Below is a list of bishops of Edessa.
Early bishops
The following list is based on the records of the Chronicle of Edessa (to c.540) and the Chronicle of Zuqnin.
| Name of bishop
|
Start date
or floruit
|
End date
or death
|
Notes
|
| Thaddeus (Addai I)
|
c.100
|
|
According to Eusebius of Caesarea
|
| Aggai
|
c.190
|
|
According to Eusebius
|
| Palut
|
c.200
|
|
According to Eusebius;
He was a contemporary of Serapion of Antioch
|
| Barsamya
|
c. 250
|
|
|
| Conon
|
304
|
|
|
| Sha'ad (Saades)
|
|
|
The Chronicle of Edessa places him between Conon and Ethalaha
|
| Aitalaha
|
324
|
|
The Chronicle of Edessa omits his date of death;
Abraham became bishop in 346
|
| Abraham (I)
|
346
|
361
|
|
| Barses
|
361
|
March 378
|
Translated by imperial order from Harran to Edessa
|
| Eulogius
|
379
|
Good Friday 387
|
Said to have been ordained the same year Theodosius I became emperor
|
| Cyrus I
|
|
22 July 396
|
|
| Silvanus
|
397
|
17 October 398
|
|
| Pakida (Facidas)
|
23 November 398
|
"neomenia of the month of Ab" 409
|
|
| Diogenes
|
409
|
411
|
|
| Rabbula
|
411
|
8 August 435
|
|
| Ibas
|
435
|
1 January 448
|
The Chronicle of Edessa states he was deposed 1 January 448 and restored two years later
|
| Nonnus
|
21 July 448
|
450
|
The Chronicle of Edessa states he left the see in 450, but was restored to Edessa after Ibas' death in 457
|
| Ibas (restored)
|
450
|
28 October 457
|
|
| Nonnus (restored)
|
457
|
471
|
|
| Cyrus II
|
471
|
5 June 498
|
Cyrus convinced Emperor Zeno to close the School of the Persians in Edessa
|
| Peter
|
498
|
10 April 510
|
Entered Edessa on 12 September
|
| Paul
|
510
|
27 July 522
|
Deposed for monophysitism
|
| Asclepius
|
23 October 522
|
27 June 526
|
Died in Antioch;
Paul had appointed him bishop of Harran
|
| Paul (restored)
|
8 March 526
|
30 October 526
|
Accepted the council of Chalcedon and restored after Asclepius' death
|
| Andrew
|
7 February 527
|
6 December 532
|
|
| Addi (Addai II)
|
28 August 533
|
541
|
Died after the completion of the Chronicle of Edessa
|
| Amazonius
|
553
|
|
|
| Thomas
|
|
|
|
| Theodore
|
c.570
|
600
|
Perhaps bishop of Bostra (not Edessa)
|
Jacobite (Syriac) bishops
These bishops belonged to the Syriac Orthodox Church. During the later period there were also Byzantine rite bishops alongside them.
| Name of bishop
|
Start date
or floruit
|
End date
or death
|
Notes
|
| Jacob Baradeus (James I)
|
541
|
30 July 578
|
|
| Severus
|
578
|
602/603
|
Stoned to death by Narses
|
In the first half of the seventh century, the episcopal structure appears to have been disrupted due to war:
602/603 — Edessa captured by the Persians; recovered by the Romans 604/605
May 611 — Edessa recaptured by the Persians
627 — Persians evacuate Edessa as part of treaty
638 — Edessa surrenders to the Muslim general Yazid
|
| John
|
609
|
|
|
| Ahischema (Nestorian)
|
609
|
|
A Nestorian imposed by the Persian king Khosrau II
|
| Paul
|
fl. 624
|
|
In exile in Egypt (c.609–619) and Cyprus (619–629)
|
| Isaiah
|
|
628
|
Sent into exile
|
| Simon I (Simeon I)
|
before 644
|
649/650
|
Died in Amida;
Possibly an Orthodox bishop
|
| Cyriacus I
|
650/651
|
664/665
|
|
| Daniel
|
669
|
|
|
| Jacob II (James II)
|
664/665
|
709/710
|
According to some sources, ruled twice:
from c.684 to 688 and again in 708 until his death on 5 June
|
| Habib
|
709/710
|
728/729
|
Some sources place him between the two terms of Jacob II
|
| Gabriel
|
724
|
|
|
| Constantine I
|
728/729
|
|
Date of death missing from the Chronicle of Zuqnin, which extends his episcopate up to 745
|
| Athanasius
|
|
|
Known only from the Chronicle of 846
|
| Timothy (I) ?
|
before 755
|
754/755
|
|
| Zacharias the Stylite ?
|
754/755
|
760/7671
|
|
| Simon II (Simeon II)
|
|
761
|
Retired
|
| Anastasius
|
|
761
|
Retired
|
| Elijah of Qartnim (Elijah I)
|
760/761
|
after 775
|
The Chronicle of Zuqnin says that he was never ordained;
Was apparently still bishop when the Chronicle of Zuqnin ends (775)
|
| Basil I
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Cyriacus (793–817)
|
| Theodosius I
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Cyriacus (793–817)
|
| Cyril
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Dionysius I (817–845)
|
| Elijah II
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Dionysius I (817–845)
|
| Constantine II
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Dionysius I (817–845)
|
| Theodosius II
|
825
|
|
|
| Cyriacus II
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Ignatius II (878–883)
|
| Theodosius III
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Dionysius II (897–909)
|
| Dioscorus
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Dionysius II (897–909)
|
| Timothy (II)
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Dionysius II (897–909)
|
| Philoxenus I
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Basil I (923–935)
|
| Abraham (II)
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of John VI (936–953)
|
| Philoxenus II
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of John VIII (1004–1033)
|
| Athanasius I (Joshua)
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Dionysius IV (1034–1044)
|
| Hayya
|
before 1034
|
after 1074
|
|
| Athanasius II
|
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Basil II (1074–1075)
|
| Basil II
|
|
after December 1101
|
Deposed
|
| Ignatius
|
after December 1101
|
|
|
| Athanasius III
|
1130
|
|
|
| Basil III bar Soumana
|
before 1144
|
after 1166
|
|
| Athanasius IV
|
c.1169
|
|
|
| Basil IV
|
|
|
|
| Abdallah
|
1444
|
|
Ruled during the patriarchate of Ignatius V (1412–1454);
Entered into communion with the Roman church at the Council of Florence (1444)
|
Armenian bishops
These bishops belonged to the Armenian church. They ruled alongside Jacobite, Byzantine and Latin bishops.
| Name of bishop
|
Start date
|
End date
or death
|
Notes
|
| John
|
before 1144
|
after 1144
|
Also called Ananias
|
Latin archbishops
In the first half of the twelfth century, during the period of the Crusades and the county of Edessa, there was a Latin rite archdiocese based in the city. It seems to have displaced the Byzantine bishop, but ruled alongside the Jacobite and Armenian bishops. From the 13th century on, titular bishops were sometimes appointed.
Resident bishops
| Name of bishop
|
Start date
|
End date
or death
|
Notes
|
| Benedict
|
December 1099
|
after 1104
|
Consecrated in December 1099
|
| Hugh
|
before 1120
|
23 December 1144
|
Killed when Edessa was conquered by the Turks
|
Titular bishops
References
