Athanasius I Gammolo

[4] Athanasius was born into a wealthy family in the 6th century at Samosata, and was raised with his brother Severus under the care of their mother Joanna, after their father had died.

[8] After the death of Patriarch Julian II, a synod was held at a monastery near Qenneshre to elect his successor, and the bishops confined themselves, and fasted and prayed for three days.

[10] It is likely that Michael or his source removed the vacancy between the death of Julian II and the consecration of Athanasius so to not cast doubt on the legitimacy of the patriarchal succession.

[11] The Syriac and Coptic churches, although both non-Chalcedonian, had been in schism as a consequence of the dispute over the issue of tritheism between Patriarch Peter III and Pope Damian of Alexandria in the late 6th century.

[18] After a synod had been held at the monastery and concluded in favour of the restoration of the union, John returned to Athanasius with the bishops Christopher of the Monastery of Saint Matthew, George of Sinjar, Daniel of Banuhadra, Gregory of Baremman, and Yardafne of Shahrzoul, and the monks Marutha, Ith Alaha, and Aha, who were to be ordained bishops to fill vacant dioceses.

[22] Heraclius demanded they accept a Chalcedonian creed containing the doctrines of monothelitism and monoenergism, but this was rejected, and the emperor became enraged and ordered the persecution of non-Chalcedonians within the empire.

[24] Athanasius may have also been the patron of Paul of Edessa's Syriac translation of the Homilies of Gregory of Nazianzus, as well as the Harklean version of the New Testament by Thomas of Mabbogh.