Apostolic Succession
from St. Evodius, Apostle of the Seventy, 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 Evodius, Apostle of the SeventyC Osent by Christ among the Seventy about A.D. 30 (Luke 10:1)
first bishop of Antioch after St. Peter, about A.D. 53
This line of apostolic succession extends from the Apostle Evodius, about A.D. 30, to the present day, a span of 1,996 years as of 2026.
The succession from St. Evodius to Cyril VIII, Patriarch of Antioch, follows the list of the patriarchs of Antioch kept by the Church of Antioch, and from 1724 the list kept by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church: the same lists by which those Churches trace their own apostolic succession to St. Peter, first bishop of Antioch, whom St. Evodius succeeded.
St. Evodius is honored as an apostle of the Seventy by the Eastern Orthodox Church, which keeps his feast on September 7 and numbers him among the Seventy Apostles honored together on January 4. The Roman Catholic Church honors him as St. Evodius, bishop of Antioch, on May 6. The historian Eusebius, about A.D. 325, recorded him as the first bishop of Antioch after St. Peter, and the Apostolic Constitutions, about A.D. 380, record that St. Peter appointed him.
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. Ignatius, who succeeded St. Evodius, to Cyril V, as the Church of Antioch keeps their list.
- 2.St. IgnatiusC O Martyr68
- 3.Heron I100
- 4.Cornelius127
- 5.Heron II151
- 6.St. TheophilusC O169
- 7.Maximus I188
- 8.St. SerapionC O191
- 9.St. AsclepiadesC O212
- 10.Philetus218
- 11.Zebinus232
- 12.St. BabylasC O Martyr240
- 13.Fabius253
- 14.Demetrian256
- 15.Amphilochius263
- 16.Paul of Samosata267
- 17.Domnus I270
- 18.Timaeus273
- 19.Cyril277
- 20.Tyrannion299
- 21.Vitalius308
- 22.St. PhilogoniusC O314
- 23.Paulinus324
- 24.St. EustathiusC O325
- 25.Eulalius332
- 26.Euphronius333
- 27.Flacillus334
- 28.Stephen I341
- 29.Leontius345
- 30.Eudoxius350
- 31.St. MeletiusC O354
- 32.Anianus357
- 33.Euzoius360
- 34.Dorotheus370
- 35.Paulinus II371
- 36.Vitalius II376
- 37.St. Flavian IC O384
- 38.Porphyrius404
- 39.Alexander408
- 40.Theodotus418
- 41.John I427
- 42.Domnus II443
- 43.Maximus II450
- 44.Basil459
- 45.Acacius459
- 46.Martyrius461
- 47.Peter the Fuller465
- 48.Julian466
- 49.John II475
- 50.Stephen II490
- 51.Stephen III493
- 52.Calandion495
- 53.John Codonatus495
- 54.Palladius497
- 55.Flavian II505
- 56.Severus513
- 57.Paul II518
- 58.Euphrasius521
- 59.St. EphraimO526
- 60.Domnus III546
- 61.St. Anastasius I the SinaiteC O561
- 62.St. GregoryC O571
- 63.St. Anastasius IIC O Martyr599
- 64.Gregory II610
- 65.Anastasius III620
- 66.Macedonius628
- 67.George I640
- 68.Macarius656
- 69.Theophanes681
- 70.Sebastian687
- 71.George II690
- 72.Alexander II695
- 73.Stephen IV742
- 74.Theophylact748
- 75.Theodore767
- 76.John IV797
- 77.Job810
- 78.Nicholas826
- 79.Simeon834
- 80.Elias840
- 81.Theodosius852
- 82.Nicholas II860
- 83.Michael879
- 84.Zacharias890
- 85.George III902
- 86.Job II917
- 87.Eustratius939
- 88.Christopher960
- 89.Theodore II966
- 90.Agapius977
- 91.John V995
- 92.Nicholas III1000
- 93.Elias II1003
- 94.George Lascaris1010
- 95.Macarius the Virtuous1015
- 96.Eleutherius1023
- 97.Peter III1028
- 98.John VI1051
- 99.Aemilian1062
- 100.Theodosius II1075
- 101.Nicephorus1084
- 102.John VII1090
- 103.John IX1155
- 104.Euthymius1159
- 105.Macarius II1164
- 106.Athanasius1166
- 107.Theodosius III1180
- 108.Elias III1182
- 109.Christopher II1184
- 110.Theodore IV (Balsamon)1185
- 111.Joachim1199
- 112.Dorotheus1219
- 113.Simeon II1245
- 114.Euthymius II1268
- 115.Theodosius IV1269
- 116.Theodosius V1276
- 117.Arsenius1285
- 118.Dionysius1293
- 119.Mark1308
- 120.Ignatius II1342
- 121.Pachomius1386
- 122.Nilus1393
- 123.Michael III1401
- 124.Pachomius II1410
- 125.Joachim II1411
- 126.Mark III1426
- 127.Dorotheus II1436
- 128.Michael IV1454
- 129.Mark IV1476
- 130.Joachim III1476
- 131.Gregory III1483
- 132.Dorotheus III1497
- 133.Michael V1523
- 134.Dorotheus IV1541
- 135.Joachim IV1543
- 136.Michael VI1577
- 137.Joachim V1581
- 138.Joachim VI1593
- 139.Dorotheus V1604
- 140.Athanasius III (Dabbas)1611
- 141.Ignatius III (Attiyah)1619
- 142.Euthymius III1635
- 143.Euthymius IV1636
- 144.Macarius III (Zaim)1648
- 145.Neophytos I1674
- 146.Athanasius IV (Dabbas)1686
- 147.Cyril V (Zaim)1694
The Melkite Patriarchate
From 1724, the Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch, in communion with the Bishop of Rome, from Cyril VI to Cyril VIII.
- 148.Cyril VI (Tanas)1724
- 149.Athanasius IV (Jawhar)1759
- 150.Maximos II (Hakim)1760
- 151.Theodosius V (Dahan)1761
- 152.Cyril VII (Siaj)1794
- 153.Agapius II (Matar)1796
- 154.Ignatius IV (Sarrouf)1812
- 155.Athanasius V (Matar)1813
- 156.Macarius IV (Tawil)1813
- 157.Ignatius V (Qattan)1816
- 158.Maximos III (Mazloum)1833
- 159.Clement (Bahous)1856
- 160.Gregory II (Youssef-Sayour)1864
- 161.Peter IV (Geraigiry)1898
- 162.Cyril VIII (Geha)1902
Beirut and America
From Athanasios Sawaya, Melkite Archbishop of Beirut, consecrated by Patriarch Cyril VIII in 1905, each bishop consecrated by the one listed before him.
- 163.Athanasios (Sawaya)1905
- 164.Anthony Aneed1911
- 165.Wallace David de Ortega Maxey1945
- 166.Nils Bertil Alexander Persson1986
- 167.Samuel Guido, Jr.2004
168.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.
