Samuel of Ctesiphon

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Samuel of Ctesiphon was the Syriac Orthodox Grand Metropolitan of the East from 614 to 624. He was appointed in 614, during the reign of the Sasanian king Khosrow II, after the death of Qamishoʿ in 609, at a time when the Church of the East had no clear leader. Because the Sasanian Empire was ruling much of the region, Samuel wielded considerable power and may have acted as the spiritual leader of many Christians under Sasanian rule. He formed an alliance with Komitas Aghtsetsi, the Catholicos of All Armenians, though later sources question this alliance. There is disagreement about what episcopal see Samuel offered to his successor Marutha; some accounts say Tikrit, while others say Samuel wanted to pass on his own position. In the Life of Marutha, Samuel is criticized for allowing members of different Christian groups to celebrate the Eucharist together. He remained in office until his death in 624. Some historians, like Philip Wood, note that Samuel is not listed in the Syriac Orthodox synaxarium, possibly because of alleged cooperation with the Sasanian authorities during the Roman–Sasanian War.