Ignatius Saba I ( syr, ܐܝܓܢܛܝܘܣ ܣܒܐ), also known as Ignatius Sobo of Salah or Ignatius Sobo Ṣalḥoyo, was the

Syriac Orthodox , 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, Damascu ...

Patriarch of Tur Abdin From 1364 to 1816 the region of Tur Abdin constituted a distinct patriarchate within the Syriac Orthodox Church, with the following patriarchs: *Ignatius Saba of Salah (1364–1389) *Ignatius Isho' of Midhyat (1389–1418), died 1421 *Ignatius Ma ...

from 1364 until his death in 1389.

Biography

Butrus (Peter) Saba was the son of the priest Abu al-Hasan, son of Saliba, son of the priest Behnam of the village of

Salah (, plural , romanized: or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːh, ( or Old Arabic ͡sˤaˈloːtʰin construct state) ), also known as ( fa, نماز) and also spelled , are prayers performed by Muslims. Facing the , the direction of the Kaaba wit ...

. He was the nephew of the bishops Basil Barsoum and Aziz, archbishop of Salah. Saba was consecrated as archbishop of Salah by the Patriarch

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 ...

Mardin Mardin ( ku, Mêrdîn; ar, ماردين; syr, ܡܪܕܝܢ, Merdīn; hy, Մարդին) is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for the Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on ...

in 1354, upon which he assumed the name Basil. In 1364, Ismail heard criticism of Saba from a monk named George, and promptly excommunicated Saba without investigation. Saba attempted to speak with Ismail at the patriarchal residence at the monastery of Saint Ananias, but was rebuked and refused entry. After having waited at the gate of the monastery for three days, he left and rallied support for his cause by writing letters to the bishops of

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 ...

. Saba returned to the patriarchal residence, accompanied by a number of notables and clergymen, including the bishops Yuhanna Yeshu of Qartmin and Philoxenus of Hah, but he was again refused entry and waited outside the monastery for four days. Saba's supporters resented Ismail's inaction and proclaimed him as patriarch at his residence at the monastery of Saint Jacob at Salah, in opposition to Ismail's patriarchate of Mardin. He received a decree from al-Malik al-Adil Fakhr al-Din Sulayman I al-Ayyubi, Melik of Hasankeyf, thereby confirming his patriarchate within his domain, and Saba was consecrated as

and

Hasankeyf Hasankeyf ( ar, حصن كيفا, translit=Ḥiṣn Kayfa‘, ku, Heskîf, hy, Հասանքեյֆ, translit=, el, Κιφας, translit=Kifas, lat, Cepha, syr, ܚܣܢܐ ܕܟܐܦܐ, Ḥesno d-Kifo) is a town and district located along the Ti ...

on the

Feast of the Transfiguration The Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated by various Christian communities in honor of the transfiguration of Jesus. The origins of the feast are less than certain and may have derived from the dedication of three basilicas on Mount Tabor.'' ...

on 6 August in the same year, upon which he assumed the name Ignatius. Saba's ascension as patriarch of Tur Abdin has been noted to reflect the political division between the

Artuqid The Artuqid dynasty (alternatively Artukid, Ortoqid, or Ortokid; , pl. ; ; ) was a Turkoman dynasty originated from tribe that ruled in eastern Anatolia, Northern Syria and Northern Iraq in the eleventh through thirteenth centuries. The Artuq ...

emirate of Mardin and

Ayyubid The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni ...

emirate of Hasankeyf. He served as patriarch of Tur Abdin until his death in 1389, and he was buried at the monastery of Saint Jacob at Salah.

Episcopal succession

As patriarch, Saba ordained the following bishops: #Malke, archbishop of Midyat, he was killed in 1393 amidst

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kür ...

's invasion. #Yuhanna Tuma of Basibrina, bishop of Qartmin before 1371–1394. #Philoxenus Yeshu of Beth Kustan, bishop of the

Monastery of the Cross The Monastery of the Cross ( ar, دير الصليب, ''Dayr al-Salīb''; he, מנזר המצלבה; ka, ჯვრის მონასტერი, ''jvris monast'eri'') is an Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox monastery near the Nay ...

and Hah in 1368–1410.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{authority control 14th-century births 14th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops Syriac Orthodox Church bishops 1389 deaths