Theodosius V (Athanase Joasaph) Dahan (1698–1788) was

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

of the

Melkite Greek Catholic Church el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία , image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg , imagewidth = 200px , alt = , caption = , abbreviatio ...

from 1761 to 1788.

Life

Joasaph Dahan was born in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

in 1698. He entered in the

religious order A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...

of the Basilian Chouerites and in 1723 he made the

solemn vows A solemn vow is a certain vow ("a deliberate and free promise made to God about a possible and better good") taken by an individual during or after novitiate in a Catholic religious institute. It is solemn insofar as the Church recognizes it a ...

under the name ''Joasaph''. On 16 January 1736 he was consecrated

metropolitan bishop In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan (alternative obsolete form: metropolite), pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis. Originally, the term referred to the b ...

of Beirut by patriarch

Cyril VI Tanas Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas, also known as Cyril VI of Antioch (born in 1680, Damascus – died on January 10, 1760), became the first Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, and Alexandria and Jerusalem of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church followi ...

, taking the name of ''Athanase''. Shortly later his taking-possession of the diocese, the Melkite Orthodox party asked and obtained an own separated bishop, thus also in Beirut the hierarchy was definitely split, with Dahan who remained the bishop only for the Melkite Catholics. Dahan was taken as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

by his predecessor Maximos II Hakim during his short reign, and after Maximos's death he was elected patriarch by a synod of bishops held on 26 December 1761 at the monastery of Saint Antony, taking the name of ''Theodosius''. The group of bishops of the

Basilian Salvatorian Order , abbreviation = BS , nickname = Salvatorian Fathers , formation = , founder = Archbishop Euthymios Michael Saifi , founding_location = Saida, Lebanon , type = Monastic order of pontifical righ ...

, who represented a minority in the Melkite population, did not recognized him as patriarch, as well as they had not recognized Maximos II Hakim, supporting in his place Athanasius Jawhar. They requested

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to check the election of Theodosius Dahan, which however was confirmed on 23 September 1763 by the Roman

Congregation of Propaganda Fide A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

and on 23 December 1763 by another synod of the Mekite bishops. Theodosius Dahan was thus formally confirmed by Rome on 23 June 1764 and he received the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

, sign of the patriarchal authority, on 9 July 1764. The clashes seemed to be settled down, but in February 1765 Athanasius Jawhar again proclaimed himself (anti)patriarch. Only after the

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

of Jawhar and the following reconciliation in 1768, the Melkite Church found its unity. Rome appointed him also as administrator of the Catholics Melkites of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

and

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

, previously ruled by the

Custodian of the Holy Land , native_name_lang = Latin , named_after= , image = Coat_of_arms_of_the_Custodian_of_the_Holy_Land.jpg , image_size = 200px , alt= , caption = Coat of arms of the Custody of the Holy Land , map ...

. Theodosius V Dahan died at 90 on 30 March 1788.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dahan, Theodosius 05 Lebanese Melkite Greek Catholics Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch 1788 deaths 1698 births Eastern Catholic monks Religious leaders from Beirut