Paul II the Black | |
|---|---|
| Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East | |
| Church | Syriac Orthodox Church |
| See | Antioch |
| Installed | c. 551 or 564 |
| Term ended | 578 |
| Predecessor | Sergius of Tella |
| Successor | Peter III of Callinicum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 500 |
| Died | 581/584 Constantinople, Eastern Roman Empire |
Paul II the Black (Greek: Paulos Melanos,[1] Syriac: ܦܘܠܘܣ ܬܪܝܢܐ ܦܛܪܝܪܟܐ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ),[2] also known as Paul of Bēth Ukkāme,[1] was the Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from c. 551 or 564 to his deposition in 578. He succeeded Sergius of Tella as the spiritual leader of the Syrian non-Chalcedonians, in opposition to the Chalcedonian Imperial Church, and led the nascent Syriac Orthodox Church as it endured division and persecution.
In Paul's tenure as patriarch, the Church suffered schisms, first with the tritheists, then with the Egyptian non-Chalcedonians after a failed attempt to consecrate a new pope of Alexandria, and finally with the eminent bishop Jacob Baradaeus, who in his effort to reunite the Egyptian and Syrian non-Chalcedonians agreed to Paul's deposition, dividing the Church in the process. Amidst the troubles he faced, Paul was imprisoned, excommunicated twice, forced into exile in Arabia twice, and ultimately forced into hiding at Constantinople, where he died, and received an ignominious burial.