Babai, also Babaeus, was
Catholicos of Seleucia-Ctesiphon
The Patriarch of the Church of the East (also known as Patriarch of the East, Patriarch of Babylon, the Catholicose of the East or the Grand Metropolitan of the East) is the patriarch, or leader and head bishop (sometimes referred to as Catholic ...
and Patriarch of the
Church of the East from 497 to 503. Under his leadership, the Church in
Sasanian Empire (Persia) became increasingly aligned with the
Nestorian
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian ...
movement, declared
heretical
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
in the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediter ...
.
["Nestorian"]
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
Babai was also known as patriarch of
Seleucia-Ctesiphon. When he became patriarch, he was married. With the permission of
King Djamasp, Babai was allowed to call a
synod (council) in 497/499, at which clerical
celibacy was abolished, permitting priests and even
bishops to marry. Babai died during the reign of
King Kobad, during a time while Kobad was at war with the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
.
References
Sources
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* Till Engelmann, "Monastisch geprägter Theologe oder theologisch gebildeter Mönch? Das Zentrum der Theologie Babais des Großen," in Dmitrij Bumazhnov u. Hans R. Seeliger (hg.) ''Syrien im 1.-7. Jahrhundert nach Christus. Akten der 1. Tübinger Tagung zum Christlichen Orient (15.-16. Juni 2007)'' (Tübingen, Mohr Siebeck, 2011) (Studien und Texte zu Antike und Christentum / Studies and Texts in Antiquity and Christianity, 62),
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Babai of Seleucia-Ctesiphon)
Patriarchs of the Church of the East
Christians in the Sasanian Empire
5th-century bishops of the Church of the East
6th-century deaths
Year of birth unknown
6th-century bishops of the Church of the East