Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum

Ignatius Aphrem I Barsoum (June 15, 1887 - June 23, 1957) was the 120th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church. He wrote, translated and published many scholarly works, including books on the tradition, liturgy, music, and history of Syriac Orthodox Church.
Early Life and Career
He was born in Mosul, Iraq, and attended a school run by Dominican monks. He studied French and Turkish as well as religious literature and history, and later learned Arabic from studies under Muslim scholars. At the Deir al-Za`faran monastery in Mardin, Turkey, where he started his theological training in 1905, he studied the Syriac language and literature.
After his ordination as a priest in 1908, he remained at the monastery to teach, and in 1911 he assumed the additional responsibility of managing the monastery press. Later that year he began a scholar's visit to the monasteries and churches of Mesopotamia and Turkey. Soon after his...