St. James of Nisibis

Who is St. James of Nisibis? He is among the most beloved saints of the Armenian people. He lived in the 4th century and was consecrated Bishop of the See of Nisibis of Mesopotamia by Melidos, the Archbishop of Antioch. Historically within Armenian boundaries, Nisibis is now called Nisibin and is located in present day Turkey, near the border with Syria.

While serving in Nisibis, St. James led his Armenian flock during times of crisis. When the Persian Monarch Shapur II sent his army to surround the city, it failed after a 70-day siege to break through, due to the wise leadership of St. James. Based on this historical event, St. Nersess Shnorhali composed a moving hymn dedicated to St. James that begins with the words “victorious and hallowed patriarch.”

Most importantly, St. James was one of the 318 participants in the first ecumenical council in Nicea in 325 A.D. It was at this gathering of Christian leaders that the Nicean Creed was created. The Creed is the official declaration of the principal doctrines of the Church, which we chant at every Divine Liturgy.

St. James was famous for living a virtuous and pious life of asceticism and won popularity for his miracles, for which he is often called skanchelakordz, which means “wonderworker” in Armenian.

There is a legend that he climbed Mount Ararat in search of Noah’s Ark, despite his old age. On the climb, he stopped to rest and fell asleep. In his sleep, an angel approached him and told him that he was too old and that it would be humanly impossible for him to climb all the way to the top, but to satisfy his devout desire and deep faith, the angel gave him a piece of Noah’s Ark, saying to him, “Take this and satisfy your desire.” St. James, being content with this piece from Noah’s Ark, returned home, and brought this sacred relic to the Armenian people. According to tradition, this relic is in our Holy See of Etchmiadzin.

St. James was related to St. Gregory the Enlightener, from his Armenian mother’s side. The Feast of St. James of Nisibis is the name day for churches named after him and also a day of celebration for those named Hagop, Jacob and James.