Patriarch of Antioch facts for kids

The Patriarch of Antioch is a very old and important title. It belongs to the main bishop of Antioch. This city is now called Antakya and is in Turkey.

Antioch was one of the first places where Christians lived. Because of this, the leader of the church there became very important. The church in Antioch is believed to have been started by Saint Peter, one of Jesus's first followers.

Today, five different churches use the title "Patriarch of Antioch." These churches are:

• The Syriac Orthodox Church (part of the Oriental Orthodox Churches)
• The Maronite Church (a Catholic Church)
• The Syriac Catholic Church (a Catholic Church)
• The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (a Catholic Church)
• The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch (part of the Eastern Orthodox Church)

Over time, there were disagreements and splits in the church. This led to different groups choosing their own patriarchs.

A Look at the Past: History of the Patriarchs

The First Christians in Antioch

Antioch was a huge city in Roman times. It was the fourth largest city in the whole Roman Empire. The Bible says that the followers of Jesus were first called "Christians" in Antioch.

Tradition says that Saint Peter started the church in Antioch. He was the city's first bishop. Later, he went to Rome to start the church there. Another important early leader was Ignatius of Antioch, who lived around 107 AD.

By the 300s AD, the bishop of Antioch was a very powerful leader. His authority covered a huge area. This area included places like modern-day Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq. The church in Antioch was also a major center for Christian learning. It was second only to Alexandria in Egypt.

The Chalcedonian Split

A big meeting called the Council of Chalcedon happened in 451 AD. At this meeting, church leaders discussed how Jesus was both human and divine. After the council, there was a major disagreement. Some people accepted the council's decisions, and others did not.

This disagreement led to a long struggle for the leadership of the church in Antioch. In 512 AD, the church officially split.

• Those who rejected the council's decisions became known as the Syriac Orthodox Church. They continued to choose their own leaders.
• Those who accepted the council's decisions became known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. They were also called "Byzantines."

Later, in the Middle Ages, the Byzantine Church of Antioch became more connected to Constantinople. The city of Antioch also faced many challenges. There were big earthquakes and attacks from different empires.

The Maronite Split

The Maronite people were followers of a hermit named Saint Maron from the 300s AD. They accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon. However, they later followed a different idea about Jesus's nature for a while.

In 685 AD, the Maronites chose their own leader, John Maron. He became the first Patriarch of the Maronite Church. The Byzantine Emperor was not happy about this. This led to the Maronites being persecuted. They moved to the mountains of Lebanon, where they still live today.

The Great Schism and Western Influence

Over many centuries, differences grew between the Christian churches in the East and the West. For example, they used different types of bread for communion. These differences led to the Great Schism in 1054. This was a major split between the Christian world.

• The Catholic Church formed in the West, led by the Pope in Rome.
• The Eastern Orthodox Church formed in the East, led by patriarchs in places like Antioch, Jerusalem, and Constantinople.

Even after this split, communication between Antioch and Rome continued for some time. However, things changed when the First Crusade arrived in Antioch. In 1098, the Crusaders captured the city. They then chose their own Western leader, starting the Latin Patriarchate of Antioch.

The influence of Western Christians in the area ended in the 1200s. The Muslim Mamluks conquered the Crusader States. In 1268, the Mamluks took Antioch in a very harsh way. This made the patriarch's role much less important. The Latin Patriarch moved away, and his title became just an honorary one. This title was finally ended in 1964.

The Melkite Split of 1724

In 1724, Cyril VI Tanas was chosen as the Greek Patriarch of Antioch. He wanted to reunite with the Catholic Church. However, the leader in Constantinople did not agree. He appointed a different patriarch instead.

This led to another split.

• Many followers of Cyril VI Tanas joined the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. In 1729, Pope Benedict XIII recognized Cyril as their leader. This church is in full communion with the Catholic Church.
• The other group remained the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.

Who Are the Current Patriarchs?

Today, five churches claim the title of Patriarch of Antioch. None of them are actually based in the city of Antakya anymore. This shows the long and sometimes difficult history of Christianity in the region. The number of Christians in these areas has become very small.

Here are the current patriarchs of Antioch:

• Ignatius Aphrem II is the leader of the Syriac Orthodox Church. This church is part of the Oriental Orthodox family. His main office is in Damascus, Syria.
• Ignatius Joseph III Yonan leads the Syriac Catholic Church. This is an Eastern Catholic Church that is in full communion with the Pope. His main office is in Beirut, Lebanon.
• Bechara Boutros Rahi is the leader of the Maronite Catholic Church. This is another Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Pope. His main office is in Bkerké, Lebanon.
• John X of Antioch is the leader of the Antiochian Orthodox Church. This church is part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. His main office is in Damascus, Syria.
• Joseph Absi is the leader of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. This is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Pope. His main office is in Damascus, Syria.

There was once a sixth claimant to the title. When the Western European Crusaders created the Principality of Antioch, they set up a Latin Church there. Its head was called the Latin Patriarch. After the Crusaders left in 1268, the Pope still appointed a titular Latin Patriarch. This was an honorary title, and the person lived in Rome. The last one died in 1953, and the title was officially ended in 1964.

How the Churches Are Connected: Episcopal Succession

To understand how these different churches came to be, we can look at their "episcopal succession." This means the line of bishops that each church believes came before its current leader. There were four main times in history when a disagreement over who should be the patriarch led to a lasting split.

• The First Split (518 AD): All five churches agree on a single line of bishops up until 518 AD. In that year, Severus of Antioch, who did not accept the Council of Chalcedon, was removed by the Byzantine Emperor. He was replaced by Paul the Jew, who did accept the council. But Severus and his followers did not accept this. This created two rival lines of patriarchs:

* One line followed Severus (recognized by the two Syriac churches). * The other line followed Paul (recognized by the Greek Orthodox, Melkite, and Maronite Churches). The Byzantine government recognized Paul's line.

• The Maronite Split (685 AD): In 685 AD, John Maron was chosen as Patriarch of Antioch by the Maradite army. He was part of the line that followed Paul the Jew. However, the Byzantine Emperor did not like this. John and his followers moved to Lebanon and formed the Maronite Church. They have had their own line of patriarchs ever since. So now there were three rival lines.

• The Melkite Split (1724 AD): In 1724, the church that followed Paul the Jew's line elected Cyril VI Tanas. He wanted to reunite with the Catholic Church. But the main patriarch in Constantinople said his election was not valid. He appointed Sylvester of Antioch instead. Both Cyril and Sylvester had followers.

* The Melkite Greek Catholic Church recognizes Cyril and his successors. * The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch recognizes Sylvester and his successors.

• The Syriac Catholic Split (1783 AD): In 1783, a group within the church that followed Severus's line chose Ignatius Michael III Jarweh as patriarch. He was already in communion with the Catholic Church. Soon after, another group, who did not want to join Rome, chose Ignatius Matthew. Both had followers.

* The Syriac Orthodox Church recognizes Ignatius Matthew and his successors. * The Syriac Catholic Church recognizes Ignatius Michael and his successors.

So, each church has its own specific line of leaders:

• The Syriac Orthodox Church follows the line from Saint Peter to Severus, then to Sergius of Tella (544), then through Ignatius George IV, and finally to Ignatius Matthew (1783) and his successors, including Ignatius Aphrem II today.
• The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch follows the line from Saint Peter to Severus, then to Paul the Jew (519), then through Athanasius III Dabbas, and finally to Sylvester of Antioch (1724) and his successors, including John X today.
• The Maronite Church follows the line from Saint Peter to Severus, then to Paul the Jew (518), and then recognizes the election of John Maron (685) and his successors, including Bechara Boutros al-Rahi today.
• The Melkite Greek Catholic Church follows the line from Saint Peter to Severus, then to Paul the Jew (518), then through Peter III, and finally to Cyril VI Tanas (1724) and his successors, including Youssef Absi today.
• The Syriac Catholic Church follows the line from Saint Peter to Severus, then to Ignatius Michael III Jarweh (1783) and his successors, including Ignatius Joseph III Yonan today.

More About the Patriarchs of Antioch

You can find more detailed lists of the patriarchs here:

• List of patriarchs of Antioch, 37–518 AD
• List of Syriac Orthodox patriarchs of Antioch, 512 AD–present
• List of Syriac Catholic patriarchs of Antioch, 1662 AD–present
• List of Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Antioch, 518 AD–present
• List of Melkite Catholic patriarchs of Antioch, 1724 AD–present
• List of Maronite patriarchs of Antioch, 686 AD–present
• List of Latin patriarchs of Antioch, 1098–1964 AD

See Also

• Melkite Greek Catholic Church
• Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
• Syriac Orthodox Church
• Syriac Catholic Church
• Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East