The Jacobites had the first and one of the most brilliant schools of liturgical science. Their bishop of Edessa, James († 708), wrote a liturgy, a compilation of prayers for the Divine Office, homilies on their rite, and letters on liturgical subjects.[1] Very many Jacobites followed in his steps. Benjamin of Edessa, Lazarus bar Sabtâ, Bishop of Bagdad (deposed in 829),[2] Moses bar Kēfâ, Bishop of Mosul († 903, as bishop his name was Severus)[3] wrote valuable treatises on the Jacobite liturgy. Especially Dionysius bar Ṣalībī († 1171), Bishop of Amida, is famous as the author of a treatise (on St. James' liturgy)[4] such as no other Church could show in the Middle Ages. The result of this is that we know more about the history of the Jacobite rite than of any other.
About the 12th century the Jacobite Church was probably in its most flourishing state. The Patriarch had then, immediately subject to himself, twenty Metropolitans and about a hundred bishops in Syria, Asia Minor, Cyprus, and eighteen more bishops under the Mafrian in the East.[5] But the Patriarchal dignity itself does not seem to have been much coveted. Barhebræus says that he is better off as Mafrian.[6] Shahrastānī (12th century) knows the Jacobites and gives a fairly accurate account of their views.[7] On the whole, they were a tolerant and kindly folk, who got on with their neighbours of other religions better than most people in the Middle Ages. In their zeal for scholarship they seem always to have been ready to learn from others. We saw that Barhebræus had a Nestorian master at Tripolis (p. 330); later he employed Orthodox artists to work for him;[8] he even writes scornfully of the differences between Christians, thinking it a pity that they run after Nestorius or Baradai, whereas Christ alone matters, and he quotes 1 Cor. iii. 5.[9] The mild an d harmless little sect was treated
- ↑ Duval: Littér. syr. 375-378.
- ↑ Ib. 389.
- ↑ Ib. 391-392.
- ↑ Expositio liturgiæ (cf. p. 191).
- ↑ Assemani: Diss. de Monoph. § viii.
- ↑ Barhebræus, ii. 460.
- ↑ Ed. Haarbrücker, i. 267-270.
- ↑ Barhebræus, ii. 464.
- ↑ Nöldeke: Orient. Skizzen, 267.
meekness, nor his sweet conversation and high soul, because I am rude, weak and not eloquent. I must rather be silent, trusting that the masters and brethren and approved teachers who knew him well will give him credit for his virtues" (ed. cit. ii. 486).
