Early writings of Jacob in Edessa

Paul Ulishney a couple years ago got Correspondence of Jacob of Edessa and Eustathius of Dara into print. Jacob, per Ulishney, was then a forty-something monk esteemed as a theologian and an interpreter of Greek work.

Complicating matters, many of these names have other names. Jacob is (in English) sometimes called James. Edessa was usually Callirhoë in those days, which somewhat has a memory today as "Şanlı'Urfa". And Eustathius seems to have been in charge of saecular affairs in Dara to Ruha's east. Because, per Ulishney, Jacob addressed him as "the petty lord (kyriosuna)". But affectionately!

Also complicating is that little Jimmy whilst in Edessa veered off-and-on between being a monk and full bishop. We do know he wrote one of our letters at the age of 42 (bald, by then) but that one ain't dated and lacks any other real markers so, maddeningly, we still don't know when our man was born.

Wikipedia still thinks AD 672 was a possible year for Jacob's installation as bishop. Ulishney's rearrangement and interpretation agrees more with (early-)684 / 995. Such is the majority view since Omert J Shrier 1991 and is so assumed in Hoyland 1997-8. Ulishney doesn't defend Best O.J. against freakin' Wiki since, why should he condescend. So I'll do it.

In the earlier 680s - AG 990s to nonbarbarians - a small schism broke out cutting the "east" from the Antioch-Edessa mainline. These will be the now-historic sees of Tikrit, Singara, and mount Alpap. The patriarch Severus wanted to be a Syrian pope like his contemporary in Egypt acted as pope, appointing bishops or at least demanding a veto. (Investiture was always a problem for churches.) Severus enlisted Jacob as secretary. Ulishney reasonably assumes they'd not force this upon a bishop, but the bishops may well call in the smartest monk in the area. And Jacob, much as it pains us dyotheletes, was a genius. His contemporary Athanasius of Balad agreed; as Athanasius II he'll get Jacob that episcopacy as one of his first acts in office. I don't hear that anyone in Edessa complained... at the time. (Read on.)

All this stuff is in the British Library, still in manuscript: "Add. 12,172". Still unedited. On the other hand, now that Ulishney has organised it better, maybe we'll get to read it soon. Put Alison Salvesen on it. Is there some Copt who can send a grant?

Eustathius will enjoy a career after these letters, as well. He was the Nicodemus of the north Christian Arabs, founding a martyrion for Muʿâdh of the Taghlib. Michael the Syrian will post that to AG 1020 which we call 708-9 (against some "Muhammad" but assuredly under al-Walîd's command), I assume based on that church's records and plaques.

In these letters Jacob also dealt with the Romans and the Nestorians, as well a Syrian Miaphysite might. Jacob as an intellectual was no enemy to Greeks as such; but he might have grown disenchanted with the imperial Romans, Latin-speaking or otherwise. Constantine IV was asserting his primacy in Constantinople (681/993-on), and preparing to throw off the Monotheletism which his father had tolerated. As for the Nestorians: Jacob and Athanasius would have to worry their rivals might be eager to embrace their wayward brethren. There's also the issue that Jacob knew the earth was round unlike some idiots over there.

Jacob will outlast his pope, but not long outlast him. Athanasius was known in his (meagre) correspondence to be a stickler for, basically, Christian halakha. For instance he forbade to consume halal (Holger Zellentin has a good book on this). The next patriarch Julian - contemporary with Justinian II - proved more lax in such ordinances. By then and for this, the Edessenes preferred Julian over their own neoRabboula. Jacob resigned in a huff and retvrned to monk-ing. And to writing manifesti.

Per Salvesen's translation, Jacob's frustrations spilled into the scholion on the edition of 1 Kings / 3 Reigns 14 he was compiling there. Also extant is a "Testamentum Domini" from this circle which may well be by Jacob himself. Dunno about that Pseudo-Methodius tho', that Sinjari seems more oecumenical.