Writings by 6th century saints Jacob of Serugh and Severus of Antioch reflect monastic overtones in their prescriptions for fasting and repentance. Bcheiry highlights St. Jacob’s exegesis of Jonah in Memro 122 as a spiritual struggle, and one that characterizes Nineveh’s reformation with the ascetic appearances known to him in his time. Versions of St. Severus’ Lenten homilies vary by their intended audience of parishioners or monastic practioners. St. Severus addressed the latter by describing a movement from self-denial to purity. The monastic views recorded in the work by St. Jacob and St. Severus contributed toward the basis of the Syriac Orthodox Church between the 6th and 8th centuries.