Paul (Yazigi)

His Eminence, the Most Reverend Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo is the metropolitan of the archdiocese of Aleppo (Haleb), Syria, of the Church of Antioch.

Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo

Life

Metropolitan Paul (Rami) Yazigi was born in 1959 in the coastal city of Lattakya (Syria) into a very devout Christian family. After graduating from the secondary school, where he excelled in his studies, he entered the University of Tishreen and pursued courses for a Civil Engineering degree. While at the university, he was active in youth ministry, sunday school, and Byzantine music training. In 1985, he was ordained a deacon. After graduating, he studied theology at the University of Thessaloniki, graduating in 1989 with a Master's degree and in 1992 with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Theology, with excellence. His thesis, written in Greek, has been published as a book titled: Eschatology & Ethics: The Eschatological Foundations of the Life in Christ According to St. John Chrysostom (Thessaloniki, Greece, 1992). He also studied Byzantine music and iconography in Greece and at Mount Athos.

Metropolitan Paul (Yazigi) of Aleppo

In 1992, Metr. Paul was ordained to the priesthood and began teaching patrology, ethics, and homiletics at the St. John of Damascus Institute at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. In 1994, he was elevated to the dignity of archimandrite. From 1994 to 2001 he served as Dean of the Institute of Theology. In 1999, the Holy Synod commended him for his work at the Institute. On October 2, 2000, he was elected Metropolitan of Aleppo by the Holy Synod of the Church of Antioch. His election was followed by his consecration as bishop at Mariamieh Cathedral in Damascus on October 20. He was enthroned in Aleppo on October 22.

Since his elevation to metropolitan, Metr. Paul has been active in ordination of his clergy. He has, through mid 2008, performed 24 ordinations to the holy diaconate and to the holy priesthood in Aleppo and in Turkey. He was appointed, in September 2005, representative of the Patriarchate of Antioch to the official theological discussions between the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He also was commissioned by the Patriarch to minister the region of Hatay in Turkey that is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate.

Writings and translations

Homelies (I), Triodion and Pentecostarion, ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo, 2006.

Homelies (II), Minaion, ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Aleppo, 2006.

Two Voyagers between heaven & earth, ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Bosra, 2005.

St Arsenios the Capadoc, of Gerontas Paissios, ed. Holy Monastery of Balamand – Lebanon, 1997 (Translation from Greek).

Psalms 50 & 62, ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Lattakia, no. 74, 1996.

Staretz Ilarion, ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Lattakia, no. 67, 1995 (Translation from Greek).

Staretz Samson, ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Lattakia, no. 657, 1995 (Translation from Greek).

The power of the Name, ed. Holy Monastery of the Dormition – Blemana, 1994 (Translation from English).

Letter of love – Basics of the Christian faith, ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Lattakia, no. 58, 1994 (Translation from Greek).

Spiritual Anthologia (I), ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Lattakia, no. 57, 1994.

St Cassionos the Roman, ed. Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Lattakia, no. 54, 1993 (Translation from Greek).

Self knowledge and agape according to Gerontas Joseph the Hesychas (Greek), Holy Monastery of Makhairas, Cyprus 2005.

Brief account of the Ecumenical Activities in the Middle East (English), Fairacres Chronicle, Vol. 36, Issue 2, Spring 2003, Oxford, England, pp. 27-33.

Woman in the Bible and the Church Fathers (Greek), Synaxis Eukharistias, ed. Indoktos, Greece, 2003, pp. 205-236.

Fleshly, psychic and spiritual man according to Apostle Paul and to St John Chrysostom, Chronicle of the Theological Faculty of Balamand, issues 3-5, 2001-2002 & 2002-2003, pp. 48-65.