The Unbroken Chain Back To The Lord Jesus Christ

[Irenaeus07]

Another reason I have chosen to study Orthodox Christianity over the other versions of Christianity is the claim of being the Original church.

I was wondering if anyone was aware of this unbroken chain. 

What is the linkage between the disciples and the Orthodox Church.  The Roman Catholics claim Peter, the Coptics claim Mark, how do the other Orthodox Churchs (Greek, Syrian, Ethopian, India) fit into this unbroken chain of transmission of knowledge back to Jesus and to which disciple???

If you can point to any book which might expound on this issue, in terms of all the different Orthodox Churchs, I would gladly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

[GreekChef]

Another reason I have chosen to study Orthodox Christianity over the other versions of Christianity is the claim of being the Original church.

I was wondering if anyone was aware of this unbroken chain. 

What is the linkage between the disciples and the Orthodox Church.  The Roman Catholics claim Peter, the Coptics claim Mark, how do the other Orthodox Churchs (Greek, Syrian, Ethopian, India) fit into this unbroken chain of transmission of knowledge back to Jesus and to which disciple???

If you can point to any book which might expound on this issue, in terms of all the different Orthodox Churchs, I would gladly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

Irenaeus (great name, by the way!),

Check out this website.  It is the site of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.  It will document for you every Ecumenical Patriarch back to the Apostle Andrew.

http://www.ec-patr.org/list/index.php?lang=en

Hope it helps!  God bless you in your journey!
Presbytera Mari

[Irenaeus07]

Irenaeus (great name, by the way!),

Check out this website.  It is the site of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.  It will document for you every Ecumenical Patriarch back to the Apostle Andrew.

http://www.ec-patr.org/list/index.php?lang=en

Hope it helps!  God bless you in your journey!
Presbytera Mari

This is awesome, this is what I am looking for.

What about the other disciples?

[Αριστοκλής]

Then you should love this one:

http://www.friesian.com/popes.htm

Have fun - lists everyone's lineage.

[Irenaeus07]

Then you should love this one:

http://www.friesian.com/popes.htm

Have fun - lists everyone's lineage.

Well thanks my brother.  Another great site.  It is pretty detailed.  It will take me a while to go through it, but if I have anymore question I'll ask.

[Αριστοκλής]

You are welcome. Some of the historical perspective may be skewed , but there's almost too much to digest there.

[Thomas]

Here is the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch's succession line:
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ordained the 12 Apostles 30-33
Saint Peter the Apostle                   c.37 - c.53
Euodias                                            c.53 - c.68
Saint Ignatius                                   c.68 - 107
Hero                                                  107 - c.127
Cornelius                                          c.127 - c.154
Eros                                                  c.154 - c.169
Theophilus of Antioch                     c.169 - 182
Maximus I                                         182 - 191
Serapion                                           191 - 211
Ascelpiades                                     211 - 220
Philetus                                             220 - 231
Zebinnus                                          231 - 237
Saint Babylas                                   237 - 253
Fabius                                               253 - 256
Demetrius                                         256 - 260
Paul of Samosata                            260 - 272
Domnus I                                          268 - 273
Timaeus                                           273 - 282
Cyril                                                   283 - 303
Tyrannos                                          304 - 314
Vitalis                                                314 - 320
Saint Philogonus                              320 - 323
Paulinus of Tyre                               323 - 224
Saint Eustathius                               324 - 337
Eulalius                                             331 - 333
Euphornius                                       333 - 334
Philaclus                                           334 - 342
Stephanus I                                      342 - 344
Leontius                                            344 - 357
Eudoxius                                          358 - 359
Euzoius                                             360
Saint Meletius                                   361 - 381
Flavian I                                            381 - 404
Porphyrus                                         404 - 412
Alexander                                         412 - 417
Theodotus                                        417 - 428
John I                                                428 - 442
Domnus II                                        442 - 449
Maximus II                                        449 - 455
Basil                                                  456 - 458
Acacius                                             458 - 461
Martyrius                                           461 - 465
Peter the Fuller                                465 - 466
Julian                                                466 - 476
Peter the Fuller (restored)               476 - 488
John II                                              488 - 490
Stephanus II                                     490 - 495
Callandion                                        495 - 496
Palladius                                           496 - 498
Flavian II                                           498 - 512
Severus of Antioch                          512 - 538
(Severus was deposed by the Greek Orthodox Church in 518; while in exile in Egypt, he was recognized by many Syriac Christians as the lawful Patriarch until his death in 538)
Paul I                                                518 - 521
Euphrosius                                       521 - 528
Ephrem of Amid                              528 - 546
Domnus III                                       546 - 561
Anastasius the Sinaite                     561 - 571
Gregory                                            571 - 594
Anastasius the Sinaite (restored)   593 - 599
Anastasius II                                    599 - 610
Gregory II                                        610 - 620
Anastasius III                                   620 - 628
Macedonius                                     628 - 640
George I                                          640 - 656
Macarius                                           656 - 681
Theophanes                                    681 - 687
Sebastian                                         687 - 690
George II                                         690 - 695
Alexander                                         695 - 702
Vacancy                                          702 - 742
Stephen IV                                       742 - 744
Theophylact                                     744 - 751
Theodore                                         751 - 797
John IV                                             797 - 810
Job                                                   810 - 826
Nicholas                                           826 - 834
Simeon                                             834 - 840
Elias                                                 840 - 852
Theodosius I                                   852 - 860
Nicholas II                                        860 - 879
Michael                                             879 - 890
Zacharias                                         890 - 902
George III                                        902 - 917
Job II                                                917 - 939
Eustratius                                         939 - 960
Christopher                                      960 - 966
Theodorus II                                    966 - 977
Agapius                                            977 - 995
John IV                                             995 - 1000
Nicholas III                                       1000 - 1003
Elias II                                              1003 - 1010
George Lascaris                              1010 - 1015
Macarius the Virtuous                      1015 - 1023
Eleutherius                                       1023 - 1028
Peter III                                            1028 - 1051
John VI, also known as Dionysus   1051 - 1062
Aemilian                                           1062 - 1075
Theodosius II                                  1075 - 1084
Nicephorus                                      1084 - 1090
 
(After 1098, the Patriarchate was in exile, at first at Constantinople, having been replaced by a Latin Patriarch.)
 
John VII                                           1090 - 1155
John IX                                             1155 - 1159
Euthymius                                        1159 - 1164
Macarius II                                       1164 - 1166
Athanasius I                                     1166 - 1180
Theodosius III                                 1180 - 1182
Elias III                                             1182 - 1184
Christopher II                                   1184 - 1185
Theodore IV (Balsamon)                1185 - 1199
Joachim                                           1199 - 1219
Dorotheus                                        1219 - 1245
Simeon II                                         1245 - 1268
Euthymius                                        1268 - 1269
 

(With Theodosius IV, the Patriarchate returned to Antioch.)
 

Theodosius IV                                 1269 - 1276
Theodosius V                                  1276 - 1285
Arsenius                                           1285 - 1293
Dionysius                                         1293 - 1308
Mark                                                  1308 - 1342
 

(With Ignatius II, the Patriarchate transferred to Damascus.)
 

Ignatius II                                         1342 - 1386
Pachomius                                       1386 - 1393
Nilus                                                 1393 - 1401
Michael III                                        1401 - 1410
Pachomius II                                   1410 - 1411
Joachim II                                        1411 - 1426
Mark III                                             1426 - 1436
Dorotheus II                                     1436 - 1454
Michael IV                                        1454 - 1476
Mark IV                                             1476
Joachim III                                       1476 - 1483
Gregory III                                        1483 - 1497
Dorotheus III                                   1497 - 1523
Michael V                                         1523 - 1541
Dorotheus IV                                   1541 - 1543
Joachim IV (Ibn Juma)                    1543 - 1576
Michael VI (Sabbagh)                     1577 - 1581
Joachim V                                        1581 - 1592
Joachim VI                                       1593 - 1604
Dorotheus V                                    1604 - 1611
Athanasius III (Dabbas)                  1611 - 1619
Ignatius III (Attiyah)                         1619 - 1631
Euthymius III                                    1635 - 1636
Euthymius IV                                   1636 - 1648
Michael III (Zaim)                            1648 - 1672
Neophytos                                        1674 - 1684
Athanasius IV (Dabbas)                  1686 - 1694
Cyril III (Zaim)                                  1694 - 1720
Athanasius IV (Dabbas)                  1720 - 1724
Sylvester                                          1724 - 1766
Philemon                                          1766 - 1767
Daniel                                               1767 - 1791

Euthymius V                                     1792 - 1813
Seraphim                                         1813 - 1823
Methodius                                        1843 - 1859
Hierotheos                                       1850 - 1885
Gerasimos                                       1885 - 1891
Spyridon                                           1892 - 1898
Meletius II (Doumani)                      1899 - 1906
Gregory IV (Haddad)                      1906 - 1928
Alexander III (Tahan)                      1928 - 1958
Theodosius VI (Abourjaily)             1958 - 1970
Elias IV (Muawad)                           1970 - 1979
Ignatius IV (Hazim)                          1979 - Present

It may be found at http://www.antiochianladiocese.org/About/patriarchal_succession.htm

Thomas

[Athanasios]

Hello,

Another reason I have chosen to study Orthodox Christianity over the other versions of Christianity is the claim of being the Original church.

I was wondering if anyone was aware of this unbroken chain. 

What is the linkage between the disciples and the Orthodox Church.  The Roman Catholics claim Peter, the Coptics claim Mark, how do the other Orthodox Churchs (Greek, Syrian, Ethopian, India) fit into this unbroken chain of transmission of knowledge back to Jesus and to which disciple???

If you can point to any book which might expound on this issue, in terms of all the different Orthodox Churchs, I would gladly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

There are two ways to view succession. One is succession by ordination and the other is succession by Episcopal See. The one you show of the Catholics having Saint Peter and the Coptics having Saint Mark are examples of succession by Episcopal See. Another way is by ordination. A Bishop can link his Apostolic Succession via ordination - so Bishop A was ordained by Bishop B (three Bishops are required to ordain a Bishop, but this example is for simplicity); and Bishop B was ordained by Bishop C and Bishop C was ordained....was ordained by Saint Peter was ordained by Jesus Christ. Every Bishop - Catholic or Orthodox - can link his ordination back to Jesus Christ.

Hope this helps.

[Irenaeus07]

I wanted to thank you all for your input.

It is great appreciated. 

[buzuxi]

All bishops have apostolic succession. and can ultimately be traced back to an apostle(s). There are also cities whose Church have been found by apostles or by bishops appointed by an apostle. If those Churches have a bishopric, that bishop is recognized as the successor of its first bishop.  St Mark is considered the first bishop of the See of Alexandria. This includes both the Coptic Patriarch and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch Theodoros II of Alexandria.

The E.P. is the successor of St. Andrew.
The Antiochan See is that of St Peter the Apostle.
The Jerusalem See is that of St James, brother of the Lord.
The Church of Cyprus is that of St. Barnabas (Acts 4.36)
The Church of Greece (Archbishop of Athens) is the successor of Dionysios the Areopagite (Acts 17.34) 

There are many more.

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