Athanasius II Dabbas
Encyclopedia
Patriarch Athanasius II Dabbas (died 1619), sometime known also as Athanasius III, was Melkite
Greek Patriarch of Antioch
from 1611 to 1619.
to pay annually the deficit of the tax required of the Christians (Kharaj tax
) by the Ottomans
. Thus he was consecrated Patriarch in September 1611.
In 1612 he appointed and consecrated metropolitan bishop
of Aleppo
Meletios Karmah
(who twenty years later became patriarch), with who he later argued for financial reasons or for Meletios’ contacts with the Franciscans. In 1614 Athanasius went to Constantinople
asking the Ecumenical Patriarch Timothy II to depose Meletios, who anyway arrived he too in Constantinople where the two prelates came to an agreement. Athanasius attitude towards the Latin missionaries
in Syria was positive, and in 1617 he probably held a pro-Catholic synod
.
Athanasius anyway was not able to uphold the promise of paying the tax required of the Christians, and thus in 1619 he was imprisoned by the Ottoman governor of Damascus
and was put in jail. After he paid a large ransom he could leave for Tripoli (Lebanon) where he died of illness in 1619.
Melkite
The term Melkite, also written Melchite, refers to various Byzantine Rite Christian churches and their members originating in the Middle East. The word comes from the Syriac word malkāyā , and the Arabic word Malakī...
Greek Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch
Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the Bishop of Antioch. As the traditional "overseer" of the first gentile Christian community, the position has been of prime importance in the church from its earliest period...
from 1611 to 1619.
Life
Athanasius II Dabbas succeeded to be elected Patriarch because he promised to the DamascenesDamascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
to pay annually the deficit of the tax required of the Christians (Kharaj tax
Kharaj
In Islamic law, kharaj is a tax on agricultural land.Initially, after the first Muslim conquests in the 7th century, kharaj usually denoted a lump-sum duty levied upon the conquered provinces and collected by the officials of the former Byzantine and Sassanid empires or, more broadly, any kind of...
) by the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Thus he was consecrated Patriarch in September 1611.
In 1612 he appointed and consecrated metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
of Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
Meletios Karmah
Euthymius II Karmah
Patriarch Abdel-Karim Meletios Euthymius II Karmah was Melkite Patriarch of Antioch from 1634 to 1635. He previously was a leading figure in the Melkite Church and metropolitan bishop of Aleppo...
(who twenty years later became patriarch), with who he later argued for financial reasons or for Meletios’ contacts with the Franciscans. In 1614 Athanasius went to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
asking the Ecumenical Patriarch Timothy II to depose Meletios, who anyway arrived he too in Constantinople where the two prelates came to an agreement. Athanasius attitude towards the Latin missionaries
Catholic missions
As the church normally organizes itself along territorial lines, and because they had the human and material resources, religious orders—some even specializing in it—undertook most missionary work, especially in the early phases...
in Syria was positive, and in 1617 he probably held a pro-Catholic synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
.
Athanasius anyway was not able to uphold the promise of paying the tax required of the Christians, and thus in 1619 he was imprisoned by the Ottoman governor of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and was put in jail. After he paid a large ransom he could leave for Tripoli (Lebanon) where he died of illness in 1619.