ISACCO of NINEVEH. – A Syriac spiritual author of the 7th century, born at Bét Qatrâjê and later consecrated bishop of Nineveh by the Nestorian katholikós George I (658–80). After a few months he left his see and retired into solitude. Ebediesu attributes to him “seven tomes on the guidance of the spirit, on the divine Mysteries, on the Judgment and on Providence” (Catalogue, 70).
I. of N. became one of the most celebrated and influential spiritual writers of the entire East, thanks also to Arabic, Greek and Ethiopic versions of his works, which in the 10th century inspired Symeon the New Theologian and later influenced the Russians. In 1838 I. V. Kireevskij declared him the deepest of all philosophers. Recent studies have shown that I. is not so original as was thought, but depends on several authors, especially Evagrius of Pontus. Nevertheless, the influence of I., so great in the East, extended also to the West, where Latin, Italian, Spanish and other versions of his writings appeared.
Editions: P. Bedjan, Mar I. N. de perfectione religiosa (Paris-Leipzig 1909); Italian trans. Collazione dell'abate Isaac e lettere del b. don Giovanni (Venice 1500), from the Latin.