The title of patriarchs of the East is used by primates of several Christian denominations within Eastern Christianity. Historically, the title originated as ecclesiastical designation for primates of the Church of the East. It was, and still is, officially used by different branches of the historical Church of the East. Besides this, the patriarchate of Antioch has a title of '''Patriarch of Antioch and All The East'''. In this context, All The East''' denotes the

Diocese of the East The Diocese of the East ( la, Dioecesis Orientis; el, ) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the western Middle East, between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia. During late Antiquity, it was one of the majo ...

, also called the Diocese of Orients of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...

, and not in the same perspective of the Church of the East. This title is held by the Melkite,

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

, Syriac Orthodox and the

Syriac Catholic The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Christian jurisdiction originating in t ...

patriarchs of Antioch, and also by primates of some other sees, belonging to several Eastern Christian denominations.

Patriarchs of the Church of the East

The patriarchs of the Church of the East traditionally also carry the title of catholicos. * The Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East - ''List'' * The Catholicos-Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East - ''List''

Oriental Orthodox Patriarchs of the East

The patriarchs of the East of the Oriental Orthodox churches sometimes also carry the title of catholicos or

pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

. The patriarchs of the Oriental Orthodox churches are: * The

Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch ܦܛܪܝܪܟܐ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ is the bishop of Antioch, and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church ( Syriac: ܥܺܕܬܳܐ ܣܽܘ̣ܪܝܳܝܬܳܐ ܬܪܺܝܨܰܬ ܫܽܘ̣ܒ̣ܚܳܐ). He is the Head of the Hol ...

- ''List (1)'', ''List (2)'', ''List (3)'' * Armenian Apostolic Church ** The

Catholicos of All Armenians The Catholicos of All Armenians (plural Catholicoi) ( hy, Ամենայն Հայոց Կաթողիկոս; see #Other names), is the chief bishop and spiritual leader of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the worldwide Arme ...

, Supreme Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church - ''List'' ** The Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, Catholicos Patriarch ''List'' ** The

Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople (french: Patriarche de Constantinople, tr, Konstantinopolis Ermeni Patriği), also known as Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, is today head of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople ( hy, Պատրիա ...

- ''List'' ** The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem - ''List''

Eastern Orthodox Patriarchs of the East

The patriarchs of the East of the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

churches are: * The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East - ''List (1)'', ''List (2)''

Catholic Patriarchs of the East

The

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Patriarchs of the East are generally speaking the head

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

s of some of the autonomous

Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of t ...

. Each

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

of the east has authority over all bishops of a particular eastern rite church. These patriarchs are elected by their synods, and must extend communion to and receive it from the other patriarchs, including the

, before officially taking their office. In matters of discipline and practice, but not in matters of

dogma Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Isla ...

, they generally follow the customs and laws of their particular church. Perhaps the most striking example is that in most Eastern Catholic Churches,

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform v ...

of married men to the priesthood is routine (although no priest may marry ''after'' ordination, and only celibate priests may become bishops). Eastern churches that are not headed by patriarchs are instead headed by bishops who are titled

major archbishop In the Eastern Catholic Churches, major archbishop (sometimes also styled as major archeparch) is a title for the chief hierarch of an autonomous ('' sui juris'') particular Church that has not been "endowed with the patriarchal title". Major ar ...

s, metropolitans, or in a few cases merely eparchs. Around the time of the Second Vatican Council, as a result of new ecumenical bonds between the Eastern Rite Catholic and Latin Rite Catholic churches and their leaders, some Eastern patriarchs that headed Eastern churches recognizing the papacy (and thus making the joint reception of Communion possible) were elevated to Cardinal. The patriarchs of the Eastern Rite Catholic churches are: *The

Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria The Coptic Catholic Patriarchate of Alexandria is the Patriarchal and only Metropolitan see of the head of the Eastern ''sui iuris'' Coptic Catholic Church, a particular Church in the Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See, which fol ...

- ''List'' *The Syrian Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East - ''List'' *The Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, of Alexandria, and of Jerusalem - ''List'' *The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East - ''List'' *The

Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon The Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate of Baghdad, or simply the Chaldean Patriarchate ( la, Patriarchatus Chaldaeorum), is the official title held by the primate of the Chaldean Catholic Church. The patriarchate is based in the Cathedral of Mary Moth ...

- ''List'' *The Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia - ''List'' The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is also considered one of the patriarchs of the east. However, his church follows the

Latin Rite Latin liturgical rites, or Western liturgical rites, are Catholic rites of public worship employed by the Latin Church, the largest particular church '' sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church, that originated in Europe where the Latin language once ...

and his patriarchal title derives from the historical importance of the see rather than the autonomy of his church. The

Patriarch of the East Indies The Titular Patriarch of the East Indies ( la, Patriarcha Indiarum Orientalium; for Titular Patriarchate of the East Indies) in the Catholic hierarchy is the title of the Archbishop of Goa and Daman in India; another of his titles is the Primat ...

is a Latin Rite archbishop whose patriarchal title derives from the importance of his see in the evangelization of south and east Asia; but, despite the title of the patriarchate, is not considered a patriarch of the east.

Sources

* * {{Cite book, last=Wilmshurst, first=David, title=The martyred Church: A History of the Church of the East, year=2011, location=London, publisher=East & West Publishing Limited, isbn=9781907318047, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zfxNtwAACAAJ Eastern Catholicism

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

Patriarchs of the Church of the East

Oriental Orthodox Patriarchs of the East

Eastern Orthodox Patriarchs of the East

Catholic Patriarchs of the East

See also

Sources