Official Record of Apostolic Succession of

The Apostolic Succession from
The Syrian Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East
During the centuries Syria was governed by Rome/Constantinople, Antioch came to rank among one of the
greatest cities of the empire in prestige, luxury, culture, law, medicine, art, literature, philosophy, and
religion. By the middle of the 5th century, paganism had died out and monasticism was flourishing. Antiimperial,
nationalist politics, however, soon came to find expression in the Monophysite controversies, which
politically weakened both Syria and Constantinople. When the Patriarch of Antioch, Severus (Sawiriyus I),
patriotically embraced the Monophysite movement in A.D. 518, the Church of Syria split. The faction loyal to
imperial government elected Bulus I as their new Patriarch and forced Ptr. Severus into exile at Alexandria.
(The Faithful in the Patriarchates of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch who continued to recognize Papal
and Imperial authority came to be called Melkites--after the Greek word for "king". For a rehearsal of The
Evangelical Catholic Church's Apostolic Lines from this group, see the section The Melkite Catholic
Patriarchate of Antioch and All The East.
In A.D. 542, during the fourth year of Patriarch Severus' Monophysite successor (Sergius, Sirjiyus), Fr.
Ya'qub al-Barda'i (Jacob Baradaeus) began a 36-year missionary journey throughout the Near East on
behalf of Monophysitism and ordaining thousands of priests. His efforts solidified his Church's support
among the common people and left such a positive and lasting impression that the Church for which he so
arduously ministered is still fondly termed "Jacobite".
Syria was absorbed into the Muslim world at the beginning of the seventh century. The Jacobite Church
flourished for many centuries, enjoying better treatment under the Muslims than under Constantinople. Since
A.D. 1313, however, the Church has experienced a long decline and many factional splits.
Beginning with Patriarch Ignatius V (A.D. 1313), the Syrian prelate of Antioch has taken the name Ignatius
as his religious name, in honor of St. Ignatius (the third Patriarch of Antioch), to which is added a second
name and numeral. The head of this Syrian Church has the title: Patriarch of Antioch and of All the
Domain of the Apostolic Throne.
Moran Mar Ignatius Yacob II (Ighnatiyus Ya'qub II), Patriarch of Antioch and All The East, consecrated to
the Sacred Episcopate:
Joseph Mar Dionysios V (Joseph Pulikottil, 1832 - 7/11/1909), as Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox
Syrian Church on 12 February 1865 in Omeed (Deyarbekir), Turkey. He took the ecclesiastical name of
Joseph Mar Dionysios V. Mar Dionysios consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:
Mar Julius I (Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvarez, 1837-1923), in the chapel of the Syrian seminary in
Kottayam as Archbishop of Ceylon, Goa and India on 29 July 1889, assisted by Paulose Mar Athanasius
(Paulose Kadavil Kooran), Paulose Mar Ivanios (Paulose Murimatton), and Geevarghese Mar Gregorios
(Geevarghese Pallathitta Chaturuthil), all Bishops of The Malankar Orthodox Syrian Church. He took the
ecclesiastical name of Mar Julius I. Mar Julius consecrated to the Sacred Episcopate:
Mar Timotheus I (Joseph Rene Vilatte, 1/24/1854 - 7/8/1929), in Ceylon (nor Sri Lanka) as Archbishop-
Exarch of North America for The American Catholic Church on 29 May 1892, assisted by Paulose Mar
Athanasius (Paulose Kadavil Kooran) and Geevarghese Mar Gregorios (Geevarghese Pallathitta
Chaturuthil), Bishops of The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, in accordance with the Patriarchal Bull of
Moran Mor Ignatius Peter III dated 29 December 1891 at Mardin. Mar Timotheus I consecrated to the
Sacred Episcopate:
Mar Francis (John Barwell Walker, aka Edmund Basile Walker-Baxter, 10/25/1881 - 4/2/1963) on 1 June
1923, taking the ecclesiastical nameFrancis. He succeeded Mar Timotheus (Vilatte) on 25 June 1923 as
Grand Master of The Order of The Crown of Thorns, taking the title of Prince Edmond de San Luigi, Edmond