Peter III of Callinicum | |
|---|---|
| Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East | |
| Church | Syriac Orthodox Church |
| See | Antioch |
| Installed | 581 |
| Term ended | 591 |
| Predecessor | Paul II |
| Successor | Julian II |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 550 |
| Died | 22 April 591 |
| Sainthood | |
| Feast day | 22 April |
| Venerated in | Syriac Orthodox Church |
Peter III of Callinicum (Latin: Petrus Callinicus,[1] Syriac: ܦܛܪܘܣ ܓ ܩܠܘܢܝܩܝܐ)[2] was the Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 581 until his death in 591. He is commemorated as a saint by the Syriac Orthodox Church in the Martyrology of Rabban Sliba, and his feast day is 22 April.[3]
Under considerable pressure from the most prominent non-Chalcedonians, Peter agreed to become patriarch of Antioch, and thus spiritual leader of the Syrian non-Chalcedonians, in opposition to its incumbent Paul the Black, and led the church as he faced the division he inherited from Paul's tenure as patriarch. Whilst he had some success in dealing with the tritheists, Peter quarrelled with his erstwhile ally the Egyptian non-Chalcedonian Pope Damian of Alexandria, and entered into a schism with him that would persist past his death until 616.