James Intercisus

From Justapedia, unleashing the power of collective wisdom
Jump to navigation Jump to search

James Intercisus (Mor Yakob M'phasko Sahada - Malankara)
James the Persian (Menologion of Basil II).jpg
The martyrdom of James, from the Menologion of Basil II.
BornBeth Huzaye (Persia)
Died421
Beth Lapat (Persia)
Venerated inEast Syriac Christianity
Eastern Orthodox Church
Catholic Church
Oriental Orthodoxy
Feast27 November
27 Hathor (Coptic Christianity)[1]

Saint James Intercisus ( Mor Yakob M'phasko Sahada ), also known as 'Saint James the Mutilated' & 'Mor Yakob M'phasko Sahada' (died in year 421) was a Syriac Christian saint born in Beth Huzaye (Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܗܘܙܝܐ) in Persia. His epithet, Intercisus, is derived from the Latin word for "cut into pieces," which refers to the manner of his martyrdom: he was slowly cut into twenty-eight pieces. His death started the Roman-Sassanid War (421-422).

His feast day is November 27.

Life

Tradition states that he was a military officer and courtier to Yazdegerd I who had apostatized after this ruler began to persecute Christians. Under the influence of his Christian family, however, he expressed his faith to Yazdegerd's successor, Bahram V, leading to his execution.[2]

Death

He was killed in Beth Lapat (Gundishapur). The ruins of this city are near Dezful, Iran.

At his execution, he survived the loss of limbs until he was beheaded. His followers requested his body parts as relics, but this request was denied, so they stole the body parts,[3] which were somehow sent to the Portuguese cathedral of Braga and put into a sarcophagus in the Relics Chapel.

Legend

James' story is recounted in The Golden Legend.

According to Katherine Rabenstein, he may be a composite character of James of Beit (who, having renounced Christianity under Yazdegerd, was shamed by his parents and changed his mind, becoming a martyr under the persecution of Bahram); Mar Peros (similarly shamed by his parents and martyred in 448); and James of Karka (a 20-year-old notary to Bahram, tortured alongside many others after casually remarking that he'd rather be cut into pieces than renounce God).[3]

Holy Relics, Churches and Monasteries

A piece of bone from the finger of St.James the Mutilated (St.Yakob M'phasko) is placed in a golden casket, which is kept in the holy cross(kurishupalli) dedicated to Mor Yakob M'phasko Sahada by Mor Dionysious Joseph metropolitan (Pulikkottil II) and Saint Mor Gregorios Geevargese metropolitan (Parumala Thirumeni)] on December 10 1868, in the premises of St. Peter's & St. Paul's Orthodox Syrian Old Church Pengamuck (AD:1900) in Kerala (Thrissur dist.) India.

This holy relics brought to Pengamuck by, Mor Dionysious Joseph metropolitan (as he has his roots in Pengamuck) after it was gifted to him at his consecration as Metropolitan by Patriarch Of Antioch Ignatius Yakoob II. Google Location Of The Holy Cross Which the relics kept ( https://goo.gl/maps/X6wU295BUo6UqJHi7 )

The Church of St. James Intercisus in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem was dedicated to him.[4]

The Monastery of St. Jacob Persian in Sireți, Strășeni Moldova

The Monastery of St. Jacob Persian in Deddeh, Lebanon

The monastery of St James the Mutilated in Qara, Syria are all dedicated to him.

References

  1. ^ "Hator 27 : Lives of Saints : Synaxarium - CopticChurch.net".
  2. ^ John J. Delaney, Dictionary of saints, (Image, 2005), 323.
  3. ^ a b Rabenstein, Katherine I. (1998). "saintpatrickdc.org". St. Patrick Catholic Church. Retrieved 19 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Adrian J. Boas, Jerusalem in the time of the Crusades, (Routledge, 2001), 128.

External links

Bibliography

  • Thieleman J. van Braght, Martyr's Mirror, 1660