On the Mother of God

by Jacob of Sarug

Jacob of Serug was born at Curtem on the Euphrates, ca. 451. Very little is known of his life. He probably studies at the school of Edessa. He became a monk and priest. Early in life he began writing and is thought to have composed more than 700 homilies. Jacob, "flute of the Holy spirit and harp of the faithful church," has a great love of the Mother of God. In this volume, four homilies have been chosen from the Syriac texts. The poetry is typological and rooted in Scripture. It offers, as Professor Brock notes in his introduction, an alternative to the 'liberal critical approach to the bible' or to an excessively fundamentalist approach." After 1500 years of separation from this Oriental Orthodox tradition, so full of Scripture, it seems as if the Holy Spirit is uniting us through the poetic genius of Jacob of Serug. On the Mother of God is part of the POPULAR PATRISTIC SERIES.

Genres: Theology, Poetry, Christianity, Church History, Christian

102 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book of what looks like poetry, but is actually metered theology/sermons. So, so good.

[Lane Bortell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This little book was so good for me. It introduced me to the world of the eastern orthodox church fathers, which I hopefully will continue to enjoy. It elevated my view of Mary significantly (though I am still a little ambivalent as to my theological understanding of her), and it gave me practice reading poetry. Lord knows I need it.

[Youssef Botros · Rating 5 out of 5]

St. Jacob’s pieces read like poetry and are extremely palatable. The Syrian insights found in this book are refreshing. The honor and praise offered to our beloved Mother thaws our own hearts to exalt her and to strive to emulate her virtue.

[D.J. Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a small and beautiful book, a Syriac poem written by Jacob of Serug, a Christian bishop of late antiquity. The poem is a retelling of the story of Mary, mother of Jesus, and drips with temple imagery and references to the Book of Isaiah, giving it a wonderful, dense, merkava-like feel. Beautiful; instructive.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

typo p. 90: sepuchre should be sepulchre

[Michelle Boulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must reread annually.
The highlight was his contemplations on St Joseph and his role. Translation is excellent as well and really captured the beauty of the prose.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

While frequently viewed by modern scholars in the shadow of Ephrem of Syria (of whom he considered himself a disciple), Jacob of Serug was himself a prolific and gifted poet-theologian. His metrical homilies, of which he reportedly composed 760, deal with a wide variety of Biblical themes, the Incarnation, the theological dynamics of his time, and in the case of 'On the Mother of God', the profoundly impacting story of the Theotokos, Mary, the mother of Christ.

As is the case with all of the Syriac Fathers, Jacob makes frequent use of layered and beautiful symbol in his writing. These symbols go far beyond what we moderns typically understand as analogy, viewing Scriptures from the Old and New Testaments as mutually infusing one another, and all aspects of Scripture, nature, and the created world as somehow both symbolizing and connecting with Jesus, in whom all symbols find their completion. In this book, small as it is, one finds gorgeous and powerfully affecting language that moves with a life of its own, description of both mother and child, in the womb and born from it. Mystery, great Mystery ebbs and flows in these pages, and their words will remain with you long after you are finished.

Jacob's work has changed and altered me, pulling me deeper into the ancient Mystery of the Incarnation in a manner which I struggle to describe. Thankfully, Jacob's words do the job quite well.

[Mina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different perspective on the concept of the mother of God. A journey to explore her role in incarnation and salvation