Catholicos

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(GreekKatholikos, universal).

Theecclesiastical title of theNestorian andArmenianpatriarchs.

Nestorians

During the first five centuries Seleucia in Mesopotamia, subsequently thesee of theNestorian catholicos, was under the Patriarchate of Antioch. In the fifth century, as can be seen in the "Synodicon Orientale" (ed. Chabot), almost all thebishops of Seleucia-Ctesiphon bore the title of catholicos, without, however, severing their relations with Antioch; hence, originally, the wordcatholicos was not synonymous withpatriarch. Owing to the political separation of the East from the West and totheological disputes, several attempts were made during the fifth century to secure religious independence. In thesynod held atSeleucia under Dadjesus in 424 (cf. Synodicon, 51, text and 296. tr.) it was forbidden to appeal from the Catholicos ofSeleucia to thePatriarch ofAntioch. The breach, however, became complete and permanent under theNestorian Mar Babai. Thesynod held under him (497 or 499) renewed thedecree of independence from Antioch, and henceforth Seleucia became the centre ofNestorianism. The list of theNestorian catholicoi is given byBar Hebraeus (Chronicon, ed.Abbeloos, and Lamy, III passim), the list is supplemented by the editors, III, 566 sqq. In the middle of the sixteenth century, in opposition to the Catholicos Mar Mama, severalbishops met, elected Sullaka, and sent him toRome forconsecration. Since then there has been aCatholic patriarch whose residence is now at Mosul. A list of the catholicoi united withRome is given byAbbeloos and Lamy, op. cit., 570 sqq. (See NESTORIANS)

Armenians

Among theArmenians alsocatholicos was originally a simple title for the principalbishop of the country; he was subordinate to the See of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Thebishops of Albania and Georgia, although dependent on the Catholicos ofArmenia bore the same title. Under King Pap and the Catholicos lousikArmenia asserted its independence of Caesarea. In the fifth century theArmenians adoptedMonophysitism andanathematized theCouncil of Chalcedon, 491. Many of the catholicoi, however, especially after theCrusades, professed theorthodoxCatholicFaith. The see of theArmenian catholicos, originally Achtichat, has varied considerably. Besides manyschisms have taken place, and today there are no less than fiveArmenian catholicoi. One of them, the successor of the old catholicos, is at Sis in Cilicia, withjurisdiction over theTurkish provinces ofAsia. His power inecclesiastical matters, supreme in theory, is considerably curtailed in practice by the appointment of a catholicoi with additional powers in Constantinople. Since 1113 there is also anArmenian catholicos at Aghtamar withjurisdiction over the island of that name and the villages surrounding Lake Van. Another catholicos resides inJerusalem, but with greatly reduced powers. In 1441 anotherschism occurred, and a catholicos was elected in Etchmiadzin in GreaterArmenia. Today he bears the title of "Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of allArmenians" and at least theoretically, is considered the principal catholicos by all non-Catholic Armanians. Since 1740 there has also been aCatholic catholicos in Constantinople with the title ofPatriarch of Cilicia. He is recognized by the Porte as havingjurisdiction over allCatholicArmenians in theTurkish possessions. (SeeARMENIA;CONSTANTINOPLE.)

In the beginning of the fourth Century Albania and Georgia (Iberia) wereconverted toChristianity byArmenian missionaries, and the principalbishop of each of these countries bore the title of catholicos, although neither of them was autocephalous. They followed theArmenians in rejecting theCouncil of Chalcedon. At the end of the sixth, or beginning of the seventh, century the Georgian catholicos asserted his independence and came back toorthodoxy. Henceforward the Georgian Church underwent the same evolutions as the Greek. In 1783 Georgia abolished the office of its catholicos, and placed itself under the Holy Synod ofRussia, to which country it was united politically in 1801. The Albanian catholicos remained loyal to theArmenian Church, with the exception of a briefschism towards the end of the sixth century. Shortly afterwards Albania was assimilated partly withArmenia and partly with Georgia. There is no mention of any catholicos in Albania after the seventh century. It is asserted by some that the head of theAbyssinian Church, the Abuna, also bears the title of catholicos, but, although this name may have been applied to him by analogy, there is, to ourknowledge, no authority for asserting that this title is used by theAbyssinian Church itself.

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