the bride consents to it. The mediator, son of Hebrews, came down from the top of the mountain, 155. and he summoned the heads of the house of Jacob and its leaders.  (11) He recounted before them the words of the bridegroom as they were, [to see] whether they consent to the agreement which He made or not. They responded him pleasantly and with joy in him: ‘We agree with your mediation,’ Moses, our teacher. 160. The Bridegroom does good in seeking our daughter solemnly, who shall give us to mix that race with our race? We are considerably small, what bridegroom shall [accept to] be called by our name? who shall become our bridegroom? This is a great blessing. Behold, before you is the daughter whom we have raised while among the Egyptians, 165. earn from her about the covenant that your Lord has made.’ Moses called her to ask her in front of the elders, and while she was happy, she gave her word to go with him. The Levite heard that she gave herself willingly, and while he was happy he returned to his Lord to show to him [what happened]. 170. ‘My Lord, the daughter consented to our mystery, as we asked, and she does not excuse herself from becoming [bride] with holiness. Behold she made a good agreement with me as You instructed me, and if she is true as she says, she shall not deceive [You]. He answered Moses again and said to him ‘go back to her, 175. go down and dress her on the outside and inside. (12) On the outside, may she wear glorious white [clothes] so that she shines in them, on the inside, may she [wear] the thoughts of holiness so that she may look beautiful in them. May she be consecrated to me today and tomorrow mysteriously, and on the third day, I shall come towards her vigorously.’

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180. Moses came down and he began to decorate the bride; he was tired and torn away from instructing the troubled. He was teaching the impudent not to be corrupted, and commanding her, ‘in order that the Bridegroom may not abhor you.’ Sprinkle holiness upon His way so that He shall be exalted on it (i.e. on the way), 185. so with purity you shall see His presence when you meet Him. Place the holy crown upon your head when He sees you, so that you shall enter with Him into the bridal chamber of light with honor.’

Moses Resembles Christ A great mystery occurred to me here and made me pause at it, and because I was ungrateful to it, behold, it is quarreling with me and criticizing me: 190. ‘O ignorant, why haven’t you exalted me while you were proceeding? do not be ashamed of me because I am the beauty of your chants.’ The story of the Son shone in the midst of the homily of His Father, and demanded from me that ‘if you do not praise me, you shall not move beyond. Do not divide us with your findings, ignorant man, 195. our story is one, let it not be divided within your lips.’ And, because the truth has urged me and I cannot escape from it, (13) I shall cast out my voices for the living Son, and then proceed, moving forward. The likeness of Moses shall not fall short before that of Christ, let us examine here wherewith he resembled the Son of God. 200. With his descent from the top of the mountain towards the Hebrews, the way of Jesus can be seen by him who can comprehend. With his mediation, that is his descent and ascent towards the daughter of Jacob, [the mediation] of Christ towards humanity is depicted. Listen, O experienced, how much the servant is like His Lord, 205. and thus prophet like me proclaimed Him as if in mystery. The daughter of Abraham was delivered from Egypt by him, and she was betrothed by him to become the bride of the Holy One. Through him, she approached to become the bride of the King, her Lord, He consecrated her so that she sees the high with a splendor.

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210. He became a mediator between God and his camp (i.e. the camp of the Israelites), He is like his Lord, whose Father reconciled with the world through Him. With this type, Christ descended towards humanity, He saved her and betrothed her, sanctified and purified her, washed and cleansed her. Instead of the white [clothes] which Moses put on the daughter of Jacob, 215. Jesus whitened the soul solemnly within the water.5 Three days did Moses sanctify (or: consecrate) that daughter of the people,(14) and through our Lord, holiness was established forever. The image of the Son of God rested there, and while it was passing over, it depicted the likeness of the reality. 220. It was because of these mysteries that were fulfilled through Moses, that he was bold to call the Son of God ‘Prophet like me.’ And, if I open the door of the mysteries of all my story, they (i.e. the mysteries) will not allow me to arrive to the conclusion. Indeed, the multitude of hidden mysteries are pushing me forward, 225. yet I am not able to contain their revelations. About the descent of the [Most] High upon Sinai, I began to speak, I [thus] set my word swiftly towards the aim of the story. Do not be entangled within the mysteries of all my words, it is clear that they were not, nor can be limited. 230. I shall [hence] move hastily towards the end in the way of the homily, while leaving so many things from the story [without mentioning them].

The Election of the Bride and the Instructions of Moses Moses, thus, came down to decorate the bride he brought, so that the Bridegroom to whom she is betrothed may see her with elegance. He commanded her and she clothed; he looked at her and she became beautiful; he decorated her and she became proper,

5 Here Mar Jacob mentions the purification, which Jesus brought forth for his bride through his baptism. Cf. Baptism of Our Redeemer, HS I, 168,1–​8, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 162,11 –​163,16.

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235. he admonished her so much, reprimanded and instructed her, and perfected her elegance. For three days, Moses took care of her while he was instructing her, and commanding her, so in which type she may see her Lord. (15) He carved for her wise words and put them in her mouth (or: on her lips), so that when the Glorious Bridegroom calls her, she [knows how to] respond to Him. 240. Moses, her guide and educator, was instructing her, so that he shall appear with a bold face before the Holy One because of her. When, therefore, she learnt in what type she shall see the Bridegroom, and what attire she has to wear before Him when she arrives at Him; and after she prepared for three days in holiness, 245. then, the Bridegroom went out of His place to come down to her. The Strong One descended and put on mighty power, so he shall come to her vigorously and hastily. He moved without moving, and descended to the earth without descending, and He set uproar in heaven and in depth: behold He comes. 250. The commandment stirred up the heavenly powers, and the King prepared to move around while not moving from one place to another. The ranks of fire moved in haste from before Him [while crying out]: behold He comes, they moved vehemently to come before His coming. The orders were creeping one after another hastily, 255. and the bands of the light gathered altogether. The troops of the high were called to descend to the earth, and the fiery and flying ones flew on the air before the Powerful. Terror rested upon the assemblies of heaven, and they prepared to come, (16) for they heard the Fiery One roaring after them. 260. Thousands of the ranks of flame came together, to accompany the Living Fire while on earth. The commandment descended swiftly to the pastures of light, and gathered rapidly the angels who are there. The spiritual beings trembled [and said:] ‘behold, He comes to descend on the mountain,’

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265. and the powerful voices that came out with Him scared them. A new story (or report/​sound) astounded the heavenly beings, for the Hidden One set up His way to descend to the earth. They gathered to see which is the place that He comes out from, and where He was Hidden and how He comes and in what manner He travels. 270. And while the rational beings were astonished, power shone, and [also] the burning fire, the hidden Shekinah, and the amazing appearance. The angels didn’t see the One who is without body in type, for He did not move really from the high and rest in the depth.

The Descent of God and the Response of Heavenly and Earthly Beings In an assumed name He descended powerfully upon the mountain, 275. so the daughter of Abraham would earnestly desire His magnificence. He came out to come, but He did not come but in type, the creations trembled by the sound of shouts of His powers. He sent a sound that the feet of the mountain are shaken by, so that the world knows about the wedding feast He came down to make. (17) 280. The horn of the archangel made a joyful noise vehemently, and the sound became louder and the created beings trembled with their natures. The trumpet gave sound from the upon high of heaven, and the rocks shook because of the intensity of the great sound. Mightily, He marched forward to come in great wonder, 285. He came out from His place, He passed the firmament, so behold He descends. He kindled the lightening and came out to the air suddenly, so that He treads and passes upon the rays of the poured light. He set on the fire for the horses of fire and sent them forth, so that they go before Him luminously as lamps. 290. He sprinkled on the air to light the earth with His flame, and he dimmed the eyes so that they cannot see Him as He is. The voices cried out loud upon the high of the arch of heaven, for it is so proper that the crying out accompanies the bridegroom. The intensive lightening were curved [and fixed] on the creations,

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295. as threads of fire that the living command has interwoven. The Mighty descended and rested upon the mountain and it trembled completely (or: and the whole of it trembled), it smoked and was melted by the fire that rested upon it. A cloud surrounded it to cool with coldness, and with moistened dew that the command sprinkled on its burning. 300. The dense smoke of flame went up as furnace, (18) while the stones were burning with an intangible fire. It is a wonder to speak as the rocks were melting there, and the flinty rocks were also burning as twigs. The flame was even kindled in the cliffs, 305. and the smoke ascended also from the rocks as from woods. And the fire started to melt the mountain and behold it is about to fall, so the Power that carries all creations supported it with the powerful command. That Mighty One who stepped on it and it completely quaked, He supported the mountain with His power so that it shall not be weakened. 310. The mountain of stones was not able to bear the Power that carries the edges of the universe with His strength.

The Descent of God on the Mount Sinai He carried the mountain, which carried Him when He rested upon it, for He is the Mighty One who is sufficient for all with His invisibility. That the Lord descended upon the Mount Sinai, behold it has been heard, 315. but how He descended? it is wonderful to speak about with amazement. Let us blend in our story: that He descended yet He did not descend, and let us repeat the word, so that I do not limit it with its end. For him who is simple, let us say that He descended vehemently, however, for the skillful, it is clear that He did not descend. 320. He whom the heavens cannot hold His invisibility, would a small place like Mount Sinai be sufficient for Him? (19) He whom the earth is a footstool under his legs, how would the tip of the footstool be enough for Him to rest upon it? He descended figuratively and not definitely upon the top of the mountain, 325. while He did not move from where He is to where He descended. A small portion of His power inclined towards the Mount Sinai, while He did not go forward from here to there by His descending. While He is up in the High, He was resting upon the mountain, and cannot be confined, and while He was not moving, He used the type (or: example) of descending.

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330. He brought out from the bush6 the likeness that is full of terror, while He is the same as He is and where He is. The words are terrible, and the story is terrifying and the homily is tough, and the tongue slips from it because of its (the tongue’s) weakness. If the mouth were able to narrate it as it is fitting, 335. the sense of hearing would burst invisibly. If I were able to narrate how fearful it is, I would cast wonder on the hearers because of the terror. If my mind did not rebuke me [saying]: ‘Do not speak anymore,’ I would not be able to arrive to an end while speaking simply about that descent. 340. In what manner shall I speak, and how much shall I say, and when shall I stop? With what shall I limit within the story Him Who has no limit? (20) If Mount Sinai was melted by Him, though it was rock, wouldn’t the bodily tongue be burnt by His story? The Holy One made a wedding feast for the proud girl, 345. and He came towards her, so that she shall be made holy through his company. He pitched His tent upon the top of Sinai from mist: a great bridal chamber of flame on the exalted place. And because at the wedding feast, a never ending shouting and uproar are to be found, He caused loud voices that the bride may rejoice on the day of her joy. 350. The cloud became a chamber on the mountain for the bridegroom-​king, and He dwelt there while acting proudly with reverent things. Voices that break through the earth came out from the dark fogs, amazing appearances that are too abundant for the eye with their rays, continuous flashes of lightening that are burning swiftly, 355. [and] a movement of fire that is kindled burningly. ranks of angels who are astonished spiritually, thousands of powers who chant the praise intensely, the sound of the trumpet, which was so powerful, and it shakes the mountains, and it amazingly troubles the sense of hearing and frightens it.

6

Ex 3:1–​17.

Appendix I

395

The Events on the Mount Sinai and the Birth of the Church 360. Let us also listen to this in amazement and with understanding, let us listen to the wonders distinctly. Which is the trumpet that cried out there upon the Mount Sinai? and of what was it, and if it was really a trumpet? Look, O learned (or: skillful) at the borrowed (or: assumed) things how mighty they are, 365. and at that order of hidden things, how powerful they are. He made heard voices that are not in anything as if they are in something, and He calls it the sound of the trumpet, though it was not a trumpet. He commanded the air and it all cried out towards Sinai, a voice which is not confined neither with the trumpets nor with the pipes. 370. As if with trumpet the command blew amid the thick darkness, and a thunder came out that ripped the earth with its intensity. By this also is the order of the wedding feast kept, for with the sound of the trumpet, the bridegroom enters into his bridal chamber. He gave this sign to Moses before he goes down, 375. towards that people while he only knows Him. So when the trumpet ceases at the mountain, the people shall rise,7 and [the sound] was becoming louder and ceasing according to preserved order. And because, when it becomes louder, the sense of hearing deafens by it, it was made soft so that it shall not enfeeble its hearers. 380. When the hidden power cried out through it, it [power] lowered it once again, so that it reaches the hearing orderly. With this vision that terrified the earthly beings, the people thought that the Lord wholly dwelt on the mountain. (22) those sounds which the hidden command fashioned, 385. the young children think that the hollow trumpet begot them (i.e. sounds). Because the Lord was called to descend (or: was said to have descended), the ignorant people trembled, for [they thought] that the height was devoid of Him because He was on the mountain.

7 Ex 19:13

396

Appendix I

Because it was heard that the sound of the trumpet was so loud, thus they believed that He was speaking in a complex way. 390. By the pretenses (or: the borrowed things) which were mentioned for help, those who got lost counted Him –​Who is without composition –​as composed. According to the infancy (or: inexperience), He gave the demonstration, and He was also able to weigh the visions with the intellect. With the measure of reason He collects and applies to the mind, 395. so according to his intelligence, each person shall see Him as he can.

The Attitude of Moses, the Nation and the Corrupter The necessity (or: the excuse) summoned Him to lean His power towards the Mount Sinai, so that the congregation shall be united with Him because of the vision of reverence. If he had not descended, she would have been able to say after she commits adultery: as long as I did not see Him, how shall I still wait for Him? 400. Yet, since this is the case, He made an excuse and the word came out that: behold the Lord will come down upon the mountain.8 and He showed wonder as if He dwelt wholly upon the mountain, and Sinai quaked for the Almighty One treaded upon its top. (23) Smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace from the whole mountain, 405. so that it becomes established that the Fiery One dwells there. The heap of stones were melted by the fire, which smoldered in them, so that it may be believed that He Who is clothed in fire is there. The lightening were alarming; thunders were coming heavily; the sounds were powerful, so He shall convince them that the whole of the Shekinah was there. 410. He extended the cloud as double veil and encircled the mountain, as if behold, He is entirely within it. He extended the thick darkness as towels in every corner, as a sign of honor outside them because He was inside them (the corners). He kindled in the air the rays of light like lamps,

8 Ex 19:11.

Appendix I

397

415. as if truly He kindled before Himself as a sign of honor. and hence, since [things] were as such, He did not give an excuse for the borrowed things, and He did not give a reason for the daughter of Abraham as if [what happened] was true. And when she believed that He came towards her and dwelt near her, after a while she molded a calf to fornicate with it.9 420. It is not time now to speak about her adultery, this is preserved for another story to reveal her fraud. About the descent of the Lord upon Sinai, I extended my word, (24) let me not miss of the story which is incomprehensible.

The Wedding at Mount Sinai The Mighty one descended and rested upon the mountain in the manner that He descended, 425. and Moses descended to call the bride to come to Him. She came out, stood up, shook, amazed, learned, enfolded, returned, knelt, owed, quivered, trembled, humbled. She shivered, fell, kept silent, suppressed, dreaded, perished, was smitten, died and her spirit was despised as she abstained. 430. The voices stroke her, the flashes of lightening terrified her, thunders shouted at her, the visions frightened her, so that she was not able to endure. The bridegroom began to speak to her solemnly, but she did not accept Him that she may pleasantly hear from Him. She called Moses [saying]: ‘you, humble, speak with me, 435. for the voice of the Lord casts me to the place of death.’ The voice of the Holy One did not please that fornicator, therefore she shrank from purity because of her vicious life. She requested Moses to speak to her the word of the bridegroom, because it was simpler for her to negotiate boldly with Him. 440. For, these sounds, which came from Mount Sinai, did not satisfy her She cried out if she gets harder, fire shall come to her. She said to that humble one (Moses), ‘You talk to me,’

9

Ex 32:1–​5.

398

Appendix I

for she knew that he could be insulted and would not complain. (25) She asked him to speak to her to mistreat him, 445. and answer him with troublesome sounds of doubt. The sound thundering from Sinai was not easy for her [to accept], for she could neither quarrel nor complain before His power. She called Moses to take trouble with her fury, for she was confident that if he were harsh, it would be easy to cause his death. 450. The voice of the Lion that roared and made Sinai quake terrified her, She desired that the lamb, Moses, would answer her softly. The scream of the Eagle shook up the detestable vulture, and she asked for the nestling that laid between her talons. She was abhorred by the sound that shakes mountains, 455. and longed for Moses’s impeded speech. The sounding of the trumpet from the summit of the air shook her up, and she desired to hear the speech of the tongue-​tied because he seemed pleasing to her. It was not that she loved Moses for him to speak to her, but that the brazen one abhorred God. 460. She heard the Bridegroom admonishing her against strangers, but the pure precept did not delight the brazen one. She made up a pretext to expel from her the voice of the Holy One, craftily, she summoned Moses [saying]: ‘You talk to me.’ If she had not resolved to commit iniquity there,(26) 465. she would not have abhorred the Bridegroom who came to her. If her eye had not fallen on strangers, she would not have chosen Moses’s speech over that of the Hidden One. If she had not loathed the face of the Bridegroom, she would not have dreaded his intimacy when she received him. 470. If her heart had not loved her corruptor, she would have allowed the Bridegroom of Truth to talk to her. If she had been pure, why was she ashamed of the Holy One? It was revealed to her that she was in filth. So, she was ashamed. She realized that the hour of the Bridegroom seeking the truth approached, 475. and she revealed her secret that she is lewd toward the one raising her. She called on Moses to speak to her according to her will, thinking that her adultery could be concealed, ‘You, O humble one, talk to me,’ she said to him, ‘Let God silence His sounds because they shake me up.’

Appendix I

399

480. Moses soothes and encourages her as a little girl, ‘He wants to test you. Do not be afraid of the powerful One! He desires to make a marriage settlement and ascend to His sublime abode. Enter into a covenant with Him, and behold His thundering voice will be silenced. Come and find out to whom I have betrothed you lest I be ashamed. 485. Look at His Shekinah, how awful it is to His creatures. (27) Your Betrothed has this power because of his magnificence, do not refuse his splendor with your hastiness. Make with him the perfect covenant for which He came, let me not be ashamed of you, for I have been looking after you since Egypt.’ 490. The congregation quivers, Moses is agitated and comforts her, the mountain smokes, the High One is strong, and Sinai burns. The sounds are terrifying, the visions are amazing, the thunders are alarming, the orders are setting in array, the rows are extending, the ranks of angels are in glory. Choirs are surrounding, thousands are gathering, the powers (i.e. angels) are bound together, 495. The seraphim are crying holy, holy, holy, cherubs are hovering over, the watchers (i.e. angels) are flying. A wonderful image, an amazing spectacle: Shekinah that is hidden, cloud that is standing, fire that is burning, clamor that is loud, brightness that is spread out, light that is sprinkled, glory that is poured out, splendor that is extended, sound that is strong, noise that is arising; 500. Moses is humble, the Bridegroom is mighty, the bride is despised, the bridal chamber gleams, the dome is pitched, [and] beauty shines out. The wedding-​guests are reclining [at table], the worlds are rejoicing, [and] the marriage feast is prepared, but the deceiver refuses the wedding. The scribe stands, bearing a pen to write up the covenant, 505. and the Bridegroom is waiting to throw in the world to [her] marriage portion The Daughter of Abraham then treated this Bridegroom with contempt, since the calf ’s [intimate] companion was not contented with his (i.e. Bridegroom’s) intimacy. And the clean curtains of air were hanging outside the mountain, and the Sinai was staying in dark fogs and [in] the curtains of fire.

400

Appendix I

510. The bridegroom brought forth astonishing clothes of flame, from that pouch of God that He brought down with Him. The bed chamber is warm with the clothes weaved by fiery coal, and the bed of fire, which cannot be seized is lying flat with them. Surrounding it were the curtains which cannot be touched, 515. because they were prepared by the weaver’s beam of God. And on the outside, the garment as a pouch of clouds, its color was dusky and its body was compact and its strength was poor. The wind gradually moved away as if giving chance for the congregation to see these glories that are within it (i.e. the bed of fire). 520. On the inside [are to be found] the cloud and the fire that burns upon the top of the mountain, and on the outside, the air which was thickened as if for her honor. The Glory [of God/​Bridegroom] was lying within the wall of the clouds, so it was shown, but not shown as it [really] is. The cloud within her covered the splendor of His face, 525. though it sprinkled a little splendor upon the spectators. Blessed light was poured through its wings,(29) a little portion from that glory which the people saw. And behold when the splendor was poured forth and is about to be revealed, the cloud hindered it, the Mount Sinai smoked and behold it was about to be melted if the command would not have support it. 530. When a little of the glory rose up/​shone from the cloud, it leant to the cloud, so it shall not be poured forth abundantly to the spectators. They were seeing it, but not seeing it diligently, so that the glory that is within their thoughts may also be kindled. Also, this vision that was hidden from their eyes, 535. was an incentive to them to learn that which is inside is even greater. Some splendor was coming out of the clouds, and they were terrified that if it overflows, the world will be set on fire. They were seeing it through the veil of cloud, and since it was hidden, it amazed everyone who was around it.

Appendix I

401

540. For, when something is far and hidden, it is of much value, for this reason, the cloud became a veil for the mountain. The smoke ascended to show that the fire is there, the clouds were weaved so that the flame be tempered. The sounds came out as if the trumpet shouts near it (i.e. the mountain), 545. the mountain trembled as someone who is collapsing under a burden. A dense smoke happened so that the flame may appear, (30) and Sinai thundered as if His Shekinah was dwelling in it.

The Bridegroom’s Arrival on the Mountain The brave sounds of heavenly beings quaked there, for the Lord of the heights was in the mountain with His armies. 550. The creations shivered with terrifying voices and spectacles, for the Lord of creation was upon Sinai and in the clouds. The thunders cracked for a [long] space of time upon the top of the mountain, while crying out and indicating that here is the King. The trumpets shouted vehemently at the top of Sinai, 555. so the earth shall gather there for the promise of the voice that the Lord is there. The singing of angels (watchers) made a joyful sound within the cloud, in order to make those who are outside [the cloud] think that He is inside. When the splendor of fire moved around within the cloud, the cloud held it back so that it shall not flow out of it. 560. When the flame spread over the mountain, the cloud blocked it so that it does not be poured fourth upon the earthly beings. When the waves of burning coals were rose up on the top of the mountain the tender wind used to receive them quickly. The cloud was outside and within it the cloud was the flame, 565. so that the heat may be tempered by the coldness. A powerful splendor was burning upon the top of the mountain, and it was covered so it shall not be revealed vehemently. (31) The light was confined within the side of those two-​folded clouds, it was gathered and bound together so it does not submerge the whole earth.

402

Appendix I

570. The clamor of angels was heard within the bush and like the voice of the sea they were provoked with their praises. They were lying within the dark fog which encircled them from all sides, and the voices applauded from the darkness outside of the mountain. They are hidden and they chant, and while they were close they were far, 575. they were hidden to the eyes and were revealed to the ears in both ways. The mountain carried Him while not being able to bear that Mighty One, and if there were any chance to flee, it wouldn’t have remained. Sinai is quaking and its rocks are burning out of flame, and by its smoke, its burning was shown (or: proved). 580. The angels astonished, that He Who is unlimited dwelt upon the mountain, and [that] Sinai carried Him, while He did not abandon His high place. The powers who descended with Him were rejoicing abundantly, for they were worthy to become companions to Him [while coming] towards the earthly beings. And also those ranks of angels who remained in heaven, were proud, 585. for they stayed there [with Him] in His High place. These believe that He is with them in the High above, and those think that He is with them upon the Mount Sinai. These were directing their sight towards the chariot to see Him,  (32) and those were standing at the top of the mountain to observe Him. 590. He is hidden from these and those in both places, and He is hidden in His place from both heavenly and earthly beings! The earthly beings saw the fire that is burning at the top of the mountain, and the heavenly beings saw the splendor that surrounds the chariot. His Shekinah dwells within His hiddenness, and cannot be seen, 595. and does not even appear in the depth but with [special] arrangement. It is impossible for Him to travel and dwell in [different] places, For in Him all creations are confined; where shall He move? He was on the mountain, in the heights and in everything, on the chariot10, and in Sinai11 and in every region. 600. He showed the form of a fire-​blaze on the mountain top to prepare in an astonishing way the marriage feast among earthly beings. He desired to show the Daughter of Abraham a marvelous vision, and enchant in an amazing way the bride to direct her sight toward him. The Mount Sinai was supported by Him, when it bore Him, 1 0 Eze 1:26. 11 Ex 3:2.

Appendix I

403

605. as were the cherubs lifted up in His arm while they celebrate Him. Through Him are hanging all creations and the ends that are in them, and He created an excuse to dwell in the mountain in order to help. He manifested a type of burning on the mountain-​side, to bind her in a holy manner to His union with marvelous [visions]. (33) 610. And when the lover of adultery approached to come to Him, she even refused to listen to His teaching. Moses placated her that she be utterly quiet for a moment,12 until the contract with her has been ratified, and the Bridegroom has ascended.

Moses’ Ascend to the Most Holy One While the Shekinah on the mountain was astonishingly smoldering, 615. the Lord called the chosen one, Moses, to come to Him. The voice as a messenger went out to Moses that he enters, and ratify the contract with Him in the dark clouds He entered the cloud to ascend to the Holy One, and the voice hastened to prepare for him a flame-​like path. 620. It lifted up before him the curtain of the clouds,13 that he enters to see the Bridegroom in His glory where He is. The command went out, cut a path for him through the dark clouds that the immense brilliance out of Sinai not terrify him. Moses entered the bed-​chamber of the Bridegroom-​King, 625. to learn His mysteries and bring the bride to the Holy One. He entered, learned, and went out to bring her as he was commanded, that she approaches and hear the teaching of the house of God (or: of God). He did not persuade her to enter the bridal chamber, for she was impure, She stood outside listening and learning the will of the Bridegroom.14 630. At that time a sound rose from the cloud to her, (34) so that a covenant of fidelity shall be made for both Him and her. He started to utter to her teaching with great voice, and speak to her the truth openly and with intensity. He admonished her abundantly about the commandments that were simple, 1 2 Ex 20:20. 13 Ex 20:21; Sir 45:5. 14 Ex 20:21.

404

Appendix I

635. He did not put on her shoulder (or: neck) a heavy yoke. He taught her not to make carved statues, and He instructed her not to go away from Him. He showed her that He is jealous and avenger, and He advised her that He is a rewarder after generations. 640. He set for her ten miles in the way of righteousness, so that each one of them shall bring her forth one after another into the house of kingdom. He placed on her head a lamp, and in front of her [he placed] ten [lamps], so that the proper light that is in the law goes before her. When she was being commanded how to keep [commandments] and in what way to beautify, 645. she neglected and left the terrifying things that were spoken. The Lord speaks, Sinai quakes and the land is terrified, great is the wonder and immense is the strength that is on the top of the mountain. The Lord speaks with astonishing voices before the people: Powerful thunders that were disquieting from the cloud. 650. With these voices of flame full of terrors, (35) He was teaching her to hear them with fear. With an eloquent mouth that drops burning coals on the lips, He sent to her the words of the commandments to learn them. With that tongue which was ignited with the flame, 655. He was extending to her the word of truth in order that she becomes firm in it. The flute of flame sang at the top of the mountain, and the terrifying voice [coming out] from the flame scared them. By the melody which was coming out of the voice of fire, he set the law, and he built a fence so that she does not go astray from the commandment. 660. And [even] when she had heard the speech that called and encouraged her, she refused to hear the teaching. Here, the story of the Church simply caught me, and gave me a hand to approach with it towards the end. Let us conclude today the terrifying homily which is without limit,

Appendix I

405

665. for the order of the story attracted me for another beginning.

The Relation of the Event on Mount Sinai and the Son of God The mind has learned by the story of the mountain which has no end, so it desires to rest and then come back again to its story. Behold, the tongue has lifted the finger in the path of the story, to conclude [speaking about] the concealed things temporarily.  (36) 670. The word that flew upon Mount Sinai wants to teach me, that her wing has become weak and the climax of the homily cannot be limited The story is difficult and the mind is weak and what shall be done, it (the mind) wants a pause in order to start with another beginning. And because it is not fitting for the daughter of Abraham to be compared to her (the Church), 675. let us speak of her as if in melody and then conclude her story. In that splendor, that one (the congregation) despised that Mighty One, while this pure [one] (i.e. the Church) followed the Son in ignorance. He did not come down to her with angels as on Sinai, and He did not chant for her with the trumpets of the heavenly beings. 680. Neither in laws nor in dark mists and nor in clouds; neither in the fiery coal, nor with the lightening of flame. And not with smoke ascending from the house where He dwelt: the Son of the Mighty One descended on earth with simplicity. He appeared to the mankind in swaddling clothes, 685. and with hunger and thirst, and in sleep and weariness, and in need. [He appeared] as being tested by Satan in the desolate wilderness; as being called by the blasphemers ‘the ruler of the demons’; as the waves of doubts are blowing at Him from all sides; (37) as being reproached because He used to eat with the sinners; 690. as [someone] at whom they shouted because He used to mix even with the tax collectors; as they asked Him to pay tax to the king. as He has no place to lean His head, as He is only exalted on a bare colt. as the towel is tied on His loin in the form of a servant,

406

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695. as He washes the feet of dust that His hands molded. as being sold by those of [His] household who accompanied Him, as the true ones who accompanied Him also denied Him; as being interrogated by the judge as a culprit; as being beaten with whips as a guilty; 700. as grasping the pillar (or: the column) in the court and drinking the torments; as being clothed in the garments of shame by the mad men; as the crown of thorns which those impure men interweaved, is placed upon his head; as being beaten and asked: ‘who hit you?’; as He carries on his shoulders the wooden cross and goes out; 705. as His hands and feet were being nailed by the fool (or: errant) ones; as lots were being casted on His garments to know who shall attain the portions, as bitter herbs and vinegar were offered to Him in sponge, as His side was being opened by a spear without mercy, as being embalmed and wrapped and buried: blessed is her (the Church’s) wisdom. 710. In all these, the church saw the Son of God,(38) blessed is He Who captured her from the worship of idolatry. The end of the homily on the descent of the Most High upon Mount Sinai.

Appendix II On the Consecration of the Church and Prophet Moses1 1. You, O Rich, give the needy who seeks from you, (38) so that, as much as he receives, he is not ashamed to ask again. Pour Your gift on the mendicant although he is not worthy; he is knocking at Your door, my Lord, do not send him away meagerly. 5. As much as You give me I ask again, so that You give me more, for I did not satisfy the hunger you gave me to Your gift. By the drink2 of Your homily which flows towards me abundantly, great thirst was added to me, because of drinking from it. By those streams, the thirst of my mind which was made to abound, was not  (39) 10. quenched, for my tongue is in thirst3 because of Your homily. Moses is a spring, and as much as I draw out from him he multiplies abundantly; give me a land that receives watering and gives fruits. May Your story produce a harvest of glory from the listeners, so that praise may be to you, profits to them and atonement to me. 15. To the field of Moses I have entered to reap the sheaf of Your Mysteries; You, call for me laborers of glory to your field.4 I have begun to set up a heap of ten in Your pasture; give me to attain the blessed heap which yields a hundredfold. Your Body is greater than the poets and listeners,

1 Syriac Text: Homiliae Selectae Mar-​Jacobi Sarugensis, P. Bedjan (ed.), Vol. I, Hom. Nr.3, Paris-​Leipzig, 1910, pp. 36–​48. I have used the revised edition of S. Brock, Vol. I, pp. 38–​48. Indications to the page numbering of the Syriac Text are given in italic square brackets on the right-​hand side of the given translation text. I have divided the homily with subtitles for the better understanding of its content. I have taken the title of the homily as it is given in the edited volume of S. Brock. This homily of Mar Jacob is based on the biblical passages of the book of Exodus (see Ex 25 ff), where Moses was instructed by God to build a temple for Him. ܶ (spring) instead of ‫ܒܫܩܝܐ‬. ܳ ‫ܒܢ‬ ܶ It gives a coherent meaning, 2 MSS Dam 12/​14 utilizes‫ܒܥܐ‬ because it matches the verse that comes after about Moses, who is a spring. ܺ ‫ܕ‬.ܰ ܰ ‫ ܰܕ‬instead of ‫ܠܗܝܩ‬ 3 MSS Dam 12/​14 uses ‫ܠܗܩ‬ 4 Mt 20: 1–​16.

408

Appendix II

20. therefore, I have hastened to narrate the beauty of Your shadow. The intellect cannot ponder at Your exactness, thus, Your image is made visible through me in all the stories. Behold, Moses –​Your likeness, is being chanted between my lips; and, because he has called you ‘Prophet like me,’5 I have (used) him to depict everything of you. 25. The shadow of Simon assisted the sick; assist my weak mind by Moses –​Your shadow. As long as he resembles You, I will not cease (to tell) his story6; that I have seen You in him, how shall I be silent of (telling) his story?7 He incites me to go after him hastily, 30. as he makes me think that he will lead me towards the end. (Yet,) as soon as I finish the great story, (and say:) ‘Now I can have (some) rest,’  (40) towards its end, a new beginning appears to me. I will therefore flee and enter the abode of silence, so that I do not stay amid the long way of his mysteries. 35. I will cease more and speak little of his parables, so that we receive briefly the taste of wonders.

Moses Manifests the Church Through Moses, the Church was pictured mystically, and, because it was a type, it was called the tabernacle8. He didn’t truly build her because he was not her Lord; 40. he fashioned her mystically, and left and passed away. Behold, ever since the beginning, the chosen Church was built, and Moses who saw her likeness9 on the Mount Sinai, witnesses. It is not my thoughts that rolled down and set this argument, the truth beckoned to me (saying:) ‘this is the fact, and it shall be proclaimed through you.’ 5 Cf. Dt 18:15; Moses is like God, Cf. Ex 7:1. ܶ 6 Dam 12/​14 uses ‫ ܐܠ ܳܣ ܰܒܥ ܐܢܐ‬instead of ‫ ܐܠ ܳܫܠ ܐܢܐ‬which means I will not be satisfied by his story (this continues the figure of hunger previously mentioned). 7 ‫ ܥܢܝܢܐ‬means business/​affair, it can mean here story. Dam 12/​14 already uses ‫ܬܫܥܝܬܗ‬ instead of ‫ܥܢܝܢܗ‬ 8 Ex 26:1. 9 Likeness or image, I used likeness just to make it resonate with the idea that Moses is in the likeness of the Lord.

Appendix II

409

45. Moses saw on the mountain the anteriority of the Church, He descended and fashioned her in the camp so that it may be firmly set through her. When he was given orders concerning the construction of the tabernacle, he truly saw the pattern of the Church. Hear, O wise, without hesitation, the manifest truth, 50. for the truth is being proclaimed through me although I am no match (for it). When the Lord of Moses commanded him to reveal and build, the tabernacle that served the time with the mysteries of the Church. When He counted all of its sorts (or colors), He defined here: (41) ‘ according to the pattern I show you on the mountain.’10 55. (Moses) went up, and (the Lord) showed him within the cloud11 the Church built, What he saw there was the free Jerusalem that is above.12 For, a student of a craft, who learns something, sees the accomplished work and then approaches it. The teacher does not propound the teaching through words, 60. he shows the accomplished work to him who learns. For, one can do nothing if it were not shown to him (or shown him), because a craft without demonstration cannot be learnt (or acquired). And when the teacher plans to teach, without being weary, he presents and puts the accomplished matter (or prototype) before his student. 65. Similarly, the Creator made with Moses, his servant, He manifested to him the accomplished Church in order (for him) to inscribe her resemblance. In order that the image does not get lost from him when he descends, he saw her truly, so that he does not forget her when she is inscribed. Through the hearing of the ear, the pattern of something cannot be considered, 70. it is vision that can gather and possess all images.

1 0 Ex. 25:40. 11 Cf. Ex 24:15–​18. 12 Cf. Gal 4:26.

410

Appendix II

Moses’ Vision of the Church If Moses hadn’t seen with his eyes the built Church, he wouldn’t have been able to manifest and make the whole of her ornaments. According to the pattern that was made visible to him13 up on the Mount Sinai, he (Moses) descended and perfected that construction without trouble.(42) 75. He saw in the flame the building of the Crowned (i.e. the Church), and the wide space of the Delicate in the great high place (i.e. heaven). He saw her dwelling place constructed with abundance, and her great habitat mighty among the angels. He saw that she holds the borders of heaven, (yet) they cannot apprehend her, 80. and her cords (or ropes: cf. Is. 33:20) are thrown upon the quarters, and they (the cords) are still longer. He saw her womb (or bosom)14, in which the powers of heaven are gathered, and as many as they are, they dwell in it without being constrained (or pressed). He saw the Divine Presence that dwells in her, in the holy of holies, and the fiery companies (i.e. the Seraphim) chanting in her with the voices of praise. 85. He saw the choirs while standing in her spiritually, and the lengthy classes that are spread out in her fierily. He saw the heavenly orders dwelling there, and the angels (who stand) gloriously and shouting the holy hymns.15 He saw her full, and as many enter, her bosom (can still) hold,

1 3 Cf. Ex 25:9; Ex 27:8. 14 Mar Jacob uses the term ‘womb’ to denote the rebirth that takes place within the Church through baptism. According to him baptism is the ‘second mother’ in the sequence of Christ’s stay in the womb of Mary and in the womb of Jordan for the renewal of human nature. Therefore, baptism is also called ‘a womb’ that gives spiritual birth. The Baptism of Our Saviour in the Jordan, HS I, 167,15, Kollamparampil, FH VI, 163, 15. 15 The presence of the heavenly orders and the angels within the temple is well expounded by Mar Jacob in his homily on ‘the chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw.’ HS IV, pp. 543–​ 610, here p. 594, 1–​600, 13. ET by A. Golitzin, in: MHMJS 14, 115–​129.

Appendix II

411

90. and she expects to gather the bodily beings as (she gathers) the angels. Moses saw her, that her ornament is perfected by the flame,16 and her big house, that is full of fire from all sides. He saw the crowds of those who utter praise rejoicing within her, as the glorious hymns of Holy17 are being poured out in her through their mouths. 95. He saw the creation being made to her (the Church) a footstool18 for her feet, while she, as the free one, boasts above on the height. (43) He saw her sitting above the edges of all heights, and only her Lord is (to be found) above her as the Head. He saw the splendors of the sanctifiers, how trembling they are, 100. and those voices of the ones who bless, how powerful they are. He saw in her a place, which is splendid and glorious and cannot be expounded, and its inside is hidden and proper and cannot be investigated. He saw in her a scattered and bursting forth light that cannot be comprehended, the terrible splendor of flame, that is ineffable. 105. He saw the appearance of the open doors of the shielding curtains overlaid with brightness, and the Divine presence dwells in the light. He saw allegorically the inner house like that one he had made, and a courtyard surrounding it from the outside as that one he had constructed. He saw the curtains and the posts encircling it: 110. the work of light which is hewed and engraved by the fiery coal (or: the flame). He saw the clouds, and each one of them attached to it (i.e. the courtyard), and instead of them, he formed curtains for his own one (i.e. the tabernacle).

16 The ‘coal of fire’ is a symbolic title of Christ developed with reference to Is 6:6 with its Eucharistic overtones referring to the Eucharistic body of Christ as ‘live coal’ which the Seraph carried from the altar. In the homilies of Mar Jacob there are many references to the ‘coal.’ The homily on ‘the chariot that the prophet Ezekiel saw’ extensively uses this term. We can find more references in the writings of T. Kollamparampil. Kollamparampil, Salvation in Christ, 107. ܶ̈ ܽ 17 ‫ܘܕܫܐ‬ ‫ ܩ‬here means the Holy, Holy, Holy hymn. 18 Isa 66:1.

412

Appendix II

He saw her overlaid with the color of fire that is of all sorts, so he dyed the skins in order to imitate these colors. 115. He saw the moon in the form of a rainbow, and he dyed in its likeness: red and scarlet. He saw her lifted up by the Cherubim on the shoulder of fire, and he made poles so that his one can be carried by the Levites. (44) As he saw her, he drew her exactly; 120. if he hadn’t seen her, he wouldn’t have been able to contain (or: define) all its ornaments.

The Mystery of the Church The mystery here is clear precisely like the sun, it attracts me so that it may be recited by me literally. Moses was like our Lord in what he did, for he is His likeness, shadow, and image of His body.19 125 . In that structure which that Levite saw on the mountain, he depicted the Church of Christ. And that the Church was built in mystery from that time, David witnesses for he also saw her like did Moses. ‘Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old,’20 in a clear way, 130. David proclaimed about the establishment of the Crowned (i.e. the Church). Moses saw her completeness; he descended and inscribed her, and he brought the mystery of the Church and our Lord to her establishment. These (words) that I have uttered are not obscured, O listeners, but they need discernment and then they are understood. 135. Now, I begin to show you truly, how Moses typified the Church with all figures. By the tabernacle, he depicted the dwelling place of the Crowned, and by the holy of holies the splendid sanctuary of the Mistress of the Mysteries. He depicted the seventy leaders of the nation by the disciples,

19 The Veil on Moses’ Face, HS III, pp. 283–​305, here p. 305, 2–​7. ET by S. Brock, in: Sob 3,1, 84, 455–​460. 20 Cf. Ps. 74: 2.

Appendix II

413

140. and by the Twelve Apostles, the heads of the tribes whom he selected. (45) He (God) poured forth upon them from that Spirit that was upon Moses (cf. Num 11:25–30), as Jesus poured forth upon his disciples by the breath of his mouth (cf. Jn 20:22). They became teachers for the whole nation through Moses, and he was venerated as God by (the people of) the camp. 145. The seventy (leaders)21 took from his Spirit and went out between the tribes, as Christ was preached by the band of the seventy. This mystery was following the tongue-tied (Moses) who became great, and because of this, he received the power to become God.22 This order that came to the world through our Lord, 150. behold, it is handed down symbolically by Moses. For if Moses hadn’t depicted Him in everything, he wouldn’t have truly proclaimed Him ‘Prophet like me.’ The mysteries smoldered in him until he became inflamed, and his body vanished, and his image turned into the great brightness of his divinity. 155. He flamed fervently by the type of his kindling, until he shone forth as fiery with the glory he wore. He entered the likeness and seethed by it as if by fire, and he came out of it while inflaming ardently. His image acquired the vehemence from that of Christ, 160. and the flock held (or: followed) him with great fear as God. The mystery weaved a nest of fire in (Moses’) face, (46) 23 and couched in it, and he (Moses) frightened those who saw him. The whole figure of (Christ/the Mystery) was depicted in that savior (Moses), and because of his glory (or: beauty) he left fear in all of his spectators. 165. He shone forth in colors of Christ, and they mixed up in him, and behold, the people were about to think that he was God. He rose gradually, went up, and moved to the high place of the mysteries, and behold, he tends toward the honored name of divinity. The whole earth was amazed by the colors that he made, 21 Num 11:16. 22 Cf. Ex 4:16. 23 Cf. Ex 34:30.

414

Appendix II

170. and she (earth) was about to believe that he is her lord. The name (or: the title) of power stuck to him among the nations, and they thought that, perhaps, he is the ruler of creatures. (The people of) the camp saw him while giving commands to the height and depth, and they lifted up their eye to see him as (owner of) the name of creative power. 175. The people forgot God because He was hidden, and Moses, who was near, supplied the place of his Lord. Moses drew me (or: attracted me; persuaded me) up till to here with his wonders, and I cannot fight him more for he will defeat me (or: tear me). I was conquered by the story of the son of the Levites, 180. and as much as I speak it grows abundantly and has no end. if my mind hadn’t enfeebled from the story, I would have begun now to speak diligently. (47) If the intellect weren’t floating in many things, this would have been the beginning of the homily of Moses, not its end. 185. Here, I shall lay the milestone of silence as an abode, and if there were time, I would travel again the road of Moses. The mystery, which ministered there, is amazing and unspeakable, hence I shall remain silent so that the great type may not diminish because of me.

Moses the Veil of Mysteries That descent from the top of the mountain towards the people, 190. who is capable to describe how it is? Unto here, he was being reverenced by the great mysteries, and here he received the great image of the King and descended. He rose as sun upon the Hebrews and he dazzled them; flashing light came forth from his face upon the camp.24 195. His light glittered and the people marveled with its intensity, its flashes descended and the tribes quivered with the wonder they saw. The carnal sun clothed with the flashing lights descended from the mountain,

24 Ex 34: 29–​30.

Appendix II

415

and with a veil, he restrained his magnificence from the spectators. O, veil, clothed with mysteries, I stupefy at you, 200. for, in the humanity of the Son of God is your similitude figured. In that veil which Moses placed upon his face, the body of the Son of God was manifested. Because of these mysteries of truth, which Moses assumed (or: put on), he (Moses) called the Lord of prophets ‘Prophet like me.’ (48) 205. The congregation honored Moses in the veil, and the Church received our Lord in His humanity. The veil25 which fell on the face of Moses with the congregation, is a type of the Church that held the body of our Lord. These mysteries were chanted by the one who is skillful, 210. and were also growing rich by the eminent and sharp-​witted. and, because the story of Moses was weakly (or: inefficiently) spoken through me, My Lord, do not scorn the feeble labor of the negligent (one) (i.e. Mar Jacob himself). Kindly accept the infirmity of the memra, and let my small coin fall distinctly upon Your table. 215. Because I couldn’t comprehend You, may I not be culpable before Justice, for who is capable to definitely tell your story? Accept the gift of feeble praises that my tongue has sent, and keep for me with You the treasure of mercies until I come. Instead of the epitomes (or: short words) that I have feebly chanted here, 220. let your mercies lengthen, so that by them I can live for a long time. Son of God Whom Moses, His servant, wrote about, May praise be to You, hope to Your Church, and forgiveness to me.

25 It is ‫ ܺܘܐܐܠ‬and means veil/​curtain, not ‫ܶܘܐܐܠ‬

Index of Bible Quotations Old Testament Genesis – Gen 1:2 201 – Gen 1:26 200 – Gen 2:9 225, 293 – Gen 2:13 337 – Gen 2:15–​17 189 – Gen 2:24 80, 148, 154, 162, 251 – Gen 3:1–​7 193 – Gen 3:7–​10 277 – Gen 3:8–​9 192 – Gen 3:21 277 – Gen 3:24 212 – Gen 3:23–​24 291 – Gen 9:4 213 – Gen 14:1–​24 217 – Gen 21:17–​19 280 – Gen 22:1–​11 91 – Gen 22:1–​19 218, 219, 289 – Gen 22:14 219 – Gen 26:22 280 – Gen 27:46 214 – Gen 28:5 214 – Gen 28:10–​22 109, 173, 215 Exodus – Ex 3:1–​17 – Ex 12:5 – Ex 13:21 – Ex 19:5 – Ex 19:11 – Ex 19:13 – Ex 19:18 – Ex 20:20 – Ex 20:21 – Ex 23:19 – Ex 25:8

394 213 112 116 396 395 112 403 113, 403 165 165

– Ex 25:9 – Ex 25:40 – Ex 32:1–​5 – Ex 32:19 – Ex 33:9–​10 – Ex 34:26 – Ex 39:40 – Ex 40:2 – Ex 40:34 – Ex 40:35 Leviticus – Lev 1:10 – Lev 17:11 Numbers – Num 1:53 – Num 10:11 Deuteronomy – Deut 4:10 – Deut 9:10 – Deut 10:4 – Deut 23:18 Joshua – Josh 6:19 Judges – Judg 11:29–​40 – Judg 14:5–​6 – Judg 18:31 – Judg 20:18 – Judg 21:2

121, 386, 410 166, 409 397 193 112 165 165 165 165 112 213 213 165 165 119 119 119 165 115 159 130 165 165 165

1 Samuel – 1 Sam 16:1–​13

205

2 Samuel – 2 Sam 7:12–​13

165

418

Index of Bible Quotations

1 Kings – 1 Kgs 8:14

119

1 Chronicles – 1 Chr 6:32 – 1 Chr 21:29

165 165

2 Chronicles – 2 Chr 1:5 – 2 Chr 3:3 – 2 Chr 5:1 – 2 Chr 21:29 – 2 Chr 32:27–​29

165 111 111 165 73, 115

Ezra – Ezr 2:69–​70

165

Nehemiah – Neh 13:1

119

Psalms – Ps 22:9–​10 – Ps 42:4

251 111

Proverbs – Prov 2:4

116

Song of Solomon – Songs 1:5

147

Sirach – Sir 45:5 Isaiah – Isa 6:1–​6 – Isa 6:6 – Isa 33:6 – Isa. 33:20 – Isa 40:31 – Isa 44:22 – Isa 49:15

113, 403 328 172 116 231, 325, 410 386 213 251

– Isa 66:1

232, 411

Jeremiah – Jer 2:13

213

Ezekiel – Ezek 1:4–​28 – Ezek 3:12 – Ezek 1:14-​28

166 327 233

Hosea – Hos 9:8

111

Joel – Joel 1:16

111

New Testament Matthew – Mat 3:2 – Mt 3:10 – Mat 6:20–​21 – Mat 6:19 – Mat 13:44 – Mat 15:23–​28 – Mat 16:18 – Mat 19:21 – Mat 21:13 – Mat 23:37 – Mat 25:1–​13 – Mat 28:16–​20 Luke – Lk 1:41 – Lk 3:12 – Lk 5:1–​11 – Lk 15:4–​7 – Lk 15:8–​10 John – Jn 1:14

210 305 116 305 116 297 23 305 111 248 146, 208 23 205 209 261 195 195 58, 168

Index of Bible Quotations

– Jn 3:5 – Jn 3:3 – Jn 3:3–​11 – Jn 3:29–​30 – Jn 4:14 – Jn 4:1–​42 – Jn 6:35 – Jn 6:51 – Jn 6:53 – Jn 7:38 – Jn 8:56 – Jn 11:25 – Jn 14:6 – Jn 15:1–​11 – Jn 19:34

214, 272 282 273 146 213 281 225 281 213 213 91, 218 225, 293, 294 225, 293 226 81, 148, 219, 220, 258, 302, 331, 337, 339 – Jn 21:1–​14 261 – Jn 21:15–​18 23 Acts – Acts 15:20 – Acts 20:28

213 213

Romans – Rom 6:4 – Rom 6:5–​6

204, 206 282

1 Corinthians – 1 Cor 3:10 – 1 Cor 3:11 – 1 Cor 10:1 – 1 Cor 10:4

111 111 214 303

2 Corinthians – 2 Cor 4:7 – 2 Cor 5:17 – 2 Cor. 11:2 – 2 Cor 11:2–​4

116 204, 206 146 248

419

Galatians – Gal 1:6–​9 – Gal 4:2 – Gal 4:26 – Gal 5:22–​23

23 248 166, 250, 409 225, 294

Ephesians – Eph 1:7 – Eph 1:22–​23 – Eph 2:20 – Eph 4:13–​14 – Eph 5:31–​32 – Eph 5:32

214 23 111 247 147 154

Philippians – Phil 2:7

58

Colossians – Col 1:12 – Col 1:14

247 214

Hebrews – Heb 9:12–​14

214

1 Peter – 1 Pet 1:10

214

1 John – 1 Jn 2:2

214

2 John – 2 Jn 1:4–​5

249

Revelation – Rev 12:4–​5 – Rev 12:17 – Rev 21:1,6 – Rev 22:17

249 249 213 213

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations Mar Jacob of Sarug HCJ HCJ 86,7–10

85

HCJ II 107–​206

120,128

HCJ III 101,237

120

HCJ IV 119,109–​112

197

HCJ IV 125,179

174

HCJ VI 173,203–​204

151

HCJ VI 179,303–​308

207

HCJ VI 179,313–​314

134,147

HJS HJS VI 258,28–​259,21/​Mus 115, 295,97–​120

141

HJS VI 258,97–​99/​Mus 115, 295,97–​99,

141

HJS VI 261,20–​23/​Mus 115, 297,181–​184

141

HJS VI 261,20/​Mus 115, 297,181

141

HJS VI 262,4–​7/​Mus 115, 297,195–​198

142

HJS VI 264,22–​23/​Mus 115, 299,273–​274

142

HJS VI 265,16–​18/​Mus 115, 300,298–​300

142

HJS VI 265,19–​20, Mus 115, 302,417

142,161

HJS VI 267,29–​268,1/​Mus 115, 301,371–​374

142

HJS VI 268,6–​11/​Mus 115, 301,379–​384

143

HJS VI 268,7–​8/​Mus 115, 301,380–​381

143

HJS VI 268,15/​Mus 115, 302,388

143

HS HS I 6,17–​18/​Appendix I, 385,70–​71

194

HS I 6,18/​Appendix I, 385,70

128

HS I 6,19/​Appendix I, 385,71

150

422

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS I 6,20/​Appendix I, 385,72

127

HS I 7,6/​Appendix I, 385,78

149

HS I 7,8–​11/​Appendix I, 385,80–​83

149

HS I 7,9/​Appendix I, 385,80

128

HS I 7,10–​11/​Appendix I, 385,82–​83

127

HS I 8,9/​Appendix I, 386,106

150

HS I 8,10–​11/​Appendix I, 386,108–​109

150

HS I 8,11–​17/​Appendix I, 386,104–​109

121

HS I 10,3–​4/​Appendix I, 387,136–​137

150

HS I 10,8–​9/​Appendix I, 387,140–​141

128

HS I 10,19–​20/​Appendix I, 388,151–​152

150

HS I 11,12–​13/​Appendix I, 388,164–​165

150

HS I 13,5–​8/​Appendix I, 389,200–​213

356

HS I 13,5–​19/​Appendix I, 389,200–​340,214

198

HS I 13,13/​Appendix I, 389,207

144

HS I 13,17-18/Appendix I, 390,212–213

150

HS I 13,18/​Appendix I, 390,213

149

HS I 14,13/​Appendix I, 390,228

144

HS I 17,18–​19/​Appendix I, 393,296

170

HS I 20,4–​5/​Appendix I, 394,344–​345

155

HS I 20,8–​9/​Appendix I, 394, 348–​349

155

HS I 23,8–​9/​Appendix I, 396,410–​411

112

HS I 23,12/Appendix I, 396,412

158

HS I 29,6/​Appendix I, 400,531

113

HS I 33,12–​15/​Appendix I, 403,620–​623

113

HS I 33,14–15/​Appendix I, 403,623–​624

114

HS I 40,7–​10/​Appendix II, 408,37–​40

107

HS I 40,7–​12, Appendix II, 408,37–​42

231

HS I 40,7–​18/​Appendix II, 408,37–​48

167

HS I 40,11/​Appendix II, 408,40

194

HS I 40,11–​12/​Appendix II, 408,41–​42

127

HS I 40,14–​17/​Appendix II, 409,45–​48

325

423

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS I 40,15–​16/​Appendix II, 409,45–​46

109,194

HS I 40,21–​41,4/​Appendix II, 409,51–​56

166

HS I 40,21–​22/​Appendix II, 409,51–​52

109,166

HS I 41,13–​16/​Appendix II, 409,65–​68

112

HS I 41,13/​Appendix II, 409,65

194

HS I 42,2–​3/​Appendix II, 410,75–​76

108

HS I 42,2–​11/​Appendix II, 410,75–82

325

HS I 42,2–​22/​Appendix II, 410,75–411,95

232

HS I 42,4–​15/​Appendix II, 410,77–​88

169

HS I 42,6–​7/​Appendix II, 410,79–​80

109

HS I 42,8–​9/​Appendix II, 410,81–​82

272

HS I 42,16–​17/​Appendix I, 411,91–92

109,122

HS I 42,18–​19/​Appendix II, 411,91–​92

172

HS I 42,20/​Appendix II, 411,93

121

HS I 42,22/​Appendix II, 411,95

109

HS I 43,1/​Appendix II, 411,96

109

HS I 43,1–​7/​Appendix II, 411,96–​102

232

HS I 43,6–​7/​Appendix II, 411,101–​102

136

HS I 43,12–​13/​Appendix II, 411,107–​108

108

HS I 43,16–​19/​Appendix II, 411,109–​112

113

HS I 44,6–​9/​Appendix II, 412,123–​126

139,233

HS I 44,13–​14/​Appendix II, 412,131–​132

233

HS I 44,17–​22/​Appendix II, 412,135–​139

233

HS I 44,20/​Appendix II, 412,137

166

HS I 44,21–​22/​Appendix II, 412,137–​138

138

HS I 45,1/​Appendix II, 413,140

233

HS I 45,21–​46,6/​Appendix II, 413,159–166

120

HS I 47,18–​22/​Appendix II, 415,199–​203

321

HS I 48,2–​5/​Appendix II, 415, 205–​209

121,321

HS I 49,11–​12/​TV 6, 41,11–​12

90

HS I 68,1–​2

229

HS I 117,18–19

104

424

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS I 139,2–​3

260

HS I, 154,10–21/S.P. Brock, 190,25–35

151

HS I 154,15–156,2/S.P. Brock, 195, 239–248

208

HS I, 154,21–155,10/ S.P. Brock, 190,35–45

158

HS I 155,18

124

HS I 156,4–8

124

HS I 157,17-22

124

HS I 160,10–​11/​S.P. Brock, 194,152–​153

275,276

HS I 162,3–6/S.P. Brock, 194,187–190

339

HS I 162,3–​9/​S.P. Brock, 194,187–​193

214

HS I 162,4/​S.P. Brock, 194,188

264

HS I 162,10/​S.P. Brock, 194,194

264

HS I 163,6–​7/​S.P. Brock, 194,191–​192

270

HS I 164,5–​6/​S.P. Brock, 195,213–​214

268

HS I 164,20/​S.P. Brock, 194,51

265

HS I 165,1–​7/​S.P. Brock, 194,152–​158

265

HS I 165,11–​19/​S.P. Brock, 196,259–​268

209

HS I 167,1–​2/​FH VI, 162,1–​2

155

HS I 167,12/​FH VI, 162,12

242

HS I 167,15/​FH VI, 162,1–​2

231

HS I 167,2–​169,2/​FH VI, 162,2–​164,30

210

HS I 168,7/FH VI, 163,16

201

HS I 168,8–​9/​FH VI, 163,15–​16

278

HS I 171,5–​6/​FH VI, 166,75–​76

202

HS I 171,5–10/FH VI, 166,75–80

204

HS I 171,17/FH VI, 166,86

274

HS I 171,20–21/FH VI, 167,89–90

204

HS I 174,5–​17/​FH VI, 163,15

204

HS I 174,16/FH VI,169,146

274

HS I 174,6–​19/​FH VI, 169,135–​170,150

205

HS I 174,9–​10/​FH VI, 169,139–​140

275, 276

HS I 174,11–12/FH VI, 169,141–142

275

425

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS I 174,15/FH VI, 169,145–146

275

HS I 177,10–​13/​FH VI, 172,210–​204

200

HS I 180,9–​20/​FH VI, 175,265–​274

205

HS I 180,10–​11/​FH VI, 175,265–​266

201

HS I 180,12–​19/​FH VI, 175,267–​274

279

HS I 181,3–​4/​FH VI, 175,279–​280

279

HS I 181,6–​11/​FH VI, 176,281–​281

264,276

HS I 181,10–​11/​FH VI, 176,285–​286

205

HS I 181,10–​13/​FH VI, 176,285–​288

283

HS I 181,10–​15/​FH VI, 176,285–​290

205

HS I 183,17–184,1/FH VI, 178,335–341

263

HS I 183,21/FH VI, 178,339

274

HS I 187,1–​2/​FH VI, 181,401–​402

204,206

HS I 188,6–​7/​FH VI, 182,427–​428

268

HS I 188,7–​10/​FH VI, 182,427–​430

274

HS I 191,14–​15/​FH VI, 185,496–​497

206

HS I 191,16/​FH VI, 185,499

151

HS I 192,8–​9/​FH VI, 186,511–​512

151

HS I 194,1/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 89,3

270

HS I 194,13–195,2/JSTC XXIII, 1, 90,15–24

263

HS I 195,3;9/JSTC XXIII, 1, 90,25–28;91.47–52

263

HS I 196,17/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 91,59

273

HS I 196,19/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 91,61

273

HS I 196,17–​20/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 91,59–​61

283

HS I 196,18/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 91,60

307

HS I 197,1–​2/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 91,63–​64

203

HS I 197,5/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 92,67

273

HS I 197,13–​14/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 92,75–​76

275

HS I 197,19–​198,2/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 92,81–​85

340

HS I 198,1–​2; 7–​10; 13–​14/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 92,83–​84; 89–​92; 93,95–​96

271

HS I 201,11/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 95,154

270

426

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS I 201,4–​5; 10–​11/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 95,147–​148; 153–​154

270

HS I 203,2–​3/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,185–​186

308

HS I 203,6–​7/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,189–​190

309

HS I 203,8–​9/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,191–​192

309

HS I 203,10–​11/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,193–​194

309

HS I 203,18–​19/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 96,201–​202

270

HS I 204,2–​5/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 97,81–​84

340

HS I 204,12–​17/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 97,215–​220

308

HS I 209,13–​16/​JSTC XXIII, 1, 101,315–​318

278

HS I 268,13/​TV 20, 12,16

95

HS I 298,3–​9/​TV 5,4, 36,629–​634

278

HS I 298,3–​10/​TV 5,4, 36,629–​636

279

HS I 320,16–​321,1

290

HS I 328,9–​329,3

76

HS I 343,5–​6

226,294

HS I 350,14

292

HS I 353,13

292

HS I 425,4

296

HS I 426,6–​13/​MHMJS 44,12, 35–​40

131

HS I 427,9–​10/​MHMJS 44, 12, 57–​58

132

HS I 428,4

296

HS I 432,12–​15/​MHMJS 44, 24,163–​166

122

HS I 436,1–​8/​MHMJS 44, 30,235–​32,242

296

HS I 437,9/​MHMJS 44, 12,57

124

HS I 445,8–​11/​FH, 248,8–​11

302

HS I 448,20–​450, 22/​FH X, 251,79, 253,122

197

HS I 449,3/​FH X 251,82

129

HS I 450,1–​4/​FH X, 252,101–​104

129

HS I 458,15–​18/​FH X, 260, 281–​284

127

HS I 458,15/​FH X, 260,282

132

HS I 460,1–​6/​Landersdorfer 334

46

HS I 461,5–​6/​Landersdorfer 334

48

427

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS I 473,14/Landersdorfer 327

110

HS I 477,15/Landersdorfer, 329

109

HS I 477,5/Landersdorfer 326

110

HS I 478,2–3/Landersdorfer, 329

111,118

HS I 480,4–5/Landersdorfer, 331

118

HS I 481,11–12/Landersdorfer, 331

118

HS I 487,19–20

239

HS I 488,13–14

227

HS I 535,13–538,5/TV 5, 42,21–43,54

288

HS I 536,8–9/TV 5,42,19–20

286

HS II 4,15–16/MHMJS 15, 14,69–70

44

HS II 18,14–17/MHMJS 21, 42,365–370

86,344

HS II 133,11

289

HS II 194,19–22

294

HS II 197,7–14

75

HS II 228,11–20

293

HS II 237,3–15

336

HS II 237,19–238,10

337

HS II 238,1–10/J. Kallariparampil

287

HS II 273,3–15

336

HS II 281,1–4/MHMJS 44, 58,1–4

302

HS II 281,1;9/MHMJS 44, 58,1;9

260

HS II 284, 5/MHMJS 44, 64,65

123

HS II 285,14–17/MHMJS 44, 68,95–98

123

HS II 285,14–19/MHMJS 44, 68,95–100

260

HS II 297,8

126

HS II 303,13–16/MHMJS 44, 104,469–472

303

HS II 308,15/MHMJS 44, 116,575

124

HS II 310,4

125

HS II 310,6–7/MHMJS 44, 118,609–610

123

HS II 313,1–8

230

HS II 313,15–20

217

428

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS II 316,9

217

HS II 325,13–16

298

HS II 325,21–326,3

298

HS II 326,6–13

299

HS II 326,14

299

HS II 327,15–16

299

HS II 327,17–20

299

HS II 327,21–328,3

299

HS II 360,8/FH VIII,217,272

240

HS II 369,1–5/FH VIII, 255,455–460

120,129

HS II 372,9–10/FH VIII, 228,529–530

123

HS II 372,13–16/FH VIII, 228,533–536

152

HS II 372,15–20/FH VIII, 228, 535–540

134

HS II 373,13/FH VIII, 229,553

164

HS II 374,5–6/FH VIII, 229,565–566

134

HS II 374,8–9/FH VIII, 229,567–568

152

HS II 374,9–12/FH VIII, 569–572

134,164

HS II 374,9–14/FH VIII, 229,569–230,574

167, 295

HS II 374,11–12/FH VIII, 229,571–572

176

HS II 374,15–375,2/FH VIII, 230,575–582

152

HS II 374,15–20/FH VIII 230,575–580

161

HS II 374,16/FH VIII, 230,576

135

HS II 377,11–13/TV 4,1, 41,40–43

156

HS II 384,4–17/TV 4,1 47,74–188

237

HS II 385,10–387,2/TV 4,1,48, 205–49,217–239

163

HS II 386,4–11/TV 4,1, 49,218–224

238

HS II 387,20/TV 4,1, 50,257

163

HS II 396,19/TV 4,1, 60,478

159

HS II 396,20/TV 4,1, 58,439 10

156

HS II 396,1–399,20/TV 4,1, 59,460–60,500

159

HS II 397,5/TV 4,1, 58,444

163

HS II 433,6–7

241

429

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS II 454,15–16

122,129

HS II 457,2

172

HS II 483,19–20

288

HS II 532,10–11

120

HS II 543,1

126

HS II 566,16

126

HS II 567,1

126

HS II 579,4–19

226

HS II 588,10–13

319

HS II 588,18–589,1–3

282,295,303

HS II 589,9–17/Sob 6, 465–466

257,338

HS II 589,8–15

285

HS II 589,11–12

258

HS II 589,12–13

258

HS II 589,13

212

HS II 589,16

258

HS II 589,16–20

287

HS II 592,7–8

240

HS II 613,14–17/FH XIII, 296,51–54

283

HS II 641,16–642,9

291

HS II 670,1–6/FH XVII, 354,1–6

45,46

HS II 670,3/FH XVII, 354,3

95

HS II 818,5–14

225,294

HS II 821,19–822,4

225

HS II 825,12–15

304,305

HS II 829,19–822,4

293

HS III 1,13–14/ J.W. Trigg 184

46

HS III 4,2–10/R.D. Young 188,11–20

187

HS III 13,15–16/T. Muraoka 27,243

97

HS III 23,10/R.D. Young 200,3

201

HS III 52,6–11

97

HS III 108,12

189

430

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS III 109,1

188

HS III 109,2–3

189

HS III 109,16–17

187

HS III 110,14–15

188

HS III 118,17–18

188

HS III 119,4–5

188

HS III 153,6–7

186

HS III 154,1–2

189

HS III 192,1–10/Landersdorfer, 333

110

HS III 192,15–193,4/Landersdorfer, 333

173

HS III 193, 5–6/Landersdorfer, 333

215

HS III 193, 8–9/Landersdorfer, 333

215

HS III 193, 9–10/Landersdorfer, 333

215

HS III 193, 11–12/Landersdorfer, 333

215

HS III 193, 17–18/Landersdorfer, 333

215

HS III 193,13–14/Landersdorfer, 333

216

HS III 193,14/Landersdorfer, 333

110

HS III 193,19–20/Landersdorfer, 333

216

HS III 193,33–34/Landersdorfer, 333

173

HS III 193,34–35/Landersdorfer, 333

173

HS III 194,7–8/Landersdorfer, 333

216

HS III 195,5–6/Landersdorfer, 334

174

HS III 195,8–12/Landersdorfer, 334

110

HS III 195,11–12/Landersdorfer, 334

174

HS III 196,7/ Landersdorfer, 335

175

HS III 196,9–10/Landersdorfer, 335

216

HS III 196,11–12/Landersdorfer, 335

175

HS III 196,17–18/Landersdorfer, 335

174

HS III 196,21–24/Landersdorfer, 336

176

HS III 197,7–8/Landersdorfer, 336

176

HS III 197,9/Landersdorfer, 336

174

HS III 197,17–18/Landersdorfer, 336

176

431

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS III 198,7–8/Landersdorfer, 337

175

HS III 201,5–8/Landersdorfer, 339

177

HS III 201,7–8/Landersdorfer, 339

110

HS III 201,12–15/Landersdorfer, 339

110

HS III 201,14/Landersdorfer, 339

175

HS III 204,6–7/Landerdorfer, 340

174

HS III 208,9–14/TV 16, 51,9–52,10–14

89

HS III 209,13–14/TV 4,4, 52,29–30

140

HS III 210,10–211,20/TV 4,4, 53,47–54,76

202

HS III 210,14/TV 4,4, 53,51

141,281

HS III 210,15–16/TV 4,4, 53,51–52

202

HS III 210,18–211,7/TV 4,4, 53,55–54,64

202

HS III 211,6/TV 4,4, 54,65

140

HS III 211,11/TV 4,4, 54,69

139

HS III 211,11–12/TV 4,4, 54,69–71

266

HS III 211,11–14/TV 4,4, 54, 70–73

130

HS III 211,12/TV 4,4, 54,71

130,140

HS III 211,14–15/TV 4,4, 54,73–74

281

HS III 212,3/TV 4,4, 54,82

94,140

HS III 212,4/TV 4.4, 52,29–30

140

HS III 212,7–14/TV 4,4, 55,87–94

154

HS III 213,1–10/TV 4,4, 55,103–111

266

HS III 213,3–4/TV 4,4, 55,104–105

140

HS III 213,21/TV 4,4, 56,121

141

HS III 214,13–17/TV 4,4, 56,135–139

140

HS III 219,6–9/TV 4,4, 60,234–236

128

HS III 219,8–9/TV 4,4, 54,70–73

126

HS III 234,15–18/OrSyr 6, 51–66

83

HS III 234,18–235,1

100

HS III 240,3–4

274

HS III 246,3–4

86

HS III 252,9–14

86

432

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS III 273,7

89

HS III 275,2–3

288

HS III 278,17

126

HS III 281,9–10

92

HS III 284,5–291,14/Sob 3,1, 72,10–76,164

80

HS III 284,9–12/Sob 3,1, 72,15–18

79

HS III 284,16–286,21/Sob 3,1, 72,21–73,66

184

HS III 284,19–20/Sob 3,1, 72,25–26

136

HS III 285,1–11/Sob 3,1,72,27–73,38

92

HS III 285,7–18/ Sob 3,1,72,33–34

136

HS III 285, 7–16/ Sob 3,1, 70,75–84

108

HS III 285,13–20/Sob 3,1, 73,39–46

94

HS III 286,1–10/Sob, 3,1, 72,49–60

136

HS III 286,6–7/Sob, 3,1, 73,53–54

135

HS III 287,1–2/Sob 3,1, 73,70–74,71

154

HS III 287,3–14/Sob 3,1, 74,71–82

81

HS III 288,12–299,10/Sob 3,1, 3,1, 74,100–75,120

154

HS III 287,17–18/Sob 3,1, 74, 85–86

148

HS III 287,18/Sob 3,1, 70,87

109

HS III 287,19/Sob 3,1, 70,88

109

HS III 288,15–16/Sob 3,1, 74,103–104

213

HS III 288,16–289,12/Sob 3,1, 74,104–75,120

162

HS III 289,1/Sob 3,1, 75,110

148

HS III 289,8–11/Sob 3,1, 75,117–120

147

HS III 290,3–4/Sob 3,1, 75,133–134

205

HS III 290,8/Sob 3,1, 75,138

163,357

HS III 290,10–15/Sob 3,1, 75,139–144

153

HS III 290,15/Sob 3,1, 75,144

145

HS III 290,16/Sob 3,1, 75,145

155

HS III 290,18/Sob 3,1, 75,148

156

HS III 290,20–21/Sob 3,1, 76,149–150

154

HS III 290,21/Sob 3,1, 76,150

162

433

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS III 291,1–3/Sob 3,1, 76,151–153

155

HS III 291,1–5/Sob 3,1, 76,151–155

162,286

HS III 291,1–6/Sob 3,1, 76,151–156

242

HS III 291,6/Sob 3,1, 76,156

162

HS III 298,2/Sob 3,1, 80,302

161

HS III 299,8–11/Sob 3,1, 80,331–81,334

256

HS III 299,11–300,4/Sob 3,1, 80,333–81,348

335,339

HS III 299,11–17/Sob 3,1, 80,334–339

212,226

HS III 299,12/Sob 3,1, 75,120

213

HS III 299,13–19/Sob 3,1, 81,336–342

259

HS III 299,16–17/Sob 3,1, 81,339–340

258

HS III 299,21/Sob 3,1, 81,343

334

HS III 302,17–18/Sob 3,1, 82,405–406

161

HS III 305,2–7/Sob 3,1, 84,455–460

232

HS III 308,3–8/Mus 118, 76,51–56

287

HS III 310,22–311,1/Mus 118, 78,113–114

266

HS III 311,7–10/Mus 118, 78,119–122

267

HS III 312,19–313,1/Mus 118, 79,153–156

267

HS III 317,18–19/Mus 118, 83, 259–260

267

HS III 317,19–20/Mus 118, 261–262

267

HS III 320,9–19/Mus 118, 85,315–324

332,338

HS III 331,7–11/TV 4, 45,199–204

198

HS III 332, 5/TV 4, 46,217

199

HS III 335,5

131

HS III 333,8–13/TV, 4, 48,241–245

199

HS III 333,15/TV 4, 48,246

163,357

HS III 349,18–19

85

HS III 415,15/TV 3,49,80

138

HS III 416,9–10/TV 3,49,96–97

202

HS III 416,11/TV 3, 49,97

202

HS III 416,14–15/TV 3, 50,101–102

202

HS III 416,15–20/TV 3, 50,101–106

269

434

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS III 421,14–17/TV 3, 54,205–208

122

HS III 424,4–5;8/TV 3, 56,255–256; 260

122

HS III 443,18;20/MHMJS 44, 46,392; 394

260

HS III 435,11

122

HS III 448,17–19

123

HS III 472,2–19

269

HS III 487,2–11

44

HS III 583,5–7

184

HS III 589,16–590,3

212

HS III 591,4–5

319

HS III 593,8–9

201,278

HS III 593,12–15

272

HS III 603,19–20

154

HS III 630,11–16/MHMJS 17, 14,81–86

303

HS III 632,5–10

65,101

HS III 646,3/MHMJS 17, 6,3

115

HS III 646,6–18/MHMJS 17, 6,6–18

115

HS III 647,8–648,2

107

HS III 648,19/MHMJS 17, 10,47

178

HS III 649,3–4/MHMJS 17, 12,51–52

178

HS III 649,21–22/MHMJS 17, 12,68

179

HS III 650,3/MHMJS 17, 14,73

296

HS III 650,3–8/MHMJS 17, 14,73–78

298

HS III 652,12–15/MHMJS 17, 18,125–128

114

HS III 653,5–8/MHMJS 17, 20,139–142

114

HS III 653,13/MHMJS 17, 20,147

114

HS III 653,13–16/MHMJS 17, 20,147–150

295

HS III 653,20/MHMJS 17, 22,153

114

HS III 653,21/MHMJS 17, 22,154

115

HS III 655,4–9/MHMJS 17, 24,179–184

115

HS III 655,5–9/MHMJS 17, 24,180–184

304

HS III 659,18–21/MHMJS 17, 34,279–282

300

435

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS III 663,11–18/MHMJS 17, 42,355–365

301

HS III 663,15/MHMJS 17, 42,360

156

HS III 909,1–6 59/TV 26, 61,39–42

98

HS III 909,7–14/TV 26, 61,45–52

99

HS IV 14,10

83

HS IV 61,12

218

HS IV 68,9–10

218

HS IV 70,14–19

289

HS IV 74,19–75,9

219

HS IV 76,6–7

226,294

HS IV 76,6–11

219

HS IV 79,19–20

220

HS IV 89,20–90,7

220

HS IV 89,20–21

137

HS IV 90,20

289

HS IV 91,1–7

220

HS IV 91,4–5

289

HS IV 90,7–8

137

HS IV 91,4–5

89

HS IV 101,17–19

91

HS IV 282,1–5/TV 1, 55,1–5

83

HS IV 282,1–14/TV 1, 55,1–14

78

HS IV 282,12/TV 1, 55,12

78

HS IV 283,4–13/TV 1, 56,21–30

103

HS IV 462,13

126

HS IV 462,16

126

HS IV 506,6–7

75

HS IV 543,2;11/MHMJS 14,16,2;11

95,96,99

HS IV 543,10–11/MHMJS 14, 16,10–11

327

HS IV 544,7/MHMJS 14, 17,16,

96

HS IV 544,20–545,3/MHMJS 14 18,29–20,32

78

HS IV 545,7–10/MHMJS 14, 20,37–22,40

96

436

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS IV 545,15/MHMJS 14, 22,44

96

HS IV 553,19–554,2/MHMJS 14, 38, 219–222

98

HS IV 558,15–19/MHMJS 14, 46,319–323

327

HS IV 559,7–8/MHMJS 14, 48,331–332

233

HS IV 559,9–16/MHMJS 14, 48,333–340

234

HS IV 569,18–570,17/MHMJS 14, 66,555–70,576

238

HS IV 570,10–571,9/MHMJS 14, 68,570–70,590

239

HS IV 570,13–14/MHMJS 3, 68, 573–574

169

HS IV 570,14–15/MHMJS 3, 68,574–575

169

HS IV 570,15–16/MHMJS 14, 70,575–576

169

HS IV 570,8–17/MHMJS 14, 68,567–70,576

327

HS IV 571,16–19/MHMJS 14 70,597–72,600

239

HS IV 574,7-10/MHMJS 14, 82,653–656

355

HS IV 575,11–16/MHMJS 3, 80,679–684

171

HS IV 576,10-11/MHMJS 14, 83,699–700

356

HS IV 582,12/MHMJS 3, 94,826

171

HS IV 590,5–8/MHMJS 14, 108,987–990

328

HS IV 591,11–16/MHMJS 14, 110,1013–1018

195

HS IV 591,13–16, MHMJS 14, 110,1015–1018

93

HS IV 594,1–600,13/MHMJS 14,115–129

232

HS IV 596,2–3/MHMJS 14, 118,1105–1106

234

HS IV 596,2–5; 8–9/MHMJS 3, 118,1105–1108; 1111–1112

172

HS IV 596,2–9/MHMJS 14, 118,1105–1112

356

HS IV 596,2–11/MHMJS 14, 116,1105–1114

328

HS IV 596,4–5; 8–9/MHMJS 14, 1107–1108; 1111–1112

235

HS IV 596,12–15/MHMJS 14, 120,1115–1118

235,329

HS IV 596,12–14/MHMJS 3, 120,1115–1118

172

HS IV 596,16/MHMJS 14, 120,1119

235

HS IV 596,17–597,8/MHMJS 14, 120,1119–1128

236

HS IV 599,3–9/MHMJS 14, 125,1169–126,1174

169

HS IV 599,5–18/MHMJS 14, 124,1171–126,1184

326

HS IV 600, 4–7/MHMJS 14, 128,1191–1194

235

437

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS IV 601,1–2/MHMJS 14, 128,1209–129,1211

170

HS IV 602, 14–18/MHMJS 14, 132,1243–1247

286

HS IV 607,13–20/MHMJS 14, 142,1345–1352

237

HS IV 608,5–6/MHMJS 14, 140,1317–1318

302

HS IV 668,22–669,19

241

HS IV 702,13–22

268

HS IV 702,15–16

309

HS IV 702,19–22

309

HS IV, 703,5–10;13–14

340

HS IV 703,5–12

274

HS IV 727,10

83

HS IV 729,15–16

77

HS IV 730,18–19

124

HS IV 748,6–7

191

HS IV 757,15–758,1

149

HS IV 761,2–5

298

HS IV 761,20–21

154

HS IV 778,11–14

65

HS IV 786,17–18

261

HS IV 801,15–16

108

HS IV 815,11–12

188

HS IV 872,13–17/MHMJS 46, 2913–17

301

HS IV 876,1–6/MHMJS 38, 36,80–85

285

HS IV 876,3–6/MHMJS 46, 36,80–84

301

HS IV 877,1–4/MHMJS 38, 40,1–4

301,306

HS IV 900,11–18/MHMJS 90,21–27

297

HS IV 902,10–11/MHMJS 38, 95,63–64

306

HS IV 902, 16–17/MHMJS 38, 96,69–70

306

HS IV 902,19/MHMJS 38, 96,72

306

HS IV 903,9–10/MHMJS 46,83–84

306

HS V 156,2/TV 2, 34,38

217

HS V 159,5–6/TV 2, 37,106–107

217

438

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS V 160,15–22/TV 2, 38,139–39,146

216

HS V 160,21/TV 2, 34,30–35,55

256

HS V 167,2, TV, 2, 44,278

218

HS V 167,11/TV 2, 45,287

218

HS V 175,17–18/TV 2, 52,465–466

218

HS V 303,1–2

90

HS V 310,20–21/MHMJS 44, 136,67

124

HS V 315,6–7/MHMJS 16, 29,185–30,186

159

HS V 331,15–332,13/TV 3,11, 51–70

130

HS V 334,14/TV 3,11, 55,90–94

130

HS V 337,15–20/TV 11, 57,135–140

90

HS V 402,1

129

HS V 405,17

129

HS V 430,9–12

95

HS V 433,5

89

HS V, 480,5

154

HS V 509,12

296

HS V 509,20–23/MHMJS 44, 136, 63–70

132

HS V 525,3

296

HS V 617,1

126,127

HS V 620,20

131

HS V 621,1

131

HS V 621,13–14

132

HS V 622,2–3

132

HS V 624,6

128

HS V 624,9–10

128

HS V 625,3–6

129

HS V 625,7

129

HS V 627,7–10

292

HS V 668,22

242

HS V 669,1–19

241

HS V 680,20–21

241

439

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

HS V 699,9–10

261

HS V 701,9

261

HS V 734,7

126

HS V 738,13

126

HS V 740,10

126

HS V 778,20

98

HS V 821,7–8

178,179

HS V 880,10–13

162

HS V 882,18

162

SHF SHF 540,7/FH IV, 131,7

191

SHF 542,8/FH IV, 140,8

205

SHF 542,11/FH IV, 133,14

292

SHF 543,20/FH IV, 135,20

174

SHF 544,19/FH IV, 134,19

158

SHF 550,1–2/FH VII, 189,1–2

200

SHF 564,13–21/FH VII,199,32

205

SHF 568,5/FH IX, 235,5

300

SHF 572,10–12/FH IX, 236,10–12

300

SHF 578,32/FH IX, 235,32

189

SHF 579,32/FH IX, 241,32

190

SHF 586,2/FH XI, 263,2

196

SHF 596,24/FH XI, 269,24

150,155

SHF 596,25/FH XI 270,25

129,144

SHF 612,5/FH XII, 281,5

211

SHF 612,7/FH XII, 281,7

191

SHF 615,9/FH XII, 282,9

211

SHF 628,33/FH XII,290,33

187

SHF 634,10/FH XV,322,10

174

440

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

SHF 807,14–​15/​FH III, 127,360–​361

186

SHF 816,17–​18/​FH XVI, 338,169–​170

133

SHF 817,11–​12/​FH XVI, 339,183–​184

133

SHF 823,2–​3/​FH XVI, 344,301–​302

134

SMS SMS 615,11–​12/​TV 17, 8, 24–​25

95

SMS 615,12–​13/​TV 5,1, 8,33–​34

324

SMS 616,11–​14/​M. Hansbury, 19

334

SMS 616,19–​22/​M. Hansbury, 19–​20

328

SMS 627,20–​21/​TV 5,1, 18,283-​284

322

SMS 627,11–​16/​M. Hansbury, 30

334,335

SMS 630,19–​631,8/​M. Hansbury, 33

334

SMS 634,11–​12/​M. Hansbury, 36

334

SMS 635, 14–​17/​TV 5,1, 25,445–​448

318

SMS 636,5–18/ TV 5,1, 25,466–26,470

319

SMS 636,18–​19/​TV 5,1, 26,469–​470

319

SMS 636,19–​22/​TV 5,1, 26, 471–​474

319

SMS 637,3–​8/​M. Hansbury, 39–​40

320

SMS 637, 4–​7/​TV 5,1, 26, 477–​480

320

SMS 662,20–​21/​M. Hansbury, 66

325

SMS 689,19–​690,1–​4/​J.Puthuparampil, iv,93–​98

104

SMS 691,20–​21/​J.Puthuparampil, vi,135–​136

103

SMS 692,13–​16/​J.Puthuparampil, vii,151–​154

103

SMS 693,19–​22/​J. Puthuparampil, viii,179–​182

338

SMS 694,19–​20/​J.Puthuparampil, ix, 201–​202

104

SMS 707,13–​16/​J. Puthuparampil, xx, 475–​478

338

SMS 720,1–​2/​FH I, 41,1–​2

48

SMS 720,9–​10/​FH I, 41,9–​10

79

SMS 720,11–​12/​FH I, 41,11–​12

47

SMS 721,21–​722,3/​FH I, 44,59–​62

76

441

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

SMS 724,7–​8/​FH I, 45,87–​88

102

SMS 733,15–​18/​FH I, 55,289–​292

196

SMS 736,11–​15/​FH I, 57, 347–​352

105

SMS 738,18–​739, 1/​FH I, 59,396–​60,400

323

SMS 738,13–​17/​FH I, 59,391–​395

323

SMS 739,2–​7/​FH I, 60,401–​406

323

SMS 740,14/​FH I, 61,433

171

SMS 748,17–​20/​FH I, 69,605–​608

83

SMS 765,9–​10/​FH I, 84,949–​950

175

SMS 767,14/​FH I, 86,997

131

SMS 769,12–​770, 8/​FH I, 88,1036–​1056

197

SMS 771,7–​10/​FH I, 90, 1075–​1078

300

SMS 772,5–6/FH I, 91,1095–1096

117

SMS 772,16–​17/​FH I, 91,1107–​1108

116

SMS 776,19/​FH II, 97,35

196

SMS 796,15–​18/​FH III,116,109–​112

303

SMS 799,1–​15/​FH III, 119,175–​190

81

SMS 799,5–​8/​FH III, 119,179–​182

317

SMS 804,4/FH III, 124, 285

117

SMS 827,15–​16/​FH XVI, 349, 397–​398

170

QHC QHC 2,31–​32

188

QHC 6,99–​100

192

QHC 7,123–​126

193

QHC 7,129–​133

193

QHC 8,111–​112

193

QHC 8,138–​139

194

QHC 10,185–​11,200

211

QHC 26,198

190

QHC 31,277–​292

190

442

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

QHC 39,198

190

QHC 42,169–​170

187

QHC 67,703–​710

195

QHC 68, 689–​792

192

QHC 68,725–​726

192

QHC 83,1015–​1018

191

QHC 96,157–​167/​Harp 18, 185

158

QHC 97,175–​176

155

QHC 97,175–​178

243

QHC 97,185–​186

243

EPHREM HAzym VI,6–​7/​R. Murray, 145

254,317

HCru III,8,4

272

HCru VIII,61

224

HCru, IX,2

224

HEcc X,1

118

HEcc XXXVII,4–​7/​S.P. Brock, 31–​32

330

HFid V,17/​J.T. Wickes 87

307

HFid LXXXIV,1/​J.T. Wickes, 387

241

HNat I,16/​K.E. McVey I,16, 65

253

HNat V, 8,47/​K.E. McVey, 107

116

HNat XI,2/​S.P. Brock, 19

316

HNat XVI,9–​11/​S.P. Brock, 22–​23

316

HPar I,9/​S.P. Brock 80

223

HPar III,2/​S.P. Brock 91

223

HPar III,3/​S.P. Brock 91

223

HPar IV,1/​S.P. Brock 97

223

HPar VI,7/​S.P. Brock 111

223

HPar XV,8/​S.P. Brock 184–​185

223

HVir VII,5–​6/​K.E. McVey 294

272

HVir XVI,9/​K.E. McVey, 331

277

443

Index of Syriac Texts and Translations

APHRAHAT Dem III.14/P. Burns, Unterweisungen I, 133

314

Dem VI,6/​P. Bruns, Unterweisungen I, 193

314

Dem IX,14/​P. Bruns, Unterweisungen I, 268–​269

315

Dem IX,15/​P. Bruns, Unterweisungen I, 270

236

Dem XVIII,9–​12/​P. Bruns, Unterweisungen II,

252

Dem XXI,13/​P. Bruns, Unterweisungen II, 448

207