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His Beatitude '''Athanasius III Dabbas of Antioch''' was Patriarch of the [[Church of Antioch]] for two periods: from 1686 to 1694 and from 1720 to 1724. From 1705 to 1710 he was Archbishop of Cyprus. <ref>He is known as ''Athanasius III'' in the patriarchal lists of Korolevski, and Skaff, as ''Athanasius IV'' in the list of Costantius.</ref> Patr. Athanasius III was the last [[patriarch]] of the Church of Antioch before the split of 1724 when the Church now called the [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church]] separated from the Church of Antioch which remained in communion with the [[Church of Constantinople]].
==Life==
Paul Dabbas was born in Damascus in 1647. His education included studying under the [[Jesuits]]. He entered a monastic life at the [[Holy Lavra of St. Savas (Jerusalem)|Mar Saba monastery]] near Bethlehem where upon his [[tonsure]] he took the name of ''Procopius'' before his ordination to the [[Holy Orders]]. Later, he was appointed [[abbot|superior]] of a [[monastery]] in Bethlehem. Subsequently, he moved to Syria and attempted to obtain an appointment as [[bishop]] of Aleppo, but without success.
Influenced greatly by the Latin presence in the middle east following the crusades, the hierarchy of the Melkite Church of Antioch, as the Orthodox Christians loyal to the Church of Constantinople were known, became unstable for decades during the latter part of the seventeenth century. After the death of Patr. [[Macarius III (Zaim) of Antioch|Macarius III Zaim]] in 1672, the patriarchal throne of Antioch came under dispute. The dispute involved the nephew of Macarius III, Constantine Zaim, who at the age of 20 (or less) was elected patriarch as [[Cyril III Zaim of Antioch|Cyril III Zaim]] and [[Neophytus Neophytos of Chios]], the nephew of the previous patriarch, [[Euthymius III IV of Chios]], who was appointed patriarch of Antioch by Patr. [[Dionysius IV Muselimes of Constantinople|Dionysius IV of Constantinople]]. This and subsequent disputes led to a separation among the Melkite Orthodox into the present day Orthodox and [[Melkite ]] Churches.
In 1682, Neophytus of Chios, because of his debts, decided to retire, leaving Cyril III Zaim as the only claimant. This situation did not last long. The next contender for the patriarchal throne was Paul Dabbas, who was supported by the Franciscan friars who had opposed Cyril Zaim, charging him with simony, and by his maternal uncle Michael Khayat, who was very influential with the Sublime Porte.
==Works==
Athanasius Dabbas was a prolific writer and publisher. His masterwork, ''History of the Patriarchate of Antioch from Saint Peter to 1202'' was written in Greek and translated also in Latin. In 1701, he also edited and published liturgical texts, such as a Liturgicon, that was used by Melkite Greek Catholic Church until 1839 and, in 1702, an Horologion.
==Reference==
<references/>
{{start box}}
title=[[List of Patriarchs of Antioch|Patriarch of Antioch]]|
years=1686-1694|
after=[[Cyril III Zaimof Antioch|Cyril III Zaim]]}}
{{succession|
before=?|
title=Patriarch of Antioch|
years=1720-1724|
after=[[Sylvesterof Antioch|Sylvester]]}}
{{end box}}
[[Category: Bishops]]
[[Category:17th-18th-century bishops]]
[[Category: Patriarchs of Antioch]]
[[Category: Archbishops of Cyprus]]
[[Category: Bishops of Aleppo]]
