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Barsauma | |
---|---|
Metropolitan of Nisibis | |
Church | Church of the East |
Archdiocese | Nisibis |
Installed | 460 |
Term ended | 491 |
Orders | |
Rank | Metropolitan Bishop |
Personal details | |
Died | 491 |
Barsauma (Syriac : ܒܪ ܨܘܡܐ, Barṣaumâ), nicknamed Bar Sawma, "son of Lent" in Syriac, was Metropolitan of Nisibis in the 5th century, and a major figure in the history of the Church of the East. Under his leadership the church moved away from Roman loyalties and became increasingly aligned with the Nestorian movement. [1]
Barsauma had been a teacher and student at the School of Edessa, where his mentor had been Ibas, Bishop of Edessa. Barsauma was excommunicated with Ibas and other churchmen for their support of Nestorian teachings, which had been declared heretical at the Council of Ephesus in 431.
Though Ibas was acquitted of heresy at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, following his death in 457 his associates found themselves expelled from their positions once again. Barsauma and other of Ibas' followers relocated to the Sasanian Empire.
Barsauma became metropolitan of Nisibis, one of the five great archdioceses of the Church of the East. He quickly became a favorite of King Peroz I, who preferred his compliant stance to that of Babowai, Catholicos of Seleucia-Ctesiphon and head of the Persian Church, whom he regarded as a pro-Roman traitor. Over time Barsauma and Babowai's relationship grew openly antagonistic and came into conflict over the issue of the marriage of bishops, which provoked outrage in the Church of the East. Barsauma was instrumental in Babowai's downfall, ultimately leading to the latter's execution by Peroz in 484.
Following Babowai's death, Barsauma became the most powerful figure in the Persian Church, though he was never elevated to the position of Catholicos, or Patriarch. He pursued a policy of pro-Persian, anti-Roman interaction, and under his leadership the church adopted a more Nestorian theology, though it never fully adhered to the doctrine in his lifetime. He headed the Synod of Beth Lapat in 484, which officially declared Nestorianism as the doctrine of the church as well as disavowed clerical celibacy.
In 485 Barsauma's political enemies consecrated as patriarch the moderate churchman Acacius of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in the hope that he would prevent the takeover of the Church of the East by the Nestorians. Acacius, despite frequent quarrels with Barsauma, was unable to prevent the victory of the powerful Nestorian faction. In August a synod was held at Beth Edraï, near Nineveh in which Barsauma and Acacius reconciled and agreed to meet again to resolve outstanding issues.
The following year the proposed council was held in Ctesiphon, however Barsauma did not participate, and the synod agreed to endorse the teachings of Theodore of Mopsuetia as official doctrine and the marriage of all clergymen. During this period, monophysitism spread throughout his archdiocese and Barsauma was faced with hostility from many Christians. Struggling to keep his see, Barsawma negotiated with Acacius to keep his seat.
After the forced closure of the School of Edessa in 489 by Emperor Zeno, Barsauma welcomed the teachers and students and reopened the School of Nisibis, becoming the key centre for Nestorianism in the East.
Barsauma died in 491, according to Bar Hebraeus he was killed by monks from Tur Abdin with the keys of their cells, however he also mentions how his tomb may be found in the Church of Mar Jacob in Nisibis.
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian Nestorius, who promoted specific doctrines in the fields of Christology and Mariology. The second meaning of the term is much wider, and relates to a set of later theological teachings, that were traditionally labeled as Nestorian, but differ from the teachings of Nestorius in origin, scope and terminology. The Oxford English Dictionary defines Nestorianism as:
"The doctrine of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, by which Christ is asserted to have had distinct human and divine persons."
The Nestorian schism was a split between the Christian churches of Sassanid Persia, which affiliated with Nestorius, and those that later became the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The schism rose out of a Christological dispute, notably involving Cyril and Nestorius.
The School of Nisibis was an educational establishment in Nisibis. It was an important spiritual centre of the early Church of the East, and like the Academy of Gondishapur, it is sometimes referred to as the world's first university. The school had three primary departments teaching: theology, philosophy and medicine. Its most famous teacher was Narsai, formerly head of the School of Edessa.
The Synod of Beth Lapat was a local council of the Church of the East, that was held in 484, in the Persian city of Gundeshapur. The council was headed by Metropolitan Barsauma of Nisibis, who was involved in a long conflict with Patriarch Babowai of Seleucia-Ctesiphon. No acts of this synod have been preserved, but fragmentary data from other sources suggest that various ecclesiological issues had been discussed, and that disciplinary canons against simony were adopted. Since Metropolitan Barsauma was involved in christological disputes, it is believed that several doctrinal questions were also discussed, and some later sources suggest that synod of 484 adopted a resolution in support of theological teachings of Theodore of Mopsuestia. Since no creeds or theological decisions of this council have been preserved, its outcome has been the subject of various assumptions among scholars.
The Maphrian, originally known as the Grand Metropolitan of the East and also known as the Catholicos, is the second-highest rank in the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church, right below that of patriarch. The office of a maphrian is an maphrianate. There have been three maphrianates in the history of the Syriac Orthodox Church and one, briefly, in the Syriac Catholic Church.
Aba I or Mar Abba the Great was the Patriarch of the Church of the East at Seleucia-Ctesiphon from 540 to 552. He introduced to the church the anaphoras of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Nestorius beside the more ancient liturgical rite of Addai and Mari. Though his tenure as catholicos saw Christians in the region threatened during the Persian-Roman wars and attempts by both Sassanid Persian and Byzantine rulers to interfere with the governance of the church, his reign is reckoned a period of consolidation, and a synod he held in 544 as instrumental in unifying and strengthening the church. In 544, the Synod of Mar Aba I adopted the ordinances of the Council of Chalcedon. He is thought to have written and translated a number of religious works. After his death in February 552, the faithful carried his casket from his simple home across the Tigris to the monastery of Mar Pithyon.
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Babowai was Catholicos of Seleucia-Ctesiphon and Patriarch of the Church of the East from 457 to 484, during the reign of the Sassanid King Peroz I. Babowai was known for his pro-Byzantine leanings, for which he was often in conflict with other members of the anti-Byzantine Church of the East. He was executed in 484.
The Church of the East or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian Church, is one of three major branches of Nicene Eastern Christianity that arose from the Christological controversies in the 5th century and the 6th century, alongside that of Miaphysitism and the Chalcedonian Church.
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