Macarios III Zaim
Encyclopedia
Patriarch Yousef Yuhanna Meletios Macarios III Zaim (died 1672) was Melkite
Greek Patriarch of Antioch
from 1647 to 1672. He led a period of blossoming of his Church and he is also remembered for his travels in Russia and for his involvement in the reforms of Russian Patriarch Nikon
.
, son of the priest Paul and he was a disciple of Euthymius II Karmah
. He was ordained priest (taking the name of Yuhanna) after the marriage and he also used to work as weaver. In 1627 Meletios Zaim had a son, Paul Zaim (sometime known as Paul of Aleppo), who became his secretary and biographer.
After the death of his wife in 1627, he retired to the Mar Saba monastery until 1634. On October 27, 1635 he was consecrated metropolitan bishop
of Aleppo by Patriarch Euthymius III of Chios
(taking the name of Meletios), who also appointed him catholicos
(supervisor) of the whole patriarchate. As Metropolian of Aleppo he led a bright and rich period for the Christians of Aleppo. In 1624 he led a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he met the Catholicos of Georgia
, whom he accompanied to Damascus
. In 1647 he had to escape for a few time from Aleppo because of the persecutions of the governor.
After the death of Patriarch Euthymios III, he went to Damascus
where he was elected Patriarch and consecrated on November 12, 1647 by four metropolitans, under the name of Macarios III. His first aim was to restore the financial situation of the Patriarchate, which had deteriorated because of the excessive taxation of the Ottomans
towards the Christians. In order to get financial help, he decided to start a long journey into the Eastern Europe
countries. After having appointed and consecrated one vicar, on February 11, 1652 he took the road north, accompanied by his son Paul. He visited Constantinople
, Wallachia
(where he was well received by Prince Matei Basarab
), Moldavia
(where he met Prince Vasile Lupu
), Ukraine
and Tsardom of Russia
.
He was in Moscow
from January 26, 1655 to May 29, 1656, as the guest of Tsar Alexis. During this visit he had a large part in the religious and liturgical reform of the Russian Patriarch Nikon
, mainly because he brought with him the new recension of the Euchologion
made by Euthymius II Karmah and other liturgical books of the Patriarchate of Antioch. Nikon's liturgical reform led to a major schism in the Russian Orthodox Church
, the so called Raskol
, or schism of the Old Believers
. Macarios Zaim also took a stand in favor the validity of the Catholic baptism
of Poles
, and his suggestion was approved. Macarios nevertheless lamented over the atrocities committed by the Polish Catholics against followers of Greek Orthodoxy. Macarios took as example the religious peace that ruled in the Turkish empire, stating: God perpetuate the empire of the Turks
for ever and ever! For they take their impost, and enter no account of religion, be their subjects Christians or Nazarenes, Jews or Samaritians; whereas these accursed Poles were not content with taxes and tithes from the brethren of Christ
He was back in Damascus in 1659, where he succeeded in settling the debts of the patriarchate and excommunicated
the Metropolitan of Homs, Athanasius Inb Amish, who acted as patriarch. In 1660 Macarios III blessed for the first time since 1594 the Holy Myron
for all the patriarchate. Until 1661 he was quite reserved towards the Latin missionaries
in Syria, but his attitude subsequently changed, and he wrote many times his greetings to the pope
and maintained very good relations with the missionaries. Macarios III secretly sent off a profession of the Catholic faith to Rome
while publicly appearing to be in the Orthodox camp.
In 1666 Patriach Macarios III left again for Moscow, invited by Tsar Alexis and accompanied by Patriarch Paisius of Alexandria
, to pronounce the deposition
of Patriarch Nikon. In Moscow, he asked the Polish king John Casimir to work for the union between the Eastern and Western Churches. He returned to Syria
in 1672. He did not participate in the Synod of Jerusalem. He died, probably poisoned, in Damascus on June 12, 1672.
Melkite
The term Melkite, also written Melchite, refers to various Byzantine Rite Christian churches and their members originating in the Middle East. The word comes from the Syriac word malkāyā , and the Arabic word Malakī...
Greek Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its earliest period...
from 1647 to 1672. He led a period of blossoming of his Church and he is also remembered for his travels in Russia and for his involvement in the reforms of Russian Patriarch Nikon
Patriarch Nikon
Nikon , born Nikita Minin , was the seventh patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church...
.
Life
Yousef Zaim was born in AleppoAleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
, son of the priest Paul and he was a disciple of Euthymius II Karmah
Euthymius II Karmah
Patriarch Abdel-Karim Meletios Euthymius II Karmah was Melkite Patriarch of Antioch from 1634 to 1635. He previously was a leading figure in the Melkite Church and metropolitan bishop of Aleppo...
. He was ordained priest (taking the name of Yuhanna) after the marriage and he also used to work as weaver. In 1627 Meletios Zaim had a son, Paul Zaim (sometime known as Paul of Aleppo), who became his secretary and biographer.
After the death of his wife in 1627, he retired to the Mar Saba monastery until 1634. On October 27, 1635 he was consecrated metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of Aleppo by Patriarch Euthymius III of Chios
Euthymius III of Chios
Patriarch Meletios Euthymius III of Chios , sometimes known also as Euthymius IV, was Melkite Greek Patriarch of Antioch from 1635 to 1647.-Life:...
(taking the name of Meletios), who also appointed him catholicos
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...
(supervisor) of the whole patriarchate. As Metropolian of Aleppo he led a bright and rich period for the Christians of Aleppo. In 1624 he led a pilgrimage to Jerusalem where he met the Catholicos of Georgia
Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia
Catholicos–Patriarch has been the title of the heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1010. The first Catholicos–Patriarch of All Georgia was Melkisedek I...
, whom he accompanied to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
. In 1647 he had to escape for a few time from Aleppo because of the persecutions of the governor.
After the death of Patriarch Euthymios III, he went to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
where he was elected Patriarch and consecrated on November 12, 1647 by four metropolitans, under the name of Macarios III. His first aim was to restore the financial situation of the Patriarchate, which had deteriorated because of the excessive taxation of the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
towards the Christians. In order to get financial help, he decided to start a long journey into the Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
countries. After having appointed and consecrated one vicar, on February 11, 1652 he took the road north, accompanied by his son Paul. He visited Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
(where he was well received by Prince Matei Basarab
Matei Basarab
Matei Basarab was a Wallachian Voivode between 1632 and 1654.-Reign:Much of Matei's reign was spent fighting off incursions from Moldavia, which he successfully accomplished in 1637, 1639, and 1653 - see Battle of Finta...
), Moldavia
Moldavia
Moldavia is a geographic and historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester river...
(where he met Prince Vasile Lupu
Vasile Lupu
Vasile Lupu was a Moldavian Voivode between 1634 and 1653. Vasile Coci surnamed "the wolf" who ruled as Prince of Moldavia had secured the Moldavian throne in 1634 after a series of complicated intrigues and managed to hold it for twenty years. Vasile was of Albanian origin and Greek education...
), Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and Tsardom of Russia
Tsardom of Russia
The Tsardom of Russia was the name of the centralized Russian state from Ivan IV's assumption of the title of Tsar in 1547 till Peter the Great's foundation of the Russian Empire in 1721.From 1550 to 1700, Russia grew 35,000 km2 a year...
.
He was in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
from January 26, 1655 to May 29, 1656, as the guest of Tsar Alexis. During this visit he had a large part in the religious and liturgical reform of the Russian Patriarch Nikon
Patriarch Nikon
Nikon , born Nikita Minin , was the seventh patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church...
, mainly because he brought with him the new recension of the Euchologion
Euchologion
The Euchologion is one of the chief liturgical books of the Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches, containing the portions of the services which are said by the bishop, priest, or deacon...
made by Euthymius II Karmah and other liturgical books of the Patriarchate of Antioch. Nikon's liturgical reform led to a major schism in the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, the so called Raskol
Raskol
Raskol |schism]]') was the event of splitting of the Russian Orthodox Church into an official church and the Old Believers movement in mid-17th century, triggered by the reforms of Patriarch Nikon in 1653, aiming to establish uniformity between the Greek and Russian church practices.-The Raskol:...
, or schism of the Old Believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
. Macarios Zaim also took a stand in favor the validity of the Catholic baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
of Poles
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and his suggestion was approved. Macarios nevertheless lamented over the atrocities committed by the Polish Catholics against followers of Greek Orthodoxy. Macarios took as example the religious peace that ruled in the Turkish empire, stating: God perpetuate the empire of the Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
for ever and ever! For they take their impost, and enter no account of religion, be their subjects Christians or Nazarenes, Jews or Samaritians; whereas these accursed Poles were not content with taxes and tithes from the brethren of Christ
He was back in Damascus in 1659, where he succeeded in settling the debts of the patriarchate and excommunicated
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
the Metropolitan of Homs, Athanasius Inb Amish, who acted as patriarch. In 1660 Macarios III blessed for the first time since 1594 the Holy Myron
Chrism
Chrism , also called "Myrrh" , Holy anointing oil, or "Consecrated Oil", is a consecrated oil used in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, in the Assyrian Church of the East, and in Old-Catholic churches, as well as Anglican churches in the administration...
for all the patriarchate. Until 1661 he was quite reserved towards the Latin missionaries
Catholic missions
As the church normally organizes itself along territorial lines, and because they had the human and material resources, religious orders—some even specializing in it—undertook most missionary work, especially in the early phases...
in Syria, but his attitude subsequently changed, and he wrote many times his greetings to the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and maintained very good relations with the missionaries. Macarios III secretly sent off a profession of the Catholic faith to Rome
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
while publicly appearing to be in the Orthodox camp.
In 1666 Patriach Macarios III left again for Moscow, invited by Tsar Alexis and accompanied by Patriarch Paisius of Alexandria
Patriarch Paisius of Alexandria
-References:...
, to pronounce the deposition
Deposition (politics)
Deposition by political means concerns the removal of a politician or monarch. It may be done by coup, impeachment, invasion or forced abdication...
of Patriarch Nikon. In Moscow, he asked the Polish king John Casimir to work for the union between the Eastern and Western Churches. He returned to Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
in 1672. He did not participate in the Synod of Jerusalem. He died, probably poisoned, in Damascus on June 12, 1672.