Athanasius III Dabbas
| Athanasius III Dabbas | |
|---|---|
| Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch | |
| Church | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| See | Patriarch of Antioch |
| Term ended | 5 August 1724 |
| Predecessor | Cyril V Zaim |
| Successor | Sylvester of Antioch |
| Orders | |
| Consecration | 5 July 1685 (bishop) by Leonce of Saidnaya |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Paul Dabbas |
| Born | 1647 Damascus |
| Died | 5 August 1724 (aged 76–77) Aleppo |
Patriarch Athanasius III Dabbas (1647–1724), sometimes known also as Athanasius IV, was the last Patriarch of Antioch before the final split of 1724 which divided the Melkite Church between the Melkite Greek Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. He was shortly, from 1705 to 1707, also regent Archbishop of Cyprus.
Paul Dabbas was born in Damascus in 1647 and studied under the Jesuits. He entered in the Mar Saba monastery where at his priestly ordination he took the name of Procopius. Later he was appointed superior of a monastery in Bethlehem. He later moved to Syria and tried to be appointed bishop of Aleppo, but without success.
The situation of the hierarchy of the Melkite Church was actually unstable in such a time. After the death of Patriarch Macarios III Zaim in 1672, the patriarchal throne was disputed between his nephew, Constantine Zaim, who was elected Patriarch at the age of 20 (or less) under the name of Cyril V Zaim, and Neophytos of Chios, nephew of previous Patriarch Euthymius III of Chios and appointed to such position by the Ecumenical Patriarch Dionysius IV of Constantinople. In 1682 Neophytos of Chios, because of his debts, decided to retire, leaving Cyril V Zaim as the only claimant. This situation lasted not for long: the next contender of the patriarchal throne was actually Paul Dabbas, supported by the Franciscan friars (who opposed Cyril Zaim, charged of simony) and by his maternal uncle Michael Khayat, very influential with the Sublime Porte. In 1685 Michael Khayat succeeded to get from the Ottoman Empire a firman that appointed Paul Dabbas as Patriarch of the Melkite Church. Thus on July 5, 1685 Paul Dabbas was consecrated bishop by Leonce of Saidnaya and other two bishops, and he was enthroned as Patriarch with the name of Athanasius III. The next nine years were marked by the conflict between him and the previous claiming Patriarch, Cyril V Zaim.
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