Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa
Encyclopedia
Mar Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa (or John Soulaqa, Sulaka or Sulacha, circa 1510–1555) was the first Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church
, from 1553 to 1555.
Yohannan Sulaqa's ascension as Patriarch was part of the 1552 schism
in the Church of the East
which resulted in the establishment of rival patriarchates and ultimately a permanent rift in the Church. He was elected by those who opposed the hereditary patriarchal succession and he took an unprecedented step in the Church of the East: he traveled to Rome
, accepted the Catholic creed and was consecrated as Patriarch in 1553. His reign did not last long though: Upon his return, due to strong opposition by the opposing patriarch, Sulaqa was imprisoned by the Ottoman leader of Amadiyah, tortured, and executed in January 1555. He is considered a martyr of the Catholic church.
was located in the ancient city of Alqosh
. In the 15th century the Patriarch Mar Shimun IV Basidi (1437–1493) made the office hereditary in his own family, whose name was known as Bar Mama or Abuna family.
This was made possible through the ancient Canonical law of the Church of East, which decreed that only metropolitan bishop
s could confirm a patriarch. As a result, Shimun IV and his successor only appointed their family members as metropolitan bishops, in order for the uncle to choose his brothers or nephews to succeed him as patriarch. This designated successor, once consecrated as metropolitan bishop with right of succession, was called natar kursi.
The patriarch Shemon VII Ishoyahb
, consecrated either towards the end of 1538 or early in 1539, was highly unpopular due to his illicit activities in profligate life, selling church properties and allowing the use of concubines. Furthermore, he consecrated his own nephews at the ages of twelve and fifteen as metropolitan bishops. These actions led to wide protest causing further upheaval and instability in the church.
region. Around 1540 Sulaqa became abbot
of the monastery of Rabban Hormizd
in Alqosh
(or, according to an alternative account, of the monastery of Beth Qoqa near Erbil). The literal translation of Sulaqa in English is Ascension.
Widespread complaints emerged against Shimun VII's consecration of his younger nephew as his designated successor. This led to three non-related bishops of Shimun VII (the bishops of Arbil
, Urmia
and Salmas
) to call an assembly in Mosul of clergy, monks, and members from ten regions, to elect the hesitant Yohannan Sulaqa as the new patriarch. A bishop of metropolitan rank was needed at the ceremony in order to consecrate Sulaqa as patriarch. Opposition from members of the patriarchal Abuna family, and the doctrinal differences with the Syrian Orthodox Church, led to the decision of asking Pope Julius III
of Rome to celebrate the consecration.
Yohannan Sulaqa, along with seventy delegates, traveled to Jerusalem to meet the Custodian of the Holy Land
. The group persuaded the Franciscan
friars that they agreed with the faith professed by the Papacy and expressed the desire to have Sulaqa confirmed as patriarch by the pope. The Friars gave them a letter of presentation to the pope, and Sulaqa with a noble traveled to Rome, where Andreas Masius
gave him assistance as a translator in the court of pope Julius III.
Yohannan Sulaqa requested the pope consecrate him as patriarch. He justified this request by informing the papacy that after Mar Shimun VII Ishuyau's death in 1551, his nephew (also to be named the traditional Shimun) would succeed him as the head of the church, but this nephew was not qualified to be consecrated as bishop because the restrictions pronounced in the Canonical Law regarding age were violated. Moreover it was understood that the young nephew had died. For this reason many historians such as Tisserant, Tfinkdji, and Fiey postulate the existence of one Shimun (VIII) who reigned in Alqosh from 1552 to 1558. More recently scholars such as Habbi and Lampart, as well as Becchetti in the 18th century, suggest on the contrary that Shimun VII did not die in 1551 but reigned till 1558, thus Sulaqa had lied to the pope.
On February 20, 1553, Yohannan Sulaqa made a profession of faith in front of the Pope. On April 9, 1553, he was consecrated as bishop in St. Peter's Basilica
in Rome by Cardinal John Álvarez y Alva de Toledo, OP
(1488–1557) (or by the pope himself according other sources). Sulaqa's appointment as patriarch was ratified by the papal bull
entitled "Divina disponente clementia." In the course of the consistory held on April 28, 1553 Sulaqa received the pallium
, i.e. the sign of his patriarchal authority, from the hands of the pope. He took the traditional name of Shimun VIII.
Yohannan Sulaqa traveled land via to Constantinople
and from there to Amid where he arrived on November 12, 1553 and where he fixed his See
. He was accompanied by the bishop Ambrose Buttigeg, OP († 1558), one of the most powerful Arab
Maltese
, who was specially appointed as "Nuncio for Mosul."
In January 1555 he was summoned, imprisoned for many months, tortured and executed, probably by drowning, by the local Pasha
of Amadiyah instigated by the partisans of Shimun VII, shortly after ordaining five metropolitans. For Catholics he is considered a martyr.
Sulaqa's brother, Joseph Mar (Sulaqa) of India, held the office from 1556 to 1569 of Metropolitan of the Thomas Christians in South India.
) in Rome, not in a restrictive sense, but meaning of the Church of the East. The Chronicle of the Carmelites states that Sulaqa was proclaimed Patriarch of the Eastern Assyrians but on April 19, 1553 the title was changed to Patriarch of the Chaldeans, perhaps in reference to the Old Testament
, which gives Abraham's birth place as "Ur of Chaldees."
The term Chaldeans had been previously officially used by the Council of Florence
in 1445 as a new name for a group of Nestorian
s of Cyprus
who entered in Full Communion
with the Catholic Church. Rome followed to use the term Chaldeans to indicate the members of the Church of the East in Communion with Rome (mainly not to use the term Nestorian that was theologically unacceptable) also in 1681 for Joseph I
and later in 1830 when Yohannan Hormizd, of the line of Alqosh, became the first "Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans" of the modern Chaldean Catholic Church.
, then to Urmia
, then to Khosrowa (near Salmas
) and from the second half of 17th century to Qochanis
. Also the area of influence moved from the North West Kurdistan to the North East mountains.
The last patriarch of this line recognized by the Pope was Shimun IX Dinkha (died 1600) and later there were only few correspondences thought missionaries. This See reintroduced in 1600 the heredity system for patriarchs' succession, a use unacceptable for Rome. In 1692, patriarch Mar Shimun XIII Dinkha broke formally the communion with Rome. The patriarchate of the present-day Assyrian Church of the East
, with its See in Chicago
, forms the continuation of this line.
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
, from 1553 to 1555.
Yohannan Sulaqa's ascension as Patriarch was part of the 1552 schism
Schism of 1552
The Schism of 1552 was an important event in the history of the Church of the East. It divided the church into two factions, of which one entered into communion with Rome and the other remained independent. The modern Chaldean Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East, both of which...
in the Church of the East
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
which resulted in the establishment of rival patriarchates and ultimately a permanent rift in the Church. He was elected by those who opposed the hereditary patriarchal succession and he took an unprecedented step in the Church of the East: he traveled to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, accepted the Catholic creed and was consecrated as Patriarch in 1553. His reign did not last long though: Upon his return, due to strong opposition by the opposing patriarch, Sulaqa was imprisoned by the Ottoman leader of Amadiyah, tortured, and executed in January 1555. He is considered a martyr of the Catholic church.
Background
Up to Yohannan Sulaqa, the Church of the East was united in a single patriarchate and the Episcopal seeEpiscopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
was located in the ancient city of Alqosh
Alqosh
Alqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns of the mainly East Syrian rite in Iraq. It is located north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from an Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where "Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...
. In the 15th century the Patriarch Mar Shimun IV Basidi (1437–1493) made the office hereditary in his own family, whose name was known as Bar Mama or Abuna family.
This was made possible through the ancient Canonical law of the Church of East, which decreed that only 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...
s could confirm a patriarch. As a result, Shimun IV and his successor only appointed their family members as metropolitan bishops, in order for the uncle to choose his brothers or nephews to succeed him as patriarch. This designated successor, once consecrated as metropolitan bishop with right of succession, was called natar kursi.
The patriarch Shemon VII Ishoyahb
Shemon VII Ishoyahb
Shemon VII Ishoyahb was Patriarch of the Church of the East from 1539 to 1558. His reign was widely unpopular, and discontent with his leadership led to the schism of 1552, in which his opponents rebelled and appointed the monk Sulaqa as a rival patriarch...
, consecrated either towards the end of 1538 or early in 1539, was highly unpopular due to his illicit activities in profligate life, selling church properties and allowing the use of concubines. Furthermore, he consecrated his own nephews at the ages of twelve and fifteen as metropolitan bishops. These actions led to wide protest causing further upheaval and instability in the church.
Life
Yohannan Sulaqa was born c. 1510 to Daniel of the Bellu family, in the MosulMosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
region. Around 1540 Sulaqa became abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the monastery of Rabban Hormizd
Rabban Hormizd Monastery
Rabban Hormizd Monastery is an important monastery of the Chaldean Church. It is carved out in the mountains about 2 miles from Alqosh, Iraq, 28 miles north of Mosul...
in Alqosh
Alqosh
Alqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns of the mainly East Syrian rite in Iraq. It is located north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from an Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where "Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...
(or, according to an alternative account, of the monastery of Beth Qoqa near Erbil). The literal translation of Sulaqa in English is Ascension.
Widespread complaints emerged against Shimun VII's consecration of his younger nephew as his designated successor. This led to three non-related bishops of Shimun VII (the bishops of Arbil
Arbil
Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
, Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
and Salmas
Salmas
Salmas is a city in and the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 79,560, in 19,806 families....
) to call an assembly in Mosul of clergy, monks, and members from ten regions, to elect the hesitant Yohannan Sulaqa as the new patriarch. A bishop of metropolitan rank was needed at the ceremony in order to consecrate Sulaqa as patriarch. Opposition from members of the patriarchal Abuna family, and the doctrinal differences with the Syrian Orthodox Church, led to the decision of asking Pope Julius III
Pope Julius III
Pope Julius III , born Giovanni Maria Ciocchi del Monte, was Pope from 7 February 1550 to 1555....
of Rome to celebrate the consecration.
Yohannan Sulaqa, along with seventy delegates, traveled to Jerusalem to meet the Custodian of the Holy Land
Custodian of the Holy Land
The Custodian of the Holy Land is an officer of the Franciscan order, appointed by the General Definitorium of the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor, with the approval of the Vatican. The Custodian, or Custos, is the head of all Franciscans in the Holy Land...
. The group persuaded the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
friars that they agreed with the faith professed by the Papacy and expressed the desire to have Sulaqa confirmed as patriarch by the pope. The Friars gave them a letter of presentation to the pope, and Sulaqa with a noble traveled to Rome, where Andreas Masius
Andreas Masius
Andreas Masius was a Catholic priest, humanist and one of the first European syriacists.He was born in Lennik, Flemish Brabant....
gave him assistance as a translator in the court of pope Julius III.
Yohannan Sulaqa requested the pope consecrate him as patriarch. He justified this request by informing the papacy that after Mar Shimun VII Ishuyau's death in 1551, his nephew (also to be named the traditional Shimun) would succeed him as the head of the church, but this nephew was not qualified to be consecrated as bishop because the restrictions pronounced in the Canonical Law regarding age were violated. Moreover it was understood that the young nephew had died. For this reason many historians such as Tisserant, Tfinkdji, and Fiey postulate the existence of one Shimun (VIII) who reigned in Alqosh from 1552 to 1558. More recently scholars such as Habbi and Lampart, as well as Becchetti in the 18th century, suggest on the contrary that Shimun VII did not die in 1551 but reigned till 1558, thus Sulaqa had lied to the pope.
On February 20, 1553, Yohannan Sulaqa made a profession of faith in front of the Pope. On April 9, 1553, he was consecrated as bishop in St. Peter's Basilica
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome by Cardinal John Álvarez y Alva de Toledo, OP
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
(1488–1557) (or by the pope himself according other sources). Sulaqa's appointment as patriarch was ratified by the papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
entitled "Divina disponente clementia." In the course of the consistory held on April 28, 1553 Sulaqa received the pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
, i.e. the sign of his patriarchal authority, from the hands of the pope. He took the traditional name of Shimun VIII.
Yohannan Sulaqa traveled land via to 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:...
and from there to Amid where he arrived on November 12, 1553 and where he fixed his See
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
. He was accompanied by the bishop Ambrose Buttigeg, OP († 1558), one of the most powerful Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
Maltese
Maltese people
The Maltese are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...
, who was specially appointed as "Nuncio for Mosul."
In January 1555 he was summoned, imprisoned for many months, tortured and executed, probably by drowning, by the local Pasha
Pasha
Pasha or pascha, formerly bashaw, was a high rank in the Ottoman Empire political system, typically granted to governors, generals and dignitaries. As an honorary title, Pasha, in one of its various ranks, is equivalent to the British title of Lord, and was also one of the highest titles in...
of Amadiyah instigated by the partisans of Shimun VII, shortly after ordaining five metropolitans. For Catholics he is considered a martyr.
Sulaqa's brother, Joseph Mar (Sulaqa) of India, held the office from 1556 to 1569 of Metropolitan of the Thomas Christians in South India.
Title
Yohannan Sulaqa was given the title of "Patriarch of Mosul and Athur" (AssyriaAssyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
) in Rome, not in a restrictive sense, but meaning of the Church of the East. The Chronicle of the Carmelites states that Sulaqa was proclaimed Patriarch of the Eastern Assyrians but on April 19, 1553 the title was changed to Patriarch of the Chaldeans, perhaps in reference to the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
, which gives Abraham's birth place as "Ur of Chaldees."
The term Chaldeans had been previously officially used by the Council of Florence
Council of Florence
The Council of Florence was an Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It began in 1431 in Basel, Switzerland, and became known as the Council of Ferrara after its transfer to Ferrara was decreed by Pope Eugene IV, to convene in 1438...
in 1445 as a new name for a group of Nestorian
Nestorianism
Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine, which was informed by Nestorius's studies under Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch, emphasizes the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus...
s of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
who entered in Full Communion
Full communion
In Christian ecclesiology, full communion is a relationship between church organizations or groups that mutually recognize their sharing the essential doctrines....
with the Catholic Church. Rome followed to use the term Chaldeans to indicate the members of the Church of the East in Communion with Rome (mainly not to use the term Nestorian that was theologically unacceptable) also in 1681 for Joseph I
Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch)
Mar Joseph I was the first incumbent of the Josephite line of Church of the East, thus being considered the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church from 1681 to 1696.-Background situation:...
and later in 1830 when Yohannan Hormizd, of the line of Alqosh, became the first "Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans" of the modern Chaldean Catholic Church.
The Shimun line
Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa was the first incumbent of the Shimun line of Church of the East. This patriarchal See was initially located in Amid, but very soon moved to SiirtSiirt
- External links :* * * *...
, then to Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...
, then to Khosrowa (near Salmas
Salmas
Salmas is a city in and the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 79,560, in 19,806 families....
) and from the second half of 17th century to Qochanis
Qochanis
Qodchanis was the capital of Hakkari and the seat of the Assyrian bishops before 1915.Its ruins are currently north of Hakkâri Province, near the borders of Iran and Iraq, and about 20 km north-east of the provincial capital Hakkâri, in the southeastern of modern Turkey.The town was inhabited by...
. Also the area of influence moved from the North West Kurdistan to the North East mountains.
The last patriarch of this line recognized by the Pope was Shimun IX Dinkha (died 1600) and later there were only few correspondences thought missionaries. This See reintroduced in 1600 the heredity system for patriarchs' succession, a use unacceptable for Rome. In 1692, patriarch Mar Shimun XIII Dinkha broke formally the communion with Rome. The patriarchate of the present-day Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
, with its See in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, forms the continuation of this line.
External links
- http://www.chaldeancatholics.com