John Sabas

john sabas (fl. c. 550), Nestorian ascetic who spent a long time as a hermit and at an advanced age was the founder and principal of a monastery. His writings consist of letters, short sermons, and a compendium on the spiritual life called Ru’us al-Ma‘rifah (Chapters of Understanding). Despite his Nestorian faith, these writings made him greatly esteemed in Jacobite and Monophysite circles, so that he became known as the "spiritual elder," almost as a legendary character.