List of maphrians

The Maphrian, originally known as the Grand Metropolitan of the East or the Catholicos, was the head of the Maphrianate of the East and was the second highest-ranking prelate within the Syriac Orthodox Church, after the Patriarch of Antioch.^[1] The maphrianate originated as a distinct miaphysite ecclesiastical institution in the Sasanian Empire after the ordination of Ahudemmeh as Grand Metropolitan of the East by Jacob Baradaeus in 559.^[2] However, it claimed to be the legitimate continuation of the Church of the East and counted its leaders prior to the church's adoption of dyophysitism as its own.^[3]^[4]^[5] Sources disagree on the first to use the title of maphrian as Michael the Syrian's Chronicle gives John IV Saliba,^[6] who is believed to have adopted it in c. 1100,^[1] whereas Bar Hebraeus' Ecclesiastical History names Marutha of Tikrit as the first.^[7]

A separate maphrianate of Tur Abdin under the authority of the Patriarch of Tur Abdin was established in c. 1479 and endured until 1844.^[8] Eventually, the Maphrianate of the East was abolished in 1860.^[1] A maphrianate in India was established in 1912, thereby creating the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, but was not recognised by the Syriac Orthodox Church until 1958.^[7] In 1975, Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III withdrew recognition of the maphrian Baselios Augen I, and appointed Baselios Paulose II in his stead.^[7] The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church thus split from the Syriac Orthodox Church which continues to appoint its own maphrians in India.^[7] Since the death of Baselios Thomas I, the maphrianate is vacant.

List of maphrians

Grand Metropolitans of the East from 559 to 1075

Unless otherwise stated, all information is from the list provided in The Syriac World, as noted in the bibliography below.^[9] According to church tradition, numeration includes incumbents deemed legitimate by the Syriac Orthodox Church prior to 559.^[10]

Ahudemmeh (559–575)
vacant (575–578)
Qamishoʿ (578–609)
vacant (609–614)
Samuel (614–624)
vacant (624–628/629)
Marutha of Tikrit (628/629–649)^{[nb 1]}
Denha I (649–659)^{[nb 2]}
vacant (659–669)
Barishoʿ (669–683)
Abraham I (c. 684)^{[nb 3]}
David (c. 684–c. 686)
John I Saba (686–688)
Denha II (688–727)
Paul I (728–757)
John II Kionoyo (759–785)
Joseph I (785–c. 790)
vacant (c. 790–793)
Sharbil (793–ca. 800)
Simon (c. 800–c. 815)^{[nb 4]}
Basil I (c. 815–829)
Daniel (829–834)
Thomas (834–847)
Basil II Lazarus I (848–858)^[15]
Melchisedec (858–868)
vacant (869–872)
Sergius (872–883)
vacant (883–887)
Athanasius I (887–903)
vacant (904–c. 910)
Thomas (910–911)
Denha III (913–933)
vacant (933–937)
Basil III (937–961)
Cyriacus (962–980)
John III (981–988)
vacant (988–991)
Ignatius I bar Qiqi (991–1016)
vacant (1016–1027)
Athanasius II (1027–1041)
vacant (1041–1046)
Basil IV (1046–1069)
vacant (1069–1075)

Maphrians of the East from 1075 to 1859

John IV Saliba (1075–1106)
vacant (1106–1112)
Dionysius I Moses (1112–1142)
Ignatius II Lazarus II (1142–1164)
John V Sarugoyo (1164–1188)
Gregory I Jacob (1189–1214)
Dionysius bar Masih (1189–1190)^{[nb 5]}
Ignatius III David (1215–1222)
Dionysius II Saliba I (1222–1231)^[17]
John VI bar Maʿdani (1232–1252)
Ignatius IV Saliba (1253–1258)
vacant (1258–1263)
Gregory II bar Hebraeus (1264–1286)
vacant (1286–1288)
Gregory III Barsawmo (1288–1308)^{[nb 6]}
vacant (1308–1317)
Gregory IV Matthew (1317–1345)^{[nb 7]}
vacant (1345–1360)

Gregory V Dioscorus (1360–1361)^{[nb 8]}

vacant (1361–1364)
Athanasius III Abraham (1364–1379)^{[nb 9]}
vacant (1379–1404)
Basil Behnam I (1404–1412)
vacant (1412–1415)
Dioscorus Behnam Shatti (1415–1417)^{[nb 10]}
vacant (1417–1422)
Basil Barsawmo II (1422–1455)^[23]
vacant (1455–1458)

Cyril Joseph II (1458–c. 1470)
Basil ʿAziz (1471–1487)
vacant (1487–1490)
Basil Noah (1490–1494)
vacant (1494–1496)
Basil Abraham III (1496–1507)^[24]
vacant (1507–1509)
Basil Solomon (1509–1518)
Basil Athanasius Habib (1518–1533)
Basil Elias I (1533–c. 1554)
Basil Ni'matallah (1555–1557)
Basil ʿAbd al-Ghani I al-Mansuri (1557–1575)^[25]
Basil Pilate (1575–1591)
Elias II (c. 1590)
Basil ʿAbd al-Ghani II (1591–1597)
Basil Peter Hadaya (1597–1598)
vacant (c. 1598–c. 1624)
Basil Isaiah (c. 1624–1635/c. 1646)^{[nb 11]}
Basil Simon (1635–1639)
Basil Shukrallah (1639–1652)
Basil Behnam III (1653–1655)^[28]
Basil Abdulmasih (1655–c. 1658)
Basil Habib (c. 1658–c. 1671)
Basil Yeldo (c. 1671–1683)
Basil George (1683–1686)
Basil Isaac (1687–1709)
Basil Lazarus III (1709–1713)
Basil Matthew II (1713–1727)
Basil Simon (c. 1727–c. 1729)
Basil Lazarus IV (1730–1759)^[29]
Basil Shukrallah (1748–1764)^{[nb 12]}
Basil George (1760–1768)
vacant (1768–1783)
Basil Sliba (1783–1790)
Basil Bishara (1790–1817)
Basil Yunan (c. 1803–c. 1809)
Basil Cyril (c. 1803–c. 1811)
Basil ʿAbd al-ʿAziz (c. 1803)
Basil Matthew (1820–c. 1825)
Basil Elias III Karmeh (1825–1827)^[31]
Basil Elias IV ʿAnkaz (1827–1839)^[32]
Basil Behnam IV (1839–1859)

Maphrians of Tur Abdin from c. 1479 to 1844

Basil (c. 1479)
vacant (c. 1479–1495)
Basil Malke (1495–1510)
vacant (1510–1537)
Basil Abraham (1537–1543)
vacant (1543–1555)
Basil Simon I (1549–1555)
vacant (1555–1561)
Basil Behnam (1561–1562)
vacant (1562–1650)
Basil Habib Haddad (1650–1674)
vacant (1674–c. 1688)
Basil Lazarus (c. 1688–c. 1701)
vacant (c. 1701–1710)
Basil Simon II (1710–1740)
Basil Denha Baltaji (1740–1779)
Basil ʿAbdallah Yahya (1779–1784)
Simon (1786)
Sliba al-ʿAttar (1779–1815)
Basil Barsawmo (1815–1830)
Basil ʿAbd al-Ahad Kindo (1821–1844)

Maphrians of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church from 1912 to 1964

Baselios Paulose I (1912–1913)^{[nb 13]}
vacant (1913–1925)
Baselios Geevarghese I (1925–1928)
Baselios Geevarghese II (1929–1964)

Maphrians of the East since 1964

Baselios Augen I (1964–1975)^{[nb 14]}
Baselios Paulose II (1975–1996)^{[nb 15]}
vacant (1996–2002)
Baselios Thomas I (2002–2024)^[34]

References

Notes

^ Marutha of Tikrit is named as the first maphrian, as per Bar Hebraeus' Ecclesiastical History, and this is supported by a number of scholars, such as George Kiraz,^[7] whereas Michael the Syrian's Chronicle gives John IV Saliba as the first maphrian, which is supported by scholars David Wilmshurst and Hidemi Takahashi.^[1]^[8]^[11]
^ The French orientalist Rubens Duval asserts that Denha I was the first maphrian.^[12]
^ Abraham is counted as either Abraham I or Abraham II.^[13]
^ Barsoum places Simon's reign in 806–c. 813.^[14]
^ Dionysius is considered an illegitimate maphrian.^[16]
^ Gregory is also counted as Barsawmo I.^[18]
^ Gregory is also counted as Matthew I.^[19]
^ Gregory is considered an illegitimate maphrian.^[20] He is also counted as Dioscorus I.
^ Athanasius is also counted as Abraham II.^[21]
^ Dioscorus is counted as either Dioscorus II or Behnam II.^[22]
^ The end of Basil Isaiah's reign is placed either in 1635 by Barsoum,^[26] or in c. 1646 by Wilmshurst.^[27]
^ Basil Shukrallah was maphrian of Malabar.^[30]
^ At the beginning of the 20th century there surfaced disputes within the Malankara Church, the Indian branch that aligned with the Syriac Orthodox Church. This led to a major split between two rival parties that either supported the patriarch, Ignatius Abdulla II Sattuf, or the metropolitan, Dionysius VI Geevarghese Vattasseril. In 1912, following the split in the Malankara Church, the deposed patriarch Ignatius Abdalmasih II re-established the maphrianate in India, at the request of the independent faction, and elevated Murimattathil Ivanios Paulose of the metropolitan's party to the rank of Maphrian or Catholicos.^[7]
^ In 1958, as part of the reconciliation between the two factions of the Malankara Church, Patriarch Ignatius Yacoub III officially recognised Baselios Geevarghese II as catholicos and following the death of Geevarghese II in 1964, the patriarch elevated Timotheos Augen of Kandanad as the successor.^[33]
^ In 1975, Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III excommunicated Baselios Augen I, and appointed Baselios Paulose II in his stead as the new Maphrian.^[7]

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Takahashi (2018), p. 957.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 299.
^ Weltecke (2016), p. 308: "Bar ʻEbroyo also claimed the maphrians to be the legitimate heirs of the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the original residence of the catholicos of the ancient autocephalous Church of the East in the Persian Empire".
^ Wood (2013), pp. 67–68: Bar Hebraeus' Ecclesiastical History "presents the early catholicoi as precursors to the late sixth-century Miaphysite maphrians".
^ Wood (2021), p. 3: "Narratives of the bishops of Takrit represent them as successors to the fifth-century catholicoi of the Church of the East before the latter’s turn towards Dyophysite ‘Nestorianism’".
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 51.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Kiraz (2011).
^ ^a ^b Wilmshurst (2019), pp. 812–813.
^ Wilmshurst (2019), pp. 810–812.
^ Barsoum (2009), p. 43: "From the time of the Apostle Thomas until Basilius Behnam IV (1859), there were 102 Maphryonos"
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), pp. 50–52.
^ Duval (2013), p. 326.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 333.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 372.
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 60.
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), pp. 86–87.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 70.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 487.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 491.
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), pp. 87–88.
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 83.
^ Barsoum (2008), p. 28; Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 115; Wilmshurst (2019), p. 811.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 499.
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 115.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 67.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 21.
^ Wilmshurst (2019), p. 812.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 514.
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 226.
^ Barsoum (2003), p. 519.
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 130.
^ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 122.
^ Kiraz 2011; Varghese 2011.
^ Joseph (2011).

Bibliography

Barsoum, Aphrem (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). The History of Tur Abdin. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
Barsoum, Aphrem (2009). The Collected Historical Essays of Aphram I Barsoum. Vol. 1. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
Baum, Wilhelm; Winkler, Dietmar W. (2003). The Church of the East: A Concise History. Translated by Miranda G. Henry. RoutledgeCurzon.
Duval, Rubens (2013). Syriac Literature. Translated by Olivier Holmey. Gorgias Press.
Ignatius Jacob III (2008). History of the Monastery of Saint Matthew in Mosul. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
Joseph, Thomas (2011). "Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
Kiraz, George A. (2011). "Maphrian". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
Takahashi, Hidemi (2018). "Maphrian". In Oliver Nicholson (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity. Oxford University Press. p. 957.
Varghese, Baby (2011). "Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
Weltecke, Dorothea (2016). "Bar ʻEbroyo on Identity: Remarks on his Historical Writing". Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies: 303–332.
Wilmshurst, David (2019). "West Syrian patriarchs and maphrians". In Daniel King (ed.). The Syriac World. Routledge. pp. 806–813.
Wood, Philip (2013). The Chronicle of Seert: Christian Historical Imagination in Late Antique Iraq. Oxford University Press.
Wood, Phillip John (2021). "Miaphysites in Iraq during the Last Great War of Antiquity (c. 604–28) and its Aftermath". The Journal of Ecclesiastical History: 1–18.

[12] Marutha of Tikrit is named as the first maphrian, as per Bar Hebraeus' Ecclesiastical History, and this is supported by a number of scholars, such as George Kiraz,^[7] whereas Michael the Syrian's Chronicle gives John IV Saliba as the first maphrian, which is supported by scholars David Wilmshurst and Hidemi Takahashi.^[1]^[8]^[11]

[14] The French orientalist Rubens Duval asserts that Denha I was the first maphrian.^[12]

[16] Abraham is counted as either Abraham I or Abraham II.^[13]

[18] Barsoum places Simon's reign in 806–c. 813.^[14]

[21] Dionysius is considered an illegitimate maphrian.^[16]

[24] Gregory is also counted as Barsawmo I.^[18]

[26] Gregory is also counted as Matthew I.^[19]

[28] Gregory is considered an illegitimate maphrian.^[20] He is also counted as Dioscorus I.

[30] Athanasius is also counted as Abraham II.^[21]

[32] Dioscorus is counted as either Dioscorus II or Behnam II.^[22]

[38] The end of Basil Isaiah's reign is placed either in 1635 by Barsoum,^[26] or in c. 1646 by Wilmshurst.^[27]

[42] Basil Shukrallah was maphrian of Malabar.^[30]

[45] At the beginning of the 20th century there surfaced disputes within the Malankara Church, the Indian branch that aligned with the Syriac Orthodox Church. This led to a major split between two rival parties that either supported the patriarch, Ignatius Abdulla II Sattuf, or the metropolitan, Dionysius VI Geevarghese Vattasseril. In 1912, following the split in the Malankara Church, the deposed patriarch Ignatius Abdalmasih II re-established the maphrianate in India, at the request of the independent faction, and elevated Murimattathil Ivanios Paulose of the metropolitan's party to the rank of Maphrian or Catholicos.^[7]

[47] In 1958, as part of the reconciliation between the two factions of the Malankara Church, Patriarch Ignatius Yacoub III officially recognised Baselios Geevarghese II as catholicos and following the death of Geevarghese II in 1964, the patriarch elevated Timotheos Augen of Kandanad as the successor.^[33]

[48] In 1975, Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III excommunicated Baselios Augen I, and appointed Baselios Paulose II in his stead as the new Maphrian.^[7]

[FOOTNOTETakahashi2018957-1] Takahashi (2018), p. 957.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum2003299-2] Barsoum (2003), p. 299.

[FOOTNOTEWeltecke2016308-3] Weltecke (2016), p. 308: "Bar ʻEbroyo also claimed the maphrians to be the legitimate heirs of the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the original residence of the catholicos of the ancient autocephalous Church of the East in the Persian Empire".

[FOOTNOTEWood201367–68-4] Wood (2013), pp. 67–68: Bar Hebraeus' Ecclesiastical History "presents the early catholicoi as precursors to the late sixth-century Miaphysite maphrians".

[FOOTNOTEWood20213-5] Wood (2021), p. 3: "Narratives of the bishops of Takrit represent them as successors to the fifth-century catholicoi of the Church of the East before the latter’s turn towards Dyophysite ‘Nestorianism’".

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III200851-6] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 51.

[FOOTNOTEKiraz2011-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Kiraz (2011).

[FOOTNOTEWilmshurst2019812–813-8] Wilmshurst (2019), pp. 812–813.

[FOOTNOTEWilmshurst2019810–812-9] Wilmshurst (2019), pp. 810–812.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum200943-10] Barsoum (2009), p. 43: "From the time of the Apostle Thomas until Basilius Behnam IV (1859), there were 102 Maphryonos"

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III200850–52-11] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), pp. 50–52.

[FOOTNOTEDuval2013326-13] Duval (2013), p. 326.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum2003333-15] Barsoum (2003), p. 333.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum2003372-17] Barsoum (2003), p. 372.

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III200860-19] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 60.

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III200886–87-20] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), pp. 86–87.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum200370-22] Barsoum (2003), p. 70.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum2003487-23] Barsoum (2003), p. 487.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum2003491-25] Barsoum (2003), p. 491.

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III200887–88-27] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), pp. 87–88.

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III200883-29] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 83.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum200828Ignatius_Jacob_III2008115Wilmshurst2019811-31] Barsoum (2008), p. 28; Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 115; Wilmshurst (2019), p. 811.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum2003499-33] Barsoum (2003), p. 499.

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III2008115-34] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 115.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum200367-35] Barsoum (2003), p. 67.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum200321-36] Barsoum (2003), p. 21.

[FOOTNOTEWilmshurst2019812-37] Wilmshurst (2019), p. 812.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum2003514-39] Barsoum (2003), p. 514.

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III2008226-40] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 226.

[FOOTNOTEBarsoum2003519-41] Barsoum (2003), p. 519.

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III2008130-43] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 130.

[FOOTNOTEIgnatius_Jacob_III2008122-44] Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 122.

[FOOTNOTEKiraz2011Varghese2011-46] Kiraz 2011; Varghese 2011.

[FOOTNOTEJoseph2011-49] Joseph (2011).

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[nb 1]

[nb 2]

[nb 3]

[nb 4]

[15]

[nb 5]

[17]

[nb 6]

[nb 7]

[nb 8]

[nb 9]

[nb 10]

[23]

[24]

[25]

[nb 11]

[28]

[29]

[nb 12]

[31]

[32]

[nb 13]

[nb 14]

[nb 15]

[34]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[16]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[26]

[27]

[30]

[33]

v t e Maphrians and Grand Metropolitans of the East
Grand Metropolitans of the East (559–1075)	Ahudemmeh (559–575) Qamishoʿ (578–609) Samuel (614–624) Marutha (629–649) Denha I (649–659)
Maphrians of the East (1075–1859)	John V Sarugoyo (1164–1188) Dionysius bar Masih (1189–1190)† Ignatius III David (1215–1222) John VI bar Maʿdani (1232–1252) Gregory II bar Hebraeus (1264–1286) Basil Behnam I (1404–1412) Dioscorus Behnam Shatti (1415–1417) Basil Noah (1490–1494) Basil Solomon (1509–1518) Basil Ni'matallah (1555–1557) Basil Peter Hadaya (1597–1598) Basil Yeldo (c. 1671–1683) Basil George (1683–1686) Basil Isaac (1687–1709) Basil Lazarus III (1709–1713) Basil Matthew II (1713-1727) Basil Shukrallah (1748–1764)^§
Catholicoi of the East (1964–2002)	Baselios Augen I (1964–1975) Baselios Paulose II (1975–1996)
Catholicoi of India (2002–present)	Baselios Thomas I (2002–2024)
† Illegitimate; ^§ Maphrian of Malabar Christianity portal

List of maphrians