The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
James of Nisibis
d. c. 338 · Bishop of Nisibis · Father of Nicaea · Nisibis, Mesopotamia
The Nicene Age
Who James of Nisibis was
Bishop of the Mesopotamian frontier city of Nisibis, a former hermit reputed for miracles, a father of Nicaea, and — in the Syriac tradition — the teacher of Ephrem, who served as his deacon. He is credited with strengthening the city’s faith and, by his prayers, with helping repel the Persian siege of 337–338. The Syriac church honoured him as one of its founding saints; his tomb at Nisibis was a place of pilgrimage. A bridge between the Greek council and the Syriac-speaking church of the East.
Also listed in bishops beyond the great sees.
Common questions
When did James die?
James of Nisibis is dated d. c. 338 in the archive, which places James in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention James?
James of Nisibis is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Ephrem the Syrian, Theodoret of Cyrus and Theodoret of Cyrrhus. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was James from?
The archive associates James of Nisibis with Nisibis, Mesopotamia. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were James’ contemporaries?
The archive links James of Nisibis to 5 other figures, including Ephrem the Syrian, Hosius of Cordova, Alexander of Alexandria and Aphrahat the Persian Sage. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Carmina Nisibena (the city's bishops remembered in Ephrem's siege-hymns)
c. AD 363Religious History (Historia Religiosa) 1
c. AD 449James, that great luminary… adorned the see of Nisibis; and being present at the great council of Nicaea, he joined in the condemnation of the Arian blasphemy.Theodoret of Cyrus · source text
Ecclesiastical History II.30 (his prayers and the gnats of Nisibis)
c. AD 449Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put James, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1Nisibis
- 2Mesopotamiaprovince only