# Ignatius Matthew

Ignatius Matthew (Matta) was the Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1782 until his death in 1817.

## Biography

Matthew's father was Deacon Yeshu from Mardin. He joined Mor Hananyo and was ordaned a priest and became the abbot of the monsatery. After Ignatius George IV was consecrated as a patriarch, he ordained Matthew as a Metropolitan of Mosul and was called Cyril and due to the conflict with the Syriac Catholic group in Mosul, he was exiled from Mosul for some time. When the Patriarch Ignatius George IV died, he was requested to be the new patriarch, but when he arrived in Mardin, he found that Michael Jarwah, the metropolitan of Aleppo was already there and managed to get himself elected as the Syriac Orthodox Church patriarch even though he was part of the Syriac Catholic church. When that happened, Matthew went and stayed in a village called Qeleth in Tur Abdin. There, all the metropolitan in Tur-Abdin met and elected Ignatius Matthew a legitimate patriarch for the Syriac Orthodox Church. When the firman from the Ottoman government arrived approving his election, he was consecrated as a patriarch. One of the Metropolitan that he ordained in 1806 was called Behnam and he was from the Mosul area. Ignatius Matthew consecrated him as a patriarch when he was still alive against the church tradition but after he knew he doesn’t have a true Orthodox faith, he was interrogated by the Church fathers and therefore Behnam was excommunicated from the church and ordered to leave Mor Hananyo. Shortly before his death in 1817, Ignatius Matthew called Basil Yunan, the Maphrian of the East and consecrated him as patriarch Ignatius Yunan in the attendance of 4 metropolitan.

## Episcopal succession

During Ignatius Matthew time as Patriarch, he had the duty to ordain many Metropolitans in the Syria Orthodox church in addition to many priests, monks, and deacons
* Basil Yunan (1803-1817). Maphrian of the East. Later in 1817, he was elected Ignatius Yunan, the 112 Patriarch of Syriac Orthodox Church (1817-1818).
* Gregorios George (1803). Metropolitan of Damascus and added Aleppo in 1817. Later in 1819, he was elected Ignatius George V, the 113 Patriarch of Syriac Orthodox Church (1819-1836).
* Cyril Abdul-Aziz (1782-1793). Metropolitan of Mosul, Mor Mattai Monastery, and Mor Behnam Monastery
* Severus John Al-Bustani (1783-1825). Bishop
* Disyuqarius Sa'eed (1783). Metropolitan of Al-Jazirah
* Cyril Jacob Mirijan (1783-1804). Metropolitan of Midyat
* Cyril Isreal (1785). Metropolitan for the Monastery of the Cross in Tur-Abdin
* Eustathius Musa (1790-1828). Matropolitan of the Patriarchal Office and then Metropolitan of Mor Mattai Monastery
* Basil Bishara (1789-1803). Maphrian of the East
* Cyril Abdulahad (1791). Metropolitan of St. Mark
* Cyril Elias (1803). Ecumenical Metropolitan
* Athanasius Ne’ma (1803). Metropolitan of Monastery for Mother of God in Hattakh area
* Dionysius Shamoun (1803). Ecumenical Metropolitan
* Julius Abdulahad (1803). Metropolitan for Monastery of MOR Abhai and Gargar
* Cyril Frangoul (1805-1814). Bishop of Midyat
* Behnam (1806). Ecumenical Metropolitan
* Dioscuros Yuhanna (1806-1823). Metropolitan in India
* Timothy Yeshu (1809-1820). Bishop of the Monastery of Makhar,
* Gregorios Elias (1811). Metropolitan for the Patriarchal Office, then in 1817, he was appointed Metropolitan of Mosul
* Abdullah. Metropolitan of Edessa
* Iwannis Yalda. Metropolitan of Amid

## Death

Ignatius Matthew died in July 1817, 20 days after he consecrated Ignatius Yunan as a patriarch and he was buried in Mor Hananyo.