The Assyrian Church of the East (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East (HACACE), is an Eastern Christian church that follows the traditional Christology and ecclesiology of the historical Church of the East. It belongs to the eastern branch of Syriac Christianity, and employs the Divine Liturgy of Saints Addai and Mari belonging to the East Syriac Rite. Its main liturgical language is Classical Syriac, a dialect of Eastern Aramaic, and the majority of its adherents are ethnic Assyrians.
The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic particular church in full communion with the Holy See and the rest of the Catholic Church, and is headed by the Chaldean Patriarchate. Employing in its liturgy the East Syriac Rite in the Syriac dialect of the Aramaic language, it is part of Syriac Christianity. Headquartered in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Sorrows, Baghdad, Iraq, since 1950, it is headed by the Catholicos-Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako. In 2010, it had a membership of 490,371, of whom 310,235 (63.27%) lived in the Middle East.
Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa was the first Patriarch of what was to become the Shemʿon line of Chaldean Catholic Church, from 1553 to 1555, after it absorbed this Church of the East patriarchate into full communion with the Holy See and the Catholic Church.
Mar Eliya Abuna of Alqosh was a bishop of the Assyrian Church of the East and Chaldean Catholic Church.
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 of the 5th and 6th centuries, alongside the Miaphisite churches and the Chalcedonian Church.
The patriarch of the Church of the East is the patriarch, or leader and head bishop of the Church of the East. The position dates to the early centuries of Christianity within the Sassanid Empire, and the Church has been known by a variety of names, including the Church of the East, Nestorian Church, the Persian Church, the Sassanid Church, or East Syrian.
Shimun Yahballaha, also designated in some modern historiographical works as Yahballaha IV, or even Yahballaha V, was Patriarch of the pro-Catholic line of primates of the Church of the East, from c. 1572 to c. 1580. In primary sources, he is mentioned as patriarch Shimun by several inscriptions dated from 1572 to 1577, while his additional name Yahballaha is recorded in a later report, submitted to Rome (1581) by metropolitan Eliya. The same report describes recently deceased patriarch Yahballaha Shimun as an elderly hierarch, who was elected to the patriarchal see sometime after the death of Abdisho IV Maron, but did not seek confirmation from Rome, due to his advanced age.
Shimun X was Patriarch of the Shemʿon line of primates of the Church of the East, from c. 1600 to c. 1638. He is claimed both by the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East. Upon accession to the patriarchal throne, he moved his seat from Urmia to Salmas, and also resided in Khananis near Qodshanis. He succeeded Patriarch Shimun IX Dinkha who was in full communion with the Catholic Church. Unlike his predecessor, who was officially recognized by Rome as the Patriarch of the Chaldeans, Shimun X was not formally recognized by the Catholic Church because his election was based on hereditary principle, reintroduced after the death of his predecessor. Hereditary succession was considered an unacceptable practice by the Rome. In 1616, contacts between patriarch Shimun X and the Catholic Church were initiated, upon arrival of Catholic missionaries to the region. Patriarch composed a profession of faith, that was sent to Rome for assessment. Upon examination, Shimun′s profession was found inadequate, and he was not received into communion with the Catholic Church. Similar attempt was made in 1619, but wit no final conclusion. Because of such complex situation, his legacy was viewed differently along denominational lines, and claimed by both sides. He is considered as pro-Catholic by the Chaldean Catholic Church, and also as non-Catholic by the Assyrian Church of the East.
Mar Shimun XIV Shlemon was the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East of the Shem'on line from 1700 until 1740.
Mar Shimun XV Maqdassi Mikhail was the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East of the Shem'on line from 1740 until 1780.
Mar Shimun XVI Yohannan was Patriarch of the Shem'on line (Qodshanis) of the Church of the East, from 1780. In 1804, he became the sole Patriarch among traditionalist Christians of the East Syriac Rite, because the rival Patriarch Eliya XII (1778-1804) of the Eliya line died without successor. Shimun XVI remained patriarch until his death in 1820.
Mar Elīyā V was the patriarch of the Church of the East from September 1502 until his death in 1504.
The nāṭar kursyā was an officer of the Church of the East. Originally charged with administering the church in the interim between the death of one patriarch and the election of a new one, the office had evolved by the end of the 15th century so that its holder was the designated successor of the reigning patriarch. At first, the bishop of Kashkar was ex officio guardian of the throne, but by the 14th century the honour had been transferred to the metropolitan of Elam. It was under Patriarch Shemʿon IV that the office was transformed. Endeavouring to keep the patriarchal office in his family and in violation of canon law, he appointed his nephew to the office and designated him his chosen successor. This practice became traditional, except when the church or a part of it was in union with Rome. Sometimes the nāṭar kursyā was a nephew, at other times a younger brother. The patriarch could change the appointment if the nāṭar kursyā fell out of favour. He was always a bishop. By the end of the 16th century, he was usually appointed metropolitan of Mosul. Higher clergy in the Church of the East did not eat animal products other than eggs and dairy, and in the Qūdshānīs patriarchate this restriction was extended to the patriarch's sister during pregnancy, since she might have been carrying a future nāṭar kursyā.
Eliya VII was Patriarch of the Church of the East from 1591 to 1617, with residence in Rabban Hormizd Monastery, near Alqosh, in modern Iraq. On several occasions, in 1605–1607 and 1610, and again in 1615–1616, he negotiated on with representatives of the Catholic Church, but without any final conclusion. In older historiography, he was designated as Eliya VII, but later renumbered as Eliya "VIII" by some authors. After the resolution of several chronological questions, he was designated again as Eliya VII, and that numeration is accepted in recent scholarly works.
Eliya IX was Patriarch of the Church of the East from 1660 to 1700, with his residence in Rabban Hormizd Monastery, near Alqosh, in modern Iraq. He was a "vigorous defender of the traditional faith", and on several occasions acted against local representatives of the Catholic Church in the region. His correspondence with Rome, in 1668–1669, ended without agreement on the discussed issues.
Eliya X was Patriarch of the Church of the East from 1700 to 1722, with residence in Rabban Hormizd Monastery, near Alqosh, in modern Iraq. During his tenure, traditional ties of the Patriarchate with the remaining Christian community of the East Syriac Rite in India were re-established, and in 1708 bishop Mar Gabriel was sent there by the Patriarch, succeeding upon arrival to the Malabar Coast to revive the local East Syriac Christian community.
Eliya XI was Patriarch of the Church of the East from 1722 to 1778, with his residence in Rabban Hormizd Monastery, near Alqosh, in modern Iraq. His father, the priest Hoshaba, was the brother of the previous patriarch Eliya X. Upon that patriarch's death, Eliya XI was elected to the patriarchal see, and enthroned on 25 December 1722.
Eliya XII was Patriarch of the Church of the East, from 1778 to 1804, with formal residence in Rabban Hormizd Monastery, near Alqosh, in modern Iraq. His birth name was Ishoyahb, and he was the elder son of priest Abraham, who was brother of the previous patriarch Eliya XI (1722-1778). In 1744, Ishoyahb was consecrated as metropolitan, and designated as presumptive successor by his paternal uncle, patriarch Eliya XI, who died in 1778, and Ishoyahb succeeded him, as patriarch Eliya XII. His tenure was marked by a prolonged rivalry with his pro-Catholic cousin Yohannan Hormizd, who also claimed the patriarchal throne. In 1804, Eliya XII died and was buried in the Rabban Hormizd Monastery, as the last patriarch of the senior Eliya line.
Mar Shemʿon VI was Patriarch of the Church of the East from 1504 until his death on 5 August 1538. Shemon is credited with revising the East Syriac Rite, replacing commemorations of traditional saints and martyrs with new ones, especially for those who had founded monasteries. Following his death, he was succeeded as Patriarch by his brother Shemon VII Ishoyahb, who had been natar kursya throughout his reign; since the reign of Shemon IV the role of Patriarch had been passed hereditarily. Shemon VI was buried alongside other Patriarchs of his era at Rabban Hormizd Monastery near Mosul, his residence while he had been Patriarch; his epitaph, recorded by Vosté, was inscribed by a priest named Israel.
