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His Eminence the Most Reverend Metropolitan '''Samuel (David) of Toledo''' was a [[bishop]] of a [[diocese]] of Syrian Orthodox [[parish]]es titled the [[Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Toledo and Dependencies ]] from the mid 1930s to the late 1950s, a period of ecclesiastical chaos within the Orthodox church in North America.
In the ecclesiastical chaos that developed in North America after the financial collapse of the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church following the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the Syrian parishes that had been organized under Bishop [[Raphael of Brooklyn|Raphael]] splintered with some parishes continuing to look for leadership under the Russian mission while others looked for leadership under the Patriarch of Antioch. In 1921, during this chaotic period, Samuel (David) arrived in the United States, apparently as an [[archimandrite]].
By the mid 1930s, new episcopal leadership was needed for the Syrian Orthodox. Under the guidance of Metropolitan Theodosius of Tyre and Sidon (later Patriarch of Antioch [[Theodosius VI (Abourjaily) of Antioch|Theodoius VI]])three archimandrites were put forward as candidates for [[archbishop]] and leadership of the Syrian Orthodox in North America. These candidates were Samuel (David), Hagapios (Golam), and [[Antony (Bashir) of New York|Antony (Bashir)]]. In an election conducted on [[November 10]], 1935, Antony received the majority vote with Samuel second and to be Antony’s his first auxiliary.
On [[January 23]], 1936, the [[Holy Synod ]] of the Church of Antioch ratified the election and declared Arch. Antony their unanimous choice for Archbishop of New York. However, indecision on consecration of Arch. Samuel as an auxiliary by Metr. Theodosius reignited the divisions in the Syrian community and the two Syrian Orthodox groups proceeded to follow independent courses of action that resulted in formally establishing two Syrian [[jurisdiction]]s.
On [[April 19]], 1936, Arch. Antony (Bashir) was [[consecration of a bishop|consecrated]] archbishop under the [[jurisdiction]] of the Patriarch of Antioch by Metr. Theodosius and Abp. [[Vitaly (Maximenko) of Jersey City|Vitaly of New Jersey]] ([[ROCOR]]) at the same time Samuel (David) was consecrated in St George’s Syrian Orthodox Church in Toledo by Abp. [[Adam (Philipovsky)|Adam]] and Bps. [[Leonty (Turkevich) of New York|Leonty]] and [[Arseny (Chagovtsov) of Winnipeg|Arseny]] of the Russian [[Metropolia]].
While the consecration of Abp. Samuel by the bishops of the Metropolia may have been an attempt to re-store communion of Syrian parishes under the jurisdiction of the Metropolia, it instead formed a rival Antiochian jurisdiction that competed with the Antiochian [[archdiocese]] of Abp. Antony in New York. In 1938, Abp. Samuel was [[Excommunication|excommunicate]]d by the [[Church of Antioch]] for causing disorder, but he was received back in communion in 1941 by the Antiochian patriarchate that also declared him to be archbishop of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Toledo and Dependencies. This created a situation in which the Antiochian [[Holy Synod|synod]] played the two factions against each other.
Metr. Samuel reposed on [[August 12]], 1958. In 1975, the Toledo group, now under the leadership of Metr. [[Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo]], finally merged with the New York diocese under the leadership of Metr. [[Philip (Saliba) of New York]] as the [[Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America]].
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{{succession|
before=—|
title=Bishop of Toledo|
years=1936-1958|
after=[[Michael (Shaheen) of Toledo|Michael (Shaheen)]]}}
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==Sources==
[[Category: Bishops|Samuel]]
[[Category: Bishops of Toledo]]
[[Category:20th-century bishops]]
