Jump to content

Christopher of Antioch: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Added short description
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit App suggested edit App description add
 
(14 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Chalcedonian patriarch}}
{{AFC submission|t||ts=20190914212128|u=Jmugler1106|ns=118|demo=}}<!-- Important, do not remove this line before article has been created. -->
⚫
{{Hatnote|This article is about the 10th-century patriarch of Antioch. He should not be confused with [[Saint Christopher]], who is also sometimes associated with Antioch.}}
{{Infobox Patriarch
{{Infobox Patriarch
|name=Christopher of Antioch
| name = Christopher of Antioch
| patriarch_of=[[Patriarch of Antioch]]
| patriarch_of = [[Patriarch of Antioch]]
|image=
| image =
|church=[[Church of Antioch]]
| church = [[Chalcedonian]] [[Church of Antioch]]
|see=Antioch
| see = Antioch
|birth_name=[[Isa (name)|ʻĪsá]]
| birth_name = [[Isa (name)|ʻĪsá]]
|enthroned=960
| enthroned = 960
|ended=May 23, 967
| ended = May 23, 967
|predecessor=[[Agapius I of Antioch|Agapius I]]
| predecessor = [[Agapius I of Antioch|Agapius I]]
|successor=[[Eustratius of Antioch|Eustratius]]
| successor = [[Eustratius of Antioch|Eustratius]]
|birth_date=
| birth_date =
|birth_place=[[Baghdad]]
| birth_place = [[Baghdad]]
|death_date=May 23, 967
| death_date = May 23, 967
|death_place=[[Antioch]]
| death_place = [[Antioch]]
|other=
| other =
|footnotes=
| footnotes =
}}
}}
⚫
'''Christopher''' ([[Arabic]]: خريسطوفورس, ''Kharīsṭūfūrus'') was [[Chalcedonian]] [[Patriarch of Antioch]] from 960 to 967.<ref name="Zayat">{{cite journal |last1=Zayat |first1=Habib |title=Vie du patriarche melkite d'Antioche Christophore (†967) par le protospathaire Ibrahim b. Yuhanna: Document inédit du Xe siècle |journal=Proche-Orient chrétien |date=1952 |volume=2 |pages=11-38,333-366}}</ref><ref name="Bitar">{{cite book |last1=Bīṭār |first1=Tūmā |title=Al-Qiddīsūn al-mansiyyūn fī al-turāth al-Anṭākī |date=1995 |publisher=‘Ā’ilat al-Thālūth al-Quddūs |location=Duma, Lebanon |pages=373–387}}</ref>
⚫
''This article is about the 10th-century patriarch of Antioch. He should not be confused with [[Saint Christopher]], who is also sometimes associated with Antioch.''

==Biography==
A native of [[Baghdad]] who was originally named [[Isa (name)|ʻĪsá]], he moved to [[Syria]] under the rule of [[Sayf al-Dawla]], the [[Hamdanid]] emir of [[Aleppo]],<ref name="GiorgiEger"> {{cite book |last1=Giorgi |first1=Andrea U. De |last2=Eger |first2=A. Asa |title=Antioch: A History |date=30 May 2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-54041-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hRgoEAAAQBAJ|pages=282–283, 297 |access-date=8 February 2024 |language=en}}</ref> and took a job as [[katib|secretary]] to a subordinate emir in [[Shaizar]]. He intervened in Church controversies in [[Antioch]] and its [[Christianity|Christian]] residents selected him as the new patriarch upon the death of [[Agapius I of Antioch|Agapius I]].


⚫
'''Christopher''' ([[Arabic]]: خريسطوفورس, ''Kharīsṭūfūrus'') was [[Chalcedonian]] [[Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch|Patriarch of Antioch]] from 960 to 967.<ref name="Zayat">{{cite journal |last1=Zayat |first1=Habib |title=Vie du patriarche melkite d'Antioche Christophore (†967) par le protospathaire Ibrahim b. Yuhanna: Document inédit du Xe siècle |journal=Proche-Orient chrétien |date=1952 |volume=2 |pages=11-38,333-366}}</ref><ref name="Bitar">{{cite book |last1=Bīṭār |first1=Tūmā |title=Al-Qiddīsūn al-mansiyyūn fī al-turāth al-Anṭākī |date=1995 |publisher=‘Ā’ilat al-Thālūth al-Quddūs |location=Duma, Lebanon |pages=373-387}}</ref> A native of [[Baghdad]] who was originally named [[Isa (name)|ʻĪsá]], he moved to [[Syria]] under the rule of [[Sayf al-Dawla]], the [[Hamdanid]] emir of [[Aleppo]], and took a job as [[katib|secretary]] to a subordinate emir in [[Shaizar]]. He intervened in Church controversies in [[Antioch]] and its [[Christianity|Christian]] residents selected him as the new patriarch upon the death of [[Agapius I of Antioch|Agapius I]].
<br>
As patriarch, Christopher undertook educational and charitable efforts to help his Christian subjects, including negotiations with Sayf al-Dawla for [[jizya|tax]] reduction. When a rebellion broke out in Antioch in 965, led by [[Rashiq al-Nasimi]], Christopher took the side of the emir and withdrew to the [[Church of Saint Simeon Stylites|monastery of Simeon Stylites]] in order to avoid interaction with the rebels. After the rebellion was finally suppressed, this made the patriarch a favorite at the court of Sayf al-Dawla, but created enemies within Antioch.
As patriarch, Christopher undertook educational and charitable efforts to help his Christian subjects, including negotiations with Sayf al-Dawla for [[jizya|tax]] reduction. When a rebellion broke out in Antioch in 965, led by [[Rashiq al-Nasimi]], Christopher took the side of the emir and withdrew to the [[Church of Saint Simeon Stylites|monastery of Simeon Stylites]] in order to avoid interaction with the rebels. After the rebellion was finally suppressed, this made the patriarch a favorite at the court of Sayf al-Dawla, but created enemies within Antioch.

<br>
When Sayf al-Dawla died in early 967, Christopher's enemies took advantage of the momentary power vacuum and plotted against him. Although he was warned of this danger by a [[Islam|Muslim]] friend named Ibn Abī ʻAmr, Christopher chose to remain in Antioch. Accusing the patriarch of conspiring against Antioch with Sayf al-Dawla's allies and with the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], the plotters convinced a group of visiting soldiers from [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] to kill him on the night of May 23, 967. His head was cut off and his body was thrown into the [[Orontes River]]. Shortly thereafter, a group of local Christians found the body in the river and took it in secret to a local monastery, where Christopher began to be venerated as a [[martyr]].
When Sayf al-Dawla died in early 967, Christopher's enemies took advantage of the momentary [[power vacuum]] and plotted against him. Although he was warned of this danger by a [[Islam|Muslim]] friend named Ibn Abī ʻAmr, Christopher chose to remain in Antioch. Accusing the patriarch of conspiring against Antioch with Sayf al-Dawla's allies and with the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], the plotters convinced a group of visiting soldiers from [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] to kill him on the night of May 23, 967. His head was cut off and his body was thrown into the [[Orontes River]]. Shortly thereafter, a group of local Christians found the body in the river and took it in secret to a local monastery, where Christopher began to be venerated as a [[martyr]].

<br>
In late 969, the armies of Emperor [[Nikephoros II]] conquered Antioch, and the new patriarch of Antioch ([[Theodorus II of Antioch|Theodorus II]]) brought Christopher's body into the city for public [[relic|veneration]].
In late 969, the armies of Emperor [[Nikephoros II]] conquered Antioch, and the new patriarch of Antioch ([[Theodorus II of Antioch|Theodorus II]]) brought Christopher's body into the city for public [[relic|veneration]]. He was finally interred in a marble sarcophagus on the western side of the [[church of Cassian|church of St. Peter]].


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
For centuries, Christopher was venerated as a [[saint]] by the [[Church of Antioch]] on either May 21 or May 22, as shown by liturgical [[manuscripts]] in both [[Syriac language|Syriac]] and [[Arabic]] that include [[synaxarion|calendars of saints]].<ref name="Sauget">{{cite book |last1=Sauget |first1=Joseph-Marie |title=Premières recherches sur l’origine et les caractéristiques des synaxaires melkites (XIe-XVIIe siècles) |date=1969 |publisher=Société des Bollandistes |location=Brussels |pages=380-383}}</ref> However, with the growing dominance of the [[Byzantine Rite]] in early modern Syria, his veneration fell into disuse.
For centuries, Christopher was venerated as a [[saint]] by the [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch]] on either May 21 or May 22, as shown by liturgical [[manuscripts]] in both [[Syriac language|Syriac]] and [[Arabic]] that include [[synaxarion|calendars of saints]].<ref name="Sauget">{{cite book |last1=Sauget |first1=Joseph-Marie |title=Premières recherches sur l'origine et les caractéristiques des synaxaires melkites (XIe-XVIIe siècles) |date=1969 |publisher=Société des Bollandistes |location=Brussels |pages=380–383}}</ref> However, with the growing dominance of the [[Byzantine Rite]] in early modern Syria, his veneration fell into disuse.


==Sources==
==Sources==
By far the most detailed source for Christopher's life is the ''Life of Christopher'' by [[Ibrahim ibn Yuhanna]], a Byzantine bureaucrat who knew Christopher as a child in Antioch.<ref name="CMR">{{cite web |last1=Lamoreaux |first1=John |title=Qiṣṣa sīrat al-baṭriyark ʿalā Anṭākiyya al-shahīd Kharīsṭūfūrus wa-shahādatihi bihā, allafahā Ibrāhīm ibn Yuḥannā [sc. Yūḥannā] al-ibrūṭusbāthār al-Malakī bihā yūnāniyyan thumma naqalahā ayḍan ʿarabiyyan |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/christian-muslim-relations-i/qissa-sirat-al-batriyark-ala-antakiyya-al-shahid-kharistufurus-wa-shahadatihi-biha-allafaha-ibrahim-ibn-yuhanna-sc-yuhanna-al-ibrutusbathar-al-malaki-biha-yunaniyyan-thumma-naqalaha-aydan-arabiyyan-COM_25079?s.num=2&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.christian-muslim-relations-i&s.q=Christopher+of+Antioch |website=Christian-Muslim Relations 600 - 1500 |publisher=Brill |accessdate=15 September 2019}}</ref> This text was originally written in both [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Arabic]], but only the Arabic version survives. It was edited and translated into [[French language|French]] by [[Habib Zayat]] in 1952.<ref name="Zayat" /> Significant portions of his story are also included in the history of [[Yahya of Antioch]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Anṭākī |first1=Yaḥyā b. Sa‘īd b. Yaḥyā |title=Histoire de Yahya-Ibn-Sa‘ïd d’Antioche, continuateur de Sa‘ïd-Ibn-Bitriq |journal=Patrologia orientalis |date=1924 |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=778,798,806-810}}</ref> and brief notices—centered on Christopher's death—appear in the Byzantine histories of [[Leo the Deacon]] and [[John Skylitzes]].
By far the most detailed source for Christopher's life is the ''Life of Christopher'' by [[Ibrahim ibn Yuhanna]], a Byzantine bureaucrat who knew Christopher as a child in Antioch.<ref name="CMR">{{cite web |last1=Lamoreaux |first1=John |title=Qiṣṣa sīrat al-baṭriyark ʿalā Anṭākiyya al-shahīd Kharīsṭūfūrus wa-shahādatihi bihā, allafahā Ibrāhīm ibn Yuḥannā [sc. Yūḥannā] al-ibrūṭusbāthār al-Malakī bihā yūnāniyyan thumma naqalahā ayḍan ʿarabiyyan |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/christian-muslim-relations-i/qissa-sirat-al-batriyark-ala-antakiyya-al-shahid-kharistufurus-wa-shahadatihi-biha-allafaha-ibrahim-ibn-yuhanna-sc-yuhanna-al-ibrutusbathar-al-malaki-biha-yunaniyyan-thumma-naqalaha-aydan-arabiyyan-COM_25079?s.num=2&s.f.s2_parent=s.f.book.christian-muslim-relations-i&s.q=Christopher+of+Antioch |website=Christian-Muslim Relations 600 - 1500 |publisher=Brill |accessdate=15 September 2019}}</ref> This text was originally written in both [[Greek language|Greek]] and [[Arabic]], but only the Arabic version survives. It was edited and translated into [[French language|French]] by [[Habib Zayat]] in 1952.<ref name="Zayat" /> Significant portions of his story are also included in the history of [[Yahya of Antioch]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Anṭākī |first1=Yaḥyā b. Sa‘īd b. Yaḥyā |title=Histoire de Yahya-Ibn-Sa'ïd d'Antioche, continuateur de Sa'ïd-Ibn-Bitriq |journal=Patrologia Orientalis |date=1924 |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=778,798,806-810}}</ref> and brief notices—centered on Christopher's death—appear in the Byzantine histories of [[Leo the Deacon]] and [[John Skylitzes]].



== References ==
== References ==
Line 39: Line 40:
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch}}
{{AFC submission|||ts=20190915140800|u=Jmugler1106|ns=118}}

[[Category:Patriarchs of Antioch]]
[[Category:967 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Baghdad]]
[[Category:Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch]]
[[Category:People from the Hamdanid emirate of Aleppo]]
[[Category:10th-century archbishops]]

Latest revision as of 20:40, 15 September 2024

This article is about the 10th-century patriarch of Antioch. He should not be confused with Saint Christopher, who is also sometimes associated with Antioch.
Christopher of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch
ChurchChalcedonian Church of Antioch
SeeAntioch
Installed960
Term endedMay 23, 967
PredecessorAgapius I
SuccessorEustratius
Personal details
Born
ʻĪsá

Baghdad
DiedMay 23, 967
Antioch

Christopher (Arabic: خريسطوفورس, Kharīsṭūfūrus) was Chalcedonian Patriarch of Antioch from 960 to 967.[1][2]

Biography

[edit]

A native of Baghdad who was originally named ʻĪsá, he moved to Syria under the rule of Sayf al-Dawla, the Hamdanid emir of Aleppo,[3] and took a job as secretary to a subordinate emir in Shaizar. He intervened in Church controversies in Antioch and its Christian residents selected him as the new patriarch upon the death of Agapius I.

As patriarch, Christopher undertook educational and charitable efforts to help his Christian subjects, including negotiations with Sayf al-Dawla for tax reduction. When a rebellion broke out in Antioch in 965, led by Rashiq al-Nasimi, Christopher took the side of the emir and withdrew to the monastery of Simeon Stylites in order to avoid interaction with the rebels. After the rebellion was finally suppressed, this made the patriarch a favorite at the court of Sayf al-Dawla, but created enemies within Antioch.

When Sayf al-Dawla died in early 967, Christopher's enemies took advantage of the momentary power vacuum and plotted against him. Although he was warned of this danger by a Muslim friend named Ibn Abī ʻAmr, Christopher chose to remain in Antioch. Accusing the patriarch of conspiring against Antioch with Sayf al-Dawla's allies and with the Byzantines, the plotters convinced a group of visiting soldiers from Khorasan to kill him on the night of May 23, 967. His head was cut off and his body was thrown into the Orontes River. Shortly thereafter, a group of local Christians found the body in the river and took it in secret to a local monastery, where Christopher began to be venerated as a martyr.

In late 969, the armies of Emperor Nikephoros II conquered Antioch, and the new patriarch of Antioch (Theodorus II) brought Christopher's body into the city for public veneration. He was finally interred in a marble sarcophagus on the western side of the church of St. Peter.

Legacy

[edit]

For centuries, Christopher was venerated as a saint by the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch on either May 21 or May 22, as shown by liturgical manuscripts in both Syriac and Arabic that include calendars of saints.[4] However, with the growing dominance of the Byzantine Rite in early modern Syria, his veneration fell into disuse.

Sources

[edit]

By far the most detailed source for Christopher's life is the Life of Christopher by Ibrahim ibn Yuhanna, a Byzantine bureaucrat who knew Christopher as a child in Antioch.[5] This text was originally written in both Greek and Arabic, but only the Arabic version survives. It was edited and translated into French by Habib Zayat in 1952.[1] Significant portions of his story are also included in the history of Yahya of Antioch,[6] and brief notices—centered on Christopher's death—appear in the Byzantine histories of Leo the Deacon and John Skylitzes.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Zayat, Habib (1952). "Vie du patriarche melkite d'Antioche Christophore (†967) par le protospathaire Ibrahim b. Yuhanna: Document inédit du Xe siècle". Proche-Orient chrétien. 2: 11–38, 333–366.
  2. ^ Bīṭār, Tūmā (1995). Al-Qiddīsūn al-mansiyyūn fī al-turāth al-Anṭākī. Duma, Lebanon: ‘Ā’ilat al-Thālūth al-Quddūs. pp. 373–387.
  3. ^ Giorgi, Andrea U. De; Eger, A. Asa (30 May 2021). Antioch: A History. Routledge. pp. 282–283, 297. ISBN 978-1-317-54041-0. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
  4. ^ Sauget, Joseph-Marie (1969). Premières recherches sur l'origine et les caractéristiques des synaxaires melkites (XIe-XVIIe siècles). Brussels: Société des Bollandistes. pp. 380–383.
  5. ^ Lamoreaux, John. "Qiṣṣa sīrat al-baṭriyark ʿalā Anṭākiyya al-shahīd Kharīsṭūfūrus wa-shahādatihi bihā, allafahā Ibrāhīm ibn Yuḥannā [sc. Yūḥannā] al-ibrūṭusbāthār al-Malakī bihā yūnāniyyan thumma naqalahā ayḍan ʿarabiyyan". Christian-Muslim Relations 600 - 1500. Brill. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  6. ^ Anṭākī, Yaḥyā b. Sa‘īd b. Yaḥyā (1924). "Histoire de Yahya-Ibn-Sa'ïd d'Antioche, continuateur de Sa'ïd-Ibn-Bitriq". Patrologia Orientalis. 18 (5): 778, 798, 806–810.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Christopher_of_Antioch&oldid=1245908493"