Jacob Saka

Jacob (Ya'qub) Saka ( Aramaic ܩܫܝܫܐ ܝܥܩܘܒ ܣܐܟܐ; Arabic يعقوب ساكا, DMG Yaʿqūb Sākā ; * 1864/05 in Bartella , Iraq ; † 1931/04) was pastor of the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch , teacher of the later Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III and a well-known poet.

Life

Jakob Saka was born the son of Petrus Sakas and grandson of the deacon Saka Ishok. After Saka did not have a permanent Aramaic teacher for the first time , which would have been extremely important for the young acolyte , since the liturgical language of the Syrian Orthodox Church is Aramaic , after a long time he got to know a certain Chaldean chorepiskopos named Peter, who taught him Aramaic what the The foundation for his future career. After his apprenticeship with that Chorepiskopos , when he reached the age of 27, he worked as an Aramaic and theology teacher first in the Bartellas church school and later in the Mor Mattai monastery on Mount Jabal Alfaf in Iraq . Among his students in the Bartellas Church School was the later Patriarch Moran Mor Ignatius Jacob III . Jacob received Saka 1906 ordination as a deacon. He was finally ordained a priest in 1929, but died two years later at the age of 67. Jakob Saka wrote many poems during his lifetime. These poems and the fact that he was the teacher of the Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III. was mainly the reason for its popularity. Jacob Saka's poems were largely collected by a monk named Ishok Saka (later Bishop Mor Severius Ishok Saka ) and published in two editions (see: Literature)

Condolence poems

Ignatius Jacob III

The later patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church Ignatius Jakob III. After the death of Jacob Sakas wrote a long letter of condolence in Aramaic in the form of a poem in which he expressed his condolences, expressed his grief and thanked him many times for his service. In this condolence poem it becomes clear what a close relationship Ignatius Jacob III. to his former teacher, without whom he would never have been able to exercise his office as patriarch. Ignatius Jacob III speaks of him in that poem as a pure and righteous man who opened many people's eyes to the truth. This is how it is translated at one point:

“Why didn't you stay and light up the people with your pure (sun) rays? In your bright light we became one with the path of life and here we are now without you: darkened, fearful and sad. Because of your demise, wise father, we are sad, our senses oppressed and our palates bitter taste. The holy altar on which you served, sir, weeps for you, because it misses your chants. "

The poem has a total of 120 verses, each of which has twelve syllables. The poem is written in trochee .

Ignatius Aphram I. Barsoum

The later Patriarch Ignatius Aphram I Barsoum also wrote a condolence poem on Saka's death. It counts three stanzas, each with four twelve-syllable lines. The poem is also written in trochee. The poem was first published in 1931 in the "Knowledge newspaper" (ܡܓܠܬܐ ܕܚܟܡܬܐ) published in Jerusalem .

literature

• Ishok Saka: ܡܐܡܪ̈ܐ ܡܓ̈ܒܝܐ ܡܢ ܡܘܫ̈ܚܬܐ ܕܩܫܝܫܐ ܝܥܩܘܒ ܣܐܟܐ (Aramaic), Zahle, Lebanon, 1999
• Ishok Saka: ܡܐܡܪ̈ܐ ܡܓ̈ܒܝܐ ܡܢ ܡܘܫ̈ܚܬܗ ܕܐܒܘܢ ܡܢܚܐ ܩܫܝܫܐ ܝܥܩܘܒ ܣܐܟܐ (Aramaic), Hikmet Press, Mardin, Turkey, 1958
• Severius Jakob (Ignatius Jakob III): ܐܘܠܝܬܐ ܥܠܐ ܡܢܚܐ ܡܠܦܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܣܦܩܐ ܘ ܣܦܪܐ ܛܪܩܐ ܐܒܘܢ ܩܫܝܫܐ ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܦܛܪܘܣ ܒܪ ܡܫܡ ܣܐܟܐ ܒܪܛܠܝܐ (Aramaic), Beirut, Lebanon, February 8, 1957

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Saka, Jacob. In: The Syriac Gazetteer. Retrieved December 17, 2018 . 
2. ↑ Ignatius Aphram I Barsoum: ܒܖ̈ܘܠܐ ܒܕܝܖ̈ܐ - ܕܥܠ ܡܪܕܘܬ ܝܘܠܦܢ̈ܐ ܣܘܖ̈ܝܝܐ ܗܕܝܖ̈ܐ . Bar Hebraeus, Glane 1992, pp. 501-502 (Aramaic).
3. ↑ Ignatius Aphram I Barsoum: BERULE BDHIRE. Histoire des Sciences et de la litterature Syriaque . Bar Hebraeus, Glane 1987 (Arabic).
4. ↑ Severius Jakob (Ignatius Jakob III): ܐܘܠܝܬܐ ܥܠܐ ܡܢܚܐ ܡܠܦܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ܣܦܩܐ ܘ ܣܦܪܐ ܛܪܩܐ ܐܒܘܢ ܩܫܝܫܐ ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܒܪ ܦܛܪܘܣ ܒܪ ܡܫܡ ܣܐܟܐ ܒܪܛܠܝܐ. In: archive.org. 1957, accessed December 18, 2018 (Aramaic). 
5. ↑ Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum: ܢܘܖ̈ܒܐ . Ed .: Theophilus George Saliba. Bar Hebraeus Verlag, Glane 1989, p. 40 (Aramaic, Arabic).