Ignatius Abraham bar Gharib (, ) was the

Syriac Orthodox The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The church upholds the Mia ...

Patriarch of Mardin from 1381 or 1382 until his death in 1412.

Biography

Abraham was the son of Quryaqos, son of Gharīb of Amid, and had a brother named Joseph, who would later become

metropolitan bishop In Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), is held by the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a Metropolis (reli ...

of Amid. He became a monk at the monastery of Saint Ananias and was ordained as a priest before 1355. He was appointed as his brother Joseph's successor as metropolitan bishop of Amid in with the name Cyril. Abraham was elected as patriarch of

Mardin Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...

at a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

at Amid in 1381 or 1382, upon which he assumed the name Ignatius. Soon after his ascension to the patriarchal office, Abraham designated a brother as his successor as patriarch, according to the anonymous continuator of the ''Ecclesiastical History'' of

Bar Hebraeus Gregory Bar Hebraeus (, b. 1226 - d. 30 July 1286), known by his Syriac ancestral surname as Barebraya or Barebroyo, in Arabic sources by his kunya Abu'l-Faraj, and his Latinized name Abulpharagius in the Latin West, was a Maphrian (region ...

. In doing so, he attempted to establish his own familial succession in imitation of the preceding patriarchs of Mardin, Ignatius Shahab () and

Ignatius Ismail Ignatius Ismail was the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Mardin from 1333 until his death in 1365 or 1366. Biography Ismail al-Majd was the son of the deacon John of Mardin and nephew of Ignatius bar Wahib, patriarch of Mardin, and had studied chur ...

(), both of whom were nephews of their predecessor. This was unsuccessful, however, as Abraham's brother would predecease him. In 1396,

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

's attack on

resulted in damage to the nearby monastery of Saint Ananias, including the destruction of the wall,

cells Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life * Cellphone, a phone connected to a cellular network * Clandestine cell, a penetration-resistant form of a secret or outlawed organization * Electrochemical cell, a d ...

, and door of the sanctuary. Abraham promptly set about raising funds to restore the monastery through gathering donations and the sale of the monastery's furniture, manuscripts, and vessels. Eventually, he spent 50,000 coins of an unknown currency on rebuilding the monastery, at which time he may have also transferred the relics of Saint Eugene and others there. Abraham served as patriarch of Mardin until his death in 1412 and was buried in the mausoleum of the monastery of Saint Ananias.

Works

Abraham wrote a book of propitiatory prayers () for the morning service of

Lazarus Saturday Lazarus Saturday in Eastern Christianity (consisting of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Churches) refers to the moveable feast before Palm Sunda ...

, and compiled a liturgy of anaphoras of

Church Fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...

, including a 13-page anaphora written by his brother Joseph.

References

Notes Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{Authority control 1412 deaths Patriarchs of Mardin Syriac writers 14th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops 14th-century births 15th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops 14th-century writers 15th-century writers