Ignatius Pilate

Ignatius Pilate was the Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1591 until his death in 1597.

Biography Pilate was from the village of al-Manṣūriyyah near Mardin and was educated at the Mor Hananyo Monastery. He was appointed as Maphrian of the East in 1575 or 1576 and assumed the name Basil. Whilst at the Mar Behnam Monastery, Pilate wrote a letter in 1579/1580 to Pope Gregory XIII in which he expressed his interest in establishing union with Rome. In 1591, Pilate became patriarch of Antioch and assumed the name Ignatius. He ordained his brother ʿAbd al-Ghani as a deputy metropolitan and then maphrian. However, from 1591 Pilate was opposed by Hidayat Allah, with the support of his uncle Timothy Tuma , until they were reconciled by John Wanki in 1593. He died in 1597 at Aleppo, where he was buried.

Works In 1560, Pilate transcribed a Beth Gazo whilst he was still a monk. He also produced a copy of The Book of Rays by Bar Hebraeus, dated 1590 (Oxford MS 521).