Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a composition of πατήρ (pater) meaning "father" and ἄρχων (archon) meaning "leader", "chief", "ruler", "king", etc.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are referred to as the three patriarchs of the people of Israel, and the period in which they lived is called the Patriarchal Age. It originally acquired its religious meaning in the Septuagint version of the Bible.[1]
The word has mainly taken on specific ecclesiastical meanings. In particular, the highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above Major Archbishop and primate), and the Assyrian Church of the East are called patriarchs. The office and ecclesiastical conscription (comprising one or more provinces, though outside his own (arch)diocese he is often without enforceable jurisdiction) of such a patriarch is called a patriarchate. Historically, a Patriarch may often be the logical choice to act as Ethnarch, representing the community that is identified with his religious confession within a state or empire of a different creed (as Christians within the Ottoman Empire).
Patriarchs of the Eastern Orthodox Churches
Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch.
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- The ancient Patriarchates (which originally also included the See of Rome):
- The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, head of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople and the Spiritual Leader of Eastern Orthodoxy
- The Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa and the head of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria
- The Patriarch of Antioch and the head of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East in the Near East
- The Patriarch of Jerusalem and the head of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem and Holy Zion in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and All Arabia
- The five junior Patriarchates created after the consolidation of the Pentarchy, in chronological order of their recognition as Patriarchates by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople:
- The Patriarch of All Bulgaria and the head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in Bulgaria, recognized as a Patriarchate in 927 [2]
- The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia and the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church in Georgia, recognized as a Catholicosate (Patriarchate) in 1008[3]
- The Patriarch of Serbia and the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Serbia (and the former Yugoslavia), recognized as a Patriarchate in 1375[4]
- The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia and the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia, recognized as a Patriarchate in 1589[5]
- The Patriarch of All Romania and the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Romania, recognized as a Patriarchate in 1925[6]
Eastern Patriarchs out of the Orthodox Communion
- Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia head of the Russian Old-Orthodox Church
- Patriarch of Kiev head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate
- Patriarch of Kiev head of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Canonical (a split from the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which is instead now ruled by an Archbishop)
Patriarchs in Oriental Orthodox Churches
HH Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Apostolic Throne of St Mark
see: Oriental Orthodoxy
Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East
Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East
- The Catholicos-Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, head of the Ancient Church of the East in the Near East (separated from the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964)
Patriarch of the Nasrani (Assyrian) Church of the East
- The Catholicos of Jerusalem of the Church of the East & Abroad
Patriarchs of the Roman Catholic Church
Catholic Patriarchal (non
cardinal) coat of arms
see: Roman Catholic Church
As part of the Pentarchy, the Pope's Patriarchate of Rome was the only one in the Western Roman empire. It was roughly coterminous with present territory of the Latin Rite. In the past popes have used the title Patriarch of the West. However, this title was removed from a reference publication issued by the Vatican in 2006.[7]
Latin Rite Patriarchs
- The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
- The Patriarch of the East Indies a titular patriarchal see, united to Goa and Daman.
- The Patriarch of Lisbon
- The Patriarch of Venice
Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches
see: Patriarchs of the East
- The Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria and head of the Coptic Catholic Church
- The Syrian Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and the head of the Syrian Catholic Church
- The Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and the head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church; united to it are two now titular patriarchal sees, both in Middle Eastern Pentarchy cities:
- The Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, head of the Maronite Church
- The Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon and the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church
- The Armenian Catholic Patriarch of Cilicia and the head of the Armenian Catholic Church
Historical Patriarchs in the Roman Catholic Church
- The Latin Patriarch of Antioch
- The Latin Patriarch of Alexandria
- The Patriarch of Aquileia
- The Latin Patriarch of Carthage
- The Latin Patriarch of Constantinople
- The Patriarch of Grado
- The Patriarch of the West Indies a titular patriarchal see, vacant since 1963
Catholic Patriarchs not in communion with the Church in Rome
- The Patriarch of the Catholic Apostolic National Church of Brazil
- The Patriarch of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church
Mormonism
According to Mormonism, a patriarch is one who has been ordained to the office of Patriarch in the Melchizedek Priesthood. The term is considered synonymous with the term evangelist. One of the patriarch's primary responsibilities is to give Patriarchal blessings, as Jacob did to his twelve sons in the Old Testament. In the main branch of Mormonism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Patriarchs are typically assigned in each stake and hold the title for life.
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