Ignatius Elias II (1778–1847) was the

Patriarch of Antioch The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...

and head of the

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

from 1838 until his death in 1847.

Biography

Elias was born at

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

about 1778 and was the son of Hindi Karmeh. When he reached his youth, he joined

Mor Mattai Monastery Dayro d-Mor Mattai (; ; ''The Monastery of St. Matthew'' or ''Dayro d-Mor Mattai'') is a Syriac Orthodox Church monastery on Mount Alfaf in northern Iraq. Located 20 kilometers northeast of the city of Mosul, it is recognized as one of the oldest ...

near Mosul. He was ordained monk by Metropolitan Eustathios Moosa in 1791 and in 1798 he was appointed the abbot of

Mar Behnam Monastery Monastery of the Martyrs Mar Behnam and Marth Sarah (, , ''Mar Behnam Monastery''), is a Syriac Catholic monastery in northern Iraq in the village Khidr Ilyas close to the town of Beth Khdeda. The tomb of Mar Benham was heavily damaged on Mar ...

that used to belong to the

at that time. In 1811 he was ordained as ecumenical metropolitan by Ignatius Matthew and was given the name Gregorius. Then in 1817, he was appointed as Metropolitan of Mosul and Maphrian of the East by

Ignatius Yunan Ignatius Yunan was the Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1817 until 1818 when he resigned from the Holy See and went to live in the Monastery of Mor Elias until his death in 1823. His time as a patriarch was the sho ...

and assumed the name Basil Elias III. In 1819, as a Maphrian of the East, he put his hand on the patriarch Ignatius George V at his consecration as the new Patriarch of Syriac Orthodox Church.

Patriarchal consecration

In 1836, after the death of Ignatius George V, Gregorius Elias was elected a Patriarch and was given the name Ignatius Elias II. However, the Holy Synod didn't agree to consecrate him until he gets the necessary approvals from the Ottoman government so he had to travel to Istanbul where he spent about 14 months until he got all the approval in addition to approvals to take back some churches and buildings from the Syriac Catholic Church. He came back to Mor Hananyo and was consecrated in October, 1838.

Episcopal succession

During Ignatius Elias II time as Patriarch and Metropolitan, he had the duty to ordain and consecrate many Metropolitans in the Syria Orthodox church in addition to tens of priests, monks, and deacons., # Cyril Matthew (1838-1846). Metropolitan of the Patriarchal Office. Later, he was appointed Metropolitan of

(1846-1858) # Gregorios Behnam (1838-1852). Metropolitan of

. Later, he was elected Basil Behnam Maphrian of the East (1852-1859) # Eustathios AbdulNour of Al-Ruha (1840-1877). Metropolitan of Jerusalem # Cyril George (1842-1847). Bishop of Azekh # Gregprios Behnam (1845-1846). Metropolitan of Mor Hananyo # Athanasius Barsoum (1845-1873). Metropolitan of the Monastery of Beth El # Cyril Yuyakkim (1845) # Julius Peter. Metropolitan of Mardin. Later, in 1872, he was elected

Ignatius Peter IV Mor Ignatius Peter IV (1798 – 8 October 1894), also known as Ignatius Peter III, was the Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1872 until his death in 1894. He is regarded by many as the architect of the modern ...

, the 116th Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elias II Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch 1778 births 1847 deaths 19th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops Maphrians Religious leaders from Mosul Prisoners and detainees of the Ottoman Empire Oriental Orthodox bishops in the Ottoman Empire 19th-century clergy from the Ottoman Empire