Maphrian

Part of a series on
Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodox churches
Coptic Syriac Armenian Indian Cilicia Orthodox Tewahedo Ethiopian Eritrean
Independent churches Coptic: British Syriac: Malabar Independent
Autonomous churches Coptic: French Coptic Orthodox Church Armenian: Constantinople, Jerusalem Syriac: Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
History and theology History of Oriental Orthodoxy: Coptic history Tewahedo history Syriac history Saint Thomas Christians Ecumenical Councils: Nicaea I Constantinople I Ephesus I Ephesus II Ephesus III Dvin I Dvin II Dvin III Dvin IV Manzikert Capharthutha Shirakavan Hromkla Theology: Miaphysitism Non-Chalcedonian Christianity
Liturgy and practices Anaphora & Rites: Alexandrian Rite Anaphora of Saint Gregory Armenian Rite West Syriac Rite Liturgy of Saint James Liturgy of Saint Basil Liturgy of Saint Cyril Malankara Rite Holy Qurobo Calendars: Armenian Coptic Ethiopian Julian Gregorian Bible: Peshitta Coptic Bible Armenian Bible Orthodox Tewahedo Bible Cross: Coptic cross Armenian Cross St. Thomas Cross Ethiopian cross
Major figures Cyril of Alexandria Mor Addai Abgar V Gregory the Illuminator Nine Saints of Ethiopia Tiridates III Mar Awgin Athanasius of Alexandria Ephrem the Syrian Ezana of Axum Frumentius Shenoute Mesrop Mashtots Dioscorus of Alexandria Severus of Antioch Abraham of Farshut Yared Simon the Tanner Gregory of Narek Nerses IV Michael the Syrian Bar Hebraeus Tekle Haymanot Giyorgis of Segla Mar Thoma I Gregorios Abdal Jaleel Geevarghese Gregorios
Related topics Abuna Catholicos Maphrian Ethiopian titles Apostolic Church-Ordinance Coptic monasticism Coptic saints Debtera Coonan Cross Oath Ethiopian chant Fast of Nineveh Coptic fasting Tewahedo fasting Timkat
Links and resources Category Media Templates WikiProject
Christianity portal
v t e

The Maphrian (Syriac: ܡܦܪܝܢܐ, romanized: maphryānā or maphryono), originally known as the Grand Metropolitan of the East and also known as the Catholicos,^[1] was the second-highest rank in the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church, right below that of patriarch. The office of a maphrian is an maphrianate. There have been three maphrianates in the history of the Syriac Orthodox Church and one, briefly, in the Syriac Catholic Church.^[2]

The first maphrianate, called the Maphrianate of the East or the Maphrianate of Tagrit, was established in 628 to give the Syriac Orthodox Church an ecclesiastical hierarchy in the Sasanian Empire and lands outside the control of the Roman Empire. The seat of the bishop was initially at Tagrit and he ranked second in the hierarchy after the Patriarch of Antioch.^[2] Initially he used the title catholicos in direct opposition to the rival Catholicos of Seleucia-Ctesiphon of the Church of the East. The title "maphrian" first came into use around 1100. In 1156 the seat of the maphrian was moved to Mosul.^[3] The Maphrianate of the East was abolished in 1860 as a result of a decreasing number of Syriac Orthodox outside of the region of Ṭur ʿAbdin. By then it had been a merely titular see for a long time.^[2]

The second maphrianate was the Maphrianate of Ṭur ʿAbdin established in 1495 under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Ṭur ʿAbdin. It is unclear what kind of jurisdiction this maphrian exercised. No new maphrian was appointed after the death of the last one in 1844.^[2]

The sole Syriac Catholic maphrian was Baselios Isḥaq Jbeir who took the title in 1693. Although elected patriarch, he refused the title, keeping his position as a Maphrian, thus not establishing a patriarchal line.^[2]

In the 20th century a new maphrianate nominally under the Syriac Orthodox Church was established in India in 1912, creating a new autocephalous church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. This was not recognised by the then-reigning Patriarch of Antioch until 1958. The situation, however, deteriorated in 1975 and the Malankara Orthodox Church split again from the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church (an integral branch of the Syriac Orthodox Church). Since that time there have been two rival maphrianates in India, although the title in actual use is Catholicos of India.^[2]