Joseph of Seleucia-Ctesiphon

Joseph was Patriarch of the Church of the East from 552 to 567. He was immensely unpopular, and was eventually deposed by his bishops. He was notorious for having invented much of the early history of the Church of the East. Despite his deposition, his name is included in the traditional list of patriarchs of the Church of the East.

## Sources

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Brief accounts of Joseph's reign are given in the Ecclesiastical Chronicle of the Jacobite writer Bar Hebraeus (floruit 1280) and in the ecclesiastical histories of the Nestorian writers Mari (twelfth-century), ʿAmr (fourteenth-century) and Sliba (fourteenth-century). His life is also covered in the Chronicle of Seert.[1]

Modern assessments of his reign can be found in Baum and Winkler's Church of the East and David Wilmshurst's The Martyred Church.[2]

## Joseph's patriarchate

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The following account of Joseph's reign is given by Bar Hebraeus:

> In the year 603 of the Greeks [AD 552] Aba I was succeeded by Joseph, the doctor of king Chosroes, who was a proud and avaricious man. Whenever a simple and rude man came to visit him, he would order his deacons to tie him to a manger and place a bridle on his head as though he were an ass. The bishops gathered together and deposed him, but from fear of the king they did not consecrate another man in his place until Joseph died, three years after his deposition. [3]

## See also

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* List of patriarchs of the Church of the East

## Notes

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1. ^ Chronicle of Seert, ii. 84–96
2. ^ Baum and Winkler, Church of the East, 34; Wilmshurst, The Martyred Church, 57–58 and 87–88
3. ^ Bar Hebraeus, Ecclesiastical Chronicle (ed. Abeloos and Lamy), ii. 96–8

## References

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* Abbeloos, J. B., and Lamy, T. J., Bar Hebraeus, Chronicon Ecclesiasticum (3 vols, Paris, 1877)
* Assemani, J. A., De Catholicis seu Patriarchis Chaldaeorum et Nestorianorum (Rome, 1775)
* Brooks, E. W., Eliae Metropolitae Nisibeni Opus Chronologicum (Rome, 1910)
* Chabot, Jean-Baptiste (1902). Synodicon orientale ou recueil de synodes nestoriens (PDF). Paris: Imprimerie Nationale.
* Gismondi, H., Maris, Amri, et Salibae: De Patriarchis Nestorianorum Commentaria I: Amri et Salibae Textus (Rome, 1896)
* Gismondi, H., Maris, Amri, et Salibae: De Patriarchis Nestorianorum Commentaria II: Maris textus arabicus et versio Latina (Rome, 1899)
* Wilmshurst, David, The Martyred Church: A History of the Church of the East (London, 2011).

## External links

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Church of the East titles

Preceded by

Aba I
(540-552)

|  Catholicos-Patriarch of the East
(552-567)  | Succeeded by

Ezekiel
(570-581)

* v
* t
* e

Patriarchs of the Church of the East

1st–4th centuries|

* Thomas the Apostle
* Addai (37–65)
* Aggai (66–87)
* Mari I (88–120)
* Abris (121–137)
* Abraham I (159–171)
* Yaqob I (172–190)
* Ahadabui (202–220)
* Shahlufa (220–240)
* Papa bar Aggai (c. 280–329)
* Shemon bar Sabbae (329–341)
* Shahdost (341–342)
* Barba'shmin (343–346)
* Tomarsa (363–371)
* Qayyoma (377–399)
* Isaac (399–410)

5th–8th centuries|

* Ahha (410–414)
* Yahballaha I (415–420)
* Mana (420)
* Farbokht (421)
* Dadisho (421–456)
* Babowai (457–484)
* Acacius (485–496)
* Babai (497–502/503)
* Shila (503–523)
* Elisha (524–537)
* Narsai (524–537)
* Paul (539)
* Aba I (540–552)
* Joseph (552–567)
* Ezekiel (570–581)
* Ishoyahb I (582–595)
* Sabrisho I (596–604)
* Gregory (605–608)
* Ishoyahb II (628–645)
* Maremmeh (646–649)
* Ishoyahb III (649–659)
* Giwargis I (661–680)
* Yohannan I (680–683)
* Hnanisho I (686–698)
* Yohannan the Leper (691–693)†
* Sliba-zkha (714–728)
* Pethion (731–740)
* Aba II (741–751)
* Surin (753)†
* Yaqob II (753/754–773/775)
* Hnanisho II (773/775–780)
* Timothy I (780–823)

9th–12th centuries|

* Isho Bar Nun (823–828)
* Giwargis II (828–831)
* Sabrisho II (831–835)
* Abraham II (837–850)
* Theodosius (853–858)
* Sargis (860–872)
* Israel of Kashkar (877) (Not consecrated)
* Enosh (877–884)
* Yohannan II (884–892)
* Yohannan III (893–899)
* Yohannan IV (900–905)
* Abraham III (906–937)
* Emmanuel I (937–960)
* Israel (961)
* Abdisho I (963–986)
* Mari II (987–999)
* Yohannan V (1000–1011)
* Yohannan VI (1012–1020)
* Ishoyahb IV (1020–1025)
* Eliya I (1028–1049)
* Yohannan VII (1049–1057)
* Sabrisho III (1064–1072)
* Abdisho II (1074–1090)
* Makkikha I (1092–1110)
* Eliya II (1111–1132)
* Bar Sawma (1134–1136)
* Abdisho III (1139–1148)
* Ishoyahb V (1149–1175)
* Eliya III (1176–1190)
* Yahballaha II (1190–1222)

13th–16th centuries|

* Sabrisho IV (1222–1224)
* Sabrisho V (1226–1256)
* Makkikha II (1257–1265)
* Denha I (1265–1281)
* Yahballaha III (1281–1317)
* Timothy II (1318–1332)
* Denha II (1336/1337–1381/1382)
* Shemon II (c. 1385–c. 1405)
* Eliya IV (c. 1405–c. 1425)
* Shemon III (c. 1425–c. 1450)
* Shemon IV (c. 1450–1497)
* Shemon V (1497–1502)
* Eliya V (1502–1503/1504)
* Shemon VI (1504–1538)
* Shemon VII Ishoyahb (1538/1539–1558)

Eliya line
(1558–1830)|

* Eliya VI (1558–1591)
* Eliya VII (1591–1617)
* Eliya VIII (1617–1660)
* Eliya IX (1660–1700)
* Eliya X (1700–1722)
* Eliya XI (1722–1778)
* Eliya XII (1778–1804)
* Yohannan VIII Hormizd (1780–1830)§

Shimun line
(1553–1861)|

* Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa (1553–1555)
* Abdisho IV Maron (1555–1570)
* Yahballaha IV (1577–1580)
* Shimun IX Dinkha (1580–1600)
* Shimun X Eliyah (1600–1638)
* Shimun XI Eshuyow (1638–1656)
* Shimun XII Yoalaha (1656–1662)
* Shimun XIII Dinkha (1662–1700)
* Shimun XIV Shlemon (1700–1740)
* Shimun XV Maqdassi Mikhail (1740–1780)
* Shimun XVI Yohannan (1780–1820)
* Shimun XVII Abraham (1820–1861)

Josephite line
(1681–1828)|

* Joseph I (1681–1696)
* Joseph II (1696–1712)
* Joseph III (1714–1757)
* Joseph IV (1759–1781)
* Joseph V Augustine Hindi (1781–1828)§

19th century to present|

* Shimun XVIII Rubil (1861–1903)
* Shimun XIX Benyamin (1903–1918)
* Shimun XX Paulos (1918–1920)
* Shimun XXIII Eshai (1920–1975)

| Assyrian Church of the East|

* Dinkha IV (1976–2015)
* Gewargis III (2015–2021)
* Awa III (2021–present)

|

Ancient Church of the East|

* Thoma Darmo (1968–1969)
* Addai II Giwargis (1972–2022)
* Yakoob III Danil (2022)
* Gewargis III Younan (2023–present)

† Illegitimate; § Patriarchal administrator
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