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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.
Catholicos of the East is the title that has been held by the ecclesiastical heads of the Church of the East, the Grand Metropolitan of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, since AD. 280.
Mar Shimun XVII Abraham served as the Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East from c. 1820 to 1861.
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 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.
Julian II, also known as Julian the Roman or Julian the Soldier, was the Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 687 until his death in 708.
Mar Shemʿon II was the patriarch of the Church of the East from c. 1385 until c. 1405. He succeeded Denha II, who died in 1381/2, and his reign corresponds to the beginning of a period of obscurity in the Church of the East and the patriarchal succession.
Mar Eliya IV was the patriarch of the Church of the East from c. 1405 until c. 1425. His reign falls in a period of obscurity owing to the limited contemporary evidence.
Mar Shemʿon III was the patriarch of the Church of the East in the early 15th century. There is uncertainty over his existence, his dates and his place in the order of patriarchs.
Mar Shemʿon IV Basidi was the patriarch of the Church of the East in the last quarter of the 15th century. Traditionally his reign is said to have begun in 1437, but this results in an improbably long tenure and has been revised by modern research. Thomas Carlson puts the start of his reign in 1477, while David Wilmshurst places it about 1450.
Mar Shemʿon V was the patriarch of the Church of the East from 1497 until his death. His short reign is poorly documented and it is possible that he was in fact an anti-patriarch.
Mar Elīyā V was the patriarch of the Church of the East from September 1502 until his death in 1504.
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.
References
- ↑ Murre van den Berg 1999a, p. 256-257.
- ↑ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 7, 29, 282-283, 287, 356.
- ↑ Burleson & Rompay 2011, p. 481-491.
- ↑ Wilmshurst 2019, p. 804.
