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204 there for the education of his clergy. As first rector of this seminary he appointed the famous Maximos Maẓlūm, who was to become the greatest Patriarch of this line (pp. 210-221). He also had great trouble with one of his Metropolitans, Ignatius Ṣarrūf of Beirut, who founded a religious Congregation at Mār Sim'ān, near Biskinta. The Patriarch would not recognize this Congregation. Ṣarrūf was defended by the Latin missionaries and appealed to Rome. Meanwhile Agapios suspended him from the use of pontificalia. After a long quarrel Propaganda declared for the Patriarch and Ṣarrūf had to submit. When Agapios died Ṣarrūf succeeded him, becoming Ignatius IV (1812). He was murdered ten months later by a Christian before he had time to receive the pallium. Athanasius VI (Maṭār, 1813) and Makarios IV (Ṭauwil, 1813-1815) succeeded in short periods, each dying of the pest soon after his appointment.

Then came Ignatius V (Ḳaṭṭān, 1816–1833). Several important events took place in his reign. There was a great persecution of the Melkites, which lasted from 1817 to 1832. The Orthodox, seeing the growing power of the Melkite Church, persuaded the Turks that these people were turning Franǵi and becoming a danger to the state. The persecution which followed raged chiefly at Aleppo and Damascus. Many Melkites were murdered, others were exiled, imprisoned, flogged. Only in the Lebanon under the powerful Christian (mostly Maronite) Emirs was there peace. Lately the question of the cause of these martyrs has been discussed at Rome. It was also under Ignatius V that the separation of the Shuwair Congregation of monks into two took place (p 208). He ordained the first Catholic Coptic bishop since the old schism; lastly, in his time the Sultan Maḥmūd II (1808-1839) granted the Melkites civil independence from the Orthodox, making the Uniate Patriarch of the Armenians civil head of all Uniates in his empire. Ignatius went blind at the end of his life, and died at the monastery Ẓuḳ Mīkhā'īl on February 9, 1833. His successor was the great Maximos III.