Jacob of Serugh
c. c. 451 – 521
Place: serugh · coming soon
36.975, 38.424 · On the map
Life and works attested. The Alexander poem attributed to him is pseudonymous (Pseudo-Jacob) and dated to about 630 by Reinink.
Jacob was a Syriac bishop-poet whose hundreds of verse homilies were sung in churches across the Syriac world, including one on the Seven Sleepers. A Syriac poem on Alexander was later attributed to him, though it actually dates from about 630. Through this liturgical verse, biblical and legendary stories reached Arab congregations.
People named here
- Jacob of Serugh
Links
Report and reading
Out
Legend of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
Jacob wrote a verse homily on the Seven Sleepers.
authored
attestedOut
Syriac Alexander Legend (Neṣḥānā d-Aleksandros)
A metrical Alexander poem was attributed to Jacob but dates to about 630 (Pseudo-Jacob).
misattributed
attested
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jacob of Serugh
Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-11-11.
- Sidney H. Griffith, 'Christian Lore and the Arabic Qur'an: The Companions of the Cave in Surat al-Kahf and in Syriac Christian Tradition', in G. S. Reynolds (ed.), The Qur'an in Its Historical Context (2008)
Routledge. Accessed 2026-11-11.