[8] He was lauded as the "Moses of Mesopotamia", and was the spiritual father of the renowned writer and theologian Saint Ephrem the Syrian.

Saint Jacob was the son of prince Gefal,[3] and was born in the city of Nisibis in Mesopotamia in the 3rd century AD.

[10] The saint resolved to climb Mount Qardu, traditionally believed to be the resting place of Noah's Ark, and recover a fragment of the ark upon hearing from the hermit Maroukeh that local people doubted the Great Flood.

[14] In his Chronography, Elijah of Nisibis states that Saint Jacob was consecrated bishop in 308.

[1] Miles, Bishop of Susa, is said to have contributed a large quantity of silk from Adiabene to the church's construction.

[17] The Martyrologium Hieronymianum relates that he died on 15 July, the thirtieth day of the siege, according to the Chronicle of 724.

[19] Shapur II challenged the saint to fight outside the city, where it was revealed he was an apparition and the Iranian army withdrew as a result.

The fragment of Noah's Ark discovered by Saint Jacob was later brought to Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenia.