Saint Jacob of Serugh

Jacob of Serugh, also known as Mar Jacob or Jacob of Sarug (c. 452–521), was one of the foremost poets and theologians of the Syriac Christian tradition. He lived most of his life in Suruç, modern-day Turkey, where he served as an ecclesiastical official. Near the end of his life, Jacob became a bishop (of Batnan) in 519. He was a Miaphysite, though more moderate than some of his contemporaries. Best known for his homilies written in late fifth and early sixth centuries, he composed works in both prose and dodecasyllabic meter, which he invented. According to Jacob of Edessa, he wrote 763 works during his lifetime; around 400 survive today, with over 200 published. His work earned him nicknames such as 'Flute of the Holy Spirit' and 'Lyre of the Believing Church'. By the time of his death, Jacob had a great reputation, and his writings were so popular that only Augustine of Hippo and John Chrysostom's works survive in more manuscripts than his. Both Non-Chalcedonian and Chalcedonian traditions now take him as a saint.