Isaac of Nineveh | |
---|---|
Mar Isaac the Syrian | |
Born | c. 613 Beth Qatraye |
Died | c. 700 Nineveh |
Venerated in |
Eastern Orthodox Church Church of the East Oriental Orthodoxy Eastern Catholic Churches |
Major shrine | monastery of Shabar, Iraq |
Feast | January 28 |
Attributes | bishop and theologian |
Patronage | The Village of monastery of Shabar |
Isaac of Nineveh (Syriac: ܡܪܝ ܐܝܣܚܩ ܕܢܝܢܘ; Arabic: إسحاق النينوي Ishak an-Naynuwī; Greek: Ἰσαὰκ Σύρος; c. 613 – c. 700) also remembered as Saint Isaac the Syrian,Abba Isaac, Isaac Syrus and Isaac of Qatar was a 7th-century Church of the East Syriac Christian bishop and theologian best remembered for his written works on Christian asceticism. He is also regarded as a saint in the (non-Ephesine) Assyrian Church of the East, the Syriac Orthodox Church, and among the (non-Chalcedonian) Oriental Churches, making him the last saint chronologically to be recognised by every apostolic Church of the Christian East. His feast day falls, together with 4th-century theologian and hymnographer St. Ephrem the Syrian, on January 28.
He was born in the region of Beth Qatraye in Eastern Arabia, a mixed Syriac and Arabic speaking region region encompassing the south east of Mesopotamia and the north eastern Arabian peninsula. When still quite young, he entered a monastery where he devoted his energies towards the practice of asceticism. After many years of studying at the library attached to the monastery, he emerged as an authoritative figure in theology. Shortly after, he dedicated his life to monasticism and became involved in religious education throughout the Beth Qatraye region. When the Catholicos Georges (680–659) visited Beth Qatraye in the middle of the seventh century to attend a synod, he ordained Isaac bishop of Nineveh far to the north in Assyria.