Eugene Manna
Jacob Eugene Manna | |
|---|---|
| Native name | ܝܥܩܘܒ ܐܘܓܝܢ ܡܢܐ |
| Church | Chaldean Catholic Church |
| Archdiocese | Bassorah |
| See | Rome |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph (Yawsep) 1867 |
| Died | 15 February 1928 (aged 60–61) |
Mar Jacob Awgen Manna (Syriac: ܝܰܥܩܘܒ ܐܰܘܓܝܢ ܡܰܢܐ, romanized: Yaʿqob Awgīn Manna; 1867–1928), also called Jacques-Eugène Manna,[1] was bishop and scholar of the Chaldean Catholic Church. He is known for publishing many Syriac books on grammar and lexicography. He died in 1928; his body was found floating in the Tigris river.
Life
Yaʿqob was born in 1867 in Baqofah in Ninveh (modern-day northern Iraq), with the given baptismal name of Joseph (Syriac: ܝܘܣܦ, romanized: Yawsep). An alumnus of the Patriarchal Seminary in Mosul, he was ordained a priest on August 15, 1889, by Patriarch Eliya XIV. He worked with the Dominican Press and headed the Seminary of St. John in Mosul from 1895 to 1902, where he taught Syriac Aramaic.[2][3]
In 1902 he traveled to Rome with Patriarch Joseph Emmanuel Thomas alongside the famous scholar Addai Scher, where both priests were ordained bishops there. He remained in Europe until the end of World War I as bishop of the titular see of Tabbora,[4] then went to Basra to head that diocese from 1921 to 1928[3] as the Patriarchal Vicar.[4]
In February 1928, he attempted to return to Rome, but the patriarch forbade him. On Holy Thursday of that year, he mysteriously disappeared. His body was later found in the Tigris river.[2][3]
Works
Mar Yaʿqob demonstrated an excellent knowledge of the Syriac language. He composed multiple works:[3]
- Grammar of the Aramaic Language, Mosul 1896
- Syriac-Arabic Dictionary, Mosul 1900 (re-edited by R. J. Bidawid, Beirut 1975)
- Morceaux choisis de littérature araméenne (Marge pegyānāye d-mardutā d-Ārāmāye), 2 volumes, Mosul 1901
The last book has been particularly influential and remains in use as one of the standard Syriac dictionaries.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Manna, Jacob Awgen". syriaca.org. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ a b Syriac Museum (November 10, 2022). "Jacques-Eugene Manna". Syriac Heritage Museum. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Brock, Sebastian P.; Kiraz, George A. (2011). "Manna, Yaʿqob Awgen". Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. ISBN 9781593337148. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ a b "Bishop Jacques-Eugène Manna [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ Ephrem Barsoum (2003). The Scattered Pearls: A History of Syriac Literature and Sciences. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press, LLC. pp. 33–34. ISBN 9781931956048.