Patriarch Constantine Cyril V Zaim (about 1655–1720), sometimes known also as Cyril III, was

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 ...

Life

Constantine Zaim was born in about 1655 in

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

and he was the nephew of Patriarch

Macarios III Zaim Patriarch Macarius (or Makarios) III Ibn al-Za'im ( ar, مكاريوس الثالث بن الزعيم, Makāriyūs aṯ-Ṯāliṯ bin az-Zaʿīm; born Yousef Za'im, died 1672) was Patriarch of Antioch from 1647 to 1672. He led a period of blossom ...

, who died in 1672. Immediately after, Constantine Zaim was elected patriarch with the help of the governor of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

, and on July 2, 1672, he was consecrated bishop by Gregory of

Bosra Bosra ( ar, بُصْرَىٰ, Buṣrā), also spelled Bostra, Busrana, Bozrah, Bozra and officially called Busra al-Sham ( ar, بُصْرَىٰ ٱلشَّام, Buṣrā al-Shām), is a town in southern Syria, administratively belonging to the Dara ...

, Leonce (Lawandius) of

Saidnaya Saidnaya (also transliterated Saydnaya, Seidnaya or Sednaya, from the syr, ܣܝܕܢܝܐ, ar, صيدنايا, Ṣaydnāyā) is a city located in the mountains, above sea level, north of the city of Damascus in Syria. It is the home of a Greek ...

and another two bishops, and enthroned taking the name of ''Cyril V''. His election was contested by some bishops and by Dositheos, patriarch of Jerusalem, who considered his election to be null, pointing out that Cyril Zaim was not the legal age to be appointed bishop. This party supported

Neophytos of Chios Patriarch Neophytos of Chios was Patriarch of Antioch from 1673 to 1682. Though the family of Neophytos was originally from Chios, he was educated in Damascus under the Jesuits. He was the nephew of previous Patriarch Euthymius III of Chios and ...

, nephew of previous Patriarch

Euthymius III of Chios Patriarch Meletios Euthymius III of Chios (died 11 October 1647), sometimes known also as Euthymius IV,He is known as ''Euthymius III'' in the patriarchal lists of Korolevski and Skaff, as ''Euthymius IV'' in the inaccurate list of Costantius. was ...

, who went to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

where he obtained a

firman A firman ( fa, , translit=farmân; ), at the constitutional level, was a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state. During various periods they were collected and applied as traditional bodies of law. The word firman com ...

in his favor from the

Ottoman sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire ( tr, Osmanlı padişahları), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to its dissolution in 1922. At its hei ...

and the appointment to Patriarch by the

Ecumenical Patriarch Dionysius IV of Constantinople Dionysius IV Mouselimes (? – 23 September 1696) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople for five times, in 1671–73, 1676–79, 1682–84, 1686–87, and 1693–94. He was born in Istanbul, where he grew up. He studied at the Phanar Gre ...

, thus splitting the Patriarchate of Antioch in two factions. In 1682 Neophytos of Chios, because of his debts, decided to retire, leaving Cyril V Zaim as the only claimant. This situation soon changed: the next contender of the patriarchal throne was Athanasius Dabbas who was supported by the

Franciscan friars The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

(who opposed Cyril Zaim, charged with

simony Simony () is the act of selling church offices and roles or sacred things. It is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles as having offered two disciples of Jesus payment in exchange for their empowering him to imp ...

) and by his maternal uncle Michael Khayat, very influential with the

Sublime Porte The Sublime Porte, also known as the Ottoman Porte or High Porte ( ota, باب عالی, Bāb-ı Ālī or ''Babıali'', from ar, باب, bāb, gate and , , ), was a synecdoche for the central government of the Ottoman Empire. History The nam ...

. In 1685 Michael Khayat succeeded to get from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

that appointed Athanasius Dabbas as Patriarch of the Melkite Church. Thus on July 5, 1685, Athanasius Dabbas was consecrated bishop and enthroned as Patriarch with the name of ''Athanasius III''. The next nine years were marked by the conflict between the two claiming Patriarchs, Cyril V Zaim and Athanasius III Dabbas. The fight ended on October 1694 when the two rivals came to an agreement after the arbitration of Salmon, an Aleppian

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

. The terms of the agreement were: Athanasius recognized Cyril as Patriarch in change of 13.000 Écus, the appointment to the

See See or SEE may refer to: * Sight - seeing Arts, entertainment, and media * Music: ** ''See'' (album), studio album by rock band The Rascals *** "See", song by The Rascals, on the album ''See'' ** "See" (Tycho song), song by Tycho * Television * ...

of Aleppo, and the right to succession at Cyril's death. This agreement was judged in 1698 null by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

, which continued to consider as Patriarch Athanasius, who in 1687 made a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

profession of faith. In 1716 the reigning Patriarch Cyril V Zaim also made a Roman Catholic profession of faith and was received into communion with Rome on May 9, 1718, He died in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

on 5 January 1720,on January 16 according to the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

, or on May 5 according to the other sources and was succeeded by Athanasius III Dabbas.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaim, Cyril V 1720 deaths Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch Year of birth uncertain Syrian Melkite Greek Catholics Former Syrian Orthodox Christians Converts to Eastern Catholicism from Eastern Orthodoxy People from Aleppo