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Ignatius Abraham bar Gharib (Syriac: ܐܒܪܗܡ ܒܪ ܓܪܝܒ, Arabic: البطريرك ابرهيم بن غريب) was the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Mardin from 1381 or 1382 until his death in 1412.

Biography

Abraham was the son of Quryaqos, son of Gharīb of Amid, and had a brother named Joseph, who would later become metropolitan bishop of Amid. He became a monk at the monastery of Saint Ananias and was ordained as a priest before 1355. He was appointed as his brother Joseph's successor as metropolitan bishop of Amid in c. 1375 with the name Cyril. Abraham was elected as patriarch of Mardin at a synod at Amid in 1381 or 1382, upon which he assumed the name Ignatius.

Soon after his ascension to the patriarchal office, Abraham designated a brother as his successor as patriarch, according to the anonymous continuator of the Ecclesiastical History of Bar Hebraeus. In doing so, he attempted to establish his own familial succession in imitation of the preceding patriarchs of Mardin, Ignatius Shahab (r. 1365/1366–1381) and Ignatius Ismail (r. 1333–1365/1366), both of whom were nephews of their predecessor. This was unsuccessful, however, as Abraham's brother would predecease him.

In 1396, Timur's attack on Mardin resulted in damage to the nearby monastery of Saint Ananias, including the destruction of the wall, cells, and door of the sanctuary. Abraham promptly set about raising funds to restore the monastery through gathering donations and the sale of the monastery's furniture, manuscripts, and vessels. Eventually, he spent 50,000 coins of an unknown currency on rebuilding the monastery, at which time he may have also transferred the relics of Saint Eugene and others there. Abraham served as patriarch of Mardin until his death in 1412 and was buried in the mausoleum of the monastery of Saint Ananias.

Works

Abraham wrote a book of propitiatory prayers (Syriac: ḥusoyo) for the morning service of Lazarus Saturday, and compiled a liturgy of anaphoras of Church Fathers, including a 13-page anaphora written by his brother Joseph.

References

Notes

1. He is counted as either Abraham II, Ignatius II, Ignatius IV, or Ignatius VIII. Alternatively transliterated as bar Garībh.
2. Abraham's accession is placed either in 1381, or in 1382.

Citations

1. James E. Walters (17 August 2016). "Abraham II Gharib". A Guide to Syriac Authors. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
2. ^ Barsoum (2008), p. 61.
3. ^ Barsoum (2008), p. 35.
4. Carlson (2018), p. 267.
5. ^ Burleson & Van Rompay (2011).
6. Carlson (2018), p. 51.
7. Barsoum (2003), pp. 492, 495.
8. ^ Barsoum (2003), p. 495.
9. Barsoum (2008), p. 49.
10. Carlson 2018, p. 267; Wilmshurst 2019, p. 808.
11. ^ Carlson (2018), p. 85.
12. Carlson (2018), pp. 85–86.
13. Barsoum (2008), pp. 35–36.
14. Barsoum (2008), pp. 19, 35.

Bibliography

• Barsoum, Aphrem (2003). The Scattered Pearls: A History of Syriac Literature and Sciences. Translated by Matti Moosa (2nd ed.). Gorgias Press. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
• Barsoum, Aphrem (2008). History of the Za'faran Monastery. Translated by Matti Moosa. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
• Burleson, Samuel; Van Rompay, Lucas (2011). "List of Patriarchs: II. The Syriac Orthodox Church and its Uniate continuations". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
• Carlson, Thomas A. (2018). Christianity in Fifteenth-Century Iraq. Cambridge University Press.
• Wilmshurst, David (2019). "West Syrian patriarchs and maphrians". In Daniel King (ed.). The Syriac World. Routledge. pp. 806–813.

• 1412 deaths
• Patriarchs of Mardin
• Syriac writers
• 14th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops
• 14th-century births
• 15th-century Oriental Orthodox archbishops
• 14th-century writers
• 15th-century writers