Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Jerusalem
The Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, All Palestine, and All the Near East or the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem (
The Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, All Palestine, and All the Near East | |
---|---|
Archbishopric | |
Oriental Orthodox | |
Alexandrian | |
Established | 1236 A.D. |
Current leadership | |
Pope | Tawadros II |
Metropolitan Archbishop | Antonius |
Website | |
copticj |
History
During the high Middle Ages, trade routes connected Egypt with the Near East and many Coptic merchants ended up settling there. By the start of the 13th century, the Coptic Church had come to possess an altar adjacent to the Holy Sepulcher, the Monastery of Deir el-Sultan in Jerusalem, and a few churches in Jerusalem, Gaza, and Damascus.[3]
The Coptic possessions and congregants present within the near east – although they belonged to the Coptic Orthodox Church and the See of Alexandria – were seen to be present within the jurisdiction of the See of Antioch, and thus they were pastorally ministered to by the Syriac Orthodox Church. However, in later years, a tradition developed for the Coptic Bishop of Damietta to visit Jerusalem annually during the Feast of the Resurrection and to celebrate the feast with the Copts who lived there. This helped maintain a connection between these Coptic expatriates in Jerusalem and the Coptic Church in Egypt.[4] Following the departure of the Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Jerusalem Ignatius Sahdo, a long period of vacancy began, in which there was no Syriac claimant to the throne of Jerusalem, and thus, no local Oriental Orthodox Bishop to shepherd the congregation.[5] This vacancy in Syriac succession would last for a majority of the 13th century, from c. 1210 – c. 1290.
At the start of his reign,
Since the See of Jerusalem was under the jurisdiction of the See of Antioch, this ordination was seen by many within the Coptic Church as a break with tradition, and an overstepping of jurisdiction. Many of the leaders of the Coptic Church also objected, fearing that it would cause a division between the sister Churches of Antioch and Alexandria. When news of the appointment reached Patriarch Ignatius III David of Antioch, he was extremely angered and saddened, and a diplomatic crisis between the Coptic and Syriac Churches ensued.[6] This crisis was a very rare incident between the two churches, as in general they have maintained good relations through the centuries.[7]
Liturgical seniority
The Holy and Ancient
The esteem afforded to the primate of this See is also reflected in the process of his consecration. While the traditions of the
Jurisdiction
Modern jurisdiction
The modern jurisdiction of the Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, All Palestine, and All the Near East includes:[3][8]
- The Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, and all Palestine
- The Holy Suffragan Diocese of Philadelphia of Jordan, and all Jordan
- Comprising the modern-day country of Jordan.
- The Holy Suffragan Diocese of Lebanon and Greater Mesopotamia
Possessions and institutions of the archdiocese
The Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, All Palestine, and All the Near East currently maintains total or partial ownership of the following churches, monasteries, holy sites, and institutions:[9]
In Israel/Palestine
The following sites are fully in the possession the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Jerusalem:[10]
- Monastery of Saint Anthony, Jerusalem
- Adjacent to the northern wall of the Old City of Jerusalem. It currently serves as the headquarters of the archdiocese/patriarchate.
- The patriarchate complex includes five churches:[11]
- St Anthony's Church: the main church of the monastery.[11]
- St Bishoy's Church: inside the monastery.[11]
- St Mary's Church: inside the monastery.[11]
- St Helena's Church (Queen Helena's Church, also spelt Helen): at the entrance of the complex, with a belowground cistern.[11] (Not to be confused with St. Helena's Chapel, a nearby belowground Armenian chapel within the Holy Sepulchre Church.)
- St Jacob's Church: beneath the complex.[11]
- Adjacent to the northern wall of the
- Monastery of the Sultan (Deir el-Sultan), Jerusalem
- On top of the roof of the Armenian Chapel of St Helena (which is underground, so this monastery is ground-level). It serves as a passageway connecting St Anthony's Monastery to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
- In recent years, a dispute over the ownership of the monastery has erupted between the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Jerusalem and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.[12]
- Chapel of the Virgin Mary (the "Coptic Chapel", or the "Chapel of the Copts"), Jerusalem
- Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre complex, attached to the back of the shrine of the tomb of Christ.
- Convent and Church of Saint George the Roman, Jerusalem
- Near the Old City of Jerusalem. The premise also includes St. Dimiana's Coptic College.
- Near the
- Convent and Church of the Virgin Mary, Bethlehem
- Close to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
- Copts Ascent, Jerusalem
- A street with pilgrims' housing (the Old City of Jerusalem.
- A street with pilgrims' housing (the
- Monastery and Church of Saint Anthony, Joppa
- Monastery and Church of Saint Anthony, Jericho
- In the city of Jericho. Used to serve as a way station for Coptic pilgrims heading up from Jerusalem to the Jordan River.
- Monastery and Church of Saints Zacchaeus and Andrew, Jericho
- In the city of Jericho. It was built on a piece of land traditionally held to be the place where the house of Saint Zacchaeus, the repentant tax collector, once stood. Early excavations within the monastery also revealed an ancient Byzantine church dedicated to Saint Andrew.
- Monastery and Church of Saint John the Baptist
- Near the banks of the baptism of Jesus Christ.
- Near the banks of the
- Church of the Virgin Mary and the Annunciation, Nazareth
- Next to the Basilica of the Annunciation, which is traditionally believed to be built over the house of Virgin Mary, where angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus – an event known as the Annunciation.
- The Antonine College, Jerusalem
The following sites are in the possession of other Churches, but the Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Jerusalem holds some minor rights to them:[13]
- Church of the Sepulchre of Saint Mary, Jerusalem
- In the Kidron Valley, in the Garden of Gethsemane, at the foot of the Mount of Olives. It is traditionally seen as the tomb where the disciples had lain the body of the Virgin Mary after her death.
- Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem
- In Bethlehem. It is traditionally believed to contain the cave in which Christ was born.
- Church of the Ascension, Jerusalem
- On the Mount of Olives. It is traditionally held to be the place from which Jesus Christ ascended.
In Kuwait
In Jordan
In Syria
- St. George Coptic Orthodox Monastery, Homs
In Lebanon
- St. Mary and St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church, Madaba
In Iraq
Archbishops of Jerusalem and the Near East
The Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, All Palestine, and All the Near East has had a total of 22
- Basil I (1236-1260)
- Peter I (1271-1306)
- Michael (1310-1324)
- John (1326-1340)
- Peter II (1341-1362)
- Zachariah (1575-1600)
- James I (1604-1628)
- Christodolus I (1630-1648)
- Gabriel (1680-1700)
- Christodolus II (1720-1724)
- Athanasius (1725-1766)
- Joseph (1770-1796)
- Christodolus III (1797-1819)
- Abraham I (1820-1854)
- Basil II "The Great" (1856-1899)
- Timothy (1899-1925)
- Basil III (1925-1935)
- Theophilus (1935-1945)
- James II (1946-1956)
- Basil IV (1959-1991)
- Abraham II (1991-2015)
- Antonius (2016–present)
See also
- Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Jerusalem
- Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
- Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria
- Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
References
- ^ "Metropolitan Archbishops of the seat of Jerusalem". Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem Official Website (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ "St Abba Antonious Monastery". Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem Official Website (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ a b ibn Masʿūd, Abu l-Makārim (1200). Bishop of Shebein al-Qanater, Samuel (ed.). The History of Abu l-Makārim Concerning the Churches in the 12th Century (PDF) (in Arabic). Vol. III. pp. 8–73.
- ^ a b c "The Appointment of a Coptic Bishop for the Churches of the Holy Land and Jerusalem". Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
- ^ Barsoum, Ephrem (2003). The Scattered Pearls: A History of Syriac Literature and Sciences. p. 449.
- ^ a b Ibn Wahb, Yuhanna. History of the Patriarchs of Alexandria. Vol. IV, Part II. Translated by Khater, Antoine; O.H.E. KHS-Burmester. pp. 158–161. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
- ^ a b Abouna Menassa Elkomos Youhanna (1923). History of the Coptic Church.
- ^ "Churches of the Patriarchate". Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 2017-11-12. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
- ^ "List of Churches owned by the Patriarchate". Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem Official Website (in Arabic). Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ "Coptic Possessions". Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ a b c d e f "The Coptic Church in Jerusalem". Archived from the original on October 1, 2016. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b "Deir Es-Sultan Monastery's mediation by Greek Church unsuccessful: Egypt Pope". Egypt Independent. 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
- ^ "Rights of the Copts to Shared Churches". Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Archived from the original on 2017-10-24. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ "Cross mounted over dome of first Coptic Orthodox church in Baghdad". Watani. 9 March 2019.
the Coptic Orthodox church of the Holy Virgin and Anba Pola in Bagdad, the first Coptic Orthodox Church in Baghdad.
- ^ "coptic jerusalem". copticj.com. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
- ^ "Archbishops of the see of Jerusalem".