Bahnam is son of Yuhanna of the Habbo Kanni family originally from Bartelli, but he was born at Hedel near Esfes (in Turkey). He started his ascetic life in Rghulo d-gihano down of his village, then became a monk at the Qartamin (Mor Gabriel) Monastery and was ordained a priest. He studied under stylist Rabban Jacob the old and holy man. 

In 1404 he was consecrated a mapheryono (Catholicos) under the name Basilius and succeeded the Patriarch Ibrahim on the See of Antioch under the name Ignatius on July 24, 1412. After the death of Patriarch Basilius IV, he was able because of his lenient policies to convince the diocese of the patriarch to proclaim him a legitimate patriarch. Thus in 1445 they proclaimed him Patriarch of Antioch. He died on December 10, 1454.

Patriarch Bahnam was one of the best writers and poets of his time. There is no little creativeness in his poetry.

    1. He drew up ten husoye in a pleasant style, three of which are alphabetically arranged. They are on the Pre­sentation of our Lord in the Temple, the morning of the festival of our Lady over the crops; three for Len t, and four for the festivals of the saints Asya, Abhai, Barsohde and Saba. In this latter husoyo he used Greek terms.

   2. He selected commentaries from the book of Daniel of Salah and fixed them with his reinterpretation on a manuscript containing the Psalms written and punctuated by him in 1425. Chabot thought that these commentaries were written in the tenth century. In 1901 G. Diettrich published the introduction of these commentaries together with two treatises in Giesen.

    3. He drew up a liturgy arranged according to the Syriac alphabet, beginning thus: "0 God who art the sea of safety and the unfathomable depth of the water of peace." To this he prefixed a husoyo beginning thus: "Praise to the bread of life," and appended to it a dismissory prayer, which he composed in 1405, in the heptasyllabic meter arranged to the alphabet.

    4. He composed eleven odes, five of which are in the twelve-syllabic meter. Two of these odes covering sixty pages in praise of the virtues of the martyr Mor Behnam, one rather lengthy in twenty-eight pages on the out­standing traits of the martyr Mor Basus, published by Chabot and then Bedjan anonymously. The former thought it was composed in the twelfth century, while Baumstark thought it was composed at the beginning of the Middle Ages. He also composed an ode on the martyr Mor Saba which has been lost, and another ode in thirteen pages on repentance in which he censures himself. It begins thus: "0 Jesus who art the Light which illumined the world." He also composed three odes in the heptasyllabic meter on supplication to God and repentance, one of which begins thus: "What is it with you my soul that you have gone astray in deception." Furthermore, he composed three songs, one on the passion of Christ, arranged according to the alphabet, and the second in praise of the Virgin Mary, beginning thus: "I wonder if the mentioning of your beautiful traits." This song is still sung during the festivals of the Virgin before the reading of the Gospel. His third song is on repentance. If his poems were collected they would make a good anthology.

(History of Syriac Literature and Sciences, Patriarch Ignatius Ephrem I Barsoum, Presseggiata Press, p 163)