Patriarch of Antioch

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Patriarch of Antioch
Christian
Information
First holderSaint Peter
DenominationEastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic (Eastern Catholic Churches)
Sui iuris churchMelkite, Maronite, Syriac Catholic
RiteWest Syriac Rite, Byzantine Rite
Established34 (founded)
451 (granted title of patriarch)

The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the

Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
).

According to the pre-congregation church tradition, this ancient patriarchate was founded by the

Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch
.

History

First Christians

See also:
Early centers of Christianity § Antioch

In Roman times, Antioch was the principal city of

the Roman Province of Syria, and the fourth largest city of the Roman Empire, after Rome, Ephesus and Alexandria
.

The church in Antioch was the first to be called "Christian," according to Acts.

Julian the Martyr
, whose relics it contained.

Despite being overshadowed in ecclesiastical authority by the

Hellenistic-influenced Christology of Alexandria, Rome, and Constantinople, Antiochene theology was greatly influenced by Rabbinic Judaism and other modes of West Asian monotheistic thought—emphasizing the single, transcendent divine substance (οὐσία), which in turn led to adoptionism in certain extremes, and to the clear distinction of two natures of Christ (δύο φύσεις: dyophysitism): one human, the other divine. Lastly, compared to the Patriarchates
in Constantinople, Rome, and Alexandria which for various reasons became mired in the theology of imperial state religion, many of its Patriarchs managed to straddle the divide between the controversies of Christology and imperial unity through its piety and straightforward grasp of early Christian thought which was rooted in its primitive Church beginnings.

Chalcedonian split

The

Byzantine rite.[4]

The internal schisms such as that over

Zoroastrian Persians in the 6th century, then the Muslim Arabs in the seventh century before the city could be recovered by the Byzantine Empire in 969.[5]

Maronite split

Although

Saint Maron did accept the terms of Chalcedon, they eventually came to follow another condemned heresy, Monothelitism, in the 7th century, which they would adhere to until they re-adopted the Chalcedonian doctrine in the 12th century through establishment of communion with Rome.[6][7] Although the Maronites initially fought alongside the Byzantines in their struggle against the Arabs, in 685 AD, they appointed a Patriarch for themselves, St. John Maron
, who became the first Patriarch of the Maronite Church. The appointing of a Patriarch made the Byzantine Emperor furious, which led to the persecution of the Maronites by the Byzantines, and their consequent retreat into the mountains of Lebanon, where they would continue to reside to this day.

Great schism

Over the centuries, differences between the Church in the East and West emerged such as the use of unleavened bread for the Eucharist in the West or the addition of the filioque to the Nicene Creed by Pope Sergius IV. The resulting schism, the Great Schism, has often been dated to the 1054 mission of Cardinal Humbert to Constantinople when Humbert excommunicated (invalidly) the Patriach of Constantinople, Michael I Cerularius, who in turn excommunicated the Pope and removed him from the diptychs. Consequently, two major Christian bodies broke communion became two fractions: One faction, now identified as the Catholic Church, represented the Latin West under the leadership of the pope; the other faction, now identified as the Eastern Orthodox Church, represented the Greek East under the collegial authority of the patriarchs of Antioch, Jerusalem, Constantinople and Alexandria. This split, however, was then most likely known only within higher clerics who either gave it little importance or expected it to be overcome soon.[5]

As with the patriarchates of Alexandria and Jerusalem, communication between Rome and Antioch was not as easy as between Rome and Constantinople. Nevertheless, documentation between Antioch and Rome exist such as when in 1052 Patriarch Peter III send news of his appointment to Leo IX and asked him to send a profession of faith back as the popes had not been commemorated in the diptychs for 30 years.[5] After Michael I Cerularius had excommunicated the Latin Church in 1054, informed also Peter III whose reply shows the non-importance he and many others maintained toward the events of 1054; Peter maintained the Latins were their brothers but that their thinking was prone to error and that as barbarians they should be excused from a precise understanding of orthodoxy.[5] In 1085, the city was captured by Sultanate of Rum but it was allowed that John the Oxite, the newly appointed patriarch by emperor Alexios I Komnenos could live in the city. When the army of the First Crusade appeared before the walls of Antioch, John was imprisoned by the city's governor and subject to torture in front of the eyes of the crusaders. After the conquest of the city in June 1098, John was released and reinstated by the spiritual leader of the crusader, Adhemar of Le Puy, as patriarch of Antioch.[8] After Adhemar's death, the Norman Bohemond of Taranto established himself as prince of Antioch and went in opposition to Alexios I in 1099/1100, forcing John to leave the patriarchate due to his suspected loyalty to the Byzantine Emperor. Bohemond selected a Frankish cleric loyal to him as new patriarch, thus starting the Latin Patriarchate of Antioch.

The Western influence in the area was finally ended by the victories of the

Crusader States in the 13th century. In 1268 the Principality of Antioch came to an end with the brutal conquest of the city
by Mamluks which left the significance of the patriarchate, together with the ecclesiastical schisms between Rome and Constantinople and between Constantinople and Alexandria and Antioch, isolated, fractured and debased. The Latin Patriarch went into exile in 1268, and the office became titular only. The office fell vacant in 1953 and was finally abolished in 1964.

Melkite split of 1724

In 1724,

Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. In 1729, Pope Benedict XIII recognized Cyril as the Eastern Catholic patriarch of Antioch and welcomed him and his followers into full communion with the Catholic Church.[9]

Current patriarchs

Today, five churches claim the title of patriarch of Antioch;

particular churches in full communion with the pope of Rome. All five see themselves as part of the Antiochene heritage and claim a right to the Antiochene See through apostolic succession, although none are currently based in the city of Antakya. This multiplicity of Patriarchs of Antioch as well as their lack of location in Antioch, reflects the troubled history of Christianity
in the region, which has been marked by internecine struggles and persecution, particularly since the Islamic conquest. Indeed, the Christian population in the original territories of the Antiochene patriarchs has been all but eliminated by assimilation and expulsion, with the region's current Christians forming a small minority.

The current patriarchs of Antioch are listed below in order of their accession to the post, from earliest to most recent.

At one point, there was at least nominally a sixth claimant to the Patriarchate. When the Western European

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The last holder of this office was Roberto Vicentini
, who died without a successor in 1953. The post itself was abolished in 1964.

Episcopal succession

One way to understand the historical interrelationships between the various churches is to examine their chain of episcopal succession—that is, the sequence of bishops that each church regards as having been the predecessors of each church's current claimant to the patriarchate. There were four points in history where a disputed succession to the patriarchate led to a lasting institutional schism, leading to the five churches that exist today.

Thus, the succession recognized by each church is as follows:

Lists of patriarchs of Antioch

See also

References

  1. ^ Acts 11:26
  2. ^ Peter, in the Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
  3. ISBN 9781450070867.[self-published source
    ]
  4. ISBN 978-0-8337-1217-2
    . Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  5. ^
    ISBN 9781108915922
    .
  6. S2CID 163021809
    .
  7. ^ "Maronite church | Meaning, History, Liturgy, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  8. ^ Runciman, Steven (2005) [1980]. The First Crusade. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  9. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Melchites" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  10. ISBN 978-1-135-19371-3
    .
  11. ^ Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East
  12. ^ Hore, Alexander Hugh (1899). Eighteen Centuries of the Orthodox Greek Church. James Parker. pp. 281–282.

Sources

External links
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