Severus of Antioch in the context of "Syriac Orthodox Church"

The Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch and All the East is the head of the Syriac Orthodox Church. According to tradition, the patriarchate of Antioch was established by Saint Peter in the 1st century AD, but split into two separate lines of patriarchs after the deposition of Patriarch Severus of Antioch in 518 over the issue of the Council of Chalcedon of 451. The non-Chalcedonian supporters of Severus went on to form what is now known as the Syriac Orthodox Church, whilst the Chalcedonians developed the church now known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.

The Syriac Orthodox Church underwent schism in the medieval era, first, after the death of Patriarch Philoxenus I Nemrud in 1292 with the formation of separate patriarchates of Mardin and Melitene, and again in 1364 due to the emergence of a patriarchate of Tur Abdin. Unity was restored to the church gradually as the patriarchate at Melitene came to an end in c. 1360, and the patriarchate of Mardin lapsed after its patriarch Ignatius Behnam Hadloyo was acknowledged as patriarch of Antioch in 1445. A line of patriarchs in communion with the Catholic Church split permanently in 1782, and thus formed the Syriac Catholic Church.

The Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch is the head of the Syriac Catholic Church. According to tradition, the patriarchate of Antioch was established by Saint Peter in the 1st century AD, but split into two separate lines of patriarchs after the deposition of Patriarch Severus of Antioch in 518 over the issue of the Council of Chalcedon of 451. The non-Chalcedonian supporters of Severus went on to form what is now known as the Syriac Orthodox Church, whilst the Chalcedonians developed the church now known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.

The office was established with the election of Ignatius Andrew Akijan in 1662 as patriarch of Antioch, thereby creating a separate line of patriarchs in full communion with the Catholic Church, in opposition to the Syriac Orthodox Church. Despite initial success, after the death of Ignatius Gregory Peter VI Shahbaddin in 1701 or 1702, most Syriac Catholics returned to the Syriac Orthodox Church, and the office lay vacant until the election of Ignatius Michael III Jarweh in 1782, from which a permanent line of Syriac Catholic patriarchs sprang.

Jacob of Edessa or James of Edessa (Syriac: ܝܰܥܩܽܘܒ ܐܽܘܪܗܰܝܳܐ, romanized: Yaʿqub Urhāyā; c. 640 – 5 June 708) was a Syriac Orthodox bishop of Edessa, scholar, and translator. Renowned for his multilingual mastery, he made lasting contributions to biblical revision, canon law, grammar and liturgy, and played a key role in standardizing theological terminology. His synthesis of Greek and Syriac traditions shaped the development of Syriac Christianity and facilitated the transmission of Hellenistic thought into the Islamic world.

Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, the late Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, ranked Jacob among the greatest Syriac Orthodox Fathers, alongside Ephrem the Syrian, Jacob Baradaeus, Philoxenus of Mabbug, Severus of Antioch, and Michael the Syrian.

Phantasiasts (from Greek φαντασία, phantasia, appearance, phantasm) was a label applied to several distinct Christian heresies by their opponents in late antiquity. The term appears in Greek and Syriac writings mainly to refer to extreme forms of Miaphysitism. The term evokes the second-century heresy of Docetism. Both movements were accused of denying the full reality of Jesus's humanity.

The first targets of the label were the Eutychians, the followers of Eutyches. In a letter read before the Council of Chalcedon (451), Pope Leo the Great castigates the phantasmatici Christiani (Christian phantasmatics) in a clear reference to the Eutychians. Moderate Miaphysites like Timothy Aelurus, Philoxenus of Mabbug and Severus of Antioch also labelled the Eutychians phantasiasts. One Miaphysite oath administered to those returning to Miaphysitism from heresy called for the abjuration of the Phantasiasts. The use of the label Phantasiasts by both Dyophysites and moderate Miaphysites indicates the extreme nature of the position relative to orthodox theologies.

The Patriarch of Antioch was the head of the Church of Antioch. According to tradition, the bishopric of Antioch was established by Saint Peter in the 1st century AD and was later elevated to the status of patriarchate by the First Council of Nicaea in 325. The church first underwent schism after the deposition of Eustathius in 330 over the issue of the Arian controversy and persisted until its resolution in 414.

After the Council of Chalcedon of 451, the church suffered division until the deposition of Patriarch Severus of Antioch in 518 resulted in a permanent schism from which two separate lines of patriarchs emerged. The Non-Chalcedonian supporters of Severus went on to form what is now known as the Syriac Orthodox Church, whilst the Chalcedonians developed the church now known as the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch.