Page:Lesser Eastern Churches.djvu/124

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102
THE LESSER EASTERN CHURCHES

yeshu‘,[1] who kept the union faithfully, and received the pallium from Pope Pius IV (1559–1565).[2] He died in 1567. Then came Aitallâhâ, apparently also a Catholic. After Aitallâhâ came Denḥâ Shim‘un, who suffered much during the war between Turkey and Persia, fled to Persia, and died there in 1593. Meanwhile the flock of these Partiarchs became more and more anti-Roman in feeling. The union seems to have been kept up fitfully; that is to say, Patriarchs of this line occasionally sent Catholic professions of faith and protestations of obedience to Rome, receiving in return the pallium; others did not, and the mass of clergy and people were probably but little conscious of the difference thereby made. All Patriarchs of this line of Sulâḳâ took the name Simon (Mâr Shim‘un). In the 17th century, Mâr Shim‘un VII went to reside at Urmi; his successor and Mâr Shim‘un IX both sent Catholic professions to Rome. In 1670 Mâr Shim‘un XII sent the last of these professions. From that time relations with Rome dropped; except that in 1770 one of the Patriarchs wrote to Pope Clement XIV (1769–1774) expressing his desire to restore the union. But by now they and their flocks had quietly dropped back into schism. In the 18th century they moved to Ḳudshanīs, as we have said, apparently in consequence of a Turkish-Persian war. Here the present Mâr Shim‘un, the reigning Nestorian Patriarch, lives. The curious fact is that he does not represent the old Nestorian line from Pâpâ, Dâdyeshu‘ and Mâr Abâ, but the originally Uniate line of Sulâḳâ. So people who inveigh against Uniate secessions from the ancient Eastern Churches should count Mar Shim‘un as merely the head of a schismatical secession from the ancient Persian Church.

Meanwhile the rival line of Bar Mâmâ went on. These Patriarchs all took the name Elias (Eliyâ). Sulâḳâ's rival Shim‘un Denḥâ is said to have made his two illegitimate children bishops at the ages of twelve and fifteen. If this be true, Baron d'Avril seems to have some reason for describing him as "hardly estimable."[3] His successors also negotiated with Rome. Elias V sent a profession of faith, which, however, Pope Sixtus V (1585–

  1. ‘Bedyeshu‘, "Servant of Jesus."
  2. He was present at the last session of the Council of Trent, Dec. 4, 1563.
  3. La Chaldée chrétienne, p. 45.