Joseph III (Chaldean Patriarch)
Encyclopedia
Mar Joseph III Timothy Maroge (or Youssef III Timotheos Maraugin or Maroghin) was the third incumbent of the Josephite line of Church of the East
, a patriarchate in Full Communion
with the pope
mainly active in the areas of Amid and Mardin
, thus being the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church
from 1713 to 1757.
and educated by the Capuchin
missionaries
in Amid. He was consecrated bishop of Mardin
by Joseph II Sliba Maruf
in 1705.
He became patriarch after his predecessor death, being the only Chaldean bishop who survived the 1708-1713 plague.
He was confirmed by the Holy See
on March 18, 1714 and took the name of Joseph III.
During his patriarchate the there was a growth of the number of faithfuls of the patriarchate, mainly in the area of the Alqosh
's patriarchate. Joseph III was a skilful preacher, and it is remembered that more than three thousands people of Mosul
entered in his patriarchate in 1723. This success caused a strong reaction of the traditionalist Patriarch of Alqosh, Eliya XII (XI) Denkha, who succeeded to have Joseph III imprisoned many times by the Turkish
authorities. Shortly after some problems arose in also Amid, where the traditionalists occupied Joseph's cathedral and the Capuchins left the town in 1726.
The patriarchate struggled with financial difficulties due to the tax burden imposed by the Turkish authorities and to the ransoms required to free Joseph from the prison. Furthermore according to the Ottoman
law the Chaldean community was administratively subject to traditionalist Patriarchate of Alqosh, resulting so to be in a weak position and exposed to vexations.
In 1734 Joseph left for Europe to try to raise funds to pay his debts, and during the next seven years visited the Catholic courts of Poland, Austria and Rome asking for financial support. He was given some money, but far less than he had hoped for. While he was abroad, the Chaldeans in Istanbul
obtained from the Ottoman authorities recognition of his authority over Amid and Mardin, but Mosul and Aleppo
were assigned to the traditionalist patriarchate of Alqosh, thus creating many difficulties for the growing numbers of Chaldeans who lived there.
In 1754 Joseph appointed as successor Mar Antun Galla, but the Holy See
objected and did not allow him to resign: thus he remained the incumbent till his death on 23 January 1757.
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
, a patriarchate in Full Communion
Full communion
In Christian ecclesiology, full communion is a relationship between church organizations or groups that mutually recognize their sharing the essential doctrines....
with the pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
mainly active in the areas of Amid and Mardin
Mardin
Mardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arabic-like architecture, and for its strategic location on a rocky mountain overlooking the plains of northern Syria.-History:...
, thus being the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
from 1713 to 1757.
Life
Timothy Maroge was born in BaghdadBaghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and educated by the Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
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 Amid. He was consecrated bishop of Mardin
Mardin
Mardin is a city in southeastern Turkey. The capital of Mardin Province, it is known for its Arabic-like architecture, and for its strategic location on a rocky mountain overlooking the plains of northern Syria.-History:...
by Joseph II Sliba Maruf
Joseph II (Chaldean Patriarch)
Mar Joseph II Sliba Maruf was the second incumbent of the Josephite line of Church of the East, a little patriarchate in Full Communion with the pope active in the areas of Amid and Mardin in the 17th-19th century, thus being the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church from 1696 to...
in 1705.
He became patriarch after his predecessor death, being the only Chaldean bishop who survived the 1708-1713 plague.
He was confirmed by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
on March 18, 1714 and took the name of Joseph III.
During his patriarchate the there was a growth of the number of faithfuls of the patriarchate, mainly in the area of the Alqosh
Alqosh
Alqōsh or Alqūsh is one of the most famous Assyrian towns of the mainly East Syrian rite in Iraq. It is located north of Mosul. The name Alqosh is derived from an Akkadian name Eil-Kushtu, where "Eil" means God and "Kushtu" means righteousness or power...
's patriarchate. Joseph III was a skilful preacher, and it is remembered that more than three thousands people of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
entered in his patriarchate in 1723. This success caused a strong reaction of the traditionalist Patriarch of Alqosh, Eliya XII (XI) Denkha, who succeeded to have Joseph III imprisoned many times by the Turkish
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...
authorities. Shortly after some problems arose in also Amid, where the traditionalists occupied Joseph's cathedral and the Capuchins left the town in 1726.
The patriarchate struggled with financial difficulties due to the tax burden imposed by the Turkish authorities and to the ransoms required to free Joseph from the prison. Furthermore according to the Ottoman
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...
law the Chaldean community was administratively subject to traditionalist Patriarchate of Alqosh, resulting so to be in a weak position and exposed to vexations.
In 1734 Joseph left for Europe to try to raise funds to pay his debts, and during the next seven years visited the Catholic courts of Poland, Austria and Rome asking for financial support. He was given some money, but far less than he had hoped for. While he was abroad, the Chaldeans in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
obtained from the Ottoman authorities recognition of his authority over Amid and Mardin, but Mosul and 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...
were assigned to the traditionalist patriarchate of Alqosh, thus creating many difficulties for the growing numbers of Chaldeans who lived there.
In 1754 Joseph appointed as successor Mar Antun Galla, but the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
objected and did not allow him to resign: thus he remained the incumbent till his death on 23 January 1757.