Baring-Gould’s sources: Greek Menaea and Menology on Jan. 13th and October 31st. Syriac Meuology on Jan. 18th. All ancient Latin Martyrologies on July 15th. Authorities: — A Life by Theodoret, bishop of Cyrus (a.d. 457), and mention by Theodoret in his Eccl History, and Philotheus, and Gregory Abulfaraj in his Hist. Arab.] S. James of Nisibis lived a severe, self-denying life among the rocks of Mount Masius, near his native city; in winter lodging in a cave, in summer sleeping under trees in the open air. He ate only roots and wild fruit, and denied himself any clothing, except a goat siskin habit. Theodoret tells a strange story of him. Vexed at seeing some girls washing linen with unveiled faces and clothes tucked up, in a manner fjuljr *5.
…which he thought inconsistent with propriety, he cursed them, and their hair turned white. It was in vain that they implored him to restore the natural hue to their long locks. The stern old man remained obdurate, and the poor girls went about Nisibis, a living warning to the washerwomen to be more particular when engaged in cleansing linen. A beggar pretended to be dead, and his companions asked alms to bury him decently. The harsh old man turned sharply on them, and at his curse, the beggar died. However, we are told, that S. James relented at length, and the man got up and shook himself, and never pretended to be dead again; at least by the side of the road frequented by S. James.
The hermit was chosen bishop of Nisibis about the year 325, and mightily defended the city against Sapor IL, king of Persia, in the memorable siege of Nisibis, in 350. During the long reign of Constantius, the provinces of the East had been afflicted by the calamities of the Persian war; now swept by the light, flying bands of the desert Arabs, next traversed by the marshalled hosts of Rome or of Persia, which clashed in nine bloody battles. The event of the day was commonly adverse to the Romans, the battle of Singara led to a rout with dreadful slaughter, and a hurried, disastrous retreat. Constantius revenged himself for his bad generalship by scourging, torturing, and then decapitating the young son of Sapor, who had fallen into his hands.
But whatever advantages might attend the arms of Sapor in the field, he could not hope to retain possession of Mesopotamia, the field of his victories and the humiliation of the Romans, so long as the fortified cities held out against him. Chief among these was J«*r »jO S. yames.
Nisibis, situated about two days journey from the Tigris, in the midst of a fertile, but marshy plain. A treble enclosure of brick walls was defended by a deep ditch; and the intrepid resistance of Count Lucilianus and his garrison, was ‘seconded by the desperate courage of the people. The citizens were animated by the exhortations of their bishop; they knew the horrors that attended the capture of a city by the relentless Persian — impalement; or, at least, captivity in a distant land. The event of a former siege elated their confidence, and exasperated the haughty spirit of the great king, who advanced a third time towards Nisibis, at the head of the united forces of Persia and India, countless horses, engines of war, and numerous elephants. The ordinary machines invented to batter, or undermine the walls, were rendered ineffectual by the superior skill of the Romans; and seventy days elapsed without Sapor being able to make himself master of the city.
At length, the king formed dams which prevented the river Mygdonius from filling its bed, and retained it in a vast reservoir, above the city. When the water began to trickle over the embankment, the whole dyke gave way, and the immense volume of water fell like a battering-ram on the walls opposed to them, levelled them, flooded and destroyed the lower part of the city, and prostrated the wall on the further side, before they escaped. Sapor exulted on the immediate prospect of capturing the city; but he delayed the assault till the following day, when the waters would have subsided. In the night, however, James led on the people, men, women, and children, to rebuild the fallen defences. They laboured with such zeal that by dawn on the morrow the breaches were repaired.
vol. vii. 23 Sapor could not believe that the new wall would resist an attack with rams, and the Persians were ordered to the assault. The heavy-armed cavalry, who led the van of a deep column, were embarrassed in the mud. The river had torn gullies and bored deep ruts, and filled them with slime, in which the soldiers floundered and perished. S. James, in his episcopal array of purple, with gilded mitre, appeared on the walls, in the glory of the morning sun. The Persian king exclaimed that this was the emperor, and could not believe those who assured him that Constantius was not there. It was now that, according to Theodoret, 1 the holy bishop raised his head and cursed the unbelieving foe. There was a low humming, a little dark cloud spreading over the sky, and then a swarm of gnats fell on the elephants and horses, maddening them with pain. The elephants rushed hither and thither, trampling down thousands of Persian archers. “ God is fighting for the Romans ! ” cried the enraged king, discharging an arrow against heaven.
At the same time, news reached him of an invasion of the Massagetae into his territories. With reluctant indignation, he sounded the signal for retreat, and retired precipitately with all his host. James was present at the great Council of Nicaea, which condemned Arius.
In 341, he was at Antioch, at the Council of the Dedication, which condemned S. Athanasius [bishop of Alexandria (d. 373), great defender of the Nicene faith]. This Council was attended by ninety-seven bishops, and passed a canon which cut off from all hope of restoration, or even of a hearing, a bishop who should officiate after a canonical deposition; it then confirmed the decision of the Arian [followers of Arius, who taught that the Son is a created being, not fully God] synod of Tyre against Atha1 And Abu! fstraj.
July x$.] nasius, and therefore cut him off by an irrevocable condemnation. The bishops passed twenty-four other canons, and drew up three creeds. The first was very short, beginning, “ We who are bishops have not been followers of Arius; but have examined his doctrine; we have permitted him to join himself to us, but we have not gone to him.” The doctrine it enunciated was thoroughly orthodox, only the burning word homoousios (“ of one substance ”) was avoided. Shortly afterwards a second Creed was promulgated by the Council, which gave high titles to the Son, as the immutable and unvarying image of the Father’s Godhead, “begotten Defore all ages; by whom all things were made, God of God, All issued of All, perfection from perfection, King from King, Lord from Lord, living Word, living Wisdom, true Light, the Way, the Pastor, the Gate — by whom all things subsist.” This Creed was also perfectly orthodox. The third was read before the assembly by Theophronius, bishop of Tyana; it was a vague, short statement, anathematizing Paul of Samosata, Sabellius, and Marcellus of Ancyra, but not Arius. James of Nisibis signed the decrees of this Council. He may not have seen how truly Athanasius was the champion of the truth; he may have thought his vehemence violence, his insisting on the adoption of the word “ homoousios ” unreasonable. He laboured for peace and hoped to obtain it by closing the mouth of the dauntless champion of the Consubstantial, and whilst professing the true faith, extending his fellowship to Arius. 1 The Roman Martyrology says: — “By the prayers of 1 Marcellas, the great supporter of Athanasius, had fallen Into flagrant SabelNanism; this may have alarmed some of the orthodox, James of Nisibis among them, and induced them to Join the Euscblans in the condemnation of Athanasius.
S. James, united with those of S. Alexander, bishop of Constantinople, Arius received, in that city, the punishment due to his wickedness, by the rupture of his bowels.” This Baronius [Cardinal Baronius (d. 1607), church historian who edited the Roman Martyrology] inserted. He was grievously in error in so doing, as has been pointed out by the Jesuit Garner in his dissertation on the works of Theodoret.
The story occurs in some few copies of Theodoret’s Philotheus; but in such a manner as to interrupt the narrative, and it disagrees with the assertion of S. Athanasius that only the priest Macarius was with Alexander, a statement Theodoret himself adopts in his Ecclesiastical History, and which is confirmed by Socrates and Sozomen.
In 336, it is pretended that S. James of Nisibis was in Constantinople; why^ we are not told. It was at this crisis in the history of the Church when Constantine was determined to rehabilitate Arius. The heresiarch had been summoned to attend the emperor, who asked him if he held the orthodox faith. He answered, with a solemn oath, that he did hold it; and gave in a formula of faith couched in Scriptural terms, professing that he did not hold the heretical opinions attributed to him, and appealing to the judgment of God. The facts of the death of Arius are sufficiently established; but there is no evidence that S. James was present in Constantinople at the time. Abulfaraj says that S. James died the same year as the siege, 350; Gennadius says only that he died in the reign of Constantius. Theodoret does not give any indication of the date. The Roman Martyrology says that he had suffered for the faith and made a noble confession in the persecution of Galerius Maximus; but of this, history knows nothing, any more than of his having climbed 6 ". Apronia.
Ararat and being vouchsafed a sight of the ark of Noah, which is hidden from the eyes of most men — a circumstance related by the ancient Roman Martyrology, ascribed, falsely, to S. Jerome [translator of the Bible into Latin (d. 420)], which is also the only authority for the sufferings of S. James in the persecution of Galerius. If Baronius left out one fable, he might just as well have also drawn his pen through the other, when revising the Martyrology.
