Maphrian
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The Maphrian (
The first maphrianate, called the Maphrianate of the East or the Maphrianate of Tagrit, was established in 628 to give the Syriac Orthodox Church an ecclesiastical hierarchy in the
The second maphrianate was the Maphrianate of Ṭur ʿAbdin established in 1495 under the jurisdiction of the
The sole Syriac Catholic maphrian was
In the 20th century a new maphrianate nominally under the Syriac Orthodox Church was established in India in 1912, creating a new
Etymology
The word "maphrian" is an Anglicisation of the Arabic mafiryān, itself from Syriac maphryono (mprynʾ), which means "one who bears fruit, fructifier", metaphorically "consecrator" of bishops.[2][3]
History
The ecclesiastical dignity dates back to the seventh century however its origins began with the instatement of the Catholicos of the East in the fifth century, which was made to unite Christians within the
Despite this, within the Sassanian Empire, the Mesopotamian town of Tagrit alone did not adopt Nestorianism and would become the centre of Miaphysite missions. For the Syriac Orthodox Church in the East, the office of Metropolitan of the East was created by the energetic Jacob Baradaeus for the bishop Ahudemmeh, however he was executed by the Sassanians in 575. During this period, Miaphysites were subject to a great deal of persecution from the Sassanians, under suspicion that as they obeyed a spiritual head residing in Byzantine territory, they were therefore inclined to support the Byzantines. This was spurred on by accusations of favouring the Byzantines from Nestorians at the Shah's court at Ctesiphon; thus encouraging further persecution.
During this period, the Persians were known to enslave much of the Roman territory they conquered and return with a multitude of captives, including Byzantines, Egyptians and Syrians, increasing the number of Miaphysites within Persia. The Miaphysites were under the authority of the Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan of the East until 624 when the seat was left empty for five years. So once the hostilities had drawn to a close at the end of the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, in 629 the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Athanasius I Gammolo appointed Marutha of Tagrit as the first maphrian, with the task of organising the Miaphysites in the Sassanian Empire from the Miaphysite stronghold of Tagrit.
The efforts of
Over time, the relations between the Maphrian and the
However, the Maphrians often had disputes with bishops within his own administration, such as the metropolitan of the
From 1533, the title was changed to the Maphrian of Mosul to distinguish it from the new office of Maphrian of Tur Abdin. In time, the number of Syriac Orthodox Christians in Mesopotamia decreased, and the maphrianate lost its original significance. It became largely a titular designation for the Syriac Orthodox Church's second highest office until being abolished altogether in a synod of 1860.
In 1975, the title was resurrected for use by the regional head of the Syriac Orthodox Church in India (Jacobite Syrian Christian Church). The current Maphrian is Baselios Thomas I.
Ecclesiastical jurisdiction
The following dioceses were suffragans of the Maphrianate of the East at various points in its existence:[4]
- Beth Arbaye
- Sinjar
- Maltha
- Arzen
- Gomel or Marga
- Beth Ramman (Baremman) or Beth Waziq (Bawazij)
- Karma
- Beth Zabdai, later moved to Jazirat Ibn ʿUmar
- Beth Nuhadra
- Peroz-Shapur
- Shahrzur
- Al-Hirah
- Anah and the Banu Taghlib
- Nineveh and Mosul
- Baghdad
- Monastery of Saint Matthew
- Kufa
- Narsibad
- Kurum
- Qronta
- Beth Arsham
- Hassasa
- Tirhan
- Balad
- Beth Saida
- Sistan
- Herat
- Tabriz
- Urmia
- Nisibis
- Bahrain
- Julamerk
- Monastery of Saint Behnam
See also
References
- ^ Wilmshurst (2019), pp. 810–811.
- ^ a b c d e f g Kiraz (2011).
- ^ a b Takahashi (2018), p. 957.
- ^ Barsoum (2009), pp. 44–46.
Bibliography
- Barsoum, Aphrem (2009). The Collected Historical Essays of Aphram I Barsoum. Vol. 1. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. .
- George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
- ISBN 9780881410556.
- Takahashi, Hidemi (2018). "Maphrian". In Oliver Nicholson (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press. p. 957.
- Wilmshurst, David (2019). "West Syrian patriarchs and maphrians". In Daniel King (ed.). The Syriac World. Routledge. pp. 806–813.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Maphrian". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.