Apostolic Succession
from St. Peter at Antioch, through the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, to the present time
in the line of
The Most ReverendGarland F. Byers, Jr., J.D., D.D.
Bishop to the Nations, under Apostolic Commission
1.Saint Peter, Apostle and MartyrC Ocalled by Christ about A.D. 30; first bishop of Antioch
named in Scripture: “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18); at Antioch (Galatians 2:11)
This line of apostolic succession extends from the Apostle Peter, about A.D. 30, to the present day, a span of 1,996 years as of 2026.
The succession from St. Peter to Ignatius Peter IV, Patriarch of Antioch, follows the list of the patriarchs of Antioch kept by the Syriac Orthodox Church: the same list by which that Church traces its own apostolic succession to St. Peter, first bishop of Antioch.
Consecrations to the office of bishop were made, one to the next, through the churches named below.
Some bishops in this line are also honored as saints. The marks beside their names concern holiness of life only. They do not bear on the validity of any consecration: every bishop listed holds his place in the succession equally, whether or not he is honored as a saint.
- St.
- Saint: one whom a Church publicly honors as having lived a life of heroic holiness and as now being with God, and whose memory it keeps in its calendar. In the early Church saints were recognized by the acclaim of the faithful and their bishops; later, by formal canonization in the Roman Catholic Church and glorification in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
- Bl.
- Blessed: in the Roman Catholic Church, one who has been beatified, the formal step that precedes canonization as a saint.
- C
- Honored as a saint or blessed by the Roman Catholic Church.
- O
- Honored as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church.
- C O
- Honored as a saint by both the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
- Red
- Martyr: one who gave his life for the faith.
The Churches do not always agree on who is a saint. One may honor a person whom another does not, and the marks show which Church honors each.
Antioch
The see of Antioch, where “the disciples were called Christians first” (Acts 11:26), founded by St. Peter before he went to Rome. The bishops and patriarchs of Antioch from St. Evodius, who succeeded St. Peter, to Severus, the last patriarch whom both the Syriac Orthodox and the Greek Orthodox Churches count in common.
- 2.St. EvodiusC O53
- 3.St. IgnatiusC O Martyr68
- 4.Heron I100
- 5.Cornelius127
- 6.Heron II151
- 7.St. TheophilusC O169
- 8.Maximus I188
- 9.St. SerapionC O191
- 10.St. AsclepiadesC O212
- 11.Philetus218
- 12.Zebinus232
- 13.St. BabylasC O Martyr240
- 14.Fabius253
- 15.Demetrian256
- 16.Amphilochius263
- 17.Paul of Samosata267
- 18.Domnus I270
- 19.Timaeus273
- 20.Cyril277
- 21.Tyrannion299
- 22.Vitalius308
- 23.St. PhilogoniusC O314
- 24.Paulinus324
- 25.St. EustathiusC O325
- 26.Eulalius332
- 27.Euphronius333
- 28.Flacillus334
- 29.Stephen I341
- 30.Leontius345
- 31.Eudoxius350
- 32.St. MeletiusC O354
- 33.Anianus357
- 34.Euzoius360
- 35.Dorotheus370
- 36.Paulinus II371
- 37.Vitalius II376
- 38.St. Flavian IC O384
- 39.Porphyrius404
- 40.Alexander408
- 41.Theodotus418
- 42.John I427
- 43.Domnus II443
- 44.Maximus II450
- 45.Basil459
- 46.Acacius459
- 47.Martyrius461
- 48.Peter the Fuller465
- 49.Julian466
- 50.John II475
- 51.Stephen II490
- 52.Stephen III493
- 53.Calandion495
- 54.John Codonatus495
- 55.Palladius497
- 56.Flavian II505
- 57.Severus513
The Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate
From the deposition of Severus in 518, the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch, as that Church keeps their list, to Ignatius Peter IV, who in 1877 consecrated Paulose Mar Athanasius, Bishop of Kottayam, for the Church in India.
- 58.Sergius of Tella544
- 59.Paul II the Black564
- 60.Peter III of Callinicum581
- 61.Julian II591
- 62.Athanasius I Gammolo595
- 63.John III of the Sedre631
- 64.Theodore649
- 65.Severus II bar Masqeh668
- 66.Athanasius II Baldoyo684
- 67.Julian III687
- 68.Elias I709
- 69.Athanasius III724
- 70.Iwannis I740
- 71.George I758
- 72.Joseph790
- 73.Quriaqos of Tagrit793
- 74.Dionysius I Telmaharoyo818
- 75.John IV846
- 76.Ignatius II878
- 77.Theodosius Romanus887
- 78.Dionysius II897
- 79.John V910
- 80.Basil I923
- 81.John VI936
- 82.Iwannis II954
- 83.Dionysius III958
- 84.Abraham I962
- 85.John VII Sarigta965
- 86.Athanasius IV Salhoyo987
- 87.John VIII bar Abdoun1004
- 88.Dionysius IV Yahyo1031
- 89.John IX bar Abdun1049
- 90.Athanasius V Yahyo1058
- 91.John X bar Shushan1064
- 92.Basil II1074
- 93.John bar Abdun1075
- 94.Dionysius V Lazarus1077
- 95.Iwannis III1086
- 96.Dionysius VI1088
- 97.Athanasius VI bar Khamoro1091
- 98.John XI bar Mawdyono1130
- 99.Athanasius VII bar Qatra1139
- 100.Michael I the Syrian1166
- 101.Athanasius VIII bar Salibi1199
- 102.John XII1208
- 103.Ignatius III David1222
- 104.Dionysius VII Angur1252
- 105.John XIII bar Ma'dani1252
- 106.Ignatius IV Yeshu1264
- 107.Philoxenus I Nemrud1283
- 108.Michael II1292
- 109.Michael III Yeshu1312
- 110.Basil III Gabriel1349
- 111.Philoxenus II1387
- 112.Basil IV Simon1421
- 113.Ignatius Behnam Hadloyo1445
- 114.Ignatius Khalaf1456
- 115.Ignatius John XIV1484
- 116.Ignatius Noah1494
- 117.Ignatius Yeshu I1509
- 118.Ignatius Jacob I1512
- 119.Ignatius David I1519
- 120.Ignatius Abdullah I1521
- 121.Ignatius Ni'matallah1557
- 122.Ignatius David II Shah1576
- 123.Ignatius Pilate1591
- 124.Ignatius Hidayat Allah1598
- 125.Ignatius Simon1640
- 126.Ignatius Yeshu II1655
- 127.Ignatius Abdulmasih I1662
- 128.Ignatius George II1687
- 129.Ignatius Isaac II1709
- 130.Ignatius Shukrallah II1723
- 131.Ignatius George III1746
- 132.Ignatius George IV1768
- 133.Ignatius Matthew1782
- 134.Ignatius Yunan1817
- 135.Ignatius George V1819
- 136.Ignatius Elias II1838
- 137.Ignatius Jacob II1847
- 138.Ignatius Peter IV1872
India, Ceylon, and America
From Paulose Mar Athanasius, each bishop consecrated by the one listed before him. With St. Gregorios of Parumala, Mar Athanasius and Mar Julius I consecrated Joseph René Vilatte at Colombo, Ceylon, in 1892, by favour of the Patriarch.
- 139.Paulose Mar Athanasius1877
- 140.Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares (Mar Julius I)1889
- 141.Joseph René Vilatte (Mar Timotheos)1892
- 142.Francis John Edmund Barwell-Walker1923
- 143.Emile Rodriguez y Fairfieldc. 1961
- 144.Nils Bertil Alexander Persson1986
- 145.Samuel Guido, Jr.2004
146.Garland F. Byers, Jr.2013
Holy Orders
- Ordination
- August 17, 2008, by the laying on of hands, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Orthodox Chapel, Palmerton, Pennsylvania.
- Consecration to the Holy Order of Bishop
- April 20, 2013, by the laying on of hands during the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Orthodox Chapel, meeting that day at American Legion Post 16, Slatington, Pennsylvania.
- Principal consecrator
- The Most Reverend Samuel Guido, Jr.
- Co-consecrators
- Bishop Bradley A. Varvil
Bishop Michael Byus
Bishop James Thompson
The certificates of ordination and consecration, with photographs of the consecration, are presented on the About the Bishop page.
Service
Consecrated to the Holy Order of Bishop on April 20, 2013, within the Lutheran Orthodox Church, Inc., in which he subsequently served as Archbishop of the Diocese of Western North Carolina. Bishop Byers is no longer affiliated with that body.
Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa), conferred by the Lutheran Orthodox Church, Inc., April 20, 2013.
