Paul the Jew 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

Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch ( el, Ελληνορθόδοξο Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας), also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church and legally as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East ( ar ...

, from 519 to 521.

Biography

Paul was born in Constantinople, where he became a priest and chief administrator of the Hospice of Euboulos.Allen (2011), p. 27Viezure (2011), p. 566 Paul was consecrated Patriarch of Antioch by the end of June 519. He was consecrated in Antioch on the insistence of

Pope Hormisdas Pope Hormisdas (450 – 6 August 523) was the bishop of Rome from 20 July 514 to his death. His papacy was dominated by the Acacian schism, started in 484 by Acacius of Constantinople's efforts to placate the Monophysites. His efforts to resolve ...

, despite initial plans to consecrate Paul in Constantinople. The Church of Antioch suffered from a lack of funds at this time, and thus Emperor

Justin I Justin I ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, ''Ioustînos''; 450 – 1 August 527) was the Eastern Roman emperor from 518 to 527. Born to a peasant family, he rose through the ranks of the army to become commander of the imperial ...

bestowed upon Paul a large amount of money for the maintenance of the Church. After his ascension to the throne, Emperor Justin ordered bishops within the

Diocese of the East The Diocese of the East ( la, Dioecesis Orientis; el, ) was a diocese of the later Roman Empire, incorporating the provinces of the western Middle East, between the Mediterranean Sea and Mesopotamia. During late Antiquity, it was one of the majo ...

to accept the

Council of Chalcedon The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bi ...

or face deposition.Evans (2000), p. 108 In November 519,Gwynn (1911) with the aid of the imperial army, the patriarch had

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

Bishop of Edessa Early bishops The following list is based on the records of the ''Chronicle of Edessa'' (to ''c''.540) and the ''Chronicle of Zuqnin''. Jacobite (Syriac) bishops These bishops belonged to the Syriac Orthodox Church. During the later period there ...

, who had refused to accept the council, forcibly removed from his church, despite the protestations of the local population, and exiled to Seleucia in Syria.Tate (2004), pp. 109-110 Fearing civil unrest, Emperor Justin restored Paul to the see of Edessa after forty days. According to

John of Ephesus John of Ephesus (or of Asia) ( Greek: Ίωάννης ό Έφέσιος, c. 507 – c. 588) was a leader of the early Syriac Orthodox Church in the sixth century and one of the earliest and the most important historians to write in Syriac. John of ...

, Paul carried out assassinations and torture during his tenure as patriarch. Paul's persecution towards non-Chalcedonians earned him the cognomen, "the Jew". He ordered non-Chalcedonian monks on the fringe of the Syrian Desert to sign a declaration of acceptance of the Council of Chalcedon, and those who failed to do so were threatened with removal from their monasteries. The majority of monks refused to accept the council, and thus Paul had the army led by

Asclepius Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis, or Arsinoe, or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represe ...

sent to dislocate the monks. The resulting violence led Emperor Justin to depose Paul in 521, who died shortly afterwards.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * {{authority control 6th-century archbishops Syrian archbishops People of Roman Syria 6th-century Byzantine bishops People from Constantinople Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch 521 deaths