Mār Yōsip Khnanisho (), is the twelfth Metropolitan or ''Matran'' of Shemsdin from 1918 to 1977. He is a saint in the

Assyrian Church of the East 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, is an Eastern Christianity, Eastern Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian denomin ...

Life

Hakkari

As it was the custom for an uncle to pass on to the first born nephew the Sacred Episcopal Office, Yōsip's mother abstained from meats until the child's birth and weaning."A Brief Biography of blessed memory Mar +Yosip Khnanisho", Assyrian Church of the East
/ref> Yosip was born in 1893 into the Mar Khnanishu family, a family from which had come twelve Metropolitan Archbishops. He lived in the Village of Mar Ishoo in the region of Shamisdan in modern-day Turkey, near the monastery of Mar Ishoo, which had been built at the beginning of the 5th century. He studied with Rev. Rehana, his father's uncle and head of the Seminary in Mar Ishu Monastery. Yosip was ordained a deacon at age 12 and ordained as a priest in 1912 at the age of 20. In 1914, he was sent as a delegate to participate in a meeting at the patriarchal cell in

Qudchanis Qudshanis (also: ''Kuçanis''Pishon/Uizhun ''one of the four rivers of Paradise; and the Patriarch will occasionally date his official letters from my cell on the River of the Garden of Eden. See also * List of Assyrian villages * Zagros Mountai ...

to discuss the effects of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

on the Church and the nation and prepare for the changes that were expected to take place. While there, he was consecrated a Bishop on August 10, 1914 at age 22. He remained in

until 1916. When the Assyrian Christians sought a safe haven elsewhere, Yosip took a great number of believers to the city of Baqooba.

Iraq

In 1918, Mār Yōsip was appointed as assistant to the Patriarch Mar Shimun XX Paulos as

Locum Tenens A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

. In December 1918 he was elevated to the rank of metropolitan of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

and filled the role as Patriarchal administrator while then Patriarch Mar Shimun XX Paulos was sick, up until his death in 1920. In 1933, he was made administrator of the Church in Iraq and the Middle East. In 1973 when

Shimun XXI Eshai Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII (; 26 February 1908 – 6 November 1975), sometimes known as Mar Eshai Shimun XXI, Mar Shimun XXIII Ishaya, Mar Shimun Ishai, or Simon Jesse,Foster, p. 34 served as the 119th Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East ...

, Catholicos Patriarch of the

, was exiled to Cyprus, Yosip Khnanisho was vested with responsibilities of administering the Church worldwide. At the same time the Iraqi government issued a Republican decree appointing Yosip Khnanisho as the Supreme Head of all the

Assyrians in Iraq Iraqi Assyrians (, , ) are an ethnic and linguistic minority group, indigenous to Upper Mesopotamia. They are defined as Assyrians residing in the country of Iraq, or members of the Assyrian diaspora who are of Iraqi-Assyrian heritage. They sh ...

Death

On the 3 July 1977, Yosip died in Baghdad, Iraq. His funeral services were conducted on 6 July 1977, at the Church of St George (Mar Gewargis) in Dora, a suburb of Baghdad. Approximately 12,000 Christians from various cities in Iraq attended the funeral of Mar Yosip Khnanisho. Mār Yōsip Khnanisho Church in San Jose,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and Mar Yosip Khnanisho Parish in

Gilbert, Arizona Gilbert is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Located southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, Gilbert is home to 288,128 residents. It is the fifth-most populous municipality in Arizona and is considered a suburb of Phoenix. I ...

are both named after the metropolitan.

Life

Hakkari

Iraq

Death

References

See also