UNESCO World Heritage Site in Israel
Ptolemais
was a ancient port city on the
Canaanite
coast in the ancient region of
Phoenicia
, in the location of the present-day city of
Acre, Israel
. It was also called
Ptolemais in Canaan
and
Ake-Ptolemais
(or
Akko
,
Ake
, or
Akre
in
Canaanite
Language). It was an ancient bishopric that became a double Catholic
titular see
.
In the Middle Ages, it was known as Acre amongst some
Crusaders
, who established a militant
Latin Christian
order.
History
[
edit
]
Greek historians refer to the city as
Ake
(
?κη
),
meaning "cure."
[
citation needed
]
According to the Greek myth,
Heracles
found curative herbs here to heal his wounds.
[1]
Josephus
calls it
Akre
. The name was changed to
Antiochia Ptolemais
(
?ντι?χεια Πτολεμα??
) shortly after
Alexander the Great
's conquest, and then simply to Ptolemais, probably by
Ptolemy I Soter
, after the
Wars of the Diadochi
led to the partition of the kingdom of Alexander the Great and its inclusion first into the Egypt-based
Lagid empire
, then in the
Seleucid Empire
.
Around 37 BC, the Romans conquered the Hellenized Phoenician port city called Akko. It became a colony in southern
Roman Phoenicia
, called
Colonia Claudia Felix Ptolemais Garmanica Stabilis
.
[2]
Ptolemais stayed Roman for nearly seven centuries until the
Muslim conquest
in 636. Under
Augustus
, a
gymnasium
was built in the city. In 4 BC, the Roman proconsul
Publius Quinctilius Varus
assembled his army there to suppress the revolts that broke out in the region following the death of
Herod the Great
.
The Romans built a breakwater and expanded the harbor at the present location of the harbor... In the Roman/Byzantine period, Acre-Ptolemais was an important port city. It minted its own coins, and its harbor was one of the main gates to the land. Through this port the Roman Legions came by ship to crush the Jewish revolt in 67AD. It also served was used as connections to the other ports (for example, Caesarea and Jaffa)....The port of Acre (Ptolemais) was a station on Paul's naval travel, as described in Acts of the Gospels (21, 6-7): "And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again. And when we had finished our course from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day".
[3]
During the rule of the emperor
Claudius
there was a building drive in Ptolemais and veterans of the legions settled here. The city was one of four colonies (with
Berytus
,
Aelia Capitolina
, and
Caesarea Maritima
) created in the Levant by Roman emperors for veterans of their Roman legions.
[4]
As a result, Claudius granted it the title
Colonia Claudia Felix Ptolemais Garmanica Stabilis
.
The city was a center of
Romanization
in the region, but most of the population was made of local Phoenicians and
Jews
: as a consequence, after
Hadrian
's rule, the descendants of the initial Roman colonists ceased speaking
Latin
and were fully assimilated within less than two centuries. However, local customs remained Roman.
In 66, Gessius Florus, the
Procurator of Judea
, conducted an initial massacre of the Jews living in the city. The next year, the Roman military commander
Vespasian
, accompanied by his son
Titus
, moved from Ptolemais to suppress a Jewish uprising in the
Galilee campaign
.
In 130, the port of Ptolemais was used as a base for the
Roman Legions
setting forth to suppress the
Bar-Kochba revolt
. After the destruction of
Jerusalem
many Jews settled in Ptolemais, that was losing its original Phoenician characteristics since
Augustus
times.
Ake-Ptolemais was a port near
ancient Galilee
In 190,
Christianity
started to be important in the city: Clarus, the Bishop of Ptolemais, participated in a council of Christian leaders. Ptolemais grew to be an important port in the eastern
Mediterranean Sea
of the
Roman Empire
. After Hadrianic times, Ptolemais was the commercial center & port of Jewish Galilee and was starting no longer part of Phoenicia.
In 351,
Constantius Gallus
suppressed a
Jewish rebellion
and massacred the Jews of Akko-Ptolemais, who were starting to be the majority of the city's population and rejected Roman domination.
Under Byzantine control, the city lost importance, and around 636 was conquered by
Amr ibn al-As
. Following the defeat of the
Byzantine army
of
Heraclius
by the
Rashidun army
of
Khalid ibn al-Walid
in the
Battle of the Yarmuk
and the
capitulation of the Christian city of Jerusalem to Umar
, Ptolemais was ruled by the
Rashidun Caliphate
beginning in 638.
Christian center
[
edit
]
Ptolemais was an important center of early Christianity in the region. Saint Paul visited the city at the end of his third missionary journey.
Towards the end of the third century, Ptolemais was a predominantly Christian city, but with a large Jewish community. An unidentified visitor from Italy reported that in the sixth century, the city had beautiful churches. Indeed, an important discovery was made in 2011: a Byzantine church in the middle of San Giovanni d'Acri, as it was called in the
Middle Ages
.
[5]
Ecclesiastical History
[
edit
]
Bishops of Ptolemais in Syria
[
edit
]
The
Apostle Paul
, returning from his trip to
Macedonia
and Achea, landed at
Tyre
, and from there sailed to Ptolemais, where he stayed some days with the local Christian community (Acts 21.7).
Ptolemais became of
suffragan
of the Metropolitan Archbishopric of Tyre.
The first bishop known is Clarus, who in 190 AD attended a Council meeting which saw some bishops of Phoenicia and Palestine to deal with the issue of the date of the Easter feast. But we must go back to the fourth century to find the next Bishop, Enea, who took part at the
first Council of Nicaea
in 325 AD and at the Synod held in
Antioch
in 341 AD. Nectabus was one of the fathers of the first Ecumenical Council of
Constantinople
in 381 AD. Between the 4th and 5th centuries lived Bishop Antiochus, opponent of John Chrysostom. Helladius participated in the first Council of
Ephesus
in 431 AD. Paul took part in the Council held at Antioch of 445 AD to judge the work of Athanasius of Perrhe and at the Council of Chalcedon of 451 AD. In 518 AD Bishop John signed a Synodal letter against Severus of Antioch and the Monophysite party. Finally, the last known Bishop of Ptolemais is George, who attended the second Council of Constantinople in 553 AD.
It faded after Islam was established in Greater Syria in the 7th century by the first Caliphs, conquering the Sassanid satrapy.
Crusaders
[
edit
]
Acre Tower
In the 12th century, the Crusaders started all over in their
Kingdom of Jerusalem
. From 1107 - 1190 AD including a
Latin Catholic Diocese of Acre
. Then reconquered in the 13th century for another further decades of Christian domination with Jewish communities peacefully living together.
Titular sees
[
edit
]
Long after the
Crusader states
had perished, the Catholic church nominally restored the see (linked to the Acre succession) as a
titular see
, actually twice, in different rite-specific branches.
Latin titular see
[
edit
]
- Established by nominal restoration as Episcopal
Titular bishopric
of Ptolemais (Latin) / Tolemaide (Curiate Italian)
- Gained 'territory' (i.e.
apostolic succession
) in 1870? from the suppressed Episcopal Titular bishopric of
Acre (Akka)
, but suppressed circa 1895
- Restored and promoted in 1909 as Titular archbishopric of Ptolemais (Latin) / Tolemaide (Italian)
- Demoted back in 1925 as Episcopal Titular bishopric of Ptolemais (Latin) / Tolemaide (Italian; in 1926 renamed as Tolemaide di Fenicia)
- Renamed in 1933 as Titular bishopric of Ptolemais in Phœnicia (Latin) / Tolemaide di Fenicia (Italian) / Ptolemaiden(sis) in Phœnicia (Latin adjective)
It is vacant since decades, having had the following incumbents, so far of the (mostly fitting) Episcopal, i.e. lowest) rank (
with an archiepiscopal exception
) :
- Carolus Ludovicus Hugo,
Norbertines
(O. Praem.) (1728.12.15 ? death 1739.08.02) without actual prelature
- Armand de Rohan-Soubise-Ventadour
(1742.07.30 ? 1747.04.10) as
Coadjutor Bishop
of
Strasbourg
(France) (1742.05.21 ? 1749.07.19); later created
Cardinal-Priest
with no Title assigned (1747.04.10 ? death 1756.06.28), succeeded as Bishop of Strasbourg (1749.07.19 ? 1756.06.28)
- Ludwik Ignacy Riaucour (1749.03.03 ? death 1777.11) (Polish) as
Auxiliary Bishop
of
Diocese of Luck
(
Ukraine
) (1749.03.03 ? 1777.11)
- Onufry Kajetan Szembek (1796.06.27 ? 1797.09.05) as Coadjutor Bishop of
Płock
(Poland) (1796.06.27 ? 1797.09.05); next succeeded as Bishop of Płock (1797.09.05 ? death 1808.12.31)
- Luiz de Castro Pereira,
Congregation of Saint Joseph
(C.S.I.) (Portuguese) (1804.10.29 ? 1822.08.01) as
Bishop-Prelate
of
Territorial Prelature of Cuiaba
(
Brazil
) (1804.10.29 ? 1822.08.01); later Bishop of
Braganca e Miranda
(Portugal) (1821.04.21 ? death 1822.08.01)
- Maciej Pawel Mozdzeniewski (polish) (1815.07.10 ? death 1819.04.02) as Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Mohilev
(
Belarus
) (1815.07.10 ? 1819.04.02)
- Ferdinand Maria von Chotek (Austrian) (1817.04.14 ? 1831.09.30) as Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Olomouc
(Olmutz,
Moravia
) (1817.04.14 ? 1831.09.30); later Bishop of
Tarnow
(Poland) (1831.09.30 ? 1832.02.24), Metropolitan Archbishop of above Olomouc (1832.02.24 ? death 1836.09.05)
- Franciscus Renatus Boussen
(1832.12.17 ? 1834.06.23), first as Coadjutor Bishop Ghent (Flanders, Belgium) (1832.12.17 ? 1834.06.23), then as
Apostolic Administrator
of
West Flanders
(Flanders, Belgium) (1833.01.21 ? 1834.05.27); later Bishop of
Bruges
(Bruges, Flanders, Belgium) (1834.05.27 ? death 1848.01.01)
- Alois Josef Schrenk (1838.02.12 ? 1838.09.17) as Auxiliary Bishop of
Archdiocese of Olomouc
(Olmutz,
Moravia
) (1838.02.12 ? 1838.09.17); later Metropolitan Archbishop of
Praha
(Prague, Bohemia) ([1838.06.20] 1838.09.17 ? death 1849.03.05)
- Tommaso Feeny (Thomas Feeny) (1839.07.27 ? 1848.01.11) without actual prelature; next Bishop of
Killala
(Ireland) (1848.01.11 ? 1873.08.09)
- Giovanni Antonio Balma,
Oblates of the Virgin Mary
(O.M.V.) (1848.09.05 ? 1871.10.27) as
Apostolic Vicar
of
Ava and Pegu
(then British
Burma
=Myanmar) (1848.09.05 ? 1855.09.09); later Metropolitan Archbishop of Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy) (1871.10.27 ? death 1881.04.05)
- BIOs TO BE ELABORATED
- Edmundo Luis Kunz (1955.08.01 ? 1988.09.12)
- Louis-Eugene-Arsene Turquetil, O.M.I. (1931.12.15 ? 1955.06.14)
- Titular Archbishop: Augustin Dontenwill,
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
(O.M.I.) (1909.01.19 ? 1931.11.30)
- Cassien-Leonard de Peretti (1875.03.31 ? 1892.02.22)
- Carmelo Pascucci (1871.10.27 ? 1874.04.22)
Maronite titular see
[
edit
]
(
Eastern Catholic
,
Antiochian Rite
)
- Established as Episcopal
Titular bishopric
of Giovanni S. d’Acri (Latin 'Saint John of Acre') / Tolemaide di Siria (Curiate Italian), suppressed in 1890 but restored under those 'Crusader' names in 1919;
- Renamed in 1925 as Titular bishopric of Ptolemais (Latin) / Tolemaide (Curiate Italian; in 1926: renamed Tolemaide di Fenicia), suppressed in 1933
- Restored in 1956 as Episcopal Titular bishopric of Ptolemais in Phœnicia (Latin) / Tolemaide di Fenicia (Curiate Italian) / Ptolemaiden(sis) in Phœnicia Maronitarum (Latin adjective).
It has had the following incumbents, of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank
with an archiepiscopal exception
:
- Titular Bishops of Giovanni S. d’Acri of the Maronites
- Clement Bahouth
[Clement Bahous] (? ? 1856.04.01) (? ? 1856.04.01), without actual prelature; later Patriarch of
Antioch of the Greek-Melkites
(
Syria
) ([1856.04.01] 1856.06.16 ? retired 1864.08.13), also (
ex officio
) titular Patriarch of
Alexandria of the Greek-Melkites
and titular Patriarch of
Jerusalem of the Greek-Melkites
([1856.04.01] 1856.06.16 ? 1864.08.13); died 1882
- Gregoire Youssef-Sayour (1856.11.13 ? 1864.09.29), without actual prelature; later Patriarch of Antioch of the (Greek-)Melkites (Syria) ([1864.09.29] 1865.03.27 ? 1897.07.13) and as above titular Patriarch of Alexandria of the (Greek-)Melkites and of Jerusalem of the (Greek-)Melkites ([1864.09.29] 1865.03.27 ? 1897.07.13)
- Titular Archbishop of Giovanni S. d’Acri of the Maronites: Youssef Massad (1883 ? death 1890), not prelature
- Luigi Giuseppe El-Khazen (1919.02.23 ? 1925
see below
), no prelature
- Titular Bishop of Ptolemais of the Maronites
- Luigi Giuseppe El-Khazen (
see above
1925 ? 1933.02.22
see blow
), no prelature
- Titular Bishops of Ptolemais in Phœnicia of the Maronites
- Joseph Khoury (1956.04.21 ? 1959.12.11), then without prelature; later Eparch (Bishop) of
Tyre of the Maronites
(
Lebanon
) (1959.12.11 ? 1965), promoted Archeparch (Archbishop) of Tyre of the Maronites (Lebanon) (1965 ? 1992.02.05)
- Camille Zaidan (2011.08.13 ? 2012.06.16) as
Bishop of Curia
of the (patriarchate of the) Maronites (2011.08.13 ? 2012.06.16), later Archeparch (Archbishop) of
Antelias of the Maronites
(Lebanon) (2012.06.16 ? ...)
- Joseph Mouawad (2012.06.16 ? 2015.03.14) as Bishop of Curia of the Maronites (2012.06.16 ? 2015.03.14), later Bishop of
Zahle of the Maronites
(Lebanon) (2015.03.14 ? ...)
- Paul Abdel Sater (2015.07.28 ? ...), Bishop of Curia of the Maronites, no previous prelature.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
Sources and external links
[
edit
]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
- Butcher, Kevin.
Roman Syria and the Near East
Getty Publications. Los Angeles, 2003
ISBN
0892367156
(
[1]
)
- Mo?e ??ron.
Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae (CIAP)
. Volumes 30-31 of Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1, The Near and Middle East, v.30 (Handbuch der Orientalistik). Publisher BRILL, 1997
ISBN
9004108335
(
[2]
)
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