Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim)

Patriarch Ignatius (Hazim) (1921-2012)

Hazim may be spelt Hazem, Hazeem.

Early life of Habib Hazim

In 1921, Habib Asaad Hazim was born in the village of Mhardey (Mhardeh, Mhardé, Mahrada) near Hama, in the Hama Governorate in western-central Syria.

At that time, following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, this region was supervised by the League of Nations which would, in 1923, place it under the administration of the French Mandate.

Habib was born into a pious Arab Orthodox Christian family ; and from an early age, he was attracted to service within the Church.

At the request of his father, and with the blessing of the Bishop of Hama, he travelled to Beirut to further his education. This was before Lebanon was a distinct country.

Higher education

In order to begin his higher studies at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon, it was necessary that he first meet the bishop in Beirut, and receive the blessing. Habib said that when he arrived in Beirut for this purpose, he had done so by travelling in a truck loaded with furniture. He spent the first 2 nights in a modest hotel, from which he left to search for the Archdiocese of Beirut, and its well-known Metropolitan Elia (Salibi).

For his meeting with the bishop, Habib put on his best clothes, which in fact consisted of a dress sewn for him by his mother. The bishop looked at the young man and said, “You come to meet me in a nightgown!” The young man Habib replied : “No, Sayedna (our master). This is an elegant dress, that my mother sewed it for me, and it is the best thing we wear in Mahrada”. (It is useful to understand that in the middle-east, men do not dress in the manner of Europe and much of the world, but rather in a long, loose, flowing robe.) The Metropolitan of Beirut replied by saying : “Take it off immediately. From now on you will wear a soutane”. Thus, he entered the service of the archdiocese, and he was soon serving in church as an acolyte, and he began his studies towards a degree in literature.

After a short time, Habib Hazim found that he was the only one who wore a soutaine and the only one who did not speak French. While he studied in the "Three Moons" Gymnasium (named for the Three Hierarchs Saints Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom), he quickly the French and English languages, and he excelled by adding Greek and Russian.

At the American University, he was the only one who wore the soutane of a monk. From the late 1930s until the day of his death, he was not seen in anything other than priestly clothes, and as a bishop, he did not accept that his students at the Theological Seminary in Balamand were any exception.

At the American University, his friendship with Ghassan Tueni began, and it extended over 6 decades. (Ghassan Tueni died 6 months after Patriarch Ignatius.) At this university, Habib continued to flourish academically. He also began working strongly in the pastoral field and emerged as a mentor for youth.

In 1942, he was one of the founders of the active Orthodox Youth Movement of Lebanon and Syria. Through it, he helped to organise and lead a renewal of Church life in the Patriarchate of Antioch. The movement worked in the heart of the Church by helping ordinary believers to rediscover the personal and communal meaning of the Holy Eucharist through the practice of frequently receiving Holy Communion. The practice of frequently receiving Holy Communion had become extremely rare because of various historical circumstances.

It is useful to understand that in the Middle East, as in Constantinople and until recently in Greece, Orthodox Christians have been and are known as "Romans". This describes clearly their self-perception, and their long history as citizens of the Roman Empire. In the days of the Roman Empire, its capital, Constantinople, was known as "New Rome", from the fourth until the fifteenth century.

Monastic tonsure, 1941

At some time in 1941, Habib Hazim was tonsured to be a monk, and he was given the name Ignatius (after Saint Ignatius of Antioch).

Monk Ignatius (Hazim) graduated from the American University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and Literature.

Diaconal ordination, 1945

In 1945, the Monk Ignatius (Hazim) was ordained to the Holy Diaconate.

Diaconal service

In 1945, the Hierodeacon Ignatius (Hazim) was sent to Paris, France, where he enrolled in the Saint Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute. At this institution, founded by refugees who fled the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in the Russian Empire, he was influenced by many prominent scholars, at the forefront of whom were the young Father Alexander Schmemann (from Estonia) and Father John Meyendorff. He graduated in about 1949.

At about that time, the hierodeacon said in a radio interview, “The system of my life was that I eat once every 24 hours, and thank God, my health is great”.

Hierodeacon Ignatius also studied at the Sorbonne University.

In 1953, Hierodeacon Ignatius (Hazim( returned to Beirut on a cargo plane.

Presbyteral ordination, 1953

In 1953, Hierodeacon Ignatius (Hazim) was ordained to the Holy Priesthood.

Pastoral service

From his time in France onwards, the Hieromonk Ignatius (Hazim) was motivated by a desire to pass on the deposit of the Orthodox Christian Faith to the Orthodox Christian believers in Lebanon and Syria.

Hieromonk Ignatius (Hazim) was soon elevated to the dignity of archimandrite.

Archimandrite Ignatius was assigned to serve as a teacher at the College of Annunciation, where he eventually became its director. He remained there for 8 years.

He was also motivated to draw the Orthodox Christian Faith and practice (“praxis”) out of its ghetto-like solitude which had been imposed by the various Islamic governments from the seventh century. He desired to discover in the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Faith living answers to the difficulties of modern life.

Although his native language was Arabic, he also spoke the English and French languages fluently in the course of his daily life.

In 1953, in connexion with his work in the Orthodox Youth Movement (OYM), he helped to found “Syndesmos”, the “World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth” (which includes theological schools).

Episcopal ordination, 1961

In 1961, Archimandrite Ignatius (Hazim) was ordained to the Holy Episcopate by bishops of the Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch.

Episcopal service

Bishop of Palmyra

Bishop Ignatius (Hazim) was immediately assigned to serve as Titular Bishop of Palmyra, Syria (now known as Tadmor), and Patriarchal Vicar in the Diocese of Beirut.

Bishop Ignatius was also assigned to serve as a member of the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church of Antioch.

In 1961, he was assigned to serve as patriarchal vicar during the patriarchal service of Patriarch Theodosius VI (Abou-Rjaily). He was given particular care for the Balamand Monastery. Patriarch Theodosius asked Bishop Ignatius , "How are you going to live there ?" The bishop replied, "Do not worry, Your Beatitude ; for where I am, there will be no ruin". In the summer of 1962, there were 3 : a bishop, a priest and a worker. Today, Balamand is a monastery, seminary, and university campus (founded by Patriarch Ignatius (Hazim) in 1988) a major debtor to a self-made and visionary metropolitan who knew how to build institutions.

Metropolitan of Latakia

In 1965, Bishop Ignatius (Hazim) was elected by the Holy Antioch Synod of Bishops to be the Metropolitan of Latakia (Laodicea) in the Latakia Governorate of Syria.

However, he was prevented from assuming his position for 2 reasons : the first is because of a schism in the Orthodox Church, where the “Independent Orthodox Church” was established ; the second is because there was a minority in Latakia who opposed his assignment (this group being supported by the Syrian government). Therefore, Metropolitan Ignatius managed the affairs of the diocese from Balamand. After Patriarch Elias IV (Muawad) was elected on 27 September, 1970), in 1971, he convinced the newly-installed President Hafez al-Assad of Syeria that the government's policy towards the Metropolitan of Latakia should be changed. It was then that Sayedna Ignatius (Hazim) was able to take up his responsibility in Latakia openly and officially.

In 1970, Metropolitan Ignatius (Hazim) founded the Balamand Orthodox Theological Seminary at Tripoli in Lebanon, which had the support of Metropolitan Antony (Bashir) and of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America. Then, he served for many years as the dean of the seminary. As dean, he sought to provide the Patriarchate with responsible leaders who had received a good spiritual and intellectual training and who gave evidence of having an awakened and deeply personal faith.

On 7 October, 1971, the seminary was officially inaugurated by Patriarch Elias IV (Muawad) in the presence of Mr. Suleiman Franjieh, the President of Lebanon, members of the Holy Synod, government officials, and a large number of Orthodox Christian Faithful.

In 1988, the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology (Balamand) became an Orthodox Christian university, the University of Balamand.

In his pastoral service and way of life, Bishop Ignatius departed from the former usual custom of episcopal grandeur. He also inaugurated an authentic practice of frequent reception of Holy Communion for the people.

Until that time, in many parts of the world, it had been for many centuries the custom that the Faithful received Holy Communion during the Divine Liturgy only a few times a year. It had been the practice of the Early Church that believers receive the Holy Mysteries (Holy Communion) at least every Sunday during the Divine Liturgy (or oftener). However, the practice changed because of various controversies, and becauese of many invasions by non-Christians of various Orthodox lands. It was only during the 19th century that a return to frequent (and even very frequent) reception of Holy Communion became possible and began to be encouraged. Bishop Ignatius, a good shepherd, desired to feed the spiritual flock properly. He had been advocating strongly the renewal of this practice since the 1940s.

On Monday, 2 July, 1979, Bishop Ignatius (Hazim) was elected by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church of Antioch to become the patriarch.

The decision was arrived at after a morning meeting that lasted 4 hours. President Hafez al-Assad was involved in the deliberations, in which any reservations regarding Metropolitan Ignatius were removed. Amongst the most prominent names that were proposed at that time were the names of Archbishop George (Khader) and Archbishop Elias (Qurban).

Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, 1979

On Sunday, 8 July, 1979, Bishop Ignatius (Hazim) was enthroned in the Mariamite (Mariameh) Cathedral in Damascus. The solemn Divine Liturgy of installation and thanksgiving was led by the newly-elected Patriarch. As usual, the enthronement by the bishops of the Holy Synod took place during the Trisagion Hymn of the Divine Liturgy.

Mariamite Dormition Cathedral, Damascus

Patriarchal service

At this time, at the official enthronement, he received the title “Patriarch of Antioch and All the East”. The Patriarchate of Antioch is the third-ranked patriarchate of the Orthodox Church. First is the Church of Constantinople, and second is the Church of Alexandria.

His title included his name as “Ignatius IV”, since he was the fourth patriarch of this name in the history of the Church of Antioch.

After his election as patriarch, he said :

 I know that I will be judged if I do not carry the Church and each one of you in my heart. 
 It is not possible for me to address you as if I were different from you.  No difference 
 separates us. I am an integral part of you ; I am in you and I ask you to be in me.  For the 
 Lord comes, and the Spirit descends on the brothers gathered, united in communion, as they 
 manifest a diversity of charisms in the unity of the Spirit.

As patriarch, he sought to give a new dynamism to the Holy Synod. He encouraged his brothers to elect bishops who are close to the people, who are motivated to develop the Church's ecclesial and spiritual life, and who are detached from political factions.

One source reported that it was the order of Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) that we “be one with the truth”.

The patriarch worked carefully in order to develop social and educational projects within the Church for the benefit of society.

He developed educational institutions.

He built and restored monasteries.

He raised the status of the Orthodox Christian Church in both Syria and Lebanon.

He defended the concerns within Lebanon, especially related to wars.

He gave special attention to nurturing the youth in the Church.

Visit to the USA, 1985

In May, 1985, Patriarch Ignatius visited the USA. The visit had been initiated by Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary at Crestwood, New York, which had published his book "The Resurrection and Modern Man" in 1985, at which time he had been conferred an Honourary Doctor of Divinity Degree.

During the visit, he served the Primatial Divine Liturgy at the Three Hierarchs Chapel of Saint Vladimir's Seminary at the time of their annual Commencement Ceremonies, and he also visited Metropolitan Theodosius (Lazor), head of "The Orthodox Church in America", as well as other Orthodox leaders in the region. Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese accompanied the patriarch at all times.

Relationship with the Church of Russia

Patriarch Ignatius maintained especially close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. In June, 1988, he visited the USSR in order to participate in the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia in Moscow and Leningrad. On 12 June, 1988, on the square of Saint Daniel Monastery, in the presence of Patriarch Pimen (Izvekov), he celebrated the Divine Liturgy together with the primates of other Orthodox Christian Churches.

In July, 1989, Patriarch Ignatius again visited Moscow in order to participate in the 40th session of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and he visited as well as the Minsk Diocese in Byelorussia (Belarus).

On 23 July, 1989, in the Holy Dormition Cathedral of the Zhirovitsky Monastery, he led the episcopal ordination of Igumen Dimitry (Drozdov) as Bishop of Polotsk and Vitebsk. He also led the sanctification of a renewed portion of the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk.

In October, 1991, Patriarch Ignatius hosted Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger) of Moscow and All Russia on a fraternal visit in Syria and Lebanon.

Patriarch Ignatius, 1990s

In 2001, Patriarch Ignatius IV was at the forefront of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Syria.

During a visit to Russia on 20-25 January, 2003, Patriarch Ignatius concelebrated with Patriarch Aleksey II in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. He was received by the President of Russia V V Putin, and he visited Holy Trinity-Saint Sergius Lavra and the "metochion" of the Antioch Church in Moscow.

During this visit, Patriarch Ignatius received the highest award of the Russian Orthodox Church : the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, as well as the award "For outstanding work to strengthen the unity of Orthodox peoples".

In 2005 (with the blessing of both Patriarchs Ignatius IV (Hazim) and Aleksey II (Ridiger)), a monument was erected to the Holy Apostle Paul in the village of Kaukab (in the Lower Galilee region of Israel). This village is the site of the appearance of Christ to the Holy Apostle Paul as he was on his way to Damascus (see Acts 9:1-9). Also, restoration work was carried out in the monastery there (with their blessing), which had been founded in 1965 by Patriarch Alexei I (Simansky) of Moscow and All Russia. This work was carried out with the assistance of the International Foundation "Spiritual Heritage of the Holy Apostle Paul".

Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) and Patriarch Aleksey II (Ridiger)

The physical territory of the Patriarchate of Antioch includes Syria, Lebanon (the political distinction between Syria and Lebanon was introduced in the 20th century), Jordan and Iraq (Mesopotamia). Beyond this territory, there is “all the East”, which includes the Arabian Peninsula and beyond (historically, this included Persia, India and China).

Since the days when emigration began, the responsibility includes the “non-territorial” Archdioceses and Exarchates of Australia and New Zealand, Central America, North America, South America, and Western Europe.

Visit to USA, 2012

In October, 2012, Patriarch Ignatius made an archpastoral visit to the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in USA.

One of the purposes of this visit was to increase the co-operation and communication between the Balamand University and the Orthodox Christian educational institutions of the Antiochian Archdiocese in the USA. After having presided at the Divine Liturgy at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York, Patriarch Ignatius travelled to Houston, Texas, before his return to Damascus.

Patriarch Ignatius presiding at Saint Nicholas Cathedral (left) Patriarch Ignatius and Metropolitan Philip (right)

Although he was credited with great resources and institutions, Patriarch Ignatius IV maintained a spartan lifestyle. He had a small room in the house of his brother, a dentist who resided in the Al-Ramil neighborhood ;he also had a room in his sister’s house, “Nadaw” (Adeeb Ishaq Street, which he used to frequent in the second half of the sixties).

Repose, 2012

On 4 December, 2012, Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) suffered a stroke. He was immediately transferred as quickly as possible to Saint George's Hospital in Beirut.

On the morning of 5 December, 2012, Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch fell asleep in the Lord at Saint George's Hospital in Beirut.

On 9 December, 2012, in the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Ashrafiya district of Beirut, the Funeral Services for the Burial of a Hierarch were served by Patriarch Bartholomew (Archontonis) of Constantinople, by bishops of the Church of Antioch, and other visiting bishops.

Saint Nicholas Church, Beirut

After the conclusion of the funeral services, his body was transferred to Damascus, Syria, where it was interred in the Mariameh Cathedral and Patriarchate Cemetery.

Funeral of Patriarch Ignatius IV

— Titular Bishop of Palmyra 1961-1970.

— Vicar-Bishop of the Archdiocese of Beirut.

— Metropolitan of Latakia 1970-1979. Preceded by : ____. Succeeded by Metropolitan Youhanna (Mansour).

— Patriarch of Antioch and All the East 1979-2012. Preceded by : Patriarch Elias IV (Muawad). Succeeded by : Patriarch John X (Yazigi).

Reflections

Once, during a homily, Patriarch Ignatius said significantly :

 A person does not blame the wood if it does not give light ; but he blames the candle, the lamp, 
 the source of light that does not give light.
 
 You are the light of the world.  This means that people look at you and are affected by what they 
 see in you.  Do not blame people if they see darkness in you ; but know that if they see light 
 in you, they will glorify your Father who is in the heavens.

On 21 October, 2012, Patriarch Ignatius presided over Matins and the Divine Liturgy at Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York.

Several Antiochian seminarians from Saint Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary participated in the service with Patriarch Ignatius. Third-year student Richard Ajalat wrote after the event :

 It was a blessing to sense how our spiritual 'father of fathers' loves and cares for his children
 in North America.

On the evening of 5 December, 2012, the community of Saint Vladimir's Seminary gathered in "Three Hierarchs Chapel" at Crestwood (Yonkers), New York, and prayed a panikhida service for the newly-departed and beloved patriarch.

View of Saint Vladimir's Seminary

Three Hierarchs Chapel, Crestwood

On 16 December, 2012, Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) spoke about Patriarch Ignatius :

He had no worldly desires and lived like a monk – not in isolation, but in society to help others
and minister to them. He believed that we are the brothers of Christ, and often said, 'You are an
Orthodox indeed if you love the other and see yourself through them'. As a citizen he never
differentiated between Christians and Muslims. He was rooted in his Eastern Christianity, which
began with Jesus and His disciples, and spread to Antioch and from Antioch to the whole world.
In the Book of Acts, we read, 'The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch' (Acts 11:26).
The West, which received its Christianity from us, needs to be re-joined to its Eastern roots,
because Jesus taught in Jerusalem, and was buried in Jerusalem and rose from the dead there, and
from Jerusalem His glorious Resurrection was proclaimed to the whole world. [...]

Our Lord said in John 5:17, 'My Father is working still, and I am working'. His Beatitude,
Patriarch Ignatius IV, was a working man. He often said, 'I learn my theology from looking at the
faces of people'. He was not an ivory-tower theologian, but a man who wiped away the tears of the
afflicted and instilled hope in the hopeless.

Patriarch Ignatius did not own a house, or land, or a vineyard of grapes, nor an orchard of olives ;
he never carried money in his pocket and never had chequing or savings accounts in any bank. He
never cared for himself or his family. Everything he received he gave to the Church, to its
institutions and schools, and to the University of Balamand, which was the fruit of his labour and
his joy.

Patriarch Ignatius was described as an "incarnational theologian".

Anne Glynn Mackoul (former executive chair of the Board of Trustees of Saint Vladimir's Seminary in New York, and a representative of Patriarch Ignatius and the Patriarchate of Antioch to the World Council of Churches(WCC)) wrote about Patriarch Ignatius :

 His Beatitude was a religious leader whose steadfast loving faith and humility inspired generations
 of Christians.  His faith was formed in the rich soil of the east where the continuous presence of 
 Christians from the time of Christ provides a compelling image to Christians worldwide.  He worked 
 urgently to maintain the presence of Christians in Syria and Lebanon, throughout the Middle East 
 and in Palestine integrated peacefully in their diverse communities.  He was committed to 
 ecumenical and inter–faith dialogue, reflecting the particular witness of the Patriarchate of 
 Antioch living for centuries as neighbours face-to-face with Islam, and side-by-side with other 
 Christian churches.  Such a presence, as His Beatitude has written, is informed by the witness of 
 a Church that 'is sharing fully the suffering of our peoples, in patience but also in courage, a 
 Church that does not maintain itself in a survivalist conservatism and in an ethnic and linguistic 
 particularism, a Church dispersed like salt, seeking its identity in its vocation'.

Patriarch Ignatius answers a question about the nature of the patriarchate

While Patriarch Ignatius was still in this life, the President of the University of Balamand, Dr. Elie Salem, asked Patriarch Ignatius Hazim : "Who are we, Your Beatitude ?"

He replied :

We are Antiochene, the offspring of the original church founded by St. Paul. We are the Church of
the East, one hundred percent oriental, we are here in the East in our home. Our hopes are the
hopes of our region, and its tragedy is our tragedy, if there is a tragedy. We are the original
Christians. The others came as our guests. We welcome them. We work with them, but we do not
forget our originality and our individuality. Of course, the past was hard on us. Empires came,
vowed and threatened, then left. And we remained firm in our faith, humble, yet proud, and bold in
our convictions.

The spirit of Antioch is an apostolic spirit, fermenting like yeast in dough. We are the leaven of
this earth. We shape quality, value, not quantities.

The spirit of Antioch permeates man as the bearer of the divine truth, and the locus of the
establishment of unlimited and unconditional love.

We are Arab Christians. We were here in Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon, long before Islam. When
the Arabs carrying the message of Islam occupied this land, we cooperated with them, and we
contributed a lot in building the Arab-Islamic civilization that flourished in the Umayyad era
650-750, and the Abbasid era 750-1258. We were the intellectual and scientific mediator between
them and the Greek world. But we were not only mediators, but we had our contributions in various
fields.

The Arabic language has been the language of our liturgy for centuries. We have played a role in
classical Arab history, and we have played a prominent role in the Arab reform movement that began
in the nineteenth century, following the Ottoman organisations.

His Beatitude adds, before his departure to the future of Jerusalem, the future of the Palestinian people and Arab Christians who share with them a long past and an unlimited future.

 For us, Jerusalem is the symbol of man's liberation from oppression and crucifixion.  Of all the 
 peoples of the world, we are the people who belong the most to Jerusalem.  In the deeper meaning of 
 the word, Jerusalem is ours, but it is under Israeli occupation, and because of the repression, the 
 number of Jerusalem Christians has greatly diminished.
 
 The tragedy that befell Jerusalem, befell Palestine as a whole under the Zionist occupation.  As 
 Orthodox Christians, we are not only witnessing our own tragedy, but also the tragedy of our Muslim 
 brothers in Palestine.
 
 The least we can do is bear witness to truth and justice, the two universal values that were 
 violently violated in Palestine.  
 
 Trustworthy
 Patriarch Ignatius Hazim

Awards

Church awards

• Order of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called with a diamond star (2003)

• Russian Orthodox Award "For outstanding work to strengthen the unity of Orthodox peoples".

State awards

• Prize of the International Foundation for the Unity of Orthodox Peoples (Moscow, 2003)

• Prizes of the Union of Writers of Russia and of the Foundation of Saint John Chrysostom (13 November, 2007) : "For tireless work in strengthening the unity of the Mother Church, for bringing the Word of God to the people of Syria and All the East"

• Order of Friendship (Russia, 7 May, 2010) : "For a great contribution to the strengthening of Russian-Syrian co-operation and friendship between peoples"

Honours

• Honourary Doctorate Degree of the Sorbonne University, Paris, France

• Honourary Doctorate Degree of the Leningrad Theological Academy, Leningrad, USSR (1981)

• Honourary Doctorate of Divinity Degree of Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary (May, 1985)

• Honourary Doctorate Degree of the Minsk Theological Academy, Belarus (2003)

Writings

In Arabic :

• “Proper Teaching” (Beirut, 1967).

• “I believe : Dialogue from the Royal Doors” (Beirut, 1977).

• “Light comes from Your Lips” (Beirut, 1977).

• “About the Lebanese Question and the Fate of Christians” (Beirut, 1989).

• “Speeches and Statements” (Tripoli, 2001).

• “Dialogues”, 2 vols. (Damascus, 2001).

• “Sermons” (Damascus, 2002-2003).

• “And [the Word] dwelt among us” (Beirut, 2003).

• “Antiochian Trends” (Damascus, 2004).

• “The Church is you” (Damascus, 2005).

• “Pain of the Resurrection” (Damascus, 2007).

In other languages :

• “La Résurrection et l'homme d'aujourd'hui” (Beyrouth, 1970) (English translation : “The Resurrection and Modern Man” ; trans. S Bigham with foreword by O Clement (Crestwood, New York : SVS Press, 1985).

• ‘About Truth, about the Church, about Love : Sermon before the Opening of the 40th Session of the Central Committee of the All-Russian Central Committee’ in “Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate”), no. 12 (1989), pp. 52-57.

• “Sauver la creation” (Paris, 1989).

• ‘Jérusalem et le Patriarcat d'Antioche’ dans “Contacts”, vol. 42, no. 152 (Paris, 1990), pp. 252-262 (reprinted Balamand, Lebanon, 1991).

• “Orthodoxy and Issues of our Time” (Tripoli, 2007).

References

Salem, Dr. Elie A, “From Mahrada to the Throne of Antioch : the life and times of Patriarch Ignatius IV, a biographical Eessay” (Balamand, Lebanon : University of Balamand, 2010).

Orthodoxwiki biography

Wikipedia biography

Arabic Wikipedia biography (in English)

Arabic Wikipedia biography (in Arabic)

Joseph Zeitoun biography

Russian Wikipedia biography

Orthodox Encyclopaedia biography

Additional information :

Boosahda, Elizabeth, “Arab-American Faces and Voices : The Origins of an Immigrant Community” (Austin, Texas : University of Texas Press, 2003). ISBN : 0-292-70919-6.

Corey, George S, Gilquist, Peter E, Mackoul, Anne Glynn, Sam, Jean, Schneirla, Paul, eds., "The First One Hundred Years : A Centennial Anthology Celebrating Antiochian Orthodoxy in North America" (Englewood, NJ : Antakya Press, 1995). BX738.A753F57.

Ostrogorsky, George, “History of the Byzantine State” (Oxford : Basil Blackwell, 1956).

Meyendorff, John, “Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions: The Church 450-680 A.D.” The Church in History, 2. (Crestwood, NY : St. Vladimir's Seminary Press 1989). ISBN : 978-0-88-141056-3.

Panchenko, Constantin A, ”Arab Orthodox Christians under the Ottomans : 1516-1831” (Jordanville, NY : Holy Trinity Seminary Press, 2016). ISBN : 978-1-942699-08-8.

Tarasar, C J, gen. ed., "Orthodox America 1794-1976 Development of the Orthodox Church in America", (Syosett, New York : The Orthodox Church in America, 1975).

Treiger, A, and Noble, Samuel, “The Orthodox Church in the Arab world, 700-1700: An Anthology of Sources” (Chicago, IL : Northern Illinois University Press, 2014). ISBN-10 : 0875807011. ISBN-13 : 978-0875807010.

Almoutran.com article about the election to be patriarch

President of Russia awards Order of Friendship to Patriarch Ignatius IV of Antioch and All the East on 11 May, 2010

History of the Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology

"Ignatius IV : A History-Making Patriarch" by Dr Elie Dannaoui

"A Farewell to Patriarch Ignatius IV : A Personal View" by Economos Anthony Gabriel

Pravmir "In Memoriam" article about Patriarch Ignatius IV

BBC News 5 December, 2012 : “Greek Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius IV dies”

Asia News : “Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius IV dies”

Saint Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, “In Memoriam : His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV (Hazim) of Antioch and All the East” (5 December, 2012)

Eulogy by Metropolitan Philip (Saliba) (16 December, 2012)

Findagrave listing

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