Catholicos

Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch. In other cases a catholicos heads a Particular Church and is subject to a patriarch or other church head. The word is a transliteration of the ancient Greek καθολικός, pl. καθολικοί, derived from καθ' ὅλου (kath'olou, "generally") from κατά (kata, "down") and ὅλος (holos, "whole"), meaning "concerning the whole, universal, general"; it originally designated a financial or civil office in the Roman Empire.^[1]

The Church of the East, some Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox churches, and some Eastern Catholic Churches historically use this title.^[2] In the Church of the East, the title was given to the church's head, the Patriarch of the Church of the East; the title Catholicos is also used for the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church. In the Syriac Orthodox Church the Catholicos of the East was given to the Maphrian, historically an office below the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.

Origin of the title

The title came into common use with the Patriarchate of Antioch sometime after the division of jurisdiction of provinces among the three Churches in the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, this along with canon six confirmed the traditional jurisdiction of the Church of Antioch.^[3] In early usage, Catholicoi were created mainly to rule provinces formed outside of the Roman Empire. The actual extent of their relationship with Antioch is unclear.

The earliest ecclesiastical use of the title Catholicos was by the Catholicos of Armenia, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, in the 4th century.^[1] Sometime later, it was adopted by the bishops of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Persia, who became the designated heads of the Church of the East. The first claim that the bishop of Selucia-Ctesiphon was superior to the other bishoprics and had (using a later term) patriarchal rights was made by Patriarch Papa bar Gaggai (or Aggai, c. 317-c. 329). In the 5th century this was claim strengthened and Isaac (or Ishaq, 399-c.410), who organized the Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, used the title of bishop of Selucia-Ctesiphon, Catholicos and Head over the bishops of all the Orient.^[4] This line of Catholicos founded the Church of the East and the development of the East Syrian Rite.

East

Autocephalous churches of East Syrian Rite

The following are autocephalous churches of East Syrian Rite that claim succession to the Catholicos of the East of Selucia-Ctesiphon from the Church of the East. Referred to as Nestorian in Western texts, the term Nestorian was formally renounced in 1976 by Dinkha IV.^{[citation needed]}

Assyrian Church of the East

Dinkha IV is the current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. One of the oldest Christian churches, it is a modern successor of the historical Church of the East, also known as the Persian Church, having emerged from a split with the Chaldean Church in the 16th century. It traces its origins to the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in central Mesopotamia, which tradition holds was founded by Saint Thomas the Apostle (Tooma Shlikha) as well as Saint Mari and Saint Addai in AD 33 as asserted in the Doctrine of Addai.

It is one of the three Churches of the East that hold themselves distinct from Oriental and Eastern Orthodoxy. The Assyrian Church of the East does not use the word "orthodox" in any of its service books or official correspondence, nor does it use any word which can be translated as "correct faith" or "correct doctrine," the rough translation of "orthodox". The adjectives "holy," "catholic," and "apostolic" were officially added to the Assyrian Church of the East's title in conformance with the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed which declares, "We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church." In this context, "holy" refers to being set apart for a purely sacred purpose; "apostolic" means founded by one of Jesus's own apostles; and "catholic" is the Greek word for "universal," indicating a worldwide church.^{[citation needed]} In India, it is more often called the Chaldean Syrian Church. In the West it is often called the Nestorian Church, due to its historical associations with Nestorianism, though the church itself considers the term pejorative and argues that this association is incorrect. The church declares that no other church has suffered as many martyrdoms as the Assyrian Church of the East.[4]^{[citation needed]}

The founders of Assyrian theology were Diodorus of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia, who taught at Antioch. The normative Christology of the Assyrian church was written by Babai the Great (551–628) and is clearly distinct from the accusations directed toward Nestorius: his main christological work is called the 'Book of the Union', and in it Babai teaches that the two qnome (essences, or hypostases) are unmingled but everlastingly united in the one parsopa (personality) of Christ.^{[citation needed]}

Ancient Church of the East

Addai II is the current Catholicos of the Ancient Church of the East, which split off from the Assyrian Church in the 1960s.

Eastern Catholic Churches of East Syrian Rite

The following are Eastern Catholic Churches of East Syrian Rite that claim succession to the Catholicos of the East of Selucia-Ctesiphon of the Church of the East:

Chaldean Catholic Church of the East

Emmanuel III Delly is the current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church of the East (in full Communion with the Pope.)

The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church. It is descended from the historical Church of the East and became independent following a 16th century split with the Assyrian Church of the East. The Chaldean Catholic Church presently has an estimated 2.5 million Chaldean Christian members.^{[citation needed]} They are ethnically Assyrian, sometimes known as Chaldo-Assyrian, indigenous people of Iraq and descended from the ancient Mesopotamians/Assyrians. They retain Aramaic as a native tongue.

Oriental Orthodox Church

In the 6th century, on the initiative of Jacob Baradaeus, a hierarchy of the Syrian Orthodox was erected in the area now known as Iraq to serve the Christians who were not placed under the Catholicate of the Church of the East. The main See was located in Tikrit and the rite used was that of Antioch, i.e. the West Syrian Rite. The first head of this hierarchy was the Great Metropolitan Ahudemeh (559-575). The title used from about the 7th century was Maphrian (or Maphryono). In the 12th century the See was moved to Mosul and in the 13th century the title became Catholicos of the East. After the massacres of Tamerlane, the Maphrian was forced to leave Persia and this title was used for the general vicar, with nominal right of succession, for the Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church.^[5]

In the 17th century many Christians of the Kerala region in India decided to leave the Church of Malabar—the local Church that had been connected to the Church of the East and since the second half of 16th century was under Portuguese control—and to align themselves under the hierarchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church. They moved from the East Syrian Rite and adopted the West Syrian Rite. The title of Catholicos of the East as an Indian hierarchy was used from the 20th century.The following heads of the Orthodox Church claim succession to the Catholicos of the East.

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Baselios Marthoma Paulose II is the current Catholicos of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

His title is Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan

Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church

Baselios Thomas I is the current Catholicos of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox church

His title is Catholicos of India.

Armenian churches

Armenian Apostolic Church

The head of the One Holy Universal Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church bears the title Catholicos.

The Catholicos of Etchmiadzin presides over the Supreme Spiritual Council of the Armenian Apostolic Church and is the head of the world's 7 million Armenian Orthodox Christians.

Catholicos of Etchmiadzin (Chief Shepherd and Pontiff to all Armenians dispersed throughout the world^[6]) of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
- Karekin II is the current Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

There is a Catholicos residing in Antelias, Lebanon:

Catholicossate of the Great House of Cilicia (Since 1441).
- Aram I is the present Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia

The primacy of honour of the Catholicossate of Etchmiadzin has always been recognized by the Catholicossate of Cilicia.

There once was a Catholicos in Akhtamar, a position that has since been abolished:

Catholicos of Akhtamar Island (1116-1895)^{[citation needed]}

Armenian Catholic Church

Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church (in full Communion with the Pope).
- Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni is the current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church. His full title is officially "Patriarch Catholicos of the House of Cilicia"

Georgian Orthodox Church

The title of catholicos is also used in the Georgian Church, whose head carries the title Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia.

Catholicos of Georgian Orthodox Church
- Ilia II is the current(as of 22 February 2012) Catholicos of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

Caucasian Albania

Historically, the title of Catholicos was also used by the chief bishop of Caucasian Albania. With the Islamic invasion this church deteriorated and the provinces came under the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin^{[clarification needed]}.

Notes

^ ^a ^b Wigram, p. 91.
^ The Motu Proprio Cleri Sanctitati Canon 335
^ text of canon 6 of the First Council of Nicaea
^ Yar-Shater, Ehsan; Fisher, W. B. (1983). The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian periods. p. 931. ISBN 978-0-521-24693-4. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
^ King, Archdale (1997) [1947/8]. The Rites of Eastern Christendom. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-59333-391-1.
^ Official Website of the Armenian Church

References

Wigram, W. A. (2004). An introduction to the history of the Assyrian Church, or, The Church of the Sassanid Persian Empire, 100–640 A.D. Gorgias Press. ISBN 1-59333-103-7.

External links

Catholicoses/Maphyonos of the East of the Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite) Church

[Wigram91-1] Wigram, p. 91.

[Motu-2] The Motu Proprio Cleri Sanctitati Canon 335

[3] text of canon 6 of the First Council of Nicaea

[4] Yar-Shater, Ehsan; Fisher, W. B. (1983). The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian periods. p. 931. ISBN 978-0-521-24693-4. Retrieved 2009-02-22.

[5] King, Archdale (1997) [1947/8]. The Rites of Eastern Christendom. p. 84. ISBN 978-1-59333-391-1.

[6] Official Website of the Armenian Church

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