A visual illustration showing the origin of the Chaldean Church and its descendance from the Church of the East.

By Wm Warda

From here on the Patriarch line became hereditary in the Bet Sayaddi or Abuna family.    Shimun IV 1437-1497 -  Issued a decree in 1450 to make the patriarchal office hereditary within his own family also known as: "Mamma" or "Abuna family".    Shimun V 1497 - Sept. 1502    Eliya V 1502 - 1504 Gazarta, monastery of MarYukhannan     Shimun VI 1504 - August 1538 Rabban Hormizd     Shimun VII Ishuyau bar Mama 1538/1539 - 1558 Rabban Hormizd  conflict and Diviosn The herediory system of the Pateriachal office was contested by a segment of the Bishops who chose Yukhanan Sulaga as their leader. The beginning of the Chaldean Church  Eliya VI bar Giwargis 1558/9 - May 1591 Rabban Hormizd    Eliya VII 1591 - May 1617 Rabban Hormizd  Sent an emissaries to Rome asking for reconciliation without success.   Eliya VIII Shimun 1617 - June 1660 Rabban Hormizd  Established contact with the Roman Catholic missionaries but not union  Eliya IX Yukhannan Maraugin 1660 - May 1700 Rabban Hormizd.  Attempts for Union with the Roman Catholic Church were unsucceful   Eliya IX Yukhannan Maraugin 1660 - 17 May 1700 Rabban Hormizd  Unsuccessful Attempts to unite with Rome in 1666 and 1670   Eliya X Maraugin 1700 - 14 December 1722 Rabban Hormizd    Eliya XI Denkha1722 - April 1778 Rabban Hormizd, later Alqosh Died during the plague  letters with some confession of faith, to Rome in 1735 but no formal recognition. Rabban Hormizd was destroyed by the troops of Nadir Shah in 1743 and remained in ruins for sixty-five years. Catholic Missionaries such as the Capuchins Dominicans, the Carmelites, the Augustinians became proactive it converting amny into Catholicism. Eliya XII Ishuyau 1778 - 1804 Rabban Hormizd? ecclesiastic province of Atture  wrote to Rome in 1779. Some agreement was reached to join the Church of the East with the Roman church but because the Missionaries were undermining the Patriarch power Eliya XII withdrew from the agreement.   Yukhannan VIII [Eliya] Hormizd July 1804 - August 1830 Rabban Hormizd, Mosul and Baghdad. Yukhannan converted to cathlocism in 1778 . To undermine the Patriarch he with the help of the Missionaries he set out on a crusade to convert as many members of his Church into Catholicism who would be called Chaldean because of the name of their church.   Missionary activities of the Capuchins Dominicans, the Carmelites, the Augustinians from 1778 to 1830 had managed to convert the entire Assyrian population of the plain of Nineveh to Catholicism which automatically defined them as Chaldeans.   According to Badger Yukhannan VIII [Eliya] Hormizd considered himself a Roman Catholic from 1778 onwards but Rome did not recognize him as the patriarch of the Chaldean Rite.  until 1830 when death of Chaldean Patriarch Augustine Hindi (Yosep V) Yukhannan Hurmizd was accepted by Rome and was granted the official recognition 'as supreme head over all the Chaldeans'. This led to end of the ancient line and the transfering the entire church in the plain of Nineveh to the Chaldean denomination.

The establishment of the first Chaldean church.  In 1553 a faction of the Church of the East which was opposed to the hereditary system seceded and joined the Roman Catholic church. The new church established was given the name Chaldean. Not because its founders or members were of Chaldean descent but because of Biblical claim that Abraham was from the Ur of Chaldee in Mesopotamia. Sulaga resided in Diarbekir far away from Mosul the power center of his former church which he had harmed. Even so he suffered retaliation. Sulaga was invited to Amadya by the local pasha under the pretext that his presence could contribute to the unity with the old church. Once there he was imprisoned for four months and about Jan. 12, 155 he was savagely drowned in a lake. The 1st Chaldean schesim  Yukhannan Sulaqa 28 April 1553 - January 1555 Diyarbakir (Amida)  He became the leader of the secessionist group. Sulaga formerly form the bishop of the Rubban Hormozd Monastery located thirty miles north of Nineveh traveled to Rome where he was appointed as the patriarch of the newly established church called Chaldean.  Audishu IV Yukhannan 1555 - 11 Sept. 1570 Mar Yaqub Khbhisha     Shimun [Yau-Alaha?] 1572 - 1576 Mar Yaqub Khbhisha.    Yau-Alaha Shimun 1579-1580 Mar Yaqub Khbhisha.    Shimun IX Denkha 1580 - 1600 monastery of Mar Yukhannan the Martyr near Sallams, Persia Bishop Jelu of Salams and his flock were converted to Catholicism before becoming Patriarch of the Chaldean Chruch.  Shimun X 1600 - signed a profession of faith to Rome but did not result recognition Reverted to the Church of East and established a new line in the highlands. This line has survived. End of the Sulaga line  Meanwhile in Diarbekir (Turkey) The Chladean Church line started by Sulaga lasted less than 50 years. The abdication of Shimun X in early 1600 left the small Chaldean community of Diarbekir, Amedia and Jazira without a leader for several decades.The die hards presifted in the Catholic faith. They were supported by the efforts of the Catholic missionaries such as Capuchin John Baptist of st.Aignan. Finally Yosef bishop of the Church of the East in Diyarbakir was converted into Catholicism. He was later pronounced by Rome as the "Patriarch of the Chaldeans" in 1667/8. The 2nd Chaldean schesim Patriarchs of Amedia  Yosep I 1681 - 1696 Diyarbekir Was a priest of the church of the East who Converted to Roman obedience 1667/8 was consecrated as the Patriarch of a new Chaldean line. All his followers were given the title of Joseph.  Yosep II Sliba Bet Macruf1696 - 1712 Diyarbekir   Born in Telkepe in 1667 died of the plague in 1712  Yosep III Timotheos Maraugin       1714 - 1757 Diyarbekir Born either in Kirkuk or in Diyarbekir, raised with the Capuchins in Diyarbekir  Yosep IV Lazare Hindi 1759 - 1781 Diyarbekir  Former pupil of the Propaganda in Rome abdicated in 1781 appointed his nephew Augusitn Hindi as administrator.  Yosep V Augustine Hindi 1781 - 1828 Diyarbekir functioned as patriarch of the Chaldean Rite but was never fully recognized by Rome.End of this line The 3rd Chaldean schesim   Yukhannan VIII [Eliya] Hormizd 1830 - 1838 Transfered the entire Church of the East  to the Chaldean Denominaiton. The Title "Patriarch of Babylon" was taken to his adopted church. Nikolas Eshaya 1838 - 184   Yosep VI Audo 1848 - 1878    Sliwa XIV [XIII] Abulyonan 1879- 1894  Attempted to bring Shimun XVIII Ruben into Catholicism Audishu V Khayyat 1895- 1899  Tried unsuccessfully to move Shimun XVIII of the Church of the East toward union with Rome  Yosep VI Emmanuel II Thoma 1900-1947    Yoseph VII Ghanima 1947-1958    Paul II Chaykho 1958- 1989    Raphael I Bit-dawid 1989- 2003  Resided in Baghdad Attempted to unify the Chaldean Church and the Church of the East but did not succeed  Emmanuel Delly December 2 and 3, 2003  Resides in Baghdad To the Top

A Second Church of the East line.  Shimun X 1600 - 1638 Khananis and/or Qodshanis. signed a profession of faith to Rome but did not result in recognition. Reverted to the Church of East and established a new line which exists to the present day.  Shimun XI 1638 - 1656 Qodchanis, from 1649/50: (Khosrowa), Urmi  sent professions to Rome in 1648 and 1653, but this did not result in official recognition  Shimun XII 1656 - 1662 Khosrau Abad (Khosrowa) Urmi, Persia  some correspondence with Rome but no official recognition  Shimun XIII Denkha 1662 - 1700 Khosrowa, from 1672: Qodchanis  Letter to and from Rome in 1670 No official recognition  Shimun XIV 1700 - 1740 Qodchanis Harkari    Shimun XV Michael Mukhates 1740 - 1780 Qodchanis  Shimun XV wrote a letter to Rome in 1770. No union resulted from this.  Shimun XVII Abraham 1820 - 1860 Qodchanis    Shimun XVIII Ruben 1860 - 1903 Qodchanis Attempts by the French Vice Consul of Van to unite the Church of the East with Rome were rejected by this Mar Shimun perhaps due to pressure from the English missionaries.  Shimun XIX Benjamin 1903 - 1918 Qodchanis  During his term extensive massacres of the Assyrian and Armenians were carried out by the kurds and the Turks.He was assassinated by the Kurdish chief Simko.  Shimun XX Paulus 1918 - 1920 Urmi and Iraq    Shimun XXI Eshay 1920 - 1975 Iraq and US  He resigned his post in 1975 and was assassinated.  Denkha 1976  to present (Chicago) US  The Church was recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. Attempts to forge unity with the with the Chaldean Church did not succeed