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[[Image:Isaac_of_Syria.jpg|thumb|right|Icon of St. Isaac of Syria]] Our venerable father '''Isaac of Nineveh''', also known as '''Isaac of Syria''' , is a 7th century [[saint]] known for his strict [[asceticism]] and ascetic writings.
St. Isaac was born in the region of Qatar on the western shore of the Persian Gulf. When still quite young, he entered a [[monastery]] with his brother. His fame grew as a holy man and teacher. He was subsequently [[Ordination|ordained]] [[bishop]] of Nineveh, the former capital of Assyria to the north, but requested to abdicate after only five months. He then went south to the wilderness of Mount Matout, a refuge for anchorites. There he lived in solitude for many years studying the [[Scripture]], but eventually blindness and old age forced him to retire to the monastery of Rabban Shabur, where he reposed and was buried. His [[feast day]] is [[January 28]].
He is not to be confused with the other St. [[Isaac the Syrian (abbot)|Isaac the Syrian]], Abbot of Spoleto, who lived during the mid-sixth century ([[April 12]]).
==Orthodoxy==
Much has been made in some circles that St. Isaac is fully accepted as was a saint in member of the Orthodox Church, though during his lifetime, he was of Persia (known today at the [[canons Assyrian Church of the East]]), which has been associated with the Nestorian heresy. The first edition (law1984)|canonically]] a member of the Orthodox English translation of St. Isaac's Ascetical Homilies contained an extensive Epilogue entitled "A Brief Historical and Theological Introduction to the Church of Persia to the End of the East (iSeventh Century," written by Syriac scholar Dr.eDana R. Miller of Fordham University, which has been summarized thusly in the new (2011) more compact second edition: "Saint Isaac was and still is commonly called 'Nestorian Bishop of Nineveh' and the Persian Church)of Persia of his day, which eventually adopted doctrines similar 'Nestorian'. The [first edition] Epilogue endeavored to those demonstrate that the teachings of Nestorius did not inform the theology of the Church of Persia; that the Nestorians. His writings nevertheless came of Theodore of Mopsuestia known to be extremely popular her were partial and imperfect translations, and that the controversy his writings caused in Orthodox monastic circles and are wellthe Greek-known for their Orthodoxy. [[Veneration]] for him grewspeaking world were mostly unknown to the Church of Persia, cut off by linguistic differences and he came political boundaries; that in some cases it was extremism on the part of the Monophysites that led the Church of Persia to take a stance that might seem to be incorporated into lend itself to a Nestorian interpretation, such as the Orthodox calendar cautious avoidance of saints. His inclusion is thus an indication the term Theotokos to avoid Monophysite Theopaschism, though she professed the Virgin's Son to be perfect God and perfect man; that the Church does not regard [fraternal relations with Byzantium remained open: no general and hardened opposition to the Fourth [canonical territory|canonical boundaries]Ecumenical] Council created a final division between the Church of Persia of Saint Isaac's day and the 'Chalcedonian' Church, as being it did with the Monophysites, for whom the rejection of the Council of Chalcedon became a defining element of their identity. Its aim, in a word, was to show that the litmus test Church of OrthodoxyPersia to which Saint Isaac belonged was neither heretical in theology nor schismatic in confession." (pages 74-75, "Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian", Revised Second Edition, translated and published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, 2011)
==Quotations==
"Why do you increase your bonds? Take hold of your life before your light grows dark and you seek help and do not find it. This life has been given to you for repentance; do not waste it in vain pursuits."
==Works==
*''The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian'', by Holy Transfiguration Monastery (1984). ISBN 978-0913026557.
*''The Ascetical Homilies of Mar Isaac of Nineveh'', by Paul Bedjan (2007). ISBN 978-1593333898. (Texts of the homilies are in Syriac.)
*''The Ascetical Homilies of Saint Isaac the Syrian'', Revised Second Edition, by Holy Transfiguration Monastery (2011). ISBN 978-0943405162
*''Mystical Treatises by Isaac of Nineveh'', by A. J. Wensinck (1923). Reprinted by [http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/mystic-treatises-by-isaac-of-nineveh/1109375?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/1 Lulu.com]
*''Isaac of Nineveh (Isaac the Syrian) 'The Second Part', Chapters IV-XLI'', by Sebastian Brock (1995). ISBN 9068317091
==Studies==
*[[Hilarion (Alfeyev) of Vienna|Hilarion Alfeyev]], ''The Spiritual World of Isaac the Syrian'' (2004). ISBN 978-0879077754.
==Sources and external links==
* [http://www.isaacthesyrian.com isaacthesyrian.com]: A collection of resources on St. Isaac
* [http://www.roca.org/OA/137/137d.htm Pearls from Saint Isaac of Syria]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060529065616/http://www.odyssey.on.ca/~paul.buis/frpius/desert06.html PEARLS of Saint Isaac from Syria]compiled by Fr. Pius Sammut
* [http://www.oca.org/FSLivesAllSaintsPrint.asp?M=1&D=28 OCA - Lives of all saints commemorated on January 28 (including St. Isaac the Syrian the Bishop of Nineveh)]
* [http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2188 St. Isaac of Nineveh]
[[Category:Monastics]]
[[Category:Bishops]]
[[Category:7th-century bishops]]
[[Category:Saints]]
[[Category:Syrian Saints]]
[[Category:7th-century saints]]
[[ro:Isaac Sirul]]
