The Maphrian, originally known as the Grand Metropolitan of the East and also known as the Catholicos, was the head of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Sassanid Persia,[1] and was the second highest-ranking prelate within the Syriac Orthodox Church, after the Patriarch of Antioch.[2] Following the Chalcedonian schism, the Sassanian Church split into separate churches after the ordination of Ahudemmeh as Grand Metropolitan of the East by Jacob Baradaeus in 559 due to christological differences.[3] The miaphysite church organised by Ahudemmeh went on to form what was later named the Maphrianate of the East, whilst the traditional dyophysiteEast Syriac Church is known simply as the Church of the East. However, the first Maphrian was Marutha of Tagrit, who was consecrated by Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Patriarch Athanasius I Gammolo. But the title was fixed at an unknown date later.[1]
The title of maphrian was first used to refer to John IV Saliba,[4] and was likely adopted in c. 1100.[2] A separate Maphrianate of Tur Abdin under the authority of the Patriarch of Tur Abdin was established in c. 1479, which endured until 1844,[5] and eventually the Maphrianate of the East was abolished in 1860.[2] 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.[1] In 1975, Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III withdrew recognition of the maphrian Baselios Augen I, and appointed Baselios Paulose II as his successor.[1] The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church thus split from the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, which remained part of the Syriac Orthodox Church.[1]
List of maphrians
Grand Metropolitans of the East from 559 to 628
Unless otherwise stated, all information is from the list provided in The Syriac World, as noted in the bibliography below. Numeration includes legitimate incumbents prior to the schism in 559[dubious – discuss].[6]
Syriac Orthodox Catholicoi of the East from 628 to 1075
The first Maphrian was Marutha of Tagrit, from 628–649. He was consecrated by Patriarch Athanasios Gamolo in 628 during the reign of Sassanian Emperor Khosrow II, who favoured the Syriac Orthodox due to influence of his queen consort Shirin and court physician Gabriel of Sinjar.[1][7][8][9]
^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,[1] whereas Michael the Syrian's Chronicle gives John IV Saliba as the first maphrian, which is supported by scholars including David Wilmshurst and Hidemi Takahashi.[2][5][10]
^Abraham is counted as either Abraham I, as the first Syriac Orthodox Grand Metropolitan of the East by that name, or Abraham II, after Abraham I (r. 148–171).[11]
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.
Wilmshurst, David (2019). "West Syrian patriarchs and maphrians". In Daniel King (ed.). The Syriac World. Routledge. pp. 806–813.
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