In the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Archbishop of Jerusalem (originally Bishop of Jerusalem) today bears the additional title of Patriarchal Vicar of the Holy Land and Jordan.[1] The see is currently held by Anthimos Jack Yakoub.
Archbishop of Jerusalem Patriarchal Vicar of the Holy Land and Jordan | |
|---|---|
| Bishopric | |
| Syriac orthodox Church | |
 Leaders of the Jerusalem church in 1922 | |
| Incumbent: Anthimos Jack Yakoub | |
| Style | Archbishop His Eminence |
| Information | |
| Cathedral | Monastery of Saint Mark, Jerusalem |
History
editThe first Syriac Orthodox church in Jerusalem was probably built between the Sasanian conquest (614) and the Islamic conquest (637). The Patriarch Michael the Syrian (died 1199) implies that the church torn down by Harun al-Rashid in 806/807 predated the Islamic conquest. It was soon rebuilt by an Egyptian named Macarius of Naburwah. Since almost all of the known bishops were monks, there must also have been at least a rudimentary monastic community.[2]
The church appears to have been destroyed at the time of the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In 1092, Mansur of Tilbana, another Egyptian, built what was then the only Syriac Orthodox church in the city. In the first quarter of the 12th century, Bishop Ignatius II rebuilt the destroyed church and monastery. It was dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene and later also to Simon the Pharisee. Shortly after 1125, Ignatius III constructed a hostel with a courtyard across from the church.[2] According to John of Würzburg, writing later in the century, this church was believed to have formerly been the house of Simon the Leper.[3] It is located near the Church of Saint Anne on the northeastern side of the city.[4]
After the Ayyyubid conquest in 1187, the church and monastery were transformed into a Muslim school. The bishops were only able again to occupy it again briefly when the city was in Christian hands between the Sixth Crusade (1229) and the Khwarazmian conquest (1244). Thereafter the Syriac Orthodox used the small church of Saint Thomas of the Germans until it was handed over to the Muslim authorities by the incumbent monk, who converted to Islam in 1451/1452.[2]
The Syriac Orthodox patriarch acquired the Monastery of Saint Mark from the Coptic Orthodox in 1472 and this has served ever since as the church of the bishops of Jerusalem.[5] There was a deputy metropolitan bishop of Jerusalem from the early 18th century to the office's abolition in 1858, who resided at the Monastery of Saint Mark, whilst the metropolitan bishop resided at the monastery of Saint Ananias in Tur Abdin.[6]
Ecclesiastical properties
editThe following ecclesiastical properties belong to the archdiocese:
- Monastery of Saint Mark
- Chapel of Saint Joseph of Arimathea and Saint Nicodemus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
- Church of the Mother of God, Bethlehem, Palestine.[7]
- Church of Saint Ephrem, Amman, Jordan.[8]
The archdiocese also possesses minor rights of worship at the following churches:
- Church of the Nativity
- Church of the Tomb of the Virgin Mary
List of bishops
editThe Syriac Orthodox Register of Episcopal Ordinations only goes back to 793. Michael the Syrian appended to his Chronicle a list of bishops of Jerusalem from James, brother of Jesus, down to his own time. It is identical to the Register for the bishops after 793. The bishops were of metropolitan rank.[9]
In the following list, a date range like 792×818 means "ordained between 792 and 818". Bishops before 793 cannot be dated at all. The list begins with the first bishop elected in opposition to the Council of Chalcedon (451), but the numbering takes into account the earlier bishops of Jerusalem.[10]
- Theodosius (451–453)
- Severus (590–635)
- Anastasius
- Martyrius
- Sallustianus
- Elias
- Cyril II
- Jeremy I
- Thomas I
- John I
- Philoxenus I
- Timothy I (792×818)
- Job (816×845)
- Ignatius I (816×846)
- Joseph III (816×846)
- John II (845×875)
- Cyril III Noah (845×875)
- Cyriacus
- Severus (877×884)
- Joseph IV (909×924)
- Theodore (909×924)
- Cyril IV (922×936)
- Jeremy II (935×954)
- Thomas II (964×986)
- John III (1006×1031)
- Philoxenus II (1003×1031)
- Zacharias (1041×1058)
- Thomas III (1041×1058)
- Timothy II (1062×1074)[nb 1]
- John IV (1079×1083)
- Cyril V (1090×1130)
- David (1090×1130)
- Ignatius II Hesnun (1090×1130, died 1124/1125)
- Ignatius III ibn Busayr of Gadina (1123×1140)
- Ignatius IV Romanus (1138×1167)[nb 2]
- Athanasius (1167×1200)
- Ignatius V Sahdo (1167×1200)[nb 3]
- Basil (fl. 1292–1295)[14]
- Basil Simon (?–1421/1422)
- Gregorius Joseph al-Gurji (c. 1510/1512–1537)[nb 4][15]
- Gregorius Bahnam (c. 1530)
- John of Mardin (d. 1577)[16]
- Gregorius John of Gargar (d. 1585×1587)[nb 5]
- Gregorius Behnam of Arbo (1590–1614)[18]
- Abd al-Azal (1640)[11]
- Gregorius Abdal Jaleel (1664–1671)[19]
- Gregorius Simon II (1679–1692)[20]
- Gregorius Simon III of Salah (1693–1719)[21]
- Gregorius ‘Abd al-Ahad (1719–1731)[22]
- Gregorius Barsoum (1720–1727)[23]
- Gregorius Barsoum (1729–1737)[24]
- Gregorius Sani’a (1731–1737)[25]
- Gregorius Thomas (1737–1748)[26]
- Gregorius George (1748–1773)[27]
- Gregorius Bishara of Bitlis (1774–1789)[nb 6]
- Athanasius Jacob (1785–1797)[29]
- Dionysius Jacob (1798)[11]
- Cyril ‘Abd al-Ahad (1799–1840)[29]
- Deputy: Gregorius Jacob (?–1847)[30]
- Deputy: Athanasius Yuhanna (1850–1864)[31]
- Gregorius Abded Sattuf (1872–1880)[32]
- George Kassab of Sadad (d. 1896)[33]
- Iyawannis Elias (1896–1908)[34]
- Gregorius Ephrem (1909–?)[35]
- Athanasius Yeshue Samuel (1946–1957)
- Dionysius Behnan Jijjawi (1957–1996)
- Sewerus Malki Mourad (1996–2018)
- Gabriel Dahho (2019–2022)[36][37]
- Patriarchal delegate: Anthimos Jack Yakoub (2022–2023)[38]
- Anthimos Jack Yakoub (2023–present)[39]
References
editNotes
- ^ Barsoum places Timothy II's episcopate in c. 1080.[11]
- ^ Barsoum places Ignatius IV Romanus' episcopate in 1139–1183.[12]
- ^ Barsoum places Ignatius V Sahdo's episcopate from 1193 to his death in the first decade of the 13th century.[13]
- ^ Gregorius Joseph al-Gurji was metropolitan bishop of Jerusalem, Homs, Damascus, Tripoli, and Mardin for a time.[15]
- ^ John of Gargar was metropolitan bishop of Jerusalem and Tripoli.[17]
- ^ Bishara of Bitlis was metropolitan bishop of Jerusalem and Amida from 1774 to 1783.[28]
Citations
- ^ Kiraz & Van Rompay (2011).
- ^ a b c Palmer (1991), pp. 26–31.
- ^ John of Würzburg 1890, pp. 23–24.
- ^ Church of St. Mary Magdalene
- ^ Palmer (1991), pp. 26–31; Barsoum (2003), p. 566.
- ^ Barsoum (2008), p. 41; Barsoum (2009a).
- ^ "Church of the Mother of God, Bethlehem". Syriac Orthodox Resources. 22 September 2002. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Lynn, Kelly (18 September 2015). "Life on hold for Iraqi Christian refugees in Jordan". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- ^ Palmer (1991), p. 27.
- ^ List drawn from Chabot 1905, p. 493 and Palmer 1991, pp. 36–37.
- ^ a b c Barsoum (2009b), p. 2.
- ^ Barsoum (2003), p. 442.
- ^ Barsoum (2003), p. 449.
- ^ Barsoum (2008), p. 58.
- ^ a b Barsoum (2003), pp. 511–512.
- ^ Barsoum (2003), p. 80.
- ^ Barsoum (2003), p. 156.
- ^ Barsoum (2008), p. 58; Barsoum (2003), p. 21.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), p. 96.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), pp. 4, 15.
- ^ Barsoum (2008), p. 77; Barsoum (2009a), p. 4.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), p. 25.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), p. 16.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), p. 29.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), p. 37.
- ^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 216.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), pp. 42–49.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), p. 121.
- ^ a b Barsoum (2008), p. 59.
- ^ Barsoum (2008), pp. 41, 50.
- ^ Barsoum (2008), p. 60.
- ^ Kiraz (2011).
- ^ Barsoum (2003), p. 22.
- ^ Barsoum (2008), p. 42.
- ^ Barsoum (2009a), p. 43.
- ^ "Consecration of Archbishop Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem". Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
- ^ "WCC mourns passing of Archbishop Mor Gabriel Dahho". World Council of Churches. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ "Two Patriarchal Delegates appointed by Syriac Orthodox Church to Holeb Archdiocese and Jerusalem, Jordan, and Holy Lands Archdiocese". Syriac Press. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
- ^ "WCC congratulates Archbishop Mor Anthimos Jack Yakoub, patriarchal vicar for Jerusalem, Jordan, and the Holy Land". World Council of Churches. 2 February 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
Bibliography
edit- Barsoum, Ephrem (2003). The Scattered Pearls: A History of Syriac Literature and Sciences. Translated by Matti Moosa (2nd ed.). Gorgias Press. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- Barsoum, Aphrem (2008). History of the Za'faran Monastery. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- Barsoum, Aphrem (2009a). History of the Syriac Dioceses. Vol. 1. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- Barsoum, Aphrem (2009b). The Collected Historical Essays of Aphram I Barsoum. Vol. 1. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- Chabot, Jean-Baptiste, ed. (1905). Chronique de Michel le Syrien. Vol. III. Paris: Ernest Leroux.
- Ignatius Jacob III (2008). History of the Monastery of Saint Matthew in Mosul. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- John of Würzburg (1890). Description of the Holy Land. Translated by Aubrey Stewart. London: Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society.
- Kiraz, George A. (2011). "ʿAbdullāh II Saṭṭūf". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage. Gorgias Press, electronic edition by Beth Mardutho. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- Kiraz, George A.; Van Rompay, Lucas (2011). "Jerusalem". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage. Gorgias Press, electronic edition by Beth Mardutho. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- Palmer, Andrew (1991). "The History of the Syrian Orthodox in Jerusalem". Oriens Christianus. 75: 16–43.
- Palmer, Andrew (1992). "The History of the Syrian Orthodox in Jerusalem, Part II: Queen Melisende and the Jacobite Estates". Oriens Christianus. 76: 74–94.