Born Joshua Sephtono ()''''
, he hailed from a prominent ecclesiastical family in Melitene, that of Michael the Syrian. His father was Abraham and his uncle was Michael the Syrian (called Rabo'' or "the Elder" to distinguish the two). Another uncle, Saliba, served as Archbishop of
Mardin (1177) and later of
Jerusalem (1184), ordained by Michael the Syrian. Joshua had a brother, Jacob (), who changed his name upon being elevated to his position, adopting the name Gregory () upon his ordination as
maphrian. Joshua became a monk at
Monastery of Mar Barsauma. Following the death of Patriarch Michael the Syrian in 1199, he attempted to become the
Patriarch of Antioch, prompting him to leave the monastery. Thus he left the monastery, but the abbot pursued him in an effort to bring him backk. Joshua, in response, had him arrested by the governor of
Gargar, only released on the condition that he would not hinder Michael's pursuit of the office.
Episcopate Joshua was ordained by his brother, Maphrian Jacob, at
Mor Hananyo Monastery in 1200, adopting the name Michael in honor of his uncle. As it was commonly done at the time, he appointed three bishops loyal to him in order to consolidate his support immediataely after his ordination, but the people of Mardin bribed the governor to have both him and his brother expelled, to which he relocated to Melitene. is included in his title as "Patriarch of Antioch and the entire East"; this comprises virtually all of
Asia, with a specific emphasis on the
Middle East.
Arabia is included, but
Egypt,
Armenia, and
Western Anatolia are notThus, Michael became the antipatriarch, rival to Athanasius VIII bar Salibi, the patriarch of
Antioch officially recognized by the
Syriac Orthodox Church throughout the latter's entire pontificate. The anonymous author of the
Chronicle of 1234 regarded him as the legitimate patriarch and labeled Athanasius as the antipatriarch. Athanasius was recognized in the western and northern provinces of the ecclesiastical territory of Antioch (
Syria,
Sultanate of Rum, and
Tur Abdin) while Michael was recognized in the eastern and southern provinces (
Tagrit,
Mosul,
Nisibis, and Mardin). Both patriarchs wielded their financial and influential resources to assert their legitimacy; Athanasius accused Michael of bribing
Sultan Rukn al-Din of Melitene with six thousand
dinars, despite the prohibition against monks owning any money. Athanasius died in 1207, and
John XII of Antioch was ordained as his successor; Michael, however continued to contest John, and the schism persisted. According to
Barhebraeus, Michael never gained significant popular support even within his own family, with the notable exception of his brother, Maphrian Jacob, who remained loyal to him. Michael died 40 days after his brother in 1215, leading to the eventual resolution of the schism. == Works ==