Patriarchal Vicariate of Jerusalem and Jordan

Last updated
Patriarchal Vicariate of Jerusalem and Jordan
Bishopric
Syriac orthodox Church
Jerusalem church leaders 1922.jpg
Leaders of the Jerusalem church in 1922
Incumbent:
Anthimos Jack Yakoub
Style Archbishop His Eminence
Information
Cathedral Monastery of Saint Mark, Jerusalem

The Patriarchal Vicariate of Jerusalem and Jordan is a nominally Metropolitan Archeparchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The incumbent patriarchal vicar of Jerusalem and Jordan is Mor Anthimos Jack Yakoub. [1]

Contents

History

The first Syriac Orthodox church in Jerusalem was probably built between the Sasanian conquest (614) and the Islamic conquest (637). The Patriarch Michael the Syrian (died 1199) implies that the church torn down by Harun al-Rashid in 806/807 predated the Islamic conquest. It was soon rebuilt by an Egyptian named Macarius of Naburwah. Since almost all of the known bishops were monks, there must also have been at least a rudimentary monastic community. [2]

The church appears to have been destroyed at the time of the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In 1092, Mansur of Tilbana, another Egyptian, built what was then the only Syriac Orthodox church in the city. In the first quarter of the 12th century, Bishop Ignatius II Hesnūn rebuilt the destroyed church and monastery. It was dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene and later also to Simon the Pharisee. Shortly after 1125, Ignatius III Jādida constructed a hostel with a courtyard across from the church. [2] According to John of Würzburg, writing later in the century, this church was believed to have formerly been the house of Simon the Leper. [3]

After the Ayyyubid conquest in 1187, the church and monastery were transformed into a Muslim school. The bishops were only able again to occupy it again briefly when the city was in Christian hands between the Sixth Crusade (1229) and the Khwarazmian conquest (1244). Thereafter the Syriac Orthodox used the small church of Saint Thomas of the Germans until it was handed over to the Muslim authorities by the incumbent monk, who converted to Islam in 1451/1452. [2]

The Syriac Orthodox patriarch acquired the Monastery of Saint Mark from the Coptic Orthodox in 1472 and this has served ever since as the church of the bishops of Jerusalem. [4] There was a deputy metropolitan bishop of Jerusalem from the early 18th century to the office's abolition in 1858, who resided at the Monastery of Saint Mark, whilst the metropolitan bishop resided at the Mor Hananyo Monastery in Tur Abdin. [5] In 1870, there were 150 Syriac Orthodox Christians at Jerusalem and Bethlehem, making it the smallest Syriac Orthodox diocese. [6]

In the aftermath of the Sayfo, a number of Syriac Orthodox Christians took refuge at Jerusalem and Bethlehem. [7] Syriac Orthodox Christians from Isfis, Maserteh, Azekh, and Tur Abdin moved to Bethlehem. [8] The Church of the Mother of God at Bethlehem was constructed in 1927. [9] Many Syriac Orthodox Christians left Jerusalem and Bethlehem after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and 1976 Arab–Israeli War. [7] The Church of Saint Ephrem at Ashrafiye in Amman in Jordan was constructed in 1948 for Syriac Orthodox Christians who had emigrated there from Palestine. [10] By 1998, there were 100 Syriac Orthodox families at Jerusalem and 400 at Bethlehem. [10] The patriarchal vicariate had 7 clergy in 2005, including 5 at Jerusalem, of whom 4 were monks, 1 at Bethlehem, and 1 at Amman. [11] There were 330 Syriac Orthodox households, consisting of around 1100 people, at Bethlehem by 2017. [12]

Ecclesiastical properties

The following ecclesiastical properties belong to the archdiocese:

The archdiocese also possesses minor rights of worship at the following churches:

List of bishops

The Syriac Orthodox Register of Episcopal Ordinations only goes back to 793. Michael the Syrian appended to his Chronicle a list of bishops of Jerusalem from James, brother of Jesus, down to his own time. It is identical to the Register for the bishops after 793. The bishops were of metropolitan rank. [15]

In the following list, a date range like 792×818 means "ordained between 792 and 818". Bishops before 793 cannot be dated at all. The list begins with the first bishop elected in opposition to the Council of Chalcedon (451), but the numbering takes into account the earlier bishops of Jerusalem. [16]

Deputy: Gregorius Jacob (?–1847) [36]
Deputy: Athanasius Yuhanna (1850–1864) [37]
Patriarchal delegate: Anthimos Jack Yakoub (2022–2023) [44]

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Barsoum places Timothy II's episcopate in c. 1080. [17]
  2. ↑ Barsoum places Ignatius IV Romanus' episcopate in 1139–1183. [18]
  3. ↑ Barsoum places Ignatius V Sahdo's episcopate from 1193 to his death in the first decade of the 13th century. [19]
  4. ↑ Gregorius Joseph al-Gurji was metropolitan bishop of Jerusalem, Homs, Damascus, Tripoli, and Mardin for a time. [21]
  5. ↑ John of Gargar was metropolitan bishop of Jerusalem and Tripoli. [23]
  6. ↑ Bishara of Bitlis was metropolitan bishop of Jerusalem and Amida from 1774 to 1783. [34]

Citations

  1. 1 2 "WCC congratulates Archbishop Mor Anthimos Jack Yakoub, patriarchal vicar for Jerusalem, Jordan, and the Holy Land". World Council of Churches . 2 February 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Palmer (1991), pp. 26–31.
  3. ↑ John of Würzburg (1890), pp. 23–24.
  4. ↑ Palmer (1991), pp. 26–31; Barsoum (2003), p. 566.
  5. ↑ Barsoum (2008), p. 41; Barsoum (2009a), p. 43–44.
  6. ↑ Calder (2017), p. 56.
  7. 1 2 Kiraz & Van Rompay (2011), p. 228.
  8. ↑ Calder (2017), pp. 225–226.
  9. ↑ Calder (2017), p. 66.
  10. 1 2 Chaillot (1998), p. 69.
  11. ↑ "The Syriac Orthodox Church Today". Syriac Orthodox Resources. 20 November 2005. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
  12. ↑ Calder (2017), p. 64.
  13. ↑ "Church of the Mother of God, Bethlehem". Syriac Orthodox Resources. 22 September 2002. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  14. ↑ Lynn, Kelly (18 September 2015). "Life on hold for Iraqi Christian refugees in Jordan". Al Jazeera . Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Palmer (1991), p. 27.
  16. ↑ List drawn from Chabot 1905 , p. 493 and Palmer 1991 , pp. 36–37.
  17. 1 2 3 Barsoum (2009b), p. 2.
  18. ↑ Barsoum (2003), p. 442.
  19. ↑ Barsoum (2003), p. 449.
  20. ↑ Barsoum (2008), p. 58.
  21. 1 2 Barsoum (2003), pp. 511–512.
  22. ↑ Barsoum (2003), p. 80.
  23. ↑ Barsoum (2003), p. 156.
  24. ↑ Barsoum (2008), p. 58; Barsoum (2003), p. 21.
  25. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), p. 96.
  26. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), pp. 4, 15.
  27. ↑ Barsoum (2008), p. 77; Barsoum (2009a), p. 4.
  28. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), p. 25.
  29. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), p. 16.
  30. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), p. 29.
  31. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), p. 37.
  32. ↑ Ignatius Jacob III (2008), p. 216.
  33. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), pp. 42–49.
  34. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), p. 121.
  35. 1 2 Barsoum (2008), p. 59.
  36. ↑ Barsoum (2008), pp. 41, 50.
  37. ↑ Barsoum (2008), p. 60.
  38. ↑ Kiraz (2011).
  39. ↑ Barsoum (2003), p. 22.
  40. ↑ Barsoum (2008), p. 42.
  41. ↑ Barsoum (2009a), p. 43.
  42. ↑ "Consecration of Archbishop Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem". Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  43. ↑ "WCC mourns passing of Archbishop Mor Gabriel Dahho". World Council of Churches. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  44. ↑ "Two Patriarchal Delegates appointed by Syriac Orthodox Church to Holeb Archdiocese and Jerusalem, Jordan, and Holy Lands Archdiocese". Syriac Press. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.

Bibliography

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