Maphrian is in the Syrian Church the highest episcopal dignitary after the patriarch of Antioch. The jurisdiction of the maphrian extends over Chaldaea, Assyria, and Mesopotamia. His residence was formerly at Tabriz, beyond the Tigris, but since this see has coalesced with that of Mosul it is at the latter place. Neale (Introd. Hist. of the Eastern Church, p. 152) says that "the maphrians are now only nominally distinguished from the other metropolitans."
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More