John VII of Jerusalem

John VII was Patriarch of Jerusalem from 964 to 966. He was among the most unfortunate bishops of Jerusalem, suffering a cruel martyr's death at the hands of Muslim mobs.

John VII was elected patriarch after the death of his predecessor Agathon in 964. Two versions of his martyrdom have come down to us. The first involved revenge by the ruling governor.

John became patriarch during the rule of the Ikhshidid governor Muhammad Ismail ibn al-Sanaji in Jerusalem. Muhammad was one who demanded gifts be made to him on every occasion, gifts that were a major expense on the patriarchate. About this demand, Patriarch John complained to El Hasan, governor of Ramleh. In 966, after having complained several times, Muhammad took revenge on John by stirring up the Muslim mobs against the patriarch. On a rampage, the mob descended on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, setting it on fire, and causing its cupola to collapse. Then, the mob turned to the church on Mount Zion, which they also burned. The next day the mob continued its reign of destruction during which they found John hiding in the oil cistern of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and murdered him. Following his murder the mob took his corpse to the yard of the Church where they burned it.

A second version of his martyrdom maintains John was burned at the stake by a Muslim mob after writing to the Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, pleading with him to hasten to Palestine and retake it from the Fatimid caliphs,[1] who, however, did not take control of Palestine until the 970s.

References

Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, vol. 1 The First Crusade (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987), 30.

Sources

The History of the Church of Jerusalem

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[1] Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, vol. 1 The First Crusade (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987), 30.

Bishops and Patriarchs of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
Bishops of Jerusalem (until 451)	James, brother of Jesus Simeon of Jerusalem Justus Zacchaeus Tobias Benjamin John I Matthias Philip Senecas Justus II Levis Ephram Joseph I Judas Marcus Cassianus Poplius Maximus I Julian I Gaius I Symmachus Gaius II Julian II Capion Maximus II Antoninus Valens Dolichianus Narcissus Dius Germanion Gordius Alexander Mazabanis Imeneus Zamudas Ermon Macarius Maximus III Cyril I John II Praulius Juvenal
Patriarchs of Jerusalem (from 451)	Juvenal Anastasius I Martyrius Sallustius Elias I John III Peter Macarius II Eustochius John IV Amos Isaac Zacharias Modestus Sophronius Anastasius II John V Theodore Elias II George Thomas I Basileus John VI Sergius I Solomon Theodosius Elias III Sergius II Leontius I Athanasius I Christodulus Agathon John VII Christodulus II Thomas II Joseph II Orestes Theophilus I Nicephorus I Joannichius Sophronius II Euthemius Simeon II Savvas^§ John VIII^§ Nicolas^§ John IX^§ Nicephorus II^§ Leontius II^§ Dositheos I Marcus II Euthemius II Athanasius II Sophronius III Gregory I Thaddaeus Athanasius III Gregory II Lazarus Dorotheus I Theophilus II Theophanes I Joachim Theophanes II Athanasius IV Jacob II Abraham I Gregory III Marcus III Dorotheus II Germanus Sophronius IV Theophanes III Paiseus Nectarius I Dositheos II Chrysanthus Meletius Parthenius Ephram II Sophronius V Abraham II Procopius I Anthemus Polycarpus Athanasius V Cyril II Procopius II Hierotheus Nicodemus I Gerasimus I Damian I Timotheus I Benedict I Diodoros I Irenaios I Theophilus III
^§: in exile at Constantinople due to the Latin rule over Jerusalem