Titular patriarch Following the death of the titular Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Luke, the theologian
Soterichos Panteugenos was elected as his successor. However, synods in Constantinople condemned his teaching on the
Eucharist in 1156 and 1157; consequently, he was declared ineligible for the patriarchal throne in May 1157, before his
episcopal consecration. The
Byzantinist Albert Failler argues, because no other intervening incumbent is known, that Athanasius was most probably elected patriarch in the same year. Therefore, it was Athanasius whom Emperor
Manuel I Komnenos intended when he sought to persuade
Raynald of Châtillon, the Frankish
prince of Antioch, to permit the Orthodox patriarch to take possession of the city's see in 1159. The historian Bernard Hamilton suggests Manuel probably abandoned this plan because his insistence would jeopardise amicable relations with the
Crusader states and his alliance with the
papacy, a key partner in opposition to Emperor
Frederick I Barbarossa. Christmas Day 1161 is one of the few securely attested dates in Athanasius's life. On that day, he assisted
Luke Chrysoberges,
Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, with the nuptial blessing of Emperor Manuel and
Maria of Antioch at
Hagia Sophia. In March 1166, Athanasius participated in a synod convened to examine the meaning of Christ's words in the
Gospel of John, "" ('my Father is greater than I'). Failler argues both occasions indicate Athanasius was residing in Constantinople, where the
Hodegon Monastery served as the official residence of the Antiochian patriarchs. By contrast, Hamilton argues that Athanasius was already resident in Antioch as patriarch when he attended the synod in Constantinople.
In Antioch Athanasius occupied the patriarchal throne in Antioch due to political developments in the Levant. In August 1164, the combined forces of
Bohemond III of Antioch,
Raymond III of Tripoli, and
Constantine Kalamanos, the Byzantine governor of
Cilicia, were decisively defeated by
Nur ad-Din, the Muslim ruler of
Aleppo and
Damascus, at the
Battle of Harim. The Christian leaders were captured, and, unable to meet the required ransom, Bohemond travelled to Constantinople to seek assistance from Emperor ManuelI, his brother-in-law and overlord. Manuel agreed to provide aid on the condition that Bohemond consented to the installation of the Greek Orthodox patriarch in Antioch. Athanasius accompanied Bohemond to Antioch, where he was enthroned at the
Cathedral of Saint Peter. The city's incumbent
Catholic patriarch,
Aimery of Limoges, withdrew to the patriarchal fortress of Qusair (now
Altınözü, Turkey) and
excommunicated all Franks who recognised Athanasius. These events are recorded only by the
Syriac (or Jacobite) prelate
Michael the Syrian, who maintained amicable relations with the Catholic clergy but distrusted the Greek Orthodox, whom he regarded as less tolerant towards the Syriac Church. The historians Andrew D. Buck and Kevin J. Lewis date Athanasius's arrival in Antioch to 1165, whereas Failler maintains Athanasius did not leave Constantinople until after March 1166, because the eastern patriarchs attended synods in the city only when they were physically present there. The
scholar of religion Christopher MacEvitt notes Athanasius's "presence in the city was a constant reminder of Manuel's domination" of the
Principality of Antioch.
Pope Alexander III did not object to Athanasius's installation; Hamilton attributes this to the Pope's allies, the northern Italian cities, depending heavily upon Byzantine subsidies in their opposition to Frederick Barbarossa. He also notes Athanasius neither replaced his Latin
suffragan bishops with Orthodox prelates nor removed the Latin
canons of Antioch's cathedral. By contrast, Lewis argues Orthodox prelates supplanted Catholic bishops "in a handful of other
dioceses within the patriarchate", though he acknowledges there is "no definite evidence" for the presence of Orthodox bishops in any of the
County of Tripoli's bishoprics. Following his installation as the new
Syriac Patriarch of Antioch in 1166, Michael the Syrian undertook an extensive tour of
Cilician Armenia, the Principality of Antioch, and the
Kingdom of Jerusalem. During this journey, he met the
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem,
Amalric of Nesle, and the exiled Patriarch Aimery, but declined to visit Athanasius. In 1168, a prolonged controversy arose between the Greek and Syriac clergy, attested by extensive correspondence continuing until 1171. The correspondence stemmed from Manuel I Komnenos's ultimately unsuccessful attempt to secure a reconciliation with the Syriac and
Armenian Churches under Orthodox leadership, thereby strengthening his position as protector of the Christians of northern Syria. ==Death==