[5] For this, he gained the sobriquet "Nabki" or "of Al-Nabk", which led later writers to erroneously claim he was from Syria, whilst others gave Damascus as his place of birth.
[5] The deacon Nur al-Din, son of Shallila, composed an ode in praise of Jacob's conduct in this office, a copy of which was later found by Aphrem Barsoum.
[5][nb 1] In addition, the bishops of Syria ordained Athanasius bar Subay of Al-Nabek as patriarch in 1511 in opposition to Yeshu and Jacob.
[3] According to David Wilmshurst, Jacob and Yeshu ruled concurrent with one another until 1519,[10] whilst Aphrem Barsoum notes that Athanasius bar Subay simultaneously claimed the patriarchal office until his death likely at some point between 1514 and 1518.
[11] Several lines of his poetry on the subject of repentance are attested in a grammar book at Midyat,[6] as well as his comments on some festivals are contained in a homologia (Paris Library MS.