Julian III

Julian III,^{[note 1]} also known as Julian the Roman and Julian the Soldier, was the Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, from 688 until his death in 708.^[1]

Biography

In his youth, Julian and his father served together in the Roman army,^[2] and he later became a monk at the Monastery of Qinnasrin.^[3] Julian was consecrated Patriarch of Antioch in 688, but quickly came into conflict with Jacob, Archbishop of Edessa, who strictly observed canon laws,^[3] and expelled clergymen who disobeyed him.^[4] Julian advised Jacob to treat the clergy less severely, however, Jacob responded by travelling to the Monastery of Qinnasrin, Julian's residence, where he set fire to a copy of the canon laws, criticised the patriarch for his laxity, and abdicated as Archbishop of Edessa.^[3]

During the Second Fitna, Denha, Archbishop of Tagrit, John, Bishop of Karma, and Joseph, Bishop of the Taghlib, conspired to perform episcopal ordinations without the permission of the patriarch.^[5] Subsequently, Julian confronted Denha at the Monastery of St. Matthew,^[6] and deposed Denha and Joseph with the support of the Caliph and replaced them with his own candidates.^[7]

In 706/707, Julian and Simon, Bishop of Harran, consecrated the Church of St. Theodore in Nisibis.^[8] It has been argued the consecration of a new church in Nisibis, a predominantly Nestorian city, symbolised the primacy of the Patriarch of Antioch over the east.^[9] Julian continued in the office of Patriarch of Antioch until his death in 708.^[1]

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Barsoum, Ignatius Aphrem (2003). The Scattered Pearls: A History of Syriac Literature and Sciences, trans. Matti Moosa, 2nd rev. ed. Gorgias Press. 
• Haar Romeny, Bas Ter (2008). Jacob of Edessa and the Syriac Culture of His Day. BRILL. 
• Morony, Michael. "History and Identity in the Syrian Churches". Redefining Christian Identity: Cultural Interaction in the Middle East Since the Rise of Islam. Peeters Publishers. 
• Palmer, Andrew (1990). Monk and Mason on the Tigris Frontier: The Early History of Tur `Abdin. Cambridge University Press. 
• Wood, Philip (2012). History and Identity in the Late Antique Near East. Oxford University Press. 
• Wright, William (1894). A Short History of Syriac Literature. A. and C. Black Publishers.