Basil IV Simon ( syr, Shemʿūn Manʿamoyo) was the

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

and head of the

Syriac Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = syc , image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg , imagewidth = 250 , alt = Cathedral of Saint George , caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...

from 1421/1422 until his death in 1444/1445.

Biography

Simon was the son of Zuwayra from the village of Beth Man‘am in

Tur Abdin Tur Abdin ( syr, ܛܽܘܪ ܥܰܒ݂ܕܺܝܢ or ܛܘܼܪ ܥܲܒ݂ܕܝܼܢ, Ṭūr ʿAḇdīn) is a hilly region situated in southeast Turkey, including the eastern half of the Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the borde ...

and was educated at the monastery of Qartmin. He had become bishop of Gargar by 1387 and was later appointed as archbishop of Jerusalem with the name Basil. Upon the death of patriarch Philoxenus II in 1421, Simon met with the

Coptic Coptic may refer to: Afro-Asia * Copts, an ethnoreligious group mainly in the area of modern Egypt but also in Sudan and Libya * Coptic language, a Northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century * Coptic alphabet ...

Pope Gabriel V of Alexandria to request that he be consecrated as Philoxenus' successor as patriarch of Antioch. Simon argued that Gabriel's involvement was necessary as there were too few remaining bishops of his own church and Islamic persecution prevented them from holding a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

to elect a new patriarch. In spite of initial hesitation, Gabriel acquiesced and thus he and two Coptic bishops and one Syriac bishop consecrated Simon at

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...

at the church of Saint Mercurius and formally enthroned him at the church of the Virgin Mary in 1421 or 1422. The priest Abu l-Faraj, who would later succeed Gabriel as

Pope John XI of Alexandria Pope John XI of Alexandria, 89th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. Before his enthronement as Pope, his name was ''Farag''. After his enthronement, he became known as ''John El-Maksi'' because he was from El-Maksa distric ...

in 1427, also participated in Simon's consecration at the church of Saint Mercurius. Simon later returned to Egypt in need of the chrism and so he, Pope John, and the archbishop of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

performed the ceremony to prepare the chrism together during the

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

of 1430 at the Hanging Church at Cairo. He served as patriarch of Antioch until his death in 1444 or 1445.

References

Notes Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * {{authority control 15th-century Syriac Orthodox Church bishops 14th-century births Syriac Patriarchs of Antioch from 512 to 1783 14th-century Oriental Orthodox bishops 15th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops 1440s deaths