Page "Jacob of Serugh" Paragraph 2

In 519, Jacob was elected bishop of the main city of the area, Batnan da-Srugh (, ).

As Jacob was born in the same year as the controversial Council of Chalcedon, he lived through the intense rifts that split the Church of the Byzantine Empire, which led to most Syriac speakers being separated from the imperial communion in what was to become the Syriac Orthodox Church.

Even though imperial persecution of anti-Chalcedonians became increasingly brutal towards the end of Jacob's life, he remained surprisingly quiet on such divisive theological and political issues.

However, when pressed in correspondece by Paul, bishop of Edessa, he openly expressed dissatisfaction with the proceedings of Chalcedon.