List of bishops of Edessa

Below is a list of bishops of Edessa.

Early bishops

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Name of bishop Start date End date
or death
Notes
William Freney 1266 after 1286 Visited the Armenian kingdom of Cilicia;
Possibly resident in Edessa
John after 1286
Martin
John David 30 May 1343 Possibly resident in Edessa
No titular bishops appointed for centuries.
Livio Lilio 18 August 1625 22 June 1643 Died in office
Giacinto di Subiano, O.P. 14 November 1644 13 July 1648 Became archbishop of Smyrna
Johann Eberhard Nidhard, S.J. 16 November 1671 8 August 1672 Became cardinal-priest of San Bartolomeo all'Isola
Carlo Francesco Airoldi 26 June 1673 before 15 April 1683 Died in office
Thomas Vidoni 27 September 1690 29 October 1708 Became a cardinal
Girolamo Grimaldi 5 October 1712 2 October 1730 Became a cardinal
Giovanni Battista Barni 22 January 1731 9 September 1743 Became a cardinal
Antonio Milón López 5 April 1745 4 June 1762 Died in office
Manuel Ferrer y Figueredo 27 March 1765 23 June 1777 Became bishop of Zamora
Gregorio Bandi 17 December 1787 10 April 1802 Died in office
Francesco Bertazzoli 24 May 1802 16 May 1823 Became cardinal-priest of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Giacinto Placido Zurla, O.S.B. 13 January 1824 29 October 1834 Died in office
Ignazio Giovanni Cadolini 12 February 1838 30 January 1843 Became archbishop of Ferrara
Patrick Joseph Carew 30 May 1843 2 November 1855 Died in office
Vincenzo Massoni 19 June 1856 3 June 1857 Died in office
Gustav Adolf von Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst 13 November 1857 25 June 1866 Became cardinal-priest of Santa Maria in Traspontina
Giuseppe Cardoni 22 February 1867 8 April 1873 Died in office
Tommaso Michele Salzano, O.P. 22 December 1873 12 September 1890 Died in office
Filippo Castracane degli Antelminelli 25 September 1891 21 August 1899 Died in office
Gennaro Granito Pignatelli di Belmonte 17 November 1899 30 November 1911 Became cardinal-priest of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri
Tommaso Pio Boggiani, O.P. 10 January 1912 4 December 1916 Became cardinal-priest of Santi Quirico e Giulitta
Giovanni Battista Marenco, S.D.B. 7 January 1917 22 October 1921 Died in office
Mario Giardini, B. 21 November 1921 16 May 1931 Became archbishop of Ancona
Luigi Centoz 28 January 1932 28 October 1969 Died in office

References

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  • The Chronicle of Edessa
  • Amir Harrak (editor and translator), The Chronicle of Zuqnin, parts III and IV: A.D. 488-775. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1999. ISBN 0-88844-286-6